Hi All,
I am about to order my first Mini. It will be a Clubman S, for spirited driving but not for competition.
My question is whether to go with mechanical LSD or dynamic traction control with EDLC?
Or, is there an advantage to both?
Thank you for your help.
Tom

 

Tom, I see no one has replied to your question so i'll give it a try. I run the standard LSD in my Club S. I see no reason to spend more, if it is more for the electronic unit. In the long run the LSD may prove to be less problematic. It definitely can handle any "spirited" driving. I can't believe that all the Minis that are raced or auto X'ed have the "E". I think you'll be just fine with the LSD. Good luck and enjoy. Dan

 

Well to confuse you more , when I ordered my Clubman S I waited until December to do it in order to get the EDLC. I figured if that was what was going into the JCW's then that must be the way to go. Cost the same either way. Good luck on your decision.

 

Either should be fine for the Clubman for spirited driving. On the track though, the LSD is the way to go--unless you want to be smoking brack pads....

 

The only reason that they put the ELSD into the JCW (I think) is that they didn't have an LSD to match the upgraded powerplant and transmisson of the Gen2 JCW. A lot of power will be lost in the turns by applying the brakes to control individual wheel spin. A true LSD would be far superior in a performance environment. I'll bet that a standard LSD will eventually be available for the JCW.

 

lhoboy, I hope you're right, but I think true LSD's are a thing of the past at BMW. The 1 series has an ediff too, with no plans that I know of for a true LSD.

The ediff is lighter and cheaper; BMW won't be going back to a LSD anytime soon. A shame really...

 

I am worried you may be right.

 

Thank you all!
Sounds like the best choice for me is LSD and that's the way I will go unless some convincing reasons for select EDLC turn up.
Take care,
Tom

 

I have the LSD in my 08 and there is considerable torque steer. This isn't a complaint from the people with automatices, so I think it is limited to just manuals with the LSD. If I had to do it over again, I think I would skip it and save the $500.

 

Torque steer is an interesting critter. After I added the JCW package to my '02, I had a very uncomfortable amount of torque steer. I then added an OEM 6 speed with LSD (mostly to get the closer gear ratios). Torque steer virtually disappeared. Some people complain about excessive torque steer with LSD & others complain about it without. I'm wondering whether it depends on how something is set up (perhaps alignment) on each individual car that might account for it.

 

LSD is very good and mecanical

EDLC is not mecanical, not good, electronic does not replace a mechanical system, EDLC is to sell, marketing ..

 

In terms of fun factor are they both the same?

Would it hurt to have both?

 

One of the greatest benefits of having the LSD over the e-diff, is that the LSD is always active. One example of where this is beneficial is that you can have DSC on while the LSD is working. The increased traction gained from the LSD, means that even with aggressive cornering, you can maintain traction longer before DSC kicks in (great for public roads). A mechanical LSD almost gives the feeling of sling-shooting out of corners, but if things really get hairy and you have DSC on you know you won't end up in a ditch. My understanding of MINI's EDLC is that you activate it by turning OFF DTC and DSC. And although EDLC works very quickly, it is still a strictly reactive system and does not have the option of keeping a safety-net with stability control on.

The mechanical LSD is sourced from GKN Driveline (or at least the 05-06 was and I'd assume the R56/R55 is the same) which gives a 30% lockup rate, is pretty-much "maintenance-free" and has very little driveline harshness (compared to clutch-type differentials.) If this "Super LSD" exhibits 1.5-way characteristics the LSD would also have some traction advantages when lifting off throttle or braking although my guess is that it is a safer 1-way system.

One of the disadvantages of the MINIs mechanical LSD at a dry track is that if one wheel becomes unweighted (comes out of contact with the ground) it acts like a standard open differential and you'll get wheelspin. Additionally the EDLC does have the advantage of a lock-up rate up to 50%. The LSD is going to feel more progressive on a dry track, but my guess is that with the greater lockup potential, the EDLC may actually be better in slippery situations (rain and snow.)

 

I ordered my 09 MCS with both LSD and DTC (which comes with EDLC)-- does anyone else have this setup? I don't think I realized it was a bit of a redundancy at the time of ordering... I am wondering how this will all work out with my car!

If anyone has both on their car I would love to hear about it!

 

Oh-- as a side note... I used to think I knew a lot about cars, acronyms, and life in general until I started reading this thread.

 

I actually have the same setup, I ordered a 2009 MCS with Sport Pkg (with DTC+EDLC) and LSD, I don't know what we'll get. I guess we have to inspect the differentials of our cars to see if they really did install the LSD.

 

I dont like all this new EDLC rif raff... why spend more money for an open diff? which is what your doing, and then tack on another goofy electronic do dad that smokes the inside brake pad... what a waste of money!

sounds like a easier way for bmw to reduce costs and increase revenue...

i like my lsd, works great...

 

My interest in the LSD or the ELSD is from the standpoint of driving in snow. Will either or both offer any significant advantage in putting power to the ground in slippery snow conditions? My house is a the top of a couple of steep hills, and getting up them in snow is pretty dicey...

What I really need is a an AWD Clubman.

 

I test-drove an LSD equipped pre-sportpack '09 last December in pouring rain. The wheel noticeably slipped when I was accelerating out of a turn.

Thus I opted for the sport pack that comes with EDLC and got to play with it a lot in the rain once I got the car. IMHO there is virtually no perceptible wheel spin when coming out hard out of a turn on a wet road.

I'm pretty damn happy with the gadget - works as advertized and was pretty much free since I wanted the other pieces of the sport pack anyway.

 

Zoltiz--

That's very useful information... thanks. I'm wondering if that translates into better straight-line uphill traction in slippery, snowy conditions. Also, the 6MT Clubman S that I test drove had LSD, and suffered from intense torque-steer... Under hard acceleration from a stop, the steering wheel really tried to wrench itself from my grip. To me, that's a pretty serious handling flaw.

 

I've owned several FWD supercharged 4-bangers (toyota/scion with TRD blowers), and compared to them, MINI has no torque steer in a straight line on decent road.

Pick a rainy day and drive both EDLC and LSD Coopers - that's the only way to really know for yourself.

As far as traction in snow is concerned, with DSC/DTC off, EDLC is still active, so it should help, especially since EDLC is not controlling engine power.

 

hobbs4002 - I don't want the EDLC too, but its already included in 2009 Sport pkg.