Any owners with experience of the Quaiffe ATB please?

[DJ.]

Having followed the Titan LSD thread closely, I am seriously considering changing to an ATB. I do 95% road mileage and I do not kerb hop on track, so I think it would suit my use and is maintenance free.

 

I would be grateful if any owners with experience (good or bad) would comment to help me make my mind up

 

Thanks

Duncan

[Bricol]

I had one in my Westfield and liked it . . . unobtrusive in operation.  Wish I'd left off the standard LSD option of my Caterham order back in 2001 and fitted one - but not enough to pull the LSD in it and change it ;)

 

[gileshudson]

Love my Queef. Wouldn't change her for the 99% road use the car gets. 
She tells me where the back end is, what it's doing and if it's going anywhere.
Filled her with Fuchs Titan Race SYN 5 75W-90 Fully Synthetic Gear Oil (was Silkolene SYN 5 75w-90) - 1 Litre.
Silent in operation and more or less maintenace free, level checking aside.

[David_Long]

Ran one for years on the road and track. It was difficult to fault until I got a little more serious about track driving where any airborne moments tends to overwhelm it. It does need some torque from both wheels (ie the wheels on the ground) to be effective and once spun up it needs a reset on the power to recover any LSD action.

[paul jacobs]

I had a Quaife ATB fitted to my bike engined car, but changed it for a longer ratio, which bike engined cars need.

I ran it solely on the road and it was quiet and unobtrusive, but you could feel it working.  The only time it was not effective was on very tight hairpins where the inside wheel was very lightly loaded and it would spin, due to the design requiring some grip from both wheels.

 

Out of interest, if anyone is looking for a 3.9 quaife ATB diff assembly, mine is now surplus to requirements, I am looking for around £1000 for it, if anyone is interested. 

[DJ.]

Thanks for your experiences, sounds pretty positive so far.

[SM25T]

Been happy with mine ... for the last 10 years or so.

[Wrightpayne]

I think mines been in 15+ years and swapped between diffs (ratio change). I've done a few track days and lots of test days at Curborough. Car is '98 1.6k supersport. I did run an open diff for a while and the main difference for me is ability to put the power down and not spin up a wheel.

It had Fuchs multigrade synthetic gear oil in first but now has ford EP90 as used in the Ranger.

I'm happy with it, have no desire to change it and would have another one.

 

Ian

[John Vine]

My 2008 R400D came with the Quaife ATB.   It has behaved itself impeccably on road and track (clearly I'm not brutal enough there!).  Phil Stewart checked the diff over in 2015, and said all it needed was new seals.  Mileage from new is 48K.

Having digested the Titan horror stories, I'm mightily glad to have the ATB.

JV

[DJ.]

Thanks for your replies, I think I will invest in an ATB rather than have my Titan rebuilt. I can get one for £480, so it is less than half the cost of the Tracsport plate diff which will no doubt wear eventually anyway.

 

Duncan

[Dave Hardcastle]

Contrary to the above, I had a LSD fitted in my last Caterham. I recently purchased my current Caterham, advertised as having an LSD but turned out to be a Quaife ATB. I didn't notice it doing anything, and, after the last car, on a couple of occasions thought it felt strange if power was applied during cornering.

After chats with Steve Perks, Tracsport LSD supplier, and having seen the internals of a Quaife, I would never pay to have one fitted. In Steve's words, they are around 5% better than an open diff.

Just to keep the thread balanced :-)

[DJ.]

I wanted comments good or bad, so thanks Dave

[7 wonders of the world]

Interesting if the car was sold with an LSD..... but in fact only had a Quaiffe you may have redress as the car wasn't as advertised - unless you new prior to completing the sale..?

I realise lots of folk say the Quaffe is fine as I don't go 'kerb hoping'.... well the roads are full of hazard which take great delight in unloading a drive wheel, pot holes, wet drain covers etc all of which will cause engine flare, a momentary loss of drive and a shock load on the 'loose' drive wheel.

If your making the investment do it properly, an LSD with correct ramps and preload for you useage - the difference is very significant.

Steve's Tracsport is the cream of the crop without a doubt.

[Nigel B]

The Quaife ATB cropped up in conversation with Steve Perks when I was last at his workshop. As he put it, ‘They ‘never wear out’ because they’re not actually doing anything’!

