Factory LSD

Call me old, but when I see "LSD" my mind goes somewhere else ....

haha yah to some it means other stuff. both are very fun or so ive heard.

I would've checked a $1500 option box for a LSD. The difference limited slip makes in snow is insane.

it should come on the diesel and rs packs stock. like you said money man i would have paid a lot for one. i hate how our society as car buyers no longer want manuals and don't care for LSD. Maybe some of us don't want to buy a silverado or a camaro/vett to get a LSD maybe some of us like our cruze or Malibu with a LSD so we can drive in sandy roads, snow, or just have a little more fun

Besides the northern states with inclement winters, LSD would be a rather expensive and somewhat useless add-on to me. A FWD with LSD is not a very enjoyable drive...borderline unsafe for someone not expecting it.

I've owned several vehicles with them...dramatically improved traction...not just in snow...but rain and dry roads as well as those with sand or dirt on them. I would order it on any vehicle its an option on.

On a Cruze? Not worth it.

On something like a Focus ST? Sure.

jblackburn said:

On a Cruze? Not worth it.

On something like a Focus ST? Sure.

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Ever drive a diesel Cruze long? Those things are desperately clawing for traction on dry pavement with the traction control turned off. And you don't even have to be an overly aggressive driver. Never drove a gasser Cruze so I can't compare.

boneheaddoctor said:

Ever drive a diesel Cruze long? Those things are desperately clawing for traction on dry pavement with the traction control turned off. And you don't even have to be an overly aggressive driver. Never drove a gasser Cruze so I can't compare.

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The crappy LRR Eco tires aren't doing it any favors - flooring a gas Eco from a stop achieves tons of wheelspin too.

I had a FWD car with about the same torque output as the CTD, never really felt that it needed one at that power level. Having driven a tuned one making 320 ft lbs and 280 hp, I felt that needed it, and they did indeed offer it in the higher performance variant of that car, before going to an AWD system.

jblackburn said:

The crappy LRR Eco tires aren't doing it any favors - flooring a gas Eco from a stop achieves tons of wheelspin too.

I had a FWD car with about the same torque output as the CTD, never really felt that it needed one at that power level. Having driven a tuned one making 320 ft lbs and 280 hp, I felt that needed it, and they did indeed offer it in the higher performance variant of that car, before going to an AWD system.

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True but you make the most of what you have available with it.

Might not matter to a lot of drivers though....I like to have that extra margin of traction, etc, available if I ever need it. Drive enough miles and can make the difference between getting out of a sticky situation or not.

Not as good as an AWD system...but lighter...and cheaper.

The only vehicle I've ever owned I have felt it would not have mattered on....was a 1968 Fiat 500.
With a whopping 17 hp at the crank...it didn't have enough power to spin ONE tire in the rain on slippery glass smooth Italian roads.
.

Don't get me wrong, I like LSDs, and have them in everyone of my RWD vehicles. But the weight + mechanical complexity + low take-up rate = no dice in any Cruze.

Even the northstar powered FWD Cadillacs did not have LSD.

And on ATS, for example, it's only available on the premium package.

For the rest of us, and in most situations, traction control does a reasonable job of emulating LSD.

yes the cruze may not need it but i would have paid for it. even on dry climates a LSD drives much nicer in and more controllable.

borderline unsafe for someone not expecting

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yah i disagree 100% a lsd car is easier to control then open diff. unless you are pushing the car in acceleration on bad traction or turning hard the driver wont notice its there and it will help them keep in control silently and without them knowing

pandrad61 said:

yes the cruze may not need it but i would have paid for it. even on dry climates a LSD drives much nicer in and more controllable.


yah i disagree 100% a lsd car is easier to control then open diff. unless you are pushing the car in acceleration on bad traction or turning hard the driver wont notice its there and it will help them keep in control silently and without them knowing

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Well that's my point. If you are expecting the wheel to fight you because you are an experienced driver pushing the limits then it's great. But if you're Joe Businessman renting a Cruze on a work trip and you go to accelerate hard into traffic and hit some sand and the opposite wheel grabs suddenly and yanks the wheel out of your hand...no bueno.

