How the LSD changes the balance of the car.
Same diff, same corner. Change the driven axle, or just send more torque, and the balance flips from understeer to oversteer. If you want to understand why this happens, and what your own diff is doing to the balance of your car, join this live workshop on Thursday 29 October, 3 hours on Zoom.
Book your seatSounds familiar?
You change the preload or the ramp angles, and the driver says the car feels different. Better on exit and worse on entry, or the other way round. You know the diff is doing something to the balance, but you can't say what, or at which point it stops doing it.
So the diff settings end up as trial and error. Every test day spent on them is a day not spent on something else, and when the driver reports understeer mid corner and oversteer on exit, you can't tell if it's one problem or two.
What changes after the workshop
• You'll know what the car and the tyres ask from the diff in a corner, and how much each type of diff can hold.
• You'll be able to tell when the diff is locked and when it slips, and what each state does to the force on each wheel.
• You'll know when the diff makes the car understeer and when it makes it oversteer, in drive and in coast, and why the same diff can do both.
What you'll learn
The idea behind any LSD
The diff as a dry friction clutch between the two driven wheels, and why it either holds or slips.
Demand
What the car and the tyres ask from the diff in a corner and on a split-μ surface. The diff takes no part in this.
Capacity
Open, geared (Torsen, Quaife), discs (Salisbury, Trac-Loc) and spool. TBR, locking coefficient and preload, and why TBR is a ceiling, not a split.
Locked or slipping
How to tell which state the diff is in, and what each one does to the wheel speeds and forces.
The yaw moment
When the diff makes the car understeer and when it makes it oversteer, in drive and in coast, and how the load on each wheel changes the answer.
LSD Lab, live
Every result shown in the app, so you can check it yourself afterwards with your own numbers. Try the free version.
Who is this for
For:
• Race engineers who set up diffs and want to know what each setting does to the balance before going to the track.
• FSAE students and engineers who already know load transfer and tyre slip.
NOT for:
• People without a foundation in vehicle dynamics. Start with Course 1.
• Engineers looking for a software tutorial.
About the instructor
I'm Felipe Vasquez. I hold a PhD in vehicle dynamics from the University of Southampton, with peer-reviewed research on suspension optimisation and tyre force estimation. I taught Vehicle Dynamics, Dynamics, and Machine Design at the University of Concepción for five years, working with FSAE-style student projects and industry data from KTM and Kawasaki. I race actively in touring cars and motocross, which means the physics I teach is also the physics I feel on track. I teach the phenomena behind vehicle behaviour with the simplest possible models, so you can use them to think about your car, not just guess or wait for simulations.
What you get
• One live session of ~3 hours on Zoom, with time for your questions.
• LSD Lab full version, the app we use during the session. Try the free version now.
• The recording of the session, available until Thursday 5 November.
When/how?
• Thursday 29 October 2026, 15:00 Chile · 18:00 UK · 19:00 CET · 23:30 India.
• Live on Zoom. I send you the link by email within 24 hours of your payment.
Book your seat
• If you buy the recordings of Course 1 or Course 2 before Thursday 5 November, what you paid for the workshop is discounted from them.
$100
$70
early bird until Tuesday 27 October.
Guarantee
Attend the session and try the app. If your understanding of what the diff does to the car hasn't changed, I'll refund you in full. No questions asked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an engineering degree?
Not technically, I don't ask for it, but you need to be comfortable with free body diagrams, load transfer and tyre slip.
What if I can't attend live?
The session is recorded and the recording is available until Thursday 5 November, so you can watch it at your own pace.
I'm in a different time zone, can I still benefit?
Yes. The recording is the main path for anyone in a distant time zone. You can send me your questions before the session and I'll answer them live.
Do I need my own car or data to get value out of this?
No. The workshop is about the physics, not about a specific dataset. If you do have a car with an LSD, you'll leave knowing what to look at first in your own diff settings.
Is this about a specific car or category?
No. The physics applies to any car with a limited slip differential, front or rear wheel drive, regardless of category.
What happens after the workshop?
If you want to go further, Course 2 covers the diff together with the rest of the suspended car, and how everything adds up in the Yaw Moment Diagram.