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OS Giken utilized its accumulated racing knowledge and engineering
experience to develop its own limited slip
differential. Four years of extensive research and development lead to
a new and revolutionary LSD design with the
capacity to house an unprecedented number of friction plates (up to 28
plates in total) and thus the OS Super Lock LSD was born. The increased
number of plates directly has not only dramatically improved our LSD
design's locking force and enables it to lock fully and completely.
An added benefit to being a fully locking mechanism is that less heat
is generated, thus resulting in incredible durability
and reliability.
As expected from OS Giken, our LSDs are not only made from the highest quality materials, our precise machining,
forged gears, and sound engineering makes our LSDs the most durable and reliable race performance LSDs available.
OS Giken's patented design is a revolutionary breakthrough in clutch type
limited slip differential design and allows you to have up to twice the
friction plates compared to conventional designs. OS Giken's quality
craftsmanship and original design enables 100% full locking as well as
unparalleled durability.
A quote from Grassroots Motorsports comparing the Quaife unit to the OS Giken:
Gear differentials like Quaife, use a
series of parallel worm gears to distribute power to the wheel that has
the most traction. The gear differential is typically more expensive
than the other types, but it also has nothing to wear out or adjust.
There is a downside, however: If one wheel is completely unloaded, the
differential can act in the same manner as an open differential, thus
making these units less than ideal for bumpier tracks and off-road use.
The OS Giken clutch type uses friction discs and springs to preload the
differential gears so they dont spin as freely as they would in an
open unit. As the axles try to move at differing speeds, the discs or
clutches slide against each other, resisting this action. The result is
a partially locked-together axle that still allows differential
wheelspin, especially as the clutches wear.
Scion Racing's own Dan Gardner review in comparison to the TRD Diff:
For those of you with the TRD, rest-assured you
have a good, solid diff that will likely never break or cause you
problems. We raced on it for 2 seasons with zero issues.
That said, a Quaife, Torsen, helical, or other gear type
differential is literally NOT a limited slip diff. They are more
accurately referred to as "torque-biasing." They are selected for their
durability and seamless operation.
For cars making serious power, or for ANY type of performance
application such as AutoX, time attack, road racing, a diff that
actually locks is the ONLY diff you'll want to use. The performance is
astonishingly better.
As last season wound down, it was probably our single biggest
development goal, to work with a company to produce a true LSD that
would lock-up hard, and further reduce or even completely eliminate
wheelspin.
We selected OS Giken because of their reputation, especially in
Japan. Road race cars in pro Japanese racing series have won
championship with that type of differential. They also don't believe in
1.5-way units for FWD applications, as that will cause the car to push
on turn-in. This is the last thing you want in a FWD car.
The units are 1.1-way, meaning they are open on turn-in, and only
go to lock once power is applied. OS also uses more clutch plates than
just about anyone in the world. Unlike other clutch-type diffs, they
very infrequently need to be rebuilt.
This is all to say, we worked with Japan and the US arm to develop
this differential. We tested more than one setup at the track in the
off-season. The units are completely rock-solid. The fitment is near
perfect, and it's somewhat imperceptible during normal driving.
Under spirited driving, this diff is second to none. It's virtually
eliminated wheelspin, something that was still a problem with the
helical unit. Throttle can be applied earlier and to a greater degree,
which resulted in very real laptime reductions. The car is a rocket out
of the corners now, and the power just gets down to the ground once
locked up. Hills, rises, tight hairpins, nothing seems to affect the
diff. It just works!
Unlike a helical, when one tire loses contact with the track
surface, it still remains locked, sending power to the outside tire.
This isn't the case with a helical. In the aforementioned scenario, the
diff will act like an open differential and copious wheelspin will
result.
OS is a great engineering company. Hardcore racers know their name,
but they don't have a lot of marketing muscle here in the US. This
really is a "best-kept secret" kind of thing. We're happy to bring the
unit to market, and can't wait to hear what you guys and gals all
think. This is a huge performance upgrade over the stock diff, and a
big improvement over what was previously available.
The forced induction crowd really shouldn't be without it, and even NA cars can benefit significantly.
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