My understanding is that the Limited Slip Differential changed on manual transmission cars in 1995.
It went from a Torque Control Differential to a Torque Reactive Differential.

So as Question 1, how do each of the set ups work?

Both comprise a set of wet stacked clutch plates that can lock together to lock the axles:
- the 1991-1994 cars have a straight tooth inner gear in the differential whilst,
- the 1995+ have a helical inner gear

Help me here but I’m assuming
- with the earlier & auto cars one axle spins up, the clutch plates heat up with the spinning until they expand and then lock up, if both axles rotate at the same speed their is no lock up.
- on the later manuals, the helical nature of the gear induces an axial loading and this pulls the plates together thus locking the pack, again if both axles rotate at the same speed their is no lock up. In addition, on over-run or slipping backwards (see below) the diff unlocks.


And as Question 2, and I appreciate that their may be a clue from the Limited in LSD, but, in either case can the axle be induced or tricked into locking?


I ask because when trying to drive my car (manual, 1995) in Sunday night’s snow I had great difficultly in getting and maintaining traction. Trying to move off on hills; low revs, trickle away and I stalled, more revs and I was spinning without traction, if I caught traction the car had a really heavy, dead throttle response (no increase in RPM with significant throttle depression but slowing and stalling without) and when moving I was getting some form of cycling / pulsing from the drive train.
No doubt those behind on the hill watching me saw tooth at 45 degrees across two lanes were amused but I wasn’t.
Admittedly the Advan AD08 tyres may have been sub-optimal for the situation.