After doing a little bit of research here on NAM. I am still not sure about the right path to take. I have serious traction problem. I'm running Conti. Extreme contact tires on 18" Motegi's. I am a lead foot, so when ever I have the chance, I let my "rattle box" breath. It seems that even at 3/4 throttle sometimes even less than that I spin my tires like crazy. I wonder if the road was paved with Crisco.

It looks like most here on NAM like the Quaife. Here is the problem. I am in the process of intalling hardwood flooring in my condo, big money. I am also wanting to rework or buy a performance cylinder head for my mini.

I found the an OBX LSD on ebay for about $400.00. Anyone here has anything good or bad to say about going the OBX route?

I don't really want to dig too deep into my savings.

Also, who can install the LSD near Bellingham,WA and how much do you think it would cost.

Any other suggestions regarding the traction issue?

Sorry for the long post! I am just frustrated about the issue.

Thanks!

 

you gotta pull the tranny to install the LSD. It's a big job and costs a lot of money. If you're going to do that, you should look at your clutch as well so you don't just have to do it later. This is a big ticket job no matter how you slice it.

The good news is there are those running the OBX and are pretty happy with it. Search around, there are some threads on it.

In the short term, drop your tire pressure a bit, and just modulate your foot. This is the cheapest way to keep traction, and will also save you a bunch of tire. Once you're moving, then you can plant the go pedal without breaking free.

While this sounds like a pusssy answer, as you get more and more power, it's the only way from keeping from smoking them! That's just the way it is.

Matt

 

I already did the tire pressure thing and it didn't help much.

 

to be blunt, you have a desease that is common to people who don't own high HP vehicles. You can drive with the gas pedal as a switch. On cars with real power, you just can't do this or you smoke your tires every time you launch.

So, I'd say modify the brain, and think of it as preparation for getting some more serious power in your future. IT's not a sign of wimpiness, it's a sign of maturity.

My Mustang can leave strips of rubber for over 75 feet without much effort. If I drove it as you drive your Mini, I'd have lost my licence many times over, and have burned through many, many sets of tires.

There you have it.

Matt

 

I think your biggest problem is running an 18" wheel with narrow rubberband tire and lack of driving experience. When I made the switch from a 17" wheel with a 205/40/17 to 16" wheel with 215/45/16 tires, I got a lot more traction.

I also just installed a $400 "ebay" OBX LSD with my new engine/clutch/flywheel/etc. about 2 months ago and have about 2k miles on it. I've not had much chance to use it yet, but I can tell you OBX has a lifetime warranty on it, just like the Quaiffe, but unlike the Quaiffe, the warranty isn't valid in racing applications. However, in the rare chance you are on the track/drag strip and your OBX fails, simply tow it off and to your house or different location. Many turbo Civic's use the OBX lsd with no problems. I read on an SR20 forum before I purchased mine that the OBX is great and never has any issues until you make more than 500+ hp.

 

Mininuke I've run the OBX for almost 18 months with no problems.

I stripped mine down before installing it to make sure the assembled unit was good to go. Post 7 has some info from what I found: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...h-and-cam.html

I could do the install for you this winter, after hunting season is over! No tag soup for me this year!

Jeremy

 

The experience issue may play in a little bit since I always had rear wheel drive cars. I forgot to mention that the cars has a few mods.

Will the bigger wheel/tire combo make such a difference? The other night, at 45 degrees, I tried to take off quick from a stop light and I went through 1 and 2 gear spinning all the way to the next stop light. It never grabbed! It felt like a hot piece of fried chicken on a Crisco slide. It was ridiculous!

 

A warrantee isn't of much value when it costs three times as much to swap a dead one out and in again as the diff cost in the first place...

I'd also agree re. the wheels - ditch the 18"s and get a set of light 16" with decent tires. You are losing traction (aside from your lead foot) because there isn't enough give in your setup to let the tires hook up.

If you don't have FWD experience, consider that the moment you start to accelerate, the car rocks back on the suspension, and this transfers weight from the front to the rear wheels. No weight on the driven wheels, no traction.

