Adding an LSD is almost a must do to get the power to the ground. Being able to fully accelerate mid corner dramatically makes you faster and smoother.
I actually keep the Quaife in stock.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/quaife...5-f56-f57.html

We actually found the Quaife to be a better diff as its design doesn't wear like the Wavetrac. That is why Quaife offers a lifetime warranty. This is what all the MINI challenge cars are running too.

 

In the R53 and R56, it is an issue due to engine movement from spongy engine mounts. I'd imagine that an F56 would have the same issue. I don't know if stiffer F56 engine mounts are on the market yet.

 

Wavetrac also has a lifetime warranty these days, which covers wear out, but the standard wave plates are rated to last the lifetime of the diff so they don't really generally need maintenance unless you opt to have more aggressive kit fitted in them.

I opted for the Wavetrac over the Quaife because it is made in America. It was pretty much a draw to me on which one to get otherwise. The Wavetrac is based on the Quaife anyways and, as far as the company that installed it and past tuners I've worked with are concerned, has equal material and build quality.

--Matt

 

Yeah, I had poly mounts on my R55. The NVH they brought was kind of unpleasant though. I don't feel like I need them at this point through. Would they shore up the last 30-40% of it, probably. Do I want them in my daily driver? Not if they're as unpleasant as the stuff I had in my R55 . I wasn't expecting an improvement in that department with a diff, but am pleasantly surprised to see it noticibly diminished.

--Matt

 

Here's what the stocker looks like if anyone is curious.




It's sort of laughably tiny compared to the one in my last car. Id say it has to be in the neighborhood of 1/2-2/3 the overall length of that one. Granted, that one had to house the bits to feed the bevel box/Haldex setup, but the FWD diff's on those gearboxes are the same size.

--Matt

 

Matt, glad to see you're enjoying the LSD. I agree it's one of those mods that is very noticeable. Both Wavetrac and Quaife are reputable LSD manufacturers, so the difference between the two might be negligible. After driving with this for over almost a month, I'd say the 2 most important mods for the F56 are an LSD and an ECU power module.

 

Are you guys getting much torque steer with the LSD and the tuning module?

 

I don't have a tuning module yet, but did still have plenty of torque steer with the stock Hankook Ventus S2 Evo tires. I've got snows on but, even still, the car seems to track straight rather than off to one side when they're overwhelmed. Low grip or diff to thank, anyone's guess, but the car has pulled right under wheelspin as long as I've had it.

--Matt

 

Running the tuning module on low, the LSD keeps the torque steer under control. I haven't run the module on high with 101 oct since I got the LSD, but I imagine it would help out.

 

Matt, I totally respect buying made the in the USA as we need more of that. I even make everything we can in the USA.
But on the other hand I can't support Autotech the company that produces the Wavetrac. They use to be the Quaife importer to the US, and even fought patent infringements on the Quaife diffs. Then turned around and made the wavetrac copies of the Quaife, but then added the plate lock that makes it different. That is when Quaife canceled them and stopped selling to them. So I won't sell Wavetracs just off of principal.

Now on the mechanics of the Wavetrac. They use a plate/cam to make their diff lock up with friction when one wheel lifts. The theory of that is great, but really only effective if you are jumping the curbs at the track. That friction of locking the diff will do 3 things that I don't like. One is it will create more heat in the trans. This will make the diff feel different from the beginning of a track session to the end. I like consistency as that makes me smoother. 2nd is that mechanical friction is going to cause wear on the diff which will wear it out eventually, and cause it to perform differently over the life of use. 3rd I feel the locking is harder on the rest of the drivetrain parts.

None of this post is against you, as I just want to put this info out there as most consumers haven't heard this and wouldn't hear it without me posting it.

 

Hey Way,

No offense taken, or hard feelings. Those are, of course, all valid and accurate points. I've heard the same from other tuners as well. Even KMS explained the affiliation with Quaife to me. As a proprietor, it's certainly in your best interest to be more choosy who you do business with. This is the second Wavetrac I've bought for one of my cars under the advice of a local tuner. KMS has reportedly installed hundreds of Quaifes, and quite a few Wavetracs, and indicated that they've never seen either come back with any issues. Based on that, I didn't have any qualms pulling the trigger on it. They're certainly not the only company selling Quaife clones. They're not crap clones like some (cough OBX) either.

