[orionredwing]

After my recent track experience at Laguna, I decided it was finally time to take that LSD jump for my pre-Mar 07 E90 Step. I’ve been off e90post for a long time, and hopped on only to purchase a Quaife from Harold @ HP Autowerks. However, I stumbled upon the Wavetrac thread after a quick sanity search:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270788

After a detailed consultation w/ Harold (who carries both products), I opted for the Wavetrac over the Quaife. I’m always a big fan of trying out new (but reputable) products, and the much lower price was a major factor, given that both units ‘should’ perform similarly on the track. The Wavetrac of course has the added advantage of assisting if a wheel is lifted off the ground (read more about it in the other thread). I weighed these factors against the downside of unknown long-term reliability, which was a serious consideration since I plan on keeping my car for awhile.

There were a few recommended Bay Area installers, but I got mine installed at Exact Motorsports in Milpitas (if you’re local, feel free to pm me for a referral, as my install price was much lower than everywhere else. Will NOT post in thread).

For gear oil, Wavetrac recommends no additives, so I used Harold’s suggestion of Redline 75W90NS.

The install went very smoothly using the new seals supplied by Harold as a bonus freebie. Exact Motorsports mentioned it would’ve been preferred if I ordered new bearings as well, but they took the time to ‘gently extract the existing ones so it wasn’t damaged, and the fitment was good when reinstalled’. I’m not technical, so I’m just quoting what they told me.

I don’t have much patience for a soft break-in. I did a couple of circles, and figure 8s to lubricate the gears, and then took it onto the freeway entrance ramp for 2 runs.

I’ve had my car for 2.5 yrs, and almost 45K miles. I guess those circular entrance ramps and I are on very good terms. I’m not crazy and always have DTC on, so frequently see that traction control light blinking on the on-ramps w/ the telltale tire chirps.

I wanted to take things easy as other 335i owners who installed Quaife LSDs warned that I should ‘relearn’ my car as it will feel different. Keeping that in mind, I hit the entrance ramp at the same speeds I usually do….and…wow…what the heck….no traction control lights at all w/ just a minor tire chirp! Wow, what a cool first safe entry.

Emboldened by this, I went to a local deserted place for a few more figure 8s and slow speed controlled turning to test out the LSD w/ DTC/DSC completely OFF (hehe), and went back to the freeway entrance ramp 30 mins later. I turned DTC/DSC back on.

Holy smokes! Not only could I take the ramp much faster, but I feel more in control of my car. And I was nowhere near pushing its limits (which I’ve done in other cars…) Overall, my first impression of the Wavetrac was a BIG THUMBS UP and I look forward to testing it out at my next track event.

[Mr. 5]

Sounds great man!!

[TMR]

LSD transforms this car.

[stressdoc]

Welcome back.

Direct comparison before/after on a track that you are familiar with will be quite useful. Especially if you have objective data like lap times. There is a pretty big placebo effect that accompanies the ridiculous hits mods make to our bank accounts. Of course my car is waaaay faster with its $3k platinum exhaust and $2k aero M kit and ...

I also believe my car is much improved by a LSD. Video would be great to demonstrate the effects. But it wouldn't surprise me if lap times on a high speed circuit like the 'ring on a dry day were only lowered by a few seconds after installing a LSD. I'd still consider it $ well spent.

[orionredwing]

It's been a little over 2 weeks since I had my Wavetrac LSD unit installed, so justed want to give a little update.

So far so good. The install was done well, and there are no sounds coming from anywhere while going over speed bumps (which I do every day at work).

The LSD has transformed my daily driving into one of ... 'freedom' for lack of a better word. For those without LSD, do you guys notice that cramped, understeer feeling when you take a right turn with any throttle at all? You can really tell when you step on the it and traction control kicks in.

After installing the Wavetrac, the car feels much more nimble taking those stoplight turns, but not in a loose way. The car feels very much in control and I just can't express how great it is to not have that 'cramped' feeling anymore.

Accelerating from a stoplight, I notice that I can apply much more throttle before traction control kicks in, and the threshold is pushed back even further if you have just DSC ON. This was an unexpected side benefit as I always thought of LSD in terms of cornering. And of course, if you have the Procede, you can turn it off completely and take full advantage of the wheel slip launch / boost control feature. OMG, wow. Definitely faster 'by the butt' 0-60 hehe.

Overall I'm sure this is giving my rear brake pads a lot more life because I used to trigger traction control all the time.

Lastly, just like other LSDs, when it really kicks in, you can really feel your rear rotate through without traction control triggering at all. I know some people don't like that 'loose tail' feeling at the traction limit (and thus install sway bars / adjust their coilover settings accordingly), but I just wanted to illustrate that the LSD does work predictably in more extreme cornering situations

Unfortunately, my next track event is not until early Dec, but I may sign up for something else sooner More impressions later on.

Final note: If you're lucky to be pre-Mar 07, definitely consider the LSD as mod #2 RIGHT after a tune. Our car is severely lacking w/o this option! All that torque...

[stressdoc]

+1. LSD rocks. I think it works really well in a package with tighter bushings and springs/dampers.

