[TunafishE93]

Originally Posted by jcortez75

This thread is a good reality check on “budget LSD” versus total install complexity.

If the goal is occasional fun + street reliability, I’d decide based on total installed cost (parts + machining + labor + alignment + downtime), not just parts sticker price.

Cheap part + expensive rework usually becomes the most expensive option in the end. Ask me how I know 🙃

If you do move forward, definitely report back after a few months — long-term feedback is the most valuable part of these threads.

I would think the factory electronic differential reveals any mechanical

[Cloverdale]

Originally Posted by jaffles

This is fair enough but I am dealing with a car that is worth 10 to 15K, to drop a 2K diff into it doesn't make sense to me. It's not a track car so a $700 chinese one maybe. Probably what half the ones on the track have anyway.

I've purchased a number of China sourced, low cost BMW parts through Ali express and been quite pleased with the quality! The Alibaba source listing the LSD for your diesel doesn't seem to have their own website so do your due diligence before payment. A number of forum owners have successfully installed used LSD applications (not including Vehicular DYI who broke his prior to the open diff conversion work shared in the video I posted). Diff ratio research will also be an important consideration in your choice of a replacement.

[jaffles]

Originally Posted by Cloverdale

I've purchased a number of China sourced, low cost BMW parts through Ali express and been quite pleased with the quality! The Alibaba source listing the LSD for your diesel doesn't seem to have their own website so do your due diligence before payment. A number of forum owners have successfully installed used LSD applications (not including Vehicular DYI who broke his prior to the open diff conversion work shared in the video I posted). Diff ratio research will also be an important consideration in your choice of a replacement.

thanks, I too have had pretty good success buying from the Chinese markets.
I have bee tripped up with general 330 or Series 3 listings, but if you check a little deeper like 330d and year or LCI its been good.

Diff ratios or ones axel type all starts getting involved. I discovered recently my torque converter is good for 600nm, the 300HP tune I'm considering puts 590nm on it where the stage 1 330hp was 640 from memory. Think BMW's OE tune is 540 so lots of redundancy. Seems a 335i converter is really what's needs as it takes 700nm according to the ZF info.

I am aware for every mod there is a + and - and it will find the next weak link regardless.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

💯 Performance was built into BMW. What i am saying is the performance is there, you might need to change the rear brake pads more often.. but dont spend your money on a non issue upgrade.

You do all the work and it acts the same way. Just push that dsc button

My experience with mechanical diffs and E-diffs, especially of this generation (1st gen), is that the E-diffs are OK, but do not have the benefits of a true mechanical diff on the track. One works by cutting power to retain traction, and the other works to maximize all existing power. Also, mechanical diffs are way more fun. E-diffs are great in the snow and getting you un-stuck, tho, for sure.

[Cloverdale]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

Let us know who DCT enabled and DSC still active works for you. I usually do straight line pulls so not much for rear wheel differential.

Can you confirm that you've seen tire rubber marks from both rear tires during pulls? It's a dry day here and I'll do a trial of my own today

[mkeiser]

my racingdiffs lsd conversion kit lasted about 2 years ~30k miles before the center pin busted in half. daily driving and autox.

you have to machine down the half shafts a bit. otherwise it's an easy install. in hindsight I wish I would have just gone straight to a legit LSD.

[jaffles]

I asked Racingdiffs if any machining was required, they said no. But it could also be just for my model 215LW

Then I fell over this. Love that these muppets are having ago, but doesn't even match mkeiser's experience.

[mkeiser]

Originally Posted by jaffles

I asked Racingdiffs if any machining was required, they said no. But it could also be just for my model 215LW

Then I fell over this. Love that these muppets are having ago, but doesn't even match mkeiser's experience.

