New OBX Helical/Torsen LSD for the 240sx on ebay. Opinions?

[naed240sx]

OBX is now making a helical lsd for the 240sx. Pricing is very cheap, cheaper than even a used s15 one. The casing looks very cheap, and not a lot of information is given about it. However, I know that a few people on here have been looking for one, so I thought I would post up about it. If these get good reviews in the future I may consider getting one myself as my vlsd sucks ