spool or no spool.

[Burnout_bro]

alright ive been hearing a lot of talk about mini spools on here and i want to know what there purpose is, i know they are cheap are they just a dodgy burnout thing or do they do other things, do they work in the same way as an lsd does, is it worth me getting one, do they chirp around all corners, and are the uncontrolable in the wet? thanks

[walesy]

ok... they lock the axels together all the time... they will chirp on every corner, the main purpose is burnouts because both wheels will spin at the same speed, i think they are better for the wet... more predictable

[walesy]

personally i love spools, ive had them in a few of my cars... nothing worse than a lsd when it gets worn and starts cutting one leggers again, especially mid burnout/drift (off road)

[VRSS]

they lock your axels together so your rear wheels spin 100% of the time at exactly the same speed, with tight cornering it will chirp because with any other diff, the outside wheel spins faster as it has to travel a further distance when turning sharply, with a minispool both wheels always travel at the same speed so one wheel will skip during sharp cornering (in carparks etc)
in the wet they can be very dangerous if one of your wheels loses traction the car will go into a slide.
ive never driven a car with a minispool so dont quote me on this its just what ive heard from other people.. minispools are illegal and i wouldnt get one unless u were a very good driver

edit: walesy beat me to it

[walesy]

sorry vk_308 ... a spool in the wet is the same as an lsd... it will just kick out easy because both wheels are spinning (like they dam well should be!!!) you just learn to steer with your acelerator instead of just the steering wheel

[Boonz]

if you do get one i would advise you to go have a play down a dirt road for half a day or so cos thats whats its like in the wet when you try and power out of a corner lol my kaaz lsd is pretty bloody tight and it makes driving in the wet pretty unpredictable.....well actually it is predictable cos i know its going to step out to one side lol

[VN_Luke]

generally - if you're asking what they do and if you should have one, the answer is no you shouldn't. - someone should make this a sticky as it's been asked over and over again....

but, just so you know what they do: lock both back wheels together completely - they both spin at the same speed regardless of what your car is doing, this means:

- 50/50% power distribution to both back wheels (great for takeoffs)

- because both wheels are locked together, you will never do single-spinner burnouts - it will always want to turn both wheels, so it's grouse for burnouts and sliding around/drifting, and there's nothing to wear out when you put it through hell.

- very predictable when going sideways/doing burnouts

- very illegal for street use, as one wheel will always break traction around a corner. This makes the car much more likely to step out around corners/roundabouts/u turns/doing 100km on the freeway in the wet around a sweeper. If you plan on driving with a spool on the road you HAVE to be ready 110% of the time for some sliding action - no sitting back in your seat 1 handed cruzen' bro.

- On the illegal note above: keep in mind that if you DO crash the car into a merc or rolls royce or something by accident - your insurance will not pay out if they find out you got a spool. - if you slide into a person, chances are you'll get charged with lots of badness and be seeing bubba - because you KNEW your car was dangerous.

- it places crazy load on axles - you are much more likely to snap an axle with a spool - though I drove around with one for about 6 months and never had an issue. I think 28 spline axles (vn onwards) are supposed to be pretty alright - VL backwards axles are supposed to be pretty prone to breakages.

- eats your rear-end bushes: when i had my spool, after about 4 months my upper rear trailing arm bushes were pretty much not-existant... they were all split and crapped out. Lower bushes in the diff were the same...

- eats your tread: I suppose this doesn't matter if someone only chucks in a spool for burnouts - but if you plan to drive around on good tires make sure you have a thick wallet


So really, it depends what you plan on using the car for.... if it's a dedicated strip/burnout comp car, stop reading this and slap a spool in it.

if it's a street driven car that sees burnouts all the time (which is kinda silly in the first place - but i'm not one to judge ) then a spool will do the job, but you have to take into account the legal implications, and the added dangers of driving with a spool. - Particularly when you could save for a bit and get a detroit-locker style setup, or a very good LSD to do the job legally.

If it's a street driven car that you just want a spool for so you can go "chkchkchkchkchkchkchk" into the servo so people think you're cool.... then I'm just going to laugh at you for being stupid.

If it's a street driven car that sees the occasional burnout - then an LSD is the answer for you.

Good luck

[walesy]

well said vp_luke...id much prefer the spool anyway but yes rear end bushes cop a hidind so get good norethene or whatever they are ones, also wears out center bearings and wheel bearings... and yes 25 spline axels are more likely to break, i had 25 spline and broke 1 every 6 months or there abouts... 28 are much harder to break

[Full Spectrum]

With spools don't go shopping with the limo They turn slow corners very bad..
We were at a shopping centre carpark and said if we let loose there would be carnage here.
The car i drove was a 90% burnout car VN Calais V8 spool.. I wasn't impressed with the cars driveability as a normal car turning was hard it was ruff at the rear takes some time to get used to the rears new skipping action.

[STEALTHY™]

I'd agree with what most of VP Luke said.


For everything else i can't be bothered posting, search my username and spool, and you'll find a goldmine of info from someone who's daily driven one, not someone who's 'mates uncles sister said this'

[MUNTED6]

hi i read posts bout mini spools on here as because i am thinking of getting one. my question is, i heard som ppl say on here u can snap or brake the axles n all those other components but if i was to drive sensible and not push the throttle at turns just iddle wen i go round round abouts n u turns will that still cause my car to chirp n spin out? also if i drive like a grandma always will it stuff any components cos i wold think it would only happen if u give it heaps? only reason y i want to have a mini spool is for ocassional burnouts (1 a month) at my friends farm. would appriciatte if som1 cuold reply to this question for me thank u in advance

[Morton]

I'd say if you're only burning it out once a month, it won't hurt to be burning one wheel. No matter how hard you're driving, or how slow you're going, the outside or inside wheel on a corner will ALWAYS skip on a spool. U-Turns especially. It's so blatantly obvious when someone has a spool - you can see, and hear it skip. You really have to see one to know how bad it is

If you're keen, you can have two diff centers. One open, one spooled, and swap them over at the farm.