LSD does not snap at you like that, it is tied to the other wheel it will limit slip not a sudden grab (Now a lsd can be tied in with traction control and this helps any snap steer due to driver inability). my point is that it should be offered of more vehicles and pushed more on the sales floor. lets bring back a little more fun into our commuter cars. look at the dodge omni Shelby GLH. yes it was an economy car but it was offered with some fun in it! if the current cruze came with a SS i would have defiantly looked into it.

It's an unnecessary added expense to economy cars which have already become more and more expensive than they used to be 10 years ago. Electronic traction control via brakes is much, much cheaper and can do the same job, and can actually be tuned quite well and let you have a bit of fun with it if the engineers bother (again, Focus ST example).

The price of vehicles these days is ballooning out of control for their respective classes. $29K+ for a loaded Cruze with a LSD and <200 HP? No thanks.

let you have a bit of fun with it if the engineers bother (again, Focus ST example).

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it boils down to that. with GM having to pay benefits and retirement + Government making us install all these expensive emissions system to the diesel + inflation i agree cars have gone up in price substantially.i would kill for a dodge Shelby omni GLHS. good MPG, easy to park and it smoked big v8s of the time. heck that lil 2.2 turbo 4 makes more whp considerably then the new 1.4 and is way way easier to fix. with today's added complexity of MPG safety and emissions plus consumer demand for champagne cars on beer income the market has inflated

Yep..Torque steer is significantly less with LSD...and if you have ever been caught in Black ice...or freezing rain..(something that happens in southern states too) you quickly discover the sort comings of "Traction control"

At least with LSD you can get one wheel on the shoulder and move....with "Traction control" if one wheel is on ice...it kills power so much the car won't even move...and with it off...all you do is spin.

First car I dealt with that on was a 1996 Saturn SL2. Really crappy brakes...but otherwise loved the car.

I can understand it not being Standard Equipment....Cost reasons would drive up the base price. But having it as an availible option....that's something I'd love to see on almost everything.

My truck has a locker in the rear end...(sort of the ultimate LSD)...and I am considering a LSD for the front axle.

If you manage to get THAT stuck with both....then you really deserve the humiliation of being stuck. ON the road anyway.

I'm actually reasonably happy with how the TC works on both of our cars - certainly much better than it was in my 1998 model year car where it was practically useless. The Cruze will let you squeal tires or spin a little bit in snow in first gear before it kicks in. It does cut back, HARD, in 2nd gear on the throttle, though, which has run me out of power on gravel roads. Dropping back to first gear just spins tires in gravel.

The Camry actually seems to have an even better TC system that will allow you some wheelspin, but brakes the spinning tire without cutting power back very much. Climbed it out of a snow-covered parking space it was stuck in pretty good by turning TC back ON last year. With the system off, all it did was spin. With it back on, the front brakes were throwing a fit, but it climbed right out of it with very little drama. Works well going forwards too.

I'm actually reasonably happy with how the TC works on both of our cars - certainly much better than it was in my 1998 model year car where it was practically useless. The Cruze will let you squeal tires or spin a little bit in snow in first gear before it kicks in. It does cut back, HARD, in 2nd gear on the throttle, though, which has run me out of power on gravel roads. Dropping back to first gear just spins tires in gravel.

The Camry actually seems to have an even better TC system that will allow you some wheelspin, but brakes the spinning tire without cutting power back very much. Climbed it out of a snow-covered parking space it was stuck in pretty good by turning TC back ON last year. With the system off, all it did was spin. With it back on, the front brakes were throwing a fit, but it climbed right out of it with very little drama. Works well going forwards too.

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while yes the new TCS is leaps and bounds form the old days its still no replacement for a real LSD.