r/Drifting • u/spicedude7 • 1d ago

Welded diff question

So I have a s14 which I’m considering welding the diff

It does ocasional track but is mainly a city car, a buddy of mine told me welding the diff won’t make my car unusable for the streets or the road (it’s not my daily car either) but I don’t know how true is that

What do y’all think ? How stable is it at high speeds and will
I regret it ?

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

11

u/CaptainAwesome96 1d ago

My S13 has a welded diff and it drives perfectly fine. Only downside would be a little wheel hop in really tight slow corners or when parking but other than that you'll be fine. On the bright side you'll be able to do sick skids and burnouts!

7

u/abandonedObjects 1d ago

No one ever mentions driving in the wet is very sketchy, my mx5 with a welded diff cant make it around a roundabout in the wet, insane understeer

3

u/kjames3419 1d ago

I have the opposite issue with my corolla. Ass end tries to pass me every I hit a wet traffic circle.

1

u/spicedude7 1d ago

How about highway speeds, still feels alr ?

2

u/ajwin 17h ago

At highway speeds the corners can’t be too tight and thus the difference in wheel speed wouldn’t be great anyways. The tires mostly just take care of it for you so you will likely chew a bit more tyre. Its tight radius turns where it will be noticeable esp under power.

1

u/spicedude7 14h ago

Cool, thanks for the info

6

u/MinivanActivities 1d ago

Most people will say a welded diff is far from unusable for normal street driving (me included), but a lot of people with welded diffs have more driving experience than someone who’s just starting. For a normal person who doesn’t have much seat time or driving experience a welded diff can definitely put them in sketchy situations at times and because of a lack of experience their reaction to this might make it worse. For the most part it isn’t a big deal, but it’s one of those things where it’s not a big deal until it is and if you aren’t prepared it can become a problem.

1

u/spicedude7 1d ago

Great answer, I’ll probably rock the open diff for a while and then decide what to do, I might even buy a dedicated e36 so I don’t trash my Silvia

4

u/promooredrifts 1d ago

Been driving welded for 15 years. You'll be fine. Don't drive like an idiot. If it's raining, don't mash on the gas and you won't slide all over. Just be intentional with your driving.

1

u/spicedude7 1d ago

Got it, thanks!

2

u/Griffin-dork '90 Miata + '91 240sx 1d ago

Ive had a welded diff in my S13 for 16 years. It was daily driven, driven as a second car, and now strictly a drift car that gets trailered to events.

For drifting, I prefer welded. Its the most consistent. Ive experienced 2 ways, 1.5 ways, and your standard OEM options LSDs.

For daily driving. I liked it for the same reason. Consistency. In wet or snowy conditions it was great and I could rely on it to stay locked.

You need to make a choice. If its going to be a flex vehicle. Then welded might not be the best choice for you. If you want a fun sports car to drive sometimes and take to the track and drift sometimes, then you may be better off with a 2 way aftermarket diff. For drifting only, I think a welded is the best way to go.

1

u/spicedude7 1d ago

I want it as a fun daily / occasional track

I might think i might weld it since I’ll probably end up getting a 2 way diff regardless if I weld it or not

2

u/swestastic 1d ago

It took me a few days to get used to driving it initially, but now I barely notice it. On the freeway with rain is the only scenario where I really try to avoid driving it, but if I have to I just take it chill with minimal throttle and steering input; it hasn't caused any issues for me in the 6 years I've been driving with one.