I've been eyeing an upgraded differential for auto-x purposes and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts on the Quaife vs OS Giken for the purposes of auto-x. The cost difference isn't an issue and I'll be doing the install myself. My concern is that the OSG is a 1.5 unit which will produce understeer on corner entry. This isn't too bad on the track but in the tighter corners found at auto-x you'd have to get the car to rotate very aggressively on corner entry so that you could get on the loud pedal as early as humanly possible. It sounds like the Quaife has less lock on corner entry which makes coming into the corner easier as the expense of having to wait a hair later to get on the gas on corner exit. We should have plenty of spring to keep the inside front tire from unloading too much so I don't expect to have issues with the Quaife spinning an unloaded tire.

Also, the Quaife won't need rebuilds but the OS Giken potentially could. The extra fluid changes that come with the OSG don't worry me but having to pull out the diff to rebuild the plates could be a pain. I suspect we'll wear out the plates faster than road racers because of the sharper corners. I don't have an issue rebuilding the OS Giken but any more than once a year will just end up being a pain.

FWIW the car runs in STX with 235 star specs and TC Kline double adjustable coils. More power is also on the list for the end of this season/winter since the wife and I are co-driving cars this year at SCCA Solo Nationals.

Thanks for the input!

 

You should ask Ian Stewart. He has a ton of seat time with the OS Giken equipped MINI and could give his input.

The only way I know to contact him is via You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SSCcivic

 

There are other viable options apart from the standard quaife and the OS giken.

http://www.lohen.co.uk/shop/products.php?cat=97

The people from that race shop are very knowledgable, it would be worth dropping them a line. However, they are purely circuit racers, not auto cross.

There are others out there as well. One local guy has had a custom one built etc

To be honest the quaife would be the safe, easy and bullet proof option. Easy to do, no setting up etc.

Other options would undoubtedly be potentially quicker, but also much more maintenence involved, and also require some skill to set up and optimise

 

I've been looking between Quaife and OS Giken too. The one thing that makes me cringe about OS Giken is how it is an adjustable unit. I would hate to install that thing and find out the adjustment isn't set right for your application. Quite a lot of labor to adjust an LSD on a FWD car!!!

Whenever I get one I want to put it in and never touch it again.

 

Quaife is calling your name Install and forget and zero maintenence

 

I've been working with a local guy who has two 1st place trophies at SCCA Solo Nats in an SMF Civic. His suggestion was to go with the Quaife for the sake of simplicity/maintenance. He also suggested that if I was looking for a clutch type that ATS/Carbonetic makes better ones than OS Giken and you can get them in multiple clutch compounds (full metal, metal/carbon, full carbon) and lockups (1-way, 1.5-way). They're also a few hundred dollars cheaper (depending on how you have it built). In case someone comes across this thread apparently the FWD race teams ATS/Carbonetic sponsors prefer the full metal 1-way diffs.

The mini will very likely never be campaigned seriously at the national level. We're going to nats this year but not in the mini. The plan is to go to Nats in our STX Mini next year just because but after that it will probably just be run at the local level. With all that in mind it sounds like we'll be going with the Quaife. I don't necessarily mind the time/effort to set up the ATS/Carbonetic but I think it would be only very slightly faster for a lot of extra time.

 

Do you guys have a link to your team's page? I'm interested!

 

What about the factory LSD?

 

Sorry no team page. The mini is just a 2010 fJCW with TC Kline Double Adjustables with 350 lb springs on both ends. Some assorted bushings. 235 star specs. 7lb battery. Putting a diff in this year. Now that we (finally) seem to have fixed the cold start rattle the car will get more power over the winter and probably race seats beginning of next season. I doubt we'll ever do a full-tilt STX build with it but it should be close. Definitely a blast to drive. The car is certainly more capable than the drivers

our Mini looks like this...


However the wife is driving this at SCCA Solo Nationals this year...


And I'll be driving a friend's WRX that I don't have any pictures of.

 

Cars look great! No B.S. from you That's pretty cool your wife drives. My wife still mixes up the clutch and brake pedal :-0

 

Tough to get someone who has personally done both differentials. I ran the Quaife - put over 130k on it with no issues, and found it to be completely effective for STX competition. It truly transformed the car.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Been using a Quaife for years and can't say anything bad, been ultra reliable and still able to drive on the street.
The OS Giken has also been reliable, but a little more harsh to drive on the street.

 

Thinking about purchasing a quaife LSD for my 6spd. Whenever I step on it I get lots of wheelspin all the way until 2nd gear. My question is how good is the quaife in dealing with this since it's supposed to help put the power down equally?

 

It cures it - at least in the sense that if you are going to spin the front tires, you will spin both of them.

The true magic is on corner exit however, where the two front tires have very different amounts of weight on them.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Just like he said

 

Just wanted to update the thread... The Quaife has been ordered. I'll try to do a mini install writeup since there doesn't seem to be one consolidated thread for the diff install. I'll post impressions after we get a few auto-x events in. Might not be till after Solo Nationals though (early September). Thanks for the responses everyone!

 

You will have it in the car at Lincoln, yes?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

No unfortunately the mini won't be making the trip to Lincoln this year. We have a wedding that we're in the wedding party for so we have to be in Florida on Thursday. STX is running Thursday/Friday so we can't run the mini. We've found co-drives in other cars that are running Tuesday/Wednesday. Next year the plan is to be there in the mini and by that time it will be a little better prepared as well.

 

Well I'll add you to the list of NAM members that I really want to say hello to, and meet in person, but will never recognize! I should walk around with "Hi I am cmt52663" stamped on my forehead.

See you there (perhaps).

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Well looky here...

 

Lord I do love precision machined parts...

 

So pretty!

 

I so jealous :-0