I had a C2 Cabriolet for 7 years, loved the handling after I added stiffers sways and eliminated the understeer. I could comfortably push the car quite hard into turns sometimes approaching a turn fast and not braking at all, just scrubbing off speed by the turn in and staying on the gas.

Now that I have my AWD Turbo, I can't say that I like the handling nearly as much. I've pushed the car quite hard but the steering feels heavy and trucky and not light and nibmle like the C2. I also don't like how the drive train feels resistant to coasting or holding a neutral throttle position. If I do that, the car slows quicker than I thing it should.

Those that have removed your front diff and axles, is the car better handling and more enjoyable to drive? I'd like some comments on what you have found.

 

Car in RWD does the obvious things, turns in better, steering feels lighter, less drag on the drivetrain so accelerates better on the top end. But will not put the power down as well while turning or exiting a turn.

I would not do this on a stock suspension though because the damage you do to the balance of the car cannot be remedied by stock suspension adjustments. Plus the weight you remove from the front end will make it VERY bouncy until you add a little rake to the chassis. An LSD would also be helpful to make the transformation complete (and not smoke the inside tire while making turns and applying power.

 

it all depends what you will be doing with the car, but regardless doing this on stock suspension is asking for trouble. I'm on kw v3's and my car is corner balanced and rwd is awesome but once again it all depends what you will do with it.

 

I'm on stock shocks but H&R springs. 2WD mod with diff.
The car is faster than it ever was on PSS9, more comfortable and better highspeed rebound which keeps the body in control.

This setup is a touch slower than it was on KW V3, but anything but a pro driver wouldn't even be able to make the difference two laps back to back bc it's only in the 99% push and up realm the difference comes out in terms of laptime.

The stock shocks are REALLY good. A set of good springs and alignment will get you very far. But you WILL need a LSD to do the conversion. For me Carbonetic has worked the best bc it makes no sound and the engagement is seamless. Most LSDs engage with a "clank" and a jerk which doesn't help on corner exit.

 

I'm all for more with less so if he says you can get it to work with some springs, then you can believe it.

The LSD shouldnt clank and jerk if you are rev matching. The LSD is only going to react if it senses wheels turning at different speeds or one locking up, which is common if revs are too low upon downshifting.

 

I agree with Mr White on the stock shocks being good. That is one reason why I have been reluctant to go with coilovers. I want coilovers but I am afraid that besides adjustable ride height the spring shock combo on most entry level coilovers will not be enough of an improvement for the cost. And on my last car with coilovers I never messed with the ride height once it was where I wanted it. Of course the higher end upgrades would be the way to go if $ isn't a limitation. And then you will get height and dampening adjustments too.

FWIW I am running RWD with stock suspension and springs and the car feels much better IMHO. The RWD conversion remedies the plowing the front of the car tends to do as well as making the pig turn with the front fighting it throughout the turn. I do think an LSD upgrade is needed to take advantage of the 996TT torque.

Sorry to the OP for the threadjack...

Mr White,

I have been considering the Carbonetic. What are the pros and cons of this setup? I have heard about the carbon in the oil and the requirement for more frequent oil changes. What have your experiences been?

 

Haha I rarely downshift and revmatch OUT of turns, I did that on corner entry. But most diff have a pretty rough engagement step when going on power even if ever so gently. The Carbonetic diff is seamless. You won't feel it. The differrence is a mile wide.

 

I was wondering why you said corner exit.... I thought you may have meant messes up entry which afffects the exit. Either way, my car has almost no sound deadening so I can hear everything and my OS Giken doesn't clunck at all. It does whine a bit at low speeds though.


But let's not get ahead of ourselves here coilovers are better (far better) than stock shocks with h&r springs and zero adjustment. Not saying you can't go fast on both because I wholeheartedly beleive the driver makes the car fast. But properly tuned coilovers will be far better than stock shocks in a wide array of environments.

 

Then that makes 1 more LSD option for OP to look at for a RWD conversion.

 

Thanks guys for the info thus far. A bit more, my Turbo is an '04 with less than 18k miles, still like new and 100% stock other than the wheels. My car will never see a race track, I spent 8 years there. My motor will remain stock. I have H&R lower sports springs in the garage and may put them on.

MrWhite, do you have stiffer sways or stock? When removing the front diff do you use GT2 stub axles or disassemble the stock assemblies? Would I still need a LSD for occasional aggressive canyon driving?

Any more details would be very helpful. TIA

 

I added a set of Eibach Racing swaybar, mostly for being able to adjust balance. They work really well with the HR spring setup. I experience great rebound control from the front shocks so the nose sticks even on extremely bumpy roads/track or canyon. For aggressive canyon you absolutely need LSD, especially if you go ahead and get a flash.

Someone might sell you a set of used stub axles. I just split a set of front axles. You could get a 2nd set of used front axles and keep yours for the future if you want to sell the car as 4WD. I was never able to find out 100% sure if the GT2 stub axles would fit and got a pair of used TT front axles for cheap. GL. The car becomes transformed in full 2WD mode (with front diff out and good LSD in rear).

 

I'm am looking at going rear drive myself, front diff is starting to make noise I think, and I would rather put the money into a LSD.
I see you are from Utah, whether you stay all wheel drive or not you can get your car to Cole at BR Race Co. out at the Miller Motorsports Park (801-502-9745) very good at setup and getting you what you need for the feel you want.

 

What about the Gaurds LSD conversion?? Does that not work seamlessly???

 

Guards are great. Pricey, but proven and good quality. But for price point the Carbonetic can be had ~$1000 and the guard is ~$2500. They are both great, but the guard has been more extensively tested and proven on the g50 series transmissions. But on the other hand, I have not read a single bad review about the carbonetic. In fact I have read tons of great reviews.

 

Is the Carbonetic a true LSD with clutch plates or is it an ATB type diff??