[335e92tx]

I am in haines AK and the car will be waiting for me WITH lsd when I get back



Time to update my sig

[Kevin@AKMotorwerk]

Originally Posted by orionredwing

Exact Motorsports mentioned it would’ve been preferred if I ordered new bearings as well, but they took the time to ‘gently extract the existing ones so it wasn’t damaged, and the fitment was good when reinstalled’. I’m not technical, so I’m just quoting what they told me.

.

the bearings are not available thru bmw, its a pain in the butt, i know how they feel, the bearings are very fragile and if someone can source new ones that would make install much easier and in my opinion make the job done right, i dont like to reuse bearings in area's like that. but im sure yours are fine

[orionredwing]

I forgot where I found this link as I'm on too many car forums, but it may have been here lol. Regardless, even if it's a repost, this is an awesome video. Check it out! Since I may have found the link here, I'll hide it in this thread...

[Craig@SupremePower]

sounds like your in love....

[Bomis]

+1000 i really love my wavtrac as well had it for three weeks now...

[zsapphire7]

hey... where do you go around here to find a deserted place to practice some 8s and stuff ?? Ive been looking for a place to practice and feel out my car. I have a quaife in there for a while now and my last deserted place became hounded by cops ... PM me!

[Slidewayz]

Originally Posted by zsapphire7

hey... where do you go around here to find a deserted place to practice some 8s and stuff ?? Ive been looking for a place to practice and feel out my car. I have a quaife in there for a while now and my last deserted place became hounded by cops ... PM me!

+1 I would like to learn the car with traction control off & also do some custom tuning, but no freakin' way would I do it on the busy roads 'round here.

[orionredwing]

Hey guys, unfortunately I did the figure 8s in my company's parking lot during a weekend. This is at slow speeds, so I'm not doing any drifting, lol.

However, one of my friends has access to a very large, empty warehouse where someone is teaching him how to drift, but I haven't had the opportunity to go with him yet. Looking forward to it. I tried it for the first time at the BMW M-Performance Driving School on their wet skid pad and it was a blast (500HP M6 w/ traction control off).

Wavetrac Maintenance Update: Redline 75W90NS, 1.5qts, 500 miles

I performed a 500 mile gear oil change on my Wavetrac a week or 2 back, and it came out visually clean. My mechanic asked me to skip his previously recommended 3K change and wait for the 10-15K mark. I'll try to get the next one analyzed by Blackstone Labs to dial in the gear oil change intervals (for my driving habit), but that won't be for 6-9 months. So far so good! Almost a month now and no probs.

[XLR8MF]

WOW, great video. Loved it, thanks.

[bmwmike]

If you drive in rain slick roads or snow conditions, the LSD is the best first improvement you can make to your car to improve safety and performance.

I have a big chunk of the M3 suspension components and with the stiffer body I am now realizing the drawback of having an LSD that causes the drivetrain to momentarily stop when one rear wheel lifts. If you stick with stock suspension then you very rarely experience that wheel lift and the Quaife is perfect.

[645Nm]

very informative review. thanks

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by orionredwing

I forgot where I found this link as I'm on too many car forums, but it may have been here lol. Regardless, even if it's a repost, this is an awesome video. Check it out! Since I may have found the link here, I'll hide it in this thread...

That is a great vid!

[335e92tx]

Well, when I got back from AK, the car was not ready. Their diff guy was out (but at least it was still in 1 piece)

So, I rescheduled for this week. I dropped it off at the end of the day tuesday and just got it back. Good launches on concrete now (just a tiny bit of wheel spin). No chance to take any turns yet. Seems to have not done anything adverse thank goodness.

The shop guy races BMWs and he was very complementary about the performance of the car. Said he had never drove a TT version.

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by 335e92tx

Well, when I got back from AK, the car was not ready. Their diff guy was out (but at least it was still in 1 piece)

So, I rescheduled for this week. I dropped it off at the end of the day tuesday and just got it back. Good launches on concrete now (just a tiny bit of wheel spin). No chance to take any turns yet. Seems to have not done anything adverse thank goodness.

The shop guy races BMWs and he was very complementary about the performance of the car. Said he had never drove a TT version.

I'm the same way.
Doesn't the car seem tighter now?
Even when accelerating in a straight.
I'm fricken loving it.

[335e92tx]

Well, as much as I wanted to take a REAL long lunch, I just came straight back (and its really just STRAIGHT down the main drag here) so I didn't get to check anything other than 1 launch and listen for noise. Hopefully, I can use the excuse to wash the car later and go for a little more of a drive.

[Bomis]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

I'm the same way.
Doesn't the car seem tighter now?
Even when accelerating in a straight.
I'm fricken loving it.

+1000 me to...i love how the car performs now when acc from standing still with dtc off the diff works awesome....no powercut at all...and thats even the same going out of a corner on full throttle the car just follow you wherever you want to go with NO powerloss at all...at least it feels that way anyhow...its like you and the car are the same person....tried dtc off all the way and MAAAAN i almost flew off the road when hitting a corner on sec gear full throttle....its so raw and powerfull in that mode that it scares me!! So im always driving on public roads with just dtc off for now....