Hi Grant,
I fully agree that an LSD by itself may add "some" understeer as it locks the ourtside rear into the turn but that is not the end result in any sportcar with factory rear LSD car I have driven, and especially not a Porsche,and specially not with the low locking rates of these PSm equipped cars fitted with LSD.. Like you well said, its a matter of integrating it correctly into the suspensions, like when you add sway bars, etc.
- I seriously doubt that Porsche would offer the rear LSD as an option, a factory option, and not make the necesary changes to the suspensions for it they know so well how to do. They have been offering this option as a stand alone option (without sport suspension) for some time now, since the 997.1TT and none of these cars suffered from understeer, come to think of it, even the 996 40th aniversary edition had one without the sport suspensions.
- Also the LSD is an option for those that want a sportier setup, not to induce terminal understeer. My 997.1-20mm with LSD tends to even oversteer more than the 997-PASM w/o LSD for example, usually LSD fitted cars are setup sportier and hence even oversteer more in the end. So its like if Tiff showns a S-PASM car and says it has more bodyroll than the standard suspensions, wouldn't make sense. I would say there is someting wrong with that car's suspensions, and I would say the same thing on this Cayman.
- And the understeer shown on the video is too exagerated, its like if it was being provoked or enhaced by Tiff on every corner, when Tiff knows perfectly well how to adapt his driving to compensate for understeer, like he has done many many tiimes in the track test with naturally understeering cars lilke FWD Front-engined cars. Hail the winner, the english Lotus.
- And lastly, the comments on the behaviuor of the Cayman with LSD from people I have talked to who have driven it, is not the one shown on this video, and here in this thread you have GR who has driven it in the track and reports the same. And the 997.2 can have the LSD fitted as an option withouit the -20mm and it doesn't behave like this either. Why is this the only case reported?
Maybe the front tires on the Cayman were shot, or were underinflated, maybe there was some staging by Fifth Gear to help the Lotus, I don't know, but Fifth Gear has lost my confidence after this
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