Plate Type LSD

[Colin Byrne]

Hi guys
just wondering if anyone has any experience with Plate type LSD's for the 6 speed boxes.
As we're running the engine/drivetrain as a RWD in the Stratos not sure the standard Q2 diff is going to be all the suitable

AHM lists one that looks pretty good, but exchange rate and shipping is going to be pretty bad

Kaaz diff's list one that fits, I contacted the local dealer, but have had nothing back

Anyone got any other ideas or experience?

Cheers

[Cowie]

G'day Colin, I have a plate diff in my 147 Gta gravel rally car.
AHM stock them, but it is actually built by Gripper Differentials in the UK. I have used Gripper diffs in a few of our rally cars now, can highly recommend them. They will set it up to your preference of preload and ramp angles.
They also custom build diffs, they've just done one for us, and a mate of ours helped sort out Mal Keoghs centre diff for the Quattro, which is also a gripper.
As for plate type diffs vs torsen (Q2, Quaife etc), don't waste your time or money. Torsen diffs don't work anywhere except at the traffic light GP. That's why anybody that knows, or anybody that wants to be competitive, uses a plated diff, so you're right about the Q2 not being suitable 👍

[Evan Bottcher]

Our 156 GTA race car had a plate type fitted when it was first built back in 2003, the diff was built in the UK.  The Q2 was not available at that time.  In 2019 a clutch failure led to destruction of the bell housing and transaxle housing, so we swapped in a spare transaxle that I had on the shelf, with a Q2 diff centre.

Because of a global pandemic, we didn't get that much track time in until this year - Phil and I are both really surprised at how much worse the Q2 performs compared to the plate type diff.  Night and day.  The plate diff will go back in to the car at first opportunity.  Don't waste your time with the Q2 is my opinion.  I expect the difference would be even more severe in tarmac rally.

[alfagtv58]

Nothing to add that hasn't been said Col, other than to confirm what the other folks have said....night and day difference.

[Colin Byrne]

Awesome guys, the info that is, not what it's going to do to my wallet...

I'll fire off an email to Gripper and see what i get, AHM have got some nice stuff but they charge a heap for shipping and when i got the ITB had to pay via International bank transfer it all added up pretty fast

Evan, very interested to know what the clutch failure was, was it a pressure plate failure by any chance? did the centre of the pressure plate come loose? any photo's?

thanks again guys

[alfagtv58]

It happened in the 12 Hour.  All the consequential damage added up...

[Colin Byrne]

Thanks Phil!
OK so i was completely wrong, full failure of the clutch disc, haven't seen that before, but I've never run that type of clutch plate.

Yea clutch failures can do some damage, can't they!

[Evan Bottcher]

I've bought some things from AHM via credit card, no international bank transfer - I guess CC comes with it's own charges.  A few years ago I bought a LSD centre for the Sud from AHM, got it delivered to our London office and then picked it up myself when I was over there.  I brought it back in my hand luggage!

I bought the torsen style for the Sud, and one day when that car gets resurrected I think I'll try to source a plate type.  The diff in the Sud and the Q2 feel quite similar - much better than a standard diff, but no good out of the tighter stuff.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

After reading this thread, and then doing some research, Gran Turismo on the Playstation 25 years ago makes so much more sense now. 

[Alfatango]

After reading this thread, and then doing some research, Gran Turismo on the Playstation 25 years ago makes so much more sense now.

Except slicks don't cost $40,000 while an s13 J Silvia does