What options SHOULD Porsche add to Boxster list

[Brucelee]

I did verify with the dealer today that there is NO LSD option for the Boxster, never has been. He was at a loss to explain why and candidly, I think we were both stumped.

[Adam]

That is strange indeed. I'm still perplexed as to why the boxsters backend behaves like it has a LSD. Wheel hop occurs(at least this is what I thought) when torque is being distributed to the tires equally and sometimes when tires spin at the same speed they "hop" or skip on the pavement. I used to do burnouts/peelouts/donuts in my old 528i and it wasn't hard to do so because only one tire would spin! That car absolutely did not have a limited slip, that is precisely what LSD's are designed to prevent. The boxster S on the other hand doesn't seem to have the one wheel spin thing going on depite having oh about 100 more hp. I have a feeling if I ever did a successful burnout in my boxster S, I would see two black strips, not one like the old Bimmer. Are there more kinds of diffs than just limited slip and open on modern cars? Sorry to beat a dead horse but I'm very interested in certain technical aspects of my car and perhaps someone out there on this board can shed some light on the subject. Things just don't seem to add up right...but I'm sure it's something simple.

[Lux]

Many factors contribute to wheel hop. Suspension dampening, weight transfer, traction, etc.

Anyway, maybe we can set up a group buy on some LSD's and a shorter rear gear while we're at it. IMHO, this would be better than any intake/chip/header mod.

I have a feeling a Boxster with a proper mechanical LSD would be awesome powering out of corners. And with a shorter rear, I'm betting much improved 0-100 mph acceleration.


-

[Adam]

I'll except that. I wonder if the Carrera has a LSD?

[Brucelee]

Well, as a mid-engine car, you would have to do some serious clutch dropping to lay any sort of serious patch down.

No so in a RWD BMW, no?

As my tech and I were speculating as to why no LSD , this thought did come up. Also, he mentioned that the tract control option does exist and that this might be why Porsche did not incorp LSD in the axle.

Hey, we can sell this as an OPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[underDAWG]

I don’t really want to step on anyone’s foot again and I have not gotten my Boxster S yet. Therefore I don’t know much about Porsche.

In general, one can determine if car has a LSD or locker is by jacking up the axle and spin the tire. If the opposite side of the wheel spins the same direction, it has LSD or locker. If it spins in the opposite direction, it is an open diff.

For a high performance car like Porsche, I am not sure if LSD will be helpful. I think it will be extremely dangerous when cornering. The LSD will prevent the car to turn. The mechanical LSD (friction) has a long (delayed) activation time; it will not help a Porsche much. As a result, the Porsche will just fishtail all over the place. I think using the stability control makes more sense to me. The ABS can modulate the brake in microsec interval while LSD works in a few sec interval.

My 2 cents.

[Adam]

Interesting. That makes sense. This is good stuff.

[Lux]

Underdawg,

You're not understanding the various limited slips and what they do. Proper sports cars do indeed come with limited slip diffs. They help you in a corner by allowing the 2 wheels to turn at independent speeds. The amount of torque that gets directed/proportioned is also controlled by the LSD. As a matter of fact, the 911 does indeed have an LSD as an option. Same as every other sports car (M3, Corvette, etc). You would be hard pressed to find a sports car without one. The only reason it is not on the Boxster is because of Porsche's cheap ass. OOh, sell them stability control.

I don't know why you think an LSD would inhibit turning? Perhaps what you're thinking about is a straight locking diff (found on 4x4's). These make horrendous noise when you're trying to turn. But they have their purpose for 4 wheeling as they assure a 50/50 torque split between the 2 wheels at all times, even if one wheel is up in the air while you're traversing rocks.


-

[Brucelee]

Well we have determined that whatever LSD really does, it does NOT do it in a Boxster.

[Adam]

That is one thing we can say for certain now Bruce.

[Brucelee]

Now 30 yrs ago, this LSD conversation would have gone in a totally different direction.

Times have changed for the better!

[Lux]

Perhaps the Porsche people were on LSD when they decided to leave the LSD out.




-

[Brucelee]

That would explain it. Can you imagine a German engineer on LSD????????????

:dance:

[graybeard]

Tilt teering wheel is standard on both the Base and S 987, memory seats are part of the electric seats package also on the 987
How about real floor mats that are priced fairly or are free as they should be on a car in this price range.

[Brucelee]

" How about real floor mats that are priced fairly or are free as they should be on a car in this price range."

Yes, I think they could throw in a set of $50 mats.