Quaife try hard in their advertising to present the fact that their diff doesn’t lock as an advantage. It is in fact the diff’s primary disadvantage. If a wheel is in the air on a car fitted with a clutch plate type LSD it will rotate at the same speed as the wheel in contact with the tarmac. Hence, the car isn’t unsettled & there are no sudden shock loadings on the transmission when it touches down again.

I’ve owned Caterhams with open, Quaife & Titan diffs. I have a Tracsport fitted to my 420R & wouldn’t contemplate going back. Worth every penny, in my opinion.

[JonT]

I can see that the lack of independent rear suspension on the Caterham may be a particular challenge for the ATB diffs. I've got a torque biasing diff in my BRZ (standard fit), and on Car Limits days it's had no issues doing donuts or powersliding in a controlled way. I'm following the thread with interest - my caterham has an open diff, and I have wondered about getting some sort of LSD, however I'm doing 6k+ miles most years, primarily on road with 2-3 track days, so I'm not interested in something unless it's fit and forget (bar oil changes). 

[ScottR400D]

#14. Nigel, is your car still on the road? How’s it going and how did you get on at Knockhill?

 

 

[Nigel B]

Hi Peter, 

Well, amazingly the weather has been pretty good in Scotland recently, so I've been out & about quite a lot. The Tracsport is still quiet & unobtrusive. Knockhill was interesting, as the heavens opened half way through the afternoon! The car felt very sure footed though, even in those conditions & it was surprising how much right foot you could use coming out of the corners. It felt very confidence inspiring. 

I hope you're still enjoying yours & you're managing to get a few end of season blats in.

Nigel.

[ScottR400D]

Nigel, my car is off the road now. It was only taxed till the end of October, MOT delayed from June till November so I decided to SORN and MOT when I put it back on the road in spring. 

I managed a few 2 hour plus runs around Norfolk and Suffolk recently, though; the diff’s done ~900 miles now and still surprises me by the way it lets the car really accelerate well from corners. I’ve got used to it not making any noise now, I don’t notice that aspect any more. 

I certainly wouldn’t swap for a Quaife, especially as the car is occasionally driven hard on circuits; other than proven longevity which I accept we cant be 100% sure about with the SPC, the Quaife would be a backward step for me I feel. 

[Englishmaninwales]

I ditched my Quaife ATB as it was no better than an open diff with the unweighted inside wheel spinning on tight corners.

[Dave Hardcastle]

#13 SWOTW, I wondered about the fact that the car was advertised as LSD, when in fact it had an ATB. I came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the time as so many people on here, and Caterham I believe, refer to the ATB as a LSD.

We live and learn 

[TomB]

There's been lots of discussion on the merit or otherwise of various more modern LSD installations.  My 1996 car has one fitted, I thinks its an AP Suretrack, but without taking the drive shafts out again I can't be sure.     

I've wondered about taking the diff off and getting it rebuild - there is play on the entry flange where the propshatf attaches, and also some slack in the wheel rotation until its taken up by the diff.  Can a LSD be 'rebuilt' - I assume bearing etc can be replaced, but can the working components of the diff be serviced, or is replacement where Im headed?  Ive got the car on stand now for winter so can have a investigative wheel turn.  Im not intending to do it this winter as I only rebuild the car hast year, so dont realyl want to start taking out the drive train just yet!  

[Geoff Brown]

TomB #21 - Yes diffs can be overhauled & is the automatic, sensible way forward with the lump out for 'other work'.

The normal work is new bearings, seals & condition of the CWP.  Set up including backlash, ramp angles, pull off seals & bearings is usually about £250-£300 + VAT depending on where you go. Obviously 'other work' including the LS unit will attract lots of ££££s.

Steve at SPC overhauled my diff, fitted his LS unit for £1860. Yes I know a lot of dosh but well worth it. Expect similar from other outlets.

Lots of informative discussion here as well: https://www.lotus7.club/forum/techtalk/bmwtitan-lsd-viability

 

[ScottR400D]

But that £1860 included the new cost of the SPC LSD Geoff? 

I would expect rebuilds to be between £450 and £900 based on a Titan rebuild kit at £250+ and the labour and the upper figure being what it cost to fully overhaul my original diff with all new bearings, seals etc on top of the LSD kit. 

 

[Geoff Brown]

Yes - that was including the SPC LS unit, seals, bearings & set up.

[TomB]

Thanks, about what I thought/ hoped a diff rebuild would be.  It woud have been sensible to combine it with my rebuild, but the budget couldnt strech to another £600 on something else.  Its one for the future - can the diff come out without taking the prop and gearbox out?   I think it can.