NXG LSD DIFFERENTIAL - MINI

Ideally yes. A correct running-in procedure will reduce friction between the gear teeth while bedding-in the clutch pack. A good procedure is to use the gearbox gently for between 20-30 miles, followed by 20-30 miles of more aggressive driving, ideally if you can find a space to work in some hard cornering and figure-of-eights. Once complete, an oil change would be recommended, as with any transmission rebuild. This will greatly enhance the lifetime of the LSD.

It depends on how hard it has been driven. We would typically check the pre-load settings after a season of competition to give an indication of clutch plate wear. For hillclimb use with limited running time, the plate pack should last for many years between services, whereas on the other extreme, oval grass track racing with only right hand corners, it will wear more frequently.

It's not as accurate as using our test rig, however, you can roughly test the pre-load by using a torque wrench on one of the Mini's hub nuts, with the opposite wheel locked in position. The point at which the wheel begins to turn can be measured on your torque wrench.

Yes, for occasional use, although we would recommend you opt for our hillclimb/sprint settings rather than full race. If 90% of your driving is road use but with some occasional competitions, we would steer you towards the helical gear differential instead, which is far easier to handle.

No, that's the internal clutch plates slipping as the car slowly turns a corner. It may sound broken, but rest assured this is just the nature of plate-type LSDs when either pushed around a paddock or driven slowly. When driven at speed, the noise will go.

Inside the LSD are two drive pins, like a traditional X-pin Mini differential. However, instead of being fixed in position, as drive is applied to the differential, the pins are forced up a short ramp, which compresses the clutch plates and effectively locks the unit together. The steeper this ramp angle, the more effort will be required to lock the differential, and the less aggressive it will be in operation. We have the choice of 35 or 45 degrees on this ramp, with the deceleration side being 90 degrees in both cases - a dead stop to fully unlock on turn-in.

It's a 1-way setup, which only grips together upon acceleration. This is best for a front-wheel drive car like the Mini, or initial turn-in would be very difficult.

It's best not to run without pre-load, or very low pre-load, as this will lead to premature wear of the drive plates, as they will be slipping together more often. Imagine this like slipping your Mini's clutch on every launch, which would soon wear out the plate.