As a consumer I don't feel like you can really go wrong either way - from the perspectives of performance, longevity, and warranty. They're both very very similar internally, made of excellent quality materials with outstanding tolerances, and very solidly backed by their respective manufactuerers. If I had it my way, I'd have bought a Peloquin. Unfortunately, no Peloquins for MINIs :-P

I still contend that, in stock form, the Wavetrac is not considered to be a wear item. Autotech claims the default wave plates to be good for the life of the diff, and I've not managed to find a case of anyone claiming theirs to have worn out (even one with more aggressive discs) on any platform under any driving conditions. I've certainly read dozens of unsubstantiated accounts indicating that they wear and require regular maintenance, though.

This car probably won't ever see track time. The benefits Wavetrac brings over any other torque biasing diff aren't as hard to come by as you indicate, though. Lift a wheel in a decreasing radius turn with the right elevation change, even within the speed limit on some public roads, and you'll feel it right away. Take off from a stop on glare ice or deep slush, even with snow tires, and you'll move forward more easily (though, not as well as you would with a clutch diff). 99% of the time, though, you're absolutely right. The extra gadgetry won't make any difference. It's unlikely to make a negative impact either though.

Happy motoring!

--Matt

 

hi guys, Does it really eliminate torque steer completely? Even in (close to) redline takeoffs and shifts? @NRod, where did you have yours installed and how much for the labor? Thanks.

 

LSD....owners. How does it feel under hard acceleration. When the tires lose traction. This is a huge issue on my car running map2 burger tune.
I would imagine that there would be a minor improvement.

 

NellyRod claims "Torque steer is completely gone" hence my question above.

Also have the same problem w just a Dinan module in my JCW.

 

I'm not seeing any totque steer. I won't be doing any high rev clutch dumps (pointless waste to me, but have it your way), but I don't stray off track from a roll anymore - at 30F with Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3s. I don't think it's really worth much until I've got warmer weather and summer tires though.

Using full power in a turn at the same temps, I'm absolutely certain I've got more traction now with these tires than I did with the poor excuse for summer tires I have (Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2) ever did. It's a night and day difference in a turn, and not even close.

--Matt

 

Hey Way. Looking at the the site . It says that the lsd is designed for the mcs. Wondering how you feel it would handle the power of a 290hp JCW?
Your link is not working on my phone so I can't see the unit you stock. Is it the Quaife ATB Helical LSD?

 

It'll handle it just fine. The LSD was the last mod I did to my JCW, when honestly it should have been the first. I learned this the hard way. All the HP and TQ doesn't mean much if we can't put the power to the ground. Go for it

 

I had the factory LSD in my R56 and was surprised to find it wasn't available on the F56. I still had a lot of torque steer with the factory LSD. I have a feeling the combination of your new LSD and DSC is what is controlling the TS.

 

I went from a R53 non LSD to a R52 JCW with LSD. Thought it might have been just me but I also thought the torque steer was significantly less. You can have all the power you can get but if that power is not put into both wheels, then it is just wasted IMO. The LSD makes the Mini.

 

Spoke to the head mechanic at my dealership about installing a LSD. He said that they do not have the tools to take the gearbox apart. They have an exchange program with BMW. He is looking into it for me.
I would rather have my dealership install this as it would be better if there were ever any warranty issues. Obviously if the gearbox ever fails then you would have to pay to have the LSD installed in the "replacement" gearbox.

 

My Quaife LSD will be installed and ready to go tomorrow. Anybody feel the need to get an alignment after the install? Wasn't sure if removing and replacing the transmission would mess with anything else. Thanks

 

The shop that did mine didn't bring it up. I guess it depends on how the gearbox has to be removed, and how closely to its original location the subframe ends up after reinstallation.

--Matt

 

I'm curious -- if the car has brake-based traction control and you install an LSD, isn't the brake-based anti-slip still going to activate in some cases? Or does the mechanical LSD come into play before the ABS sensors detect wheel spin?

 

My JCW has LSD and the traction control will dump as soon as there is any wheel spin just like my R53 that did not have LSD. Out of habit I just tweak the tc button when I start the car. Nothing worse then pulling out in traffic, goossin the gas and have the tc nip everything in the bud.

So the question for the IT guys is whether the ECU has a separate program for the LSD.

 

It can, and does, depending on the circumstances. If you're on super wet roads, and you've got wheelspin that the diff can't manage, the traction control system still works as usual. I've not encountered a single circumstance where the traction control bites hard on one wheel like it did all the time with the factory diff, though.

--Matt