Wasn't their opinion on the V4? And from what you say they may have adjusted the diff for the negative.

 

I think Phil Gardner wrote a very comprehensive appraisal of the Diff lock, do a search through the archives, it should still be there.

 

I have been experimenting with the diff on my STi5 Type R. The Japanese handbook is indecipherable and even the SIDC FAQ is limited on the subject.

For obvious reasons, I leave it free on dry roads and in town (especially in tight turns).

In the dry with the lock free, the car is biased towards oversteer (OK with me) and handles well apart from a turn-in which is slower than I would like.

In the wet, a fair degree of diff lock sharpens up the front-end markedly, especially as speed increases. A much different car. It also allows full throttle with all four wheels drifting, curing the usual habit of violent oversteer. In this state it is possible to drive it very hard on greasy wet roads in relative safety (although I wouldn't attempt such a dangerous practice!).

The Type R is seen as having inferior handling to the STi 4-door by Evo magazine. Why is this?

I have seen several road tests and articles covering the 22B (although not of the STi_R), and not one has reported on the effects of the adjustable diff. IMHO this is one of the most important controls on the car. If you drive it in all conditions with the same setting you will miss out on one of its key advantages.

My final question: does anyone know where I can find a proper technical description of this device?

 

Craig,

I think you are right about Evo's test on the Version 4, although I'm not sure there's much difference between v's 4&5. If you're right about negative settings, I bet it was a hoot on wet islands with the lock fully on - it would just go straight on! They probably thought it was designed that way and handbraked it round!

Ian,

Thanks for the tip, but I've tried different searches and can't find Phil Gardner's posting. Any ideas how?

 

Hi

Phils Diff lock description is on the SIDC FAQ and is spot on.

It is a fact of life that the TypeR is what it is, a beast closest of all (except the 22B) to the WRC cars which are oversteery. This is fine in the dry but in the wet, confidence is well and truely robbed. However, all is not lost. The best way to turn no confidence into total confidence is to bin the Suspension and fit Leda instead. The difference it makes to the TypeR is quite shocking, snap oversteer is changed to controlled neutral/oversteer that is nice and gradual. Power slides around roundabouts in the wet and mind altering levels of grip in the dry comes as standard.

And this is before you touch the diff/lock

Im a bit of a fan as i was spooked by my TypeR for a whole year before coughing up for Leda C.

Best mod i ever did

NeilR