I think my center pin ultimately snapped due to using 200tw tires and hard launches. I bet it would have held up longer with less grippy tires. RacingDiffs support was great when I contacted them about it and they had a replacement center pin I could have purchased, but I ended up putting in an MFactory clutch LSD instead.

~~~~

Obviously RacingDiffs knows their product more than I do but I would ask for clarification if any modification is required on the axle shafts. I had to do it for my 188L. Looks like it's needed for 215LW based on some videos they have on this page (Look for the 188LW 215LW video towards the bottom).

https://racingdiffs.com/pages/video-gallery

also looks like you can use hand tools...

[jaffles]

haha I stopped at 59sec. We would do that shit in construction, but its a little different in the accuracies of a diff connecting volumes of HP and Nm to bitumen at speed.

Do you think his Russian? Honestly to make a video suggesting to hack the end off a spline at perfect 90deg with a grinder. I can see how his product fails. I guess I could do it on the lathe but think racingdiffs has spoken for itself.

To be honest I was surprised at the price of the Mfactory LSD. For some reason I was thinking 5K but it appears to be 1.8. Think really from this discussion its more in my wanna be head, opposed to the reality of my skills. I can zip around the place in the standard just fine. The speeding fines are enough opposed to having it impounded for practicing a drift around a round a bout.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by jaffles

haha I stopped at 59sec. We would do that shit in construction, but its a little different in the accuracies of a diff connecting volumes of HP and Nm to bitumen at speed.

Do you think his Russian? Honestly to make a video suggesting to hack the end off a spline at perfect 90deg with a grinder. I can see how his product fails. I guess I could do it on the lathe but think racingdiffs has spoken for itself.

To be honest I was surprised at the price of the Mfactory LSD. For some reason I was thinking 5K but it appears to be 1.8. Think really from this discussion its more in my wanna be head, opposed to the reality of my skills. I can zip around the place in the standard just fine. The speeding fines are enough opposed to having it impounded for practicing a drift around a round a bout.

Yeah, $1.8 is totally reasonable in my head. At $5k I’d prolly just say no thanks to any solution lol

[Cloverdale]

Originally Posted by mkeiser

I think my center pin ultimately snapped due to using 200tw tires and hard launches. I bet it would have held up longer with less grippy tires. RacingDiffs support was great when I contacted them about it and they had a replacement center pin I could have purchased, but I ended up putting in an MFactory clutch LSD instead.

~~~~

Obviously RacingDiffs knows their product more than I do but I would ask for clarification if any modification is required on the axle shafts. I had to do it for my 188L. Looks like it's needed for 215LW based on some videos they have on this page (Look for the 188LW 215LW video towards the bottom).

https://racingdiffs.com/pages/video-gallery

also looks like you can use hand tools...

Recall searching for a RacingDiffs video even mentioning the 2 gear grinding some of us require but there wasn't one (how shady).

[Cloverdale]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

The DSC brakes the rear wheel thats slipping. Acting as a clutch LSD. The DSC also cuts engine power if braking the rear wheel that is slipping makes the other wheel slip compared with the rotation of the front wheel.
Now if you enable DTC that still brakes the rear wheel that is slipping BUT doesn't cut power if the rear wheels dont match the front wheels rotation.
DSC off is true open differential with no wheel slip braking.
All years have this.

Looking back on BMW forum posts on the subject of DTC and DSC there are many who insist that the DSC remains active to some degree when DTC is on, hence interfering with full power output at points along the power band. I recall this position being the consensus amongst enthusiasts which resulted in my common practice of turning both off by holding the DTC button for several seconds. Following some 'testing' today on my 07 335i auto trans with mods beyond those of Tunafish, my sense is that the DSC may well be remaining engaged to some degree during significant pulls with DSC on. There's definitely something interfering significantly with the power output. I suppose it's possible that this is exclusively the result of just the DTC being engaged. Perhaps rpm monitoring during the testing process might've shed greater light? Plan to search further for those that have compared levels of system engagement parameters at that drag strip and the effects on their ET's.

[Cloverdale]

To button this up as a result of today's performance testing my experience is that the DTC engaged does not remotely resemble an LSD due to it's performance robbing behavior due to wheel braking and perhaps more. Driving both my auto and manual trans cars with the DTC engaged nearly eliminates the mods to the point of not having any. Love my Dodge with the 3.91 posi! Glad I'm pre 2008 on the BMW's due to reported coding requirements to disengage the traction and stability control features!

[Gizm0]

Don’t do it, check this “long term” review, this guy used that kit and after 8000km, the “clutch packs” were completely worn out and the rear diff went back to acting like an open diff again

[Cloverdale]

After 8k of beating on it, it would appear?

[Gizm0]

Originally Posted by Cloverdale

After 8k of beating on it, it would appear?

Maybe, but 8k (kilometers, or 5000 miles), even beating on it, seems extremely low... Compare an actual clutch pack on a clutch based LSD to the "clutch" that comes with this kit and you should be able to clearly see the issue

[Cloverdale]

Wavetrac LSD may be the way to go.
https://www.n54tuning.com/wavetrac-lsd.html