What is the HP limit without a LSD??? At what point is it that you are just spinning the tires/tire?

 

I would say 300+ and you would need one....realistically...

 

Depends on how hard you are driving. I am only at about 215HP and I don't think I could NOT drive w/o my LSD now.

 

As much as you like. You can control things with an educated throttle foot.

That being said I am very glad I spec'd my MINI out with a lsd. It isn't a very positive locking one, but it helps my uneducated throttle foot.

 

It really will depend on what your doing with the car. If it's just a DD not too important. But if your going to the track even a stock car will benefit with an LSD. Same with AutoX and LSD is a HUGE improvement.

 

x2.

I know in Auto-X an LSD would come in BIG time handy for me, b/c even w/ nice meaty slicks, traction is an BIG issue coming out of tight hair pins.

 

I know someone making 271whp and hates not having an LSD.

 

My stock S sometimes lack traction coming out of corners, especially with the stock runflats.

 

LSD = limited slip differential?

You can spec a purchase with LSD?

 

On the R53 you could. It was only 500 bucks, which, for what BMW does with MINI and options, really was a no brainer. Not the best LSD in the world, but at that price, well worth it.

The R56 uses an ediff, which I personally don't like, but it seems to work well for those that do like it. You can smoke pads with the ediff though...It's one of the reasons I ended up buying a 2006 R53 rather than the R56. You can put an aftermarket LSD in though.

 

a true mechanical LSD that is. But it went away during 2010. Fortunately, my used one from early 2010 happened to come w/ the mechanical one, with the e one apparently in there as well (which can be turned off).

 

Audi said in the mid 80's as they introduced quattro that practical FWD limits were probably in the mid 200 HP range. That was before their cars got so bloated and still weighed <3,000 pounds generally (thus in the zone of a gen 2 Mini), but those were also a longitudinal motor set up that tends to work better for torque steer. Saab was up in the > 200HP range with their bigger (than Mini) blown FWD 4 banger, hang on torque steer and all. Caddy next pushed it to 300HP with the early FWD STS's, but by then it was a much heavier car. Old FWD Eldo's from the 60' were higher HP with V8's too, but those were behemoths. After these examples of course, many electronic controls have come along, and you can find at or near 300HP FWD vehicles out there, particularly some of the Japanese sport sedan type stuff. Tracking it with only e diff type stuff would be a different story though, plus a lot of the Japanese implementations tend to be underbraked stock given Japan is a low speed limit country for starters.