It's bonus time and I want use some of it on my car. I do about 4 track days a year and haven't done one since going RWD.
One option for an upgrade is a Wavetrac diff. I have noticed a ton of inside wheelspin since going RWD and my research on this and other forums tells me a Wavetrac is great for combatting this behavior.
The other option is installing a set of H&R coilovers. My car is still on its original suspension with H&R springs and I am sure it is pretty worn now that I have crossed 50K miles. I am trying to be good and only do one upgrade. Looking for opinions; if you were in my shoes which would you do first?

 

I'd probably go with the LSD. You can make springs work. Or find a set of JIC for $600-800 down the road.

 

seriously...! wavetrac hands down! ( provided you are not stock oem ride height/shocks etc )
rwd without an lsd of one kind or another is pointless, imo.

 

i would do the coilovers first. this helps you overtime you drive the car with a great ride and ability to set the height were you want. i have a wavetrac and love it but if i had to choose i believe you will appreciate the coilovers more.
i haven't ever tried the h&r but i think pwderhound is a jrz dealer and i know olsen motorsports is. the nice thing is this can be the last set you ever buy. jrz can rebuilt time and time again for under 1000$

 

i don't see how one could enjoy the benefit of a proper coil over setup when there is no way to limit that infernal wheelspin of an rwd setup absent an lsd. given he's already rwd and is lowered, it seems to me, in terms of efficiency and getting the most out of the car, the wavetrac would solve that, while running on springs ( as i have for years ) wouldn't limit in any way, the potential of the car. particularly if it's a street car with "some" track days per year. but i don't have coil overs, and don't feel i need them actually, so that IS my bias. i run MO30's and h&r's sports.

lotta info in here, pro and con. but i couldn't live happily without "it". https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...d-60-40-a.html

 

the main thing is that he has 50k mileage on the oem setup which is 10 yrs old. even if he buys the wavetrac he is still going to need a suspension setup to replace the old stuff in short order. so he ends up buying 2 mods which he doesn't want to do. it is possible to track and drive the car with no wavetrac but potentially unsafe to try to track and drive with old worn out springs and shocks

 

that makes sense.. but. my car in the conditions i find myself daily would ( again ) be deplorable without it. coil overs wouldn't help that! so my perspective is based on that. i know what he feels going rwd without an lsd. it's ( as you know ) ridiculous and were it not for my having installed the wavertrac i would never have stayed rwd.

your point is well taken though..

 

I agree with both opinions. You are at a point where you will need both. But since you are 2WD and at least have springs and I have tracked with that, you could do the Diff and the rest later. You would love camber plated and rear toe links too! Maybe those with the diff to get more proper 2WD response and alignment. Then do a coil-over later?

I am in if you would like a Holiday package for all!

 

There is nothing unsafe about old springs. They are actually safer, because everything happens slower, car squats more, corners slower and breaks loose slower. I've never seen Porsche shocks fail on track, even OLD OLD Porsches. Ours are relatively new.

More unsafe not to have two wheels in a rwd configuration and only one putting power down. My LSD has saved my behind on wet track, and dry track alike.

It's a tough choice but I advised the LSD because springs are cheap ($50-$60 a piece) and people here have done some fast times with just springs and sways (I.E. Mr White). Blowing the LSD budget is not easy to work around as blowing the coilover budget. While the car inherently has a lot of grip, when it breaks loose, it's a handful.

 

i agree with most of what your saying. once i saw what my coilovers looked like when disassembled it became clear the only thing working on my suspension WAS the springs. the nitrogen had leaked past the seals contaminating the fluid and i had sludge. heres a couple pics. most never see this and my car handled like a honda on cut springs since the day i got it. it wasn't until i installed the rebuilt setup that i found out how amazing these cars can be even for a non turning driver like me. the wavetrac does help but it won't help much if the suspension is shot, just my .02
the shop that rebuilt mine told me coilovers should be rebuilt every 2 yrs! of course these were 7 yrs old and never have they been touched

 

cut springs ARE a nightmarish ride lol

 

This is what I'm thinking.

I'd say forget trying to be good. Replace that tired suspension AND get the diff. My coilovers are one of my favorite mods. Next up will be the Wavetrac.

 

Well yeah, if your suspension has failed, and the car handles bad then it needs to be replaced first.

But if you are tracking with 1 wheel drive, you are asking for it. The moment you lose traction you are on your own. Unless you track with PSM on, which might be even more scary.

 

The H&R coil over set up is very cheap and great bank for the buck, under $2K. I've run this before and its a great street set up while still decent for the occasional track day. They also make the stiffer sprung/valved RSS version for the same money. Add a rear GT3 sway or the Tarett copy and call it good. Tarett drop links are a great addition. The wave track TBD is a proven product used by a number of guys here like Mark and Steve and at around $2k quite a bargain. I wouldn't spend the $4K on an LSD unless you plan to track the car aggressively. Make sure you get a competent shop to set up backlash on the TBD. Have you been good this year? If so, then buy yourself both. It's Christmas....

 

he hasn't said it failed but the mileage and age would suggest its on its last legs. as he only tracks 4 days a yr i would hazard a guess its more a daily driver/weekend car that will see huge gains with a nice coilover setup properly balanced and aligned

my car only had 35,000 miles on it when i had the setup rebuilt he is at 50k now

john just to clarify the wavetrac is only 1200$ plus install which on mine was 200$.