anybody running a locked diff??
 

I rode in a older 240zx the other day, it was a budget drift car. and He had a locked diff.

other than the constant squeeling around corners, it seamed to handle really well, and it drifted like pro.


My questions is, should I temporarily weld up my rear end, just until I can find a good GSL rear end.

FYI, Im running a drum/non-lsd rear that I could really care less about.


any reason I shouldnt do this. Im going to be putting close to 300hp to the wheels soon here (as soon as I get my fucking turbo housing, and I can get my exhaust done) and Im not looking to spin one wheel all day long

Im running a welded diffy in my RX-3 using the pre-84 non-GSL diffy. It screams @ turns but I havent broken an axle. It has been almost 1 yr since it was installed. I like it!! :)

Wacky, you're de bomb to drive a welded diff on the street!

A good compromise is to use an oversized clutch disc in the diff.

Stock diff breaks traction @ 90ft/lbs. A good LSD with one oversized disc will bump that up to 120ft/lbs. This is what the PRO7 road racers use.

I believe the 4.444 diff I have from an ITA racer has ALL oversized discs and it pops at over 175ft/lbs. I didn't want to crank that axel at more than that force to test it. The rear does hop around the paddock when doing tight turns like when parking it. The rear tire will chirp a tad but not squeal like a locker. Oh, and it REALLY hopped and squealed and made a creaking noise until I put 2 bottles of LSD additive in there (And I use Redline Heavy Shockproof which already has LSD additive in it). Now it's more manageable.

I think these are some very good compromises. You can get the oversized diff clutch discs from mazdaspeed.

I am willing to bet that 300rwhp would start to tear up the rear anyways. Bern with his turbo 1st gen had diff failure when he drove it hard @ Buttonwillow. But boy the silver bullett is FAST.

I have GSL welded rear in my first gen. It was good when I had my 12a turbo motor in it but i went back to a stock 12a motor for reliability and it sucks.. So you can take it however you want... I hope I helped you...

Darrick

Oh really? Guess I'm out of touch with what the hot set up is. LOL

-chuck koos-
Current CalClub SCCA Pro7 points leader. ;-)

Thanks Chuck. That's what peoples said at BRP. What'a you use?

well, I would only have to ride on it for like a month tops. till I could find and fix up a GSL rear

is it hard to find a rear end where you live? if so just weld it for now if it breaks im sure there are plenty of people with used non lsd chunks you can have

I have a locker in mine opens when you let off the gas for a turn and locks fully when there is load applied

My 7 had a welded diff when I bought it - I had to drive it back home, which was about 150 miles. It was fine on the open road, but around town it was just a nightmare - any minor turn would cause the rear to squeal and jump around. The rear tyres on the car were totally fucked as well.

I don't know about your state, but in this country it's illegal and with good reason. Get a bit of rain and see how it handles then.

A normal locker won't squeal on the road.

A welded rear end wouldn't be too bad because only the tire on the inside would spin. Just so long as you don't give it too much gas, it would probably have more traction with a welded rear end.

I just have a normal LSD. A worn out LSD at that. There's a down side to a welded rear end on a race car, you scrub a bunch of speed on high-speed sweepers. On a track like Willow (turn 2, 8 & 9) that can be significant. Even BRP (Riverside) makes it questionable in my mind. However, I haven't driven with a welded rear end, maybe it would make me faster! ;-) I hear it's great under braking, makes the back end very stable.

-chuck-

I personally think that a welded rear end would be better off in an off-road vehicle, rather than for a 7 or some other street driven car.

A locker would be better for a street vehicle, even though it is more expensive. Less tire wear, easier to turn, less stress on axle, etc etc. Of course, I wouldn't go driving around in the snow with a locker. A welded rear end would probably be better in that kind of situation.