Chris Edwards

RPM is recommending the Wavetrac, my intended use is 90% street, 10% HPDE, no sticky tire launches are wheel to wheel. Any thoughts?

Werks

For what you plan on doing with your car, leave it stock and spend the money on something that you will notice the difference with. My car is 95% track and I'm running the OS Giken LSD, for track use I notice the difference on the street I'm rarely ever pushing it anywhere hard enough around corners etc. to notice anything because I'd probably end up killing someone (or my self).

strano@stranoparts.com

Stock differentials are quite good in the Corvette. I carry both Quaife and OS Giken for the cars, and I can tell you that typically the Quaife and Wavetrac type diffs have not been to my liking in RWD cars. Hell in some instances the Quaife was worse than a stock diff in an M3.

Giken has lots of options and that's what I'd recommend based on how smoothly they work, and the fact you can tune them about any way you want. I personally favor a more basic 1 way operation myself so the car will roll free on the way into corners without any drag messing with the balance.

I don't (ashamedly) have any of the diffs up on my website www.stranoparts.com btw, for some reason my signature won't post.... But if you need some help I'd be happy to.

Chris Edwards

Thanks guys. RPM is emphasizing that the clutch style LSD's will wear out over time, requiring routine rebuilds. Cost isn't as much of a concern as doing the job once, with the parts that suit my intended usage.

strano@stranoparts.com

Well it's a myth that anything in the driveline doesn't wear. Helical diffs are friction devices and also wear. I've had to replace race Torsen's in my Camaro due to wear (complete with metal on the drain plug and everything). So everything wears.

One thing with Giken diffs is lots of clutches, which means lots of surface area, which means little wear. And frankly look how well a stock diff works, even say in a 2004 car (10+ years old).

Chris Edwards

Food for thought. My 70k diff still worked fine. So if I'm considering aftermarket diffs, the OS Giken should be at the top of the list?

ratt_finkel

Sam, I am planning on running a Quaiffe in the pikes peak car. What specifically do you not like about them in a RWD car?

strano@stranoparts.com

They don't work all that well, that's what. Run them in Mustangs and BMW's and they just don't put power down as well in any RWD I've run with them as other things. That said, they kick *** in Front Wheel drive stuff. I don't really know why that has been the case.

I know they aren't a lot of money, relatively. I sell it for $999.00, but I think there are better options myself. Also, it depends on the car. I know that the C6's in particular can pick an inside rear tire up from time to time (one reason I dumped the Grand Sport for the Z06 again was the stiffer front spring) and Helical's go open when that happens.

ratt_finkel

I wasn't really looking at them from a cost standpoint. I didn't want to go with a super aggressive clutch type diff. As I need a car that is predictable in power delivery. And still be neutral everywhere else.

Sadly, I don't have a lot of aftermarket diff experience. But you are the first that has not liked the quaiffe.

I was never super impressed with the stock C6Z diff. Putting shocks and your 32mm bar helped alleviate much of the inside wheel spin though.

strano@stranoparts.com

Note that I'm not advocating a "super aggressive" tight differential here.

Soloontario

I think Quaifes are a lot like Torsens i.e helical drive. I didn't like it on my last generation Camaro at all and went back to a clutch type diff. Just like Sam says, if the inner wheel gets off the ground it becomes an open diff.

Bill Dearborn

Stick with the stock diff. I have run stock GM diffs on 4 track/autocross cars since 1992. A C4 diff, two C5 diffs and a C6Z diff. Haven't had an issue with any of them (other than I burned up the 97 diff in one day of track driving).

Bill

Chris Edwards

I've been leaning towards this. The carbon clutch packs will provide a decent upgrade anyhow.

redtopz

I've been running a quaife diff for years and have been happy with the performance and reliability. Most corvettes don't lift rear wheels in corners. That said, I might be calling you to discuss the OS Giken and try something new next year.

CP Thunder

I thought I saw an OS Giken decal on your car at Laguna.....? Grin......

Trackaholic

I have a Quaife in my 350Z that I had installed when the stock viscous LSD went from limited slip to unlimited slip. This was when I was doing a number of AutoX events.

The Quaife has been excellent for both AutoX and track, but my car is pretty mild in terms of mods, so the suspension is still relatively soft (not much concern about lifting a rear wheel).

However, when I enter my driveway, which is angled @ 45 degrees from the road and is steeply uphill, the car is stiff enough to lift the rear inner tire and the Quaife does indeed go open at that point. I need to coast through that portion so I don't shock the drivetrain when the wheel regains contact.

I do really like the Quaife otherwise because it is very smooth, quiet, and works great at both the street and track for my application.

-T

dbratten

Bill, let me know if you'd like to drive mine as I have had the OSG for several years now and am very happy with it. The OEM diff would not hold the 335 rubber in autox turns or even the Esses at BW. I even had GM rebuild the OEM once but with no improvement.

--Dan

fatbillybob

can someone describe what happens when a diff does not work like through the esses at BRP ?

dbratten

My OEM diff was allowing the inside tire to spin rather than driving the car forward when bouncing side to side off the curbing. On tighter autox turns it would just spin like an open diff. Not excessively, but enough to notice that power wasn't going to the outside tire. Very annoying. It happened when there was too much traction on the outside wheel for the diff to overcome. That's not a problem anymore.

--Dan

Supercharged111

I have a Torsen T2R in the Camaro and generally it feels OK (having nothing to compare it to), but I did notice at T9 at Hallett (leaving the bitch) it would unload just a bit then hook and go. For some reason, that's the only place it's ever done that to me but it does make me wonder if I should switch over to a clutch type diff which is more responsive because the car is probably acting up in other corners but isn't really rearing its head like it did at Hallett.