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After installing the newly rebuilt differential and testing it at the track, I noticed the difference right away! In the past when I would drift, a lot of people from the outside of the car would tell me that it looked like only one wheel was spinning. With the new setup, it locked positively right away!
A diff that locks positively and immediately is an awesome feeling. A diff that does not lock up hard and right away causes sketchiness in drift, particularly in high-speed turns that can be quite scary and hard to control. A diff with weak locking action is also poor in transitions where it can be very slow and require clutch kicking or e-braking that costs you style points.
One possible disadvantage of a tight LSD differential or a solidly locked spool is it can induce understeer upon initiation, but my diff did not show this tendency. We did change my alignment to have more negative camber and a slight amount of toe out plus widened the front track which counteracted the tendency to understeer. My car now handles night and day better than before.
The 4.10 final drive was the biggest game-changer. The car was much quicker off the line, and I was able to gain enough wheel speed to drift in third gear comfortably. In past competitions with the 3.50 final drive, the car was constantly straightening out in third gear, and then running out of second gear, which worked against me and my judged scores. With the new final drive, I was actually able to qualify for the first time into the Top 16 in Top Drift, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence!
Overall with the Z1 Motorsports 4.10 ring and pinion and the diff tuning, my car got a lot easier to drive and a ton more competitive. Look out next season!
We have a few more things up our sleeves to make the Z a bit more competitive without breaking my wallet. Stay tuned!
Read Part One Here!
