Kaaz vs Torsen Differentials

/ / Magnus Motorsports Blog

Kaaz vs Torsen Differentials

First off: we get the same questions from people when they ask us why we don’t sell Torsen type LSD’s. First of all we don’t like the people at that ‘other LSD company’ they’re d***.  Secondly in our opinion they sell an inferior product that is way overpriced.  The dudes at KAAZ are really cool, and the KAAZ LSD is one of the baddest LSD’s out there and we’re going to list the reasons why we only sell KAAZ.

Why, should you buy a KAAZ LSD?
Some have heard complaints about the KAAZ LSD being too noisy. First of all, they are only noisy in slow speed corners, like parking lot situations. How much time do you spend in a parking lot with your performance car? If you do a lot of parking lot driving, and hang out in parking lots, chances are you are a ricer, go home and read import tuner. If you’re complaining about noise you should not be modifying your car. You should also consider no longer being a man, please hand in your genitals at the door.

Here’s why Torsen LSD’s suck. For you road racer types, as soon as you get one wheel off the ground the Torsen becomes an open differential, in order for it to work both wheels must have complete contact with the ground. When your hanging 1.1g corners and a wheel lifts under power you instantly have no power. That sucks real bad. The KAAZ clutch type LSD is not like that. The KAAZ LSD will remain engaged when a wheel lift under cornering.

Rally drivers and road race types alike prefer these Clutch type LSD’s because they are more predictable, they will always do the same thing over and over again. Repeatability is very important if you want to achieve consistency. Manufacturers, and race teams alike (Mazdaspeed, Nismo, etc) use the clutch type design. It is the one that works. When people say words like Mazdaspeed, RE Amemiya and Nismo you should all bow in reverence, the rest of the world does.

Another problem associated with Torsen type differentials is that by design they try and force the internal gears against the housing in order to achieve the breaking force which will lock the LSD. The same features that make the Torsen quiet make it weak. When a Torsen breaks, it breaks its own housing and sends expensive little bits everywhere, usually breaking the transmission/rear end gear/housings with it. We do not like weakness, refer to second paragraph regarding handing in your testicles.

Now for you Drag racer types, this is where you want the direct engagement of a clutch type differential like a KAAZ. The KAAZ 1.5 way and 2 way diffs, have a cam lock type of engagement. When power is applied, it immediately engages the clutch packs, which in turn locks the wheels. What does this mean to you? Reaction time, lips, that’s what. It reacts right away, and it has direct engagement. Important when trying to rip off good good times. The Torsen type must have slippage in order for it to engage both wheels, this costs you time.

KAAZ LSD’s can be rebuilt whereas Torsen types require little if no servicing. True but lets look into this further shall we? Usually a clutch type LSD will not require servicing until about 100,000 miles into its life, and the parts are all available separately. We say, so what? I can have a better LSD, which in ten years I may have to service, or I can have the chance of having my tranny reduced to a pile of rubble. In ten years I won’t own this pile of scrap, I may be dead, or I’ll be driving a porsche, better yet, I’ll be chauffeured around town in my limousine surrounded by my harem of Truly 18 poster girls.

Now that you have the facts you can be the judge, oh by the way KAAZ LSD’s are usually half the price of a Torsen type. That should seal the deal right there.