[immortality]

hi i read posts bout mini spools on here as because i am thinking of getting one. my question is, i heard som ppl say on here u can snap or brake the axles n all those other components but if i was to drive sensible and not push the throttle at turns just iddle wen i go round round abouts n u turns will that still cause my car to chirp n spin out? also if i drive like a grandma always will it stuff any components cos i wold think it would only happen if u give it heaps? only reason y i want to have a mini spool is for ocassional burnouts (1 a month) at my friends farm. would appriciatte if som1 cuold reply to this question for me thank u in advance

for a once a month burnout i'd suggest getting the LSD, as VP_LUKE pointed out in his very well written post above. a car fitted with a spool doesn't like to go around corners cause the rear wheels are pushing it straight. trying to get it around tight corners at grandma speeds is not going to make any difference. as WALESY 5.0 saids above " you gotta learn to steer with the accelerator". as mentioned above also, the later 28 spline axles are hard to break (VN onwards) but your bushes are goingto take a beating no matter what and i suggest you ask STEALTHY how long his rear tyres last as well.

[STEALTHY™]

My rears last about a month by choice. Most i got was 3 months but then i just couldn't help myself.


Remember kiddies, its not the spool that chews tyres, its the person driving (personally, i love it)


If you have a VL or earlier, you'll snap plenty of axles (i did 4 in a month, but thats constant clutch drops all day every day, back when you could get away with it)

I have my VP diff in for about a year, and went thru 2 crown wheels, but NO axles. Thats just the way i drive, i doubt anyone here could give a car that much punishment. Now i have a VY spec diff with a Full spoo (yes i know i told you all its a mini, but my diff builder decided to inform me it was a full spool all along) and i only snapped one of the 2nd hand axles. The last 2 years with brand new axles, it hasn't missed a beat.


U turns are fun with a spool, none of this 3 point turn crap, round you go on the spot!


On the insurance side of things, i've never heard of an insurance company pulling the diff cover off to check if you have a spool, but i guess its a risk everyone is taking. On the flip side, a spool is safer, as its predictable (no offence peanuts, but a mate of mine killed his kaaz in about 3 months, they really aren't suited to circles) all the time. And never wears out. How can that be a bad thing? obviously my mum or dad would die driving a spool, but on the other hand, it saved my life. I had a blowout at 110 (ok ok maybe a little more) and because i knew the spool, i just powered thru and after the 180, came to a stop. Yet if either of my parents had a blowout in the same situation, or even doing 80, i know they wouldn't have been able to recover. Go safety!


And in the wet, well, where do i start. I've not once had the car step out on me, unless my foot made it. I go thru plenty of sweeping bends at 90 under load on the way to work, and never had an issue. Again, its how you drive


Most important point, if you get a spool, don't be a fool...j/ks, take it out to a farm, or country dirt road and spend a day thrashing the crap out of it, and learning how your car reacts, as my VL, to my VP, to my mates VN, all react differently, so you need to learn your car.

[Full Spectrum]

In other words it's a waste of time if it's not suited to you and your driving style.
Sure they offer better control when going hard but if you going to the shopping centre in tight spots there not the best to park. But you don't notice this problem driving the street and highways.
Alot of people chose them for the wrong reasons because there cheaper then LSD's. And there the ones you see step the rear out into gutters more often then not. Like the clown behind me some time back he ended up in the end totalling the car for good, And it wasn't he first accident, His spool was in so long it didn't skip like others do. But it didn't matter the time he had it in, He still didn't learn how to drive it right.

Earlier this year my brand new Upper control arms bushes loosen up and spat a bolt out, First thing i was asked "Do you have a miny spool!"

I was watching supernatural tonight and noticed they have a spool also

[VPWAGZ]

mate if ur not stupid in how u drive it u will b fine.........i drive my rx3 turbo in the wet with a spool and if u kno ur limits it can b a save thing!!.......we are only talkin about commo's here not a 300kw rx3........in the wet b more careful dont gun it around corners etc......if u kno how to drive u will b fine

[immortality]

skaife runs a spooled diff...........

[STEALTHY™]

skaife runs a spooled diff...........

as do all the V8s. And the Brutes

[MUNTED6]

thanx alot all u guys for all the info i got another question if i was to get a spool which ill proble do end up getting one this week. are they easy to remove and un remove if i didnt want it no more? also wat diff fluid will i have to use for the diff? and can u buy it from any auto parts store can anyone tell me where to buy one in the s/e suberbs(dandenong). thanx again

[VPWAGZ]

for a spool visit nota motors in hallam he will do u a good deal ask fo rthe owners son!! drive the m3 was gonna charge me 40 bucks
he also installs them at a great rate

[MUNTED6]

wat road are they on

[immortality]

i agree with VP_luke, this should be made a sticky thread as the question is asked regularly and this one has covered both sides ofthe argument very well

[Emackulation]

AGREED, great info thread about spools, Sticky time?

[STEALTHY™]

I thought about making a sticky thread with all the pros and cons about spools, but being illegal i doubt it'd get to be a sticky.

[immortality]

I thought about making a sticky thread with all the pros and cons about spools, but being illegal i doubt it'd get to be a sticky.

i think the legal sides been covered a number of times in this thread so it should be ok, it's been spelled out for anybody to read. it's also been suggested that they (mini spools) should only be used for racing/ drag racing/burnout comps etc.