Lotus fitted LSD on S2 Exige

[james22]

Does anyone have this option factory fitted on their Exige?

What type of diff is the factory fitment? Any experiences of it on track?

[CTE]

I had a race Elise S1 (c180hp) which I ran for 2 seasons with the standard open diff, then I went to an LSD.

The main gain was was better traction from the start line. When cornering the open diff was frustrating because the inside wheel would spin up easily so restricting traction out of the bend, however the LSD would tend to lock up and make the car tend to understeer more so in effect still restricted your ability to accelerate out of a bend. If you were effectively drifting the car which is difficult with 180hp then there`s plausibly some benefit, but if you`re drifting you`re not accelerating.

On balance in my view I thought it was marginal, except for the clear improvement in traction off the line, which is not relevant if you are doing trackdays only. Probably why Lotus never fitted or recommended them.

[james22]

Just bought an Exige with a Lotus fitted LSD so will be interesting how it fares on track

[CTE]

I stand corrected although I`m pretty sure (but stand to be corrected) that they were not fitted to at least the earlier Elise's given the lower power and the relative lack of benefits.
You`ll be fine with or without an LSD.

[alicrozier]

Depends on the LSD, Plate type and Torsen were the 2 options.

I had a Lotus Sport plate type diff on an S2 Exige (British GT Edition) and I didn't really get on with it, turn-in understeer and it actually failed, diff housing cracked. Maybe dependant on the shimming...

Torsen diff on the 2-Eleven on the other hand was fantastic and in my opinion the one to have (although I haven't driven one in an Exige). Traction upsides without any real compromise.

https://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/deroure?qs=1&...

Edited by alicrozier on Tuesday 28th September 16:03

Edited by alicrozier on Tuesday 28th September 16:05

[arcticGT]

Had the Torsen diff fitted from factory on my S2. For messing about it was good fun. Was it any quicker when trying to be tidy? I’m not so sure (running around 270hp). Some claim they induce under steer.