Variable Center Diff (STi - R)
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Scooby Newbie
Joined: Apr 2000
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I have recently bought an STi Type R IV (about 4 weeks ago). Since I'm a Scooby virgin, could anyone tell me what effect the variable center diff has and what, if any, benifits this may have on the road?
By the way, my face is wearing a permanent grin, not just through pleasure, but caused by the fearsome acceleration!
By the way, my face is wearing a permanent grin, not just through pleasure, but caused by the fearsome acceleration!
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jan 2000
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Just to stress the point that Richard made. Do NOT lock the diffs while driving. This is meant for gravel stages and like. This will seriously dammage your car. So, only in the wet move the dial forward, but no more than two. 
Otherwise just leave it in the green, unlocked which gives you power biased towards the rear wheels.
Otherwise just leave it in the green, unlocked which gives you power biased towards the rear wheels.
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jul 1999
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The SIDC page has some good stuff on the centre diff but in my experience it helps to keep the car far less tail happy in the wet. You'll find that if you leave it unlocked and give it on a bend it's a bit twitchy at the rear. Give it more and you'll get twitchy at the rear 
.
If you lock the diff up just a couple of notches then it's far less prone to snap oversteer and will drift more under power, making it much more predictable.
Worth pointing out that I NEVER lock it up more than two notches (the first orange one) even in the wet and generally don't use it at all in the dry. I do sometimes move it up one notch (the last green one) if I'm giving it lots in the dry. I think that the higher lock settings are designed more for things like gravel and snow.
Also, if you do move it off the unlocked setting, be sure to completely unlock it if you come to do a slow speed tight turn or else you get some enchanting juddering as the diff struggles with the different speeds of the turning wheels, compared with the rears. I'm not sure if this could damage the diff but I'd guess if you did it a lot, it could do.
.If you lock the diff up just a couple of notches then it's far less prone to snap oversteer and will drift more under power, making it much more predictable.
Worth pointing out that I NEVER lock it up more than two notches (the first orange one) even in the wet and generally don't use it at all in the dry. I do sometimes move it up one notch (the last green one) if I'm giving it lots in the dry. I think that the higher lock settings are designed more for things like gravel and snow.
Also, if you do move it off the unlocked setting, be sure to completely unlock it if you come to do a slow speed tight turn or else you get some enchanting juddering as the diff struggles with the different speeds of the turning wheels, compared with the rears. I'm not sure if this could damage the diff but I'd guess if you did it a lot, it could do.
Scooby Regular
Joined: Feb 1999
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I dont think this is quite correct as I know someone who has a 22B UK and they had driven all the way home from the garage to there house with the diff lock wound fully forward and he contacted prodrive about it and they said it wouldnt be a problem.
I certainly move the dial forward well into the orange when it is very wet to control the amount of oversteer and to try and stop the car spinning when you boot it in second!
Doing quick launches then I would move the dial to this sort of level in the dry.
If you try to park with the dial dialled forward you will find it very hard as the car will skip and jump and make alot of noise as the plates in the diff slip and jump.
Darren
I certainly move the dial forward well into the orange when it is very wet to control the amount of oversteer and to try and stop the car spinning when you boot it in second!
Doing quick launches then I would move the dial to this sort of level in the dry.
If you try to park with the dial dialled forward you will find it very hard as the car will skip and jump and make alot of noise as the plates in the diff slip and jump.
Darren
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Darren,
Did Prodrive say it wasn't a problem to leave the diff locked all the time OR did they say that there was unlikely to be a problem caused by accidentaly leaving the diff locked on this one trip? There is a world of difference here...
Moray
Did Prodrive say it wasn't a problem to leave the diff locked all the time OR did they say that there was unlikely to be a problem caused by accidentaly leaving the diff locked on this one trip? There is a world of difference here...
Moray