With a MINI, you MUST modulate the throttle until you get moving, as the good Dr. O recommends. On RWD, the weight transfers to the driven rear wheels, so you've got gobs of traction for acceleration, which is why RWD cars go faster on a drag strip.

 

That sounds interesting! How difficult is it be to strip the unit? Maybe I should do the clutch at the same time. PM me with more details and the cost for installation. Thanks

 

You live in Texas and Jeremy lives in Canada.

 

I'm off for our family Thanksgiving din din, so I'll PM you later on. Until then ease up on the go pedal!

Jeremy

 

I modulated the gas, when that didn't work, I did let go off completely and the tried to again with the same results. Maybe the tire, wheel size or the temperature had something to do with it.

 

I saw this: "near Bellingham,WA", posted by Mininuke.

Jeremy

 

Oh! My bad.

 

I forgot to change my location. I moved to WA 2 months ago.

 

so you smoked your tires through two gears with a mildly modded Mini. There are tons of us our here with higher (sometimes much higher) power levels that you're running without the problems you're having maintaining traction.

I'm sure you're probably a nice guy, but what can I say, the problems you have with traction is you.

jhiggs saying "untill then ease up on the go pedal" says exactly the same thing in different words.

You may not like the style of this particular messanger, but the content under the vocabulary choice is exactly the same that many others are giving. Think about the message.

Matt

 

but besides being a parts maker (admittedly electronics), I'm a long time performance car owner, an automotive journalist, have gotten the privalage of driving cars like the new Aston Martin Vantage, R8s, Lotus Elise SC 260s, Bently Contental Speeds, Porsches, AMG Mercedes, M3, S5s, RS4, blown Jags all the way down to lowly Kias and Hayndais. And guess what, in ALL of them I can go around a turn without breaking loose if I don't want to. And I can smoke them if that's the desire as well.

If your car is really so uncontrollable that you can't make a turn without spinning the wheels like crazy, ask what the Mynes guys did to your throttle map.

Matt

 

Unless you are dropping the clutch and its cold outside, you shouldne be smoking the tires. I have around 250 to the wheels and i dont even do that when i take off fast. this is not bashing you, just stating.


Also, i have been running the obx lsd for about a year now, driving pretty hard and so far no problems.

If you want better traction, i say get a beefier tire, and an lsd

 

Frankly, I could care less about the cars you have driven or if you are an automotive journalist or if you invented cars.

Where is the fun of having a modified car if I can put the power to the ground?

My argument is that I started having the traction issues after I moved to Bellingham, WA. I came from a place located about 5,000 ft above sea level and never had such a problem. I would get some wheels spin but I would control it and them hook up. Simple! I posted my original post looking for answers and did not expect to be called an idiot. Respect goes a long way.

 

Dr O has a very good point here. You really should not be smoking the tires given what your mods are. Having driven and rode in numerous high horsepower minis, traction is not as big of an issue as your making it sound. You even have an 04, which has the longer gearing. Maybe its time for new tires?

Also, having a tuned R56 with +240 ft-lbs to the wheels...traction is a much bigger issue. R56's in general have much more wheelspin than a 53, and I don't find it to be an issue at all in mine. If you aren't used to driving front wheel drive, it will surely open your eyes in a hurry and make you say wtf...but having driven front wheel drive cars my whole life, its really not bad at all.

What are you running for suspension? That can make a big difference too. If you're still on stock suspension, keep in mind it is not built to handle the amount of power you are running through your car now.

 

I am not arguing his comment. A car drives as good as the drives can. My son has noticed the lack of traction, also. He also said that the car never behaved like that.

I have the stock sport suspension. I am considering an LSD and better tires before I get the cylinder head. Maybe I should sell the mini and buy a RWD car.

 

Jose, I would get some new tires if I were you. I can't remember if you had runflats when I saw your car. I remember your car having some torque steer but I dont recall you have problems like this. New tires ftw

 

Suspension and tires.

 

What would you suggest for suspension and tires? Tnx

 

It was the tires, Continental ExtremeContacts aren't meant for colder temps, like the 45ºF you stated.