I've had my JCW for a few months now, and am definitely left wanting with the brake-based traction control setup this car has. I'm thinking I want to add an LSD sooner than later. It looks like both Quaife and Wavetrac make diffs for this car. I really liked the Wavetrac I had on my last car, but I know these sorts of things can vary in quality and performance from platform to platform.

Has anyone added a diff to their JCW yet? If so, which one and how do you like it?

--Matt

 

Ouch, no one? I reached out to my local indie BMW/MINI shop (Koala Motorsport) to see if they can do the job and what they can get / what they recommend.

I'm thinking, if the challenge gets a Quaife, that's probably the way to go.

--Matt

 

I have the Quaife LSD sitting in my garage. Installation appointment is set for October 29th.

 

Nice. If Koala can do it, that's one of the two days I selected too. Planning to get snow tires mounted at the same time.

--Matt

 

Snow tires? Where are you located?

 

Northeast Ohio. It was 34-37 degrees most mornings this week and I was sliding all over the place on these awful donuts Hankook passes off as performance summer tires.

I've driven summer tires well into November quite a few years living here but, in spite of them all being advertised as no go below 40, I've never had a set perform like this in the dry at temps like that. Just plain dangerous, even in low speed turns. Next worst I had in these conditions was Yokohama S.drive, but these really take the cake.

--Matt

 

Where'd you get yours? Seems like Wavetrac can be had easily and quickly, buy the Quaife might take some time. They're going to get back to me tomorrow with availability and pricing.

--Matt

 

Well, looks like they can get either one and they're within like $30 of each other. Decisions decisions decisions. I really liked how the Wavetrac on my last car did in slush and ice, but I get the feeling the build quality on the Quaife is a step up. It also seems like the Quaife doesn't make the low speed noises under sharp turns that the Wavetracs have a tendency to do.

I figure I'll stop by and drop off a deposit on one of them tomorrow. Just can't decide which. Might just flip a coin.

--Matt

 

Price?

 

About 2600 installed for either.

--Matt

 

I pulled the trigger on the Wavetrac. Scheduled to be installed on the 7th.

 

I'm interested in the Wavetrac, too. Let me know what you think after you get it installed.

 

Will do. I liked the Wavetrac on my last car. Two more weeks to wait, but I don't want to :-P

--Matt

 

I ordered my Quaife LSD from Lohen.co.uk. Took only a week to arrive. It's getting installed tomorrow.

 

You have the most mods I think I've ever seen on any Mini.

 

It's a disease with no cure

 

I asked my shop about the Quaife or Wavetrac. He said both are excellent LSDs, but that I should also take a look at OS Giken. I emailed them since they don't list one for the F56. They said they are working on one that they will debut at SEMA in a few days, and that it should be ready for sale in mid December. Also, my shop quoted me $2,000 for installation. That might just put me out of the market. Anyone else have any idea what installation costs should be on a LSD? My shop is excellent, so I'm not one to doubt what they tell me - just want to see what others are charging.

Thanks

 

$1300 was the labor quote on my install. To me, even that seems a bit high since I spent less on labor to have one installed in my R, which is AWD (which had to be physically disconnected when removing the gearbox) and had a new clutch at the same time.

--Matt

 

You drive with it yet?

 

Yes. Freeway and city driving only. Haven't had a chance to push her in the canyons yet. So far, the quaife LSD has made the car more enjoyable to drive. Shifting is so much smoother, especially in lower gears. Operation is silent but you definitely feel it working. You also feel it through the pedals, which I like. Torque steer is completely gone. It's only been a few days so it's unrealistic to say it's perfect, but for now I'm very happy with the results.

 

Well, I'm dropping mine off this afternoon. Probably won't be able to properly review it till spring, since winter tires are also going on, but I'll report what I can.

--Matt

 

Any word on these Matt?

 

Just got a call that it is done. My only driving in it today will likely be a drive home with 4 tires in the back, so I won't be able to test it very well till another day. It'll probably be 100 or so miles for the release compound to wear off the tires before it's all good too.

I've got a nice long drive planned for Saturday, so hopefully it'll be a good test.

--Matt

 

Well, some mods are subtle and some are immediately obvious. This one is definitely the latter. I could feel the difference as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot at KMS.

I've felt, as long as I've had it, that this car slumps in turns under light to medium throttle. The car seems to shift it's weight quickly to the outer tire, and the inner slows and quickly gets pinched by stability control wich slightly/briefly destabilizes the car. Not anymore with the diff. Light or medium throttle, the posture of the car remains flat and there's no sign of stability control activity at all.

I've also felt like there's quite a bit of on/off throttle slop at lower speeds, which seems notably better as well.

I'm still early in with the tires, which seem excellent BTW, so I won't be able to test full power turns for a bit. My initial impressions are excellent though. It makes no noise, and doesn't seem to have any low speed binding or plowing issues like some I've driven.

Apparently these gearboxes use the same diff bearings as 6-cylinder BMWs, so getting them was easy.

Excellent mod.

--Matt

 

Day three, having had some decent drive time behind it, I still love this mod. The car feels much more sorted through turns. The nannies that seemed to spoil the fun under various acceleration conditions all the time seem to be kept at bay now, and power seems to find its way to the ground rather than into the rotors.

I've not managed to experience the heavy "fun stopper" interaction of traction control intervention, which previously seemed to happen pretty much any time I got over zealous with the throttle inside of a turn, in the dry yet - even flat foot through a 90 degree turn in second gear. I'm sure I'll find it yet, but it is way way less prevalent - even with softer tires fitted. Somehow, it's not understeering like crazy when doing so either.

I didn't quite get the "Shifting is so much smoother, especially in lower gears." comment made earlier, but I do now. The mild driveline "shimmy" that the car seemed to have a mild tendency to do seems to have been replaced with nice consistent jerk free roll. Not sure how there was so much slop in the default unit, but it's sure shored up now.

Hands down, beat first mod I've had on any car . Expensive, yes. It really has a huge, all positive, effect on the experience behind the wheel though. Having had torque biasing diff's on several cars before, even Wavetrac, my mind is sufficiently blown by its impact on this one. I saw a challenge review a while ago (see carfection) touting the impact of the Quaife over the standard JCW, and wrote it off at the time, but definitely get it now. It substantially remedies the understeer tendencies and makes the steering feel like butter.

Happy motoring!

--Matt