Friction can be mechanical only too, as in not electronically controlled The factory unit described in that link is a friction clutch unit manufactured by GKN Driveline and much cheaper than a Quaife. If you do manage to wear out the factory LSD, a Quaife would be a reasonable replacement considering the factory one is not rebuildable nor available separately from the factory.

I have a stack of worn-out friction LSD units of various brands in my backyard, and not a single one of them made any funny noises or anything--they just quit functioning as LSDs and turned into open diffs.

 

Thanks for that. I was wrong. I've dealt with both types a little before, but never saw a worn out clutch type. I have seen an exploded rear differential on a Mitusibishi Eclipse though. That's what drag racing will do.

Anyway, regardless of LSD design, I still maintain it's both a performance and a safety upgrade.

 

Well there are certain LSD designs where I'm not too sure about that. I've seen people put lockers into front differentials, a practice I consider highly dangerous. And my experience with the Phantom Grip revealed that this "upgrade" works pretty much like a worn-out LSD even when new

BTW I have never opened my sunroof. Probably would have preferred the extra headroom without it over 55lbs of dead weight in the roof, but it came with the option package I wanted.

 

Someone I autox'ed with many moons ago described what it was like driving his 944 with some sort of lockup LSD in heavy rain with slick race tires - every few seconds, CLACK as it locked up to prevent wheel spin.

We're now getting off topic, but I don't want to push my wife too much to try to talk her out of the sunroof if she really wants it. She's letting me get the options I want (LSD and sport suspension), so I may need to compromise.