Originally Posted by
LSX240
im trying to use it for the track haha
Right, and I'm saying it's going to be a big pain in the ass on the street just to take it to the track every once in a while. I'm assuming that's why you asked how the ride was and how it behaved in turns....?
Originally Posted by
07civicSI
i take your word on that one. I mean sure the welded dif was better for traction but it sucks for turning ect.
Sucks on either type, live or IRS.
A welded diff/spool in a live axle is usually worse on the street than a welded diff/spool in an IRS car. It's all about how the tires can move in relation to the chassis (and in relation to one another) during weight transfer in corners. Live axles are generally less predictable because they don't have any camber gain and the entire axle assembly tends to flutter up and down from one side to the other as the tires break and regain traction. Kind of like a dragster when the wheels break free and both oscillate up and down, but in this case the left and right wheels alternate. The forces aren't the same left to right in a corner, so the motion isn't really symmetric.
IRS setups tend to have much better control of the random movement of the tires as they break and regain traction, and the contact patch is different because of the camber gain with weight transfer. It really just isolates the motion of the wheels much better.
You'll tend to break one tire free with IRS setups, but both tires free with a live axle just because of how the movement of one wheel affects the other. These are all generalizations and there are exceptions to everything, like the horrible IRS on (IRS equipped) Mustangs. There's also other stuff thrown in, like tire traction (width, aspect, compound, etc.) and the unsprung weight of that corner (or some combination of both corners on a live axle setup).
None of this matters at really low speeds obviously, or if you're applying enough power to actually drift. If both tires are sliding you don't have intermittent grip/slip problems, but you still don't have the control that you would with an LSD. This is a good exercise in finding the weak parts of your drivetrain and transmission though, and a live axle can usually take a lot more abuse without breaking a shaft or joint.