This question goes to all the LSD owners on the site who drove during the winter season.

How well did your car accelerate from a stand still this winter? Did you notice the LSD kicking in once the one tire started spinning? Did you feel that the LSD was very advantageous in your acceleration on the slick roads?


Thanks!

 

Helped a whole hell of a lot. I was driving with even more aggressive summer tires (dunlop sp9090's) and while all my neighbors were stuck, I just pulled right out...

 

i really drive mine that much but when I did it suck major ass, mainly because the tires they put on these cars arent made for snow

 

I know i DON'T have an LSD and got a really great example of the one tire fire... i had one tire on dry pavement this spring while **** was melting, the other was on a patch of ice/snow that was leftover... i hit the gas and went NOwhere.... made me wanna get on the phone to quaife as soon as i got home

 

It spins both wheels. Honestly I never drove without the quafie, so I cant compare. Either way, way to much power for roads with snow. I would guess it would be advantageous, but never drove without, so I can say with certainty.

 

ehh....i have the lsd but i barely had it out in the snow. when there was ice and you were at a stand still with both tires on the ice, you were still screwed. can't say much other than that.

in the snow, all i know is that you can't pull shitties as well as i could in my old car. the back end doesn't want to swing out as much. i only tried twice and each of those times it wasn't too harsh on her. i didn't want my car's tire to swing into the curb. i still love the car though.

 

My car with LSD accelerated horribly. Maybe it was the stock pirellis running 15k miles in heavy snow...didn't seem to help at all. I think it helps some on straights, but is very noticible in coners while accelerating.

 

Hahaha I think its funny you said that. With my sunfire I was awesome with the handbrake... like I could do everything... with the cobalt, the damn rear disk wont let it slide very well. Still managed a few long power slides, but not near the same quality I was able with the sunfire. I think the rear drums work alot better for Ebrake fun in the snow!! wwooottt

 

well hmm problems accelerating in the snow.... you're not supposed to accelerate hard in snow... if your gentle on the gas car is fine... I drove mine on 4 inches of solid ice with zero probelms... didn't even have the ABS go off... need to learn how to drive

and I have even worse tires for snow then the stock pirellis check out these
dunlop sp-9090 ..

 

The LSD really helped out in situations where snow and ice was spotty. It was the tires that really screwed things up for me.

 

Interesting. I was just wondering if the LSD is worth it for winter drivers or not.

 

i ahve the stock tires and got stuck trying to go up my driveway in 2 inches of ice and snow

pretty bad but im going to have new tires next winter, i wont have the cavalier around to bail me out

 

Someone knows totally how I felt this winter in my new car!!. I tried alot when ever it snowed out, I was very close to pulling the ABS fuse and using the old left foot braking but didn't feel like it in the end. I had mixed feelings about the LSD, my Z24 with snow tires aswell seemed to handle better in the snow and was more fun to drive. Off idle while leaving a little would result in the front end sliding to the right not really fun. I have Bridge stone Blizzaks so who knows I may just look for a different snow tire instead of a snow/ice tire.

 

I dont have LSD in my balt.. but i think this car is absolutely horrible for the winter haha

 

Having an LSD in the winter could be more dangerous. One tire spinning is better than both front tires losing traction and spinning.

Maybe if you are stuck and need the LSD to get out. I had a locking diff on my truck and in the snow when it locked and both the rear tires spun the truck would just go into a spin and you could lose control fairly easlity. If one tire is spinning and you still have that other tire holding traction you can actually maintain better control of the car. LSD and snow equals instant understeer. Thats my two cents.

I don't have the LSD, but I don't get any snow to drive in anymore.

 

I have the LSD and snow tires we had a couple of days that State Farm and most of the rest of the Twin City was closed due to around 12" of snow in a couple of days and I was driving with out a problem.

 

my wifes car had problems mine didnt so we drove mine most of the time during ice and snow mustangs suck

 

YOIKS.......ok... STOCK PIRELLIS ARE SUMMER TIRES.....how many times do we have to say this, lol

As for the original poster, my LSD driving next to my bud's non-LSD - he has sliding to the ditch, and went zoom zoom zoom ahead

 

Well if my car doesn't end up selling I had thought about putting LSD in it to help with winter traction. Not to mention the one tire wears way faster in the front than the other.

 

Well they shouldn't be if they sell them to you on your car in the dead of winter.

Next year snow tires for sure.

 

I hear yah. The dealership where I got mine from didnt think the Cobalt was good in winter cause a girl who bought an 07 SC kept complaining. I asked if she had winter tires, they were like "ummmmmmmmmm" and then I told them that the Pirellis are summer tires and are not good in rain, let alone snow and ice, LOL. I told them that the car is awesome in winter.

Anyway........

 

I don't know from experience, but I would think that a good driver would be fine in either car, with or without the LSD. Its all about using the traction you have. If you don't know how, it won't help you. Like a 4wd truck. Sure, you can accellerate easier than with 2wd. A bad driver will make the mistake of not slowing down enough for turns, because the 4wd does not help you then. It's all in the driver.

 

^I'm not talking about driver performance I'm talking about LSD performance.

 

LSD helps out a bunch. You will have both tires spinning instead of just one, so there are times that you need to be careful. Don't accelerate too hard in corners because both tires can break loose and inertia makes you keep going straight.

Snow tires are the most important thing to have on this car in the winter time.