coming from a non SH Prelude with suspension work it took a bit getting used to the TL. The TL is a great handling car but nothing compared to my Lude.

With that being said, last weekend I noticed that I wasn't at all taking advantage of the LSD. Keeping power to the wheels throughout a turn makes cornering in the TL a wonderful experience! It's only been a weekend so I'm sure there's much to learn and I'll probably hit the track at least once this summer to really get to know what she can do but last weekend's lesson was a great one.

 

thats fine just dont do it while you are on acid!!!!!

 

LSD? I read the manual cover-to-cover, but I don't recall reading about one of those.

 

When you do go to the track remember you don't want to put power down the entire time, you want to brake to the corner (so weight is on the front wheels), maybe some trail braking to the apex (again to keep the weight bias forward) then start easing back on the throttle toward the track out point, when you get there and have the wheels back straight you should be back at WOT.

example:

WOT to the braking point
brake just short of ABS intervention to the turn in point
transition to trail braking easing off to apex
from the apex toward the track out point ease on the throttle as the wheels straighten
when you reahc the track out point the wheels should be back straight and you should be at WOT again

Vandy

 

Standard with the 6MT among other performance enhancements. At least in Canada it is....I'm sure it's the same in the states.

Yup, it is cuz it's on Acura.com too. http://www.acura.com/models/model_pe....asp?module=tl

savage...cool! It took 5-10 laps around to get a good feel of the prelude and we usually book the track for 8 hours so there's plenty of time to learn the TL too!

 

Hmm... I never thought about limited slip's impact on cornering on a front wheel drive. I would assume the benefits/problems of having LSD and not having it on a FWD car would be different than they would be on a RWD car?

 

Yep it's sweeeeeet, just press and go. If you know how to use it you can leave RWD cars in the dust!

 

Really? I would assume a RWD car with better balance and LSD would still be better around corners. If not, it makes you wonder why sports cars tend to have FWD...

 

Well, I don't know about leaving RWD in the dust, but w/ LSD the TL does corner faster and steers truer (IMO).

Btw, just out of curiousity the Prelude Type SH came with the ATTS system from Honda at the time it was ground breaking (ATTS = Active Torque Transfer System). Does our LSD on the TL 6mt do the same thing or is it more advanced?

 

Ludes? LSD? With drugs like that who cares how the car handles?

 

The ATTS system from Honda, if I recall correctly, didn't actually function as a limited slip. It was designed to send more torque to the outside wheel in turns to help the car turn easily. The new SH-AWD, come to think of it, does something similar with the rear axle as well. Variations on a theme.

The LSD on the 6-speed TL is a torque-sensing device that uses helical gears to "pre-emptively" send torque to the wheel with the most traction (up to a pre-set limit). Thus it doesn't need wheel spin to occur before the limited slip kicks in (like, for instance, a clutch type or viscous LSD). This makes it much more friendly for FWD cars (believe it or not).

Similar torque-sensing LDS are the Torsen (used by Audi, Mazda and many other AWD or RWD manufacturers) and Quaife (aftermarket supplier, primarily for FWD applications).

Unlike the ATTS, our LSD will function as a conventional differential (the outside wheel receives no more or less torque than an open diff car) until there is incipient wheelspin, and then will direct torque to the wheel that can use it (i.e. has traction). The ATTS can only send more torque to the outside wheel, even if it has less traction than the inside one, and thus doesn't function as a limted slip device.

 

Hmm...you're right in your recollection of the ATTS I believe. For some reason, I thought that the LSD on the TL in addition to tranferring more torque to the wheel w/ more traction also sent more torque to the outside wheel automatically just like the ATTS. Guess I was wrong...thanks!

 

Thanks for the good info on the various LSD devices.

 

can anyone comment on the difference in LSD functionality with traction control turned on vs. off? We're talking two separate things here, right? No?
I've noticed that the traction control can reign me in a little more than I'd like on some turns, while I like to force a little understeer/throttle forward around the apex....any ideas? (Before the flames come out, I'll caveat this with the fact that I'm talking about wide open on-ramps with some margin for error, not school zones and library parking lots, and I've just been pushing the envelope a little to test out my new 18" OEM Rims with 245/40-18 Pole Position S0-3's )

 

I think it's three separate things. I believe traction control is only at low speeds, while VSA (yaw control) operates when the vehicle is cruising. The LSD is passively operating all the time and VSA only comes on when it senses traction is lost to a wheel. VSA has braking and throttle inputs, so that would definitely interfere with your plans if you intend to slip and power through. You could turn VSA off...

 

In a worst case scenario, a torque sensing LSD can act as a completely open diff - think one wheel on glare ice or up in the air. It needs to sense SOME torque at each wheel in order to be effective. Those in the know can apply resistance (torque) to the spinning wheel by applying the brakes - a difficult proposition with three pedals. With traction control, the car will apply the brakes for you, and allow you a better chance to get going again.

Of course, this is only a benefit in very low traction conditions. For fast get-aways in the dry, most find it better to turn the traction control off, as it allows a little bit of wheel spin to get into the meat of the power band and no automatic throttle closure to spoil the fun.