E30 Zone

how can you tell if you have a lsd

If you can get a close look at the diff theres a tab with the ratio written on it (3.64 or 3.91 etc) a slipper will have an S before it, so it will read s3.91.

Also driving the car should give you a good idea, if it spins both wheels and goes sideways easily its an lsd, if it just smokes the inside wheel its an open diff.

And one more way, jack the rear of the car up and spin one of the wheels, the other wheel should spin the same way.

Hope this helps.

Tag or jack it up, I found the wheelspin method unreliable i.e. it did spin both but didn't have an lsd at the time!

bramley wrote:Tag or jack it up, I found the wheelspin method unreliable i.e. it did spin both but didn't have an lsd at the time!

An open diff spins both sides doesn't it? Just one goes the opposite way. I think.

Sorry - I didn't explain myself very wheel! If jacked up an open diff will spin one wheel the other way, whereas an lsd will spin both the same way.

What I meant in my earlier post was that I booted the car and got two black lines on the road but it was actually an open diff. Adz said above if it spins both wheels it's an lsd but I was saying I didn't find that reliable, hence check the tag or jack it up.

Easiest way is to get one rear wheel on tarmac and one on grass,do a hard start,if you go nowhere and the wheel spins on grass its an open diff,however if you bolt forward you have a slipper!

If you jack up one rear wheel and then with the handbrake off try spinning the wheel, an open diff will just spin but i'm sure if it's an LSD the wheel will only move so far until it locks up. Could be wrong but think that works and if so i think its better than just booting someones car your test driving from a stand still, i know i wouldn't appreciate someone doing that.