Supersport Whine

[SteveA]

Hi, I bought a Sigma engined supersport last year purely for trackdays. It is an incredible car but it unfortunately has incredibly loud whine under load. It's so bad that even with ear plugs in it is starting to affect my hearing. I think the culprit is the Titan LSD but do not know these cars well enough to judge. Can anyone confirm and perhaps suggest something I can do to reduce the noise? I have checked the diff oil level (Fuch Titan 90 LS) which is fine.

Here is a video of the latest day I did at Donington to my highlight the issue;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OwpDaIU1oU

Just to add, it has always done this and doesn't seem to be getting any worse plus the diff works as it should.

Thanks

[Grubbster]

Ouch! That hurts to listen to on the video! There were quite a few issues in the past with whining diffs, some were fixed by having a rebuild by R&R but even that didn't sort it every time. Also, on some chassis the accuracy of where bushes were welded wasn't great and therefore the bushes end up squashed right over and it was thought this could transmit more of the diff noise through the chassis. I'd probably talk to Phil at R&R to see what he suggests, maybe a new crown wheel and pinion would improve things (there were some pretty low quality ones in the market a while back, genuine parts are better if they can be sourced)

[Grubbster]

Comments above are assuming it's a ford diff not BMW 

[Mark w]

Steve 

i have a Titan LSD in a ford casing ( supplied 2014 ) in my 620R .Whilst it "chatters " a bit it certainly doesnt whine like yours .

[ChristopheC]

My diff (Ford type) makes exactly the same noise on my Academy from December 2007. The previous owner upgraded the diff with a Titan LSD and it has always whined.

I changed the oil as I didn't know what was in. Castrol 75W140 had no effect on the whining and it chattered more at slow speed after a sharp bend. I then changed for Fuchs Titan 90 (LSD type) : still whining but no more chatter.

Next step for the winter : send it to Road and Race for a check and to fix a slight leak at the nearside where the halfshaft goes in the diff casing. And then pay extra attention with the bushes when I put it back in the chassis.

Ear Plugs are compulsory...

[Mankee]

Wow, that does make a racket. As Steve says, there were some naff quality CWPs kicking around a few years back that whined even with zero miles on them. It's almost worth buying an old but genuine Ford unit and having the CWP swapped over for the newer one. Doesn't make sense does it? But I think Ford knew a thing or two when making the original gearboxes and diffs for the Sierra.

[SteveA]

I have noticed the same noise on quite a few Supersport championhip videos so thought it might just be one of those things that happens with heavy use.

I have quite a few trackdays booked in the next few months so I think I will just put up with it till the end of the season then look at getting it reconditioned or replaced over winter.

In the meantime I have bought myself some industrial SNR 37 db Ear protection which cuts out virtually all sound so that should protect my ears. As a downside I can no longer hear my heal and toe blips so it's a bit of a compromise but one worth making I think.

Thanks for the confirmation and suggestions all. ChristopheC, if you can post your findings from R&R so I can decide if I am to re-con or replace that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChristopheC]

If I decide to send it to R&R during the winter, I will for sure give a feedback.

Ear Plugs : I use Etymotic Er-20. They eliminate most of the whining, or at least keep it at an acceptable level. They don't isolate me totally from the environment and I stay "connected". They are are not cheap but quite longlasting.

[SteveA]

I was thinking about using a 37 in the ear closest to the Diff and a lower number for the other to allow me to hear the exhaust a little. I will buy a cheap 20 and give that a test before opting for something more suitable for long term use.

Thanks.

Edit - I've just had a look at the Etymotic Er-20 and they are pretty cheap compared to what I've been looking at,

http://acscustom.com/uk/product-category/hearing-protection/

[John Vine]

Etymotic Er-20

I have two pairs of these, for use when the car is two-up (that's not often, though) or for really short trips.  They do cut noise but with an offside exhaust and an LSD, quite a bit still gets through.  For longer solo journeys, I use MAX (SNR 37) from Howard Leight.  Very effective, and cheap enough to be disposable.

JV

[SM25T]

See also Elacin ER20 .... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elacin-ER20-Fidelity-Hearing-Protection/sim/B0013HJJZG/2

[SteveA]

I decided to bite the bullet and sent the diff off to R&R for a rebuild and new CW&P. Should be back with me tomorrow and I have a test day on Monday so I will post up the results.

[7 wonders of the world]

The LSD will not be causing the whine, the source will be either wear in the CWP / bearings or a more likely simply a badly built / set up final drive.

[SteveA]

After the test day today I'm happy to say the wine is gone. R&R weren't cheap but well worth the money.

[nickh7]

Result 

[Paul Deslandes]

Pleased to hear it was sorted, you couldn't live with that racket for too long.

Did R&R comment on the cause?  As has been said, the slipper wouldn't cause it and it sounds too high frequency for CWP so I would suspect a shot bearing but would like to know for future reference if poss.

Paul

[SteveA]

Apparently the belvue had a crack in it so that was replaced, not sure if that was the cause though.

This is how it sounded before;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk8WAeDgp9A

and this is how it sounds now;

You can hear a small whine on the second video but it is inaudiable in the car.

I just need to repack the exhaust now :)

[John Vine]

belvue

A victim of autocorrect?

Glad to hear it's sorted.  Phil is a star.

JV

 

[SteveA]

Very possibly, I don't know a great deal about the inner workings of a diff so those words are directly from the picture and message Phil sent me.

Perhaps he meant Belleville?

[Jonathan Kay]

Well done.

... something to do with a bevel?

Jonathan

[Mankee]

Teesside looks like a great little place for a Caterham.

[SteveA]

£75 for a 9 till 4 test day every Monday and Tuesday so an absolute bargain too. There was only one other car all day yesterday. We were never on the track at the same time so every lap was clear. Was great for testing roll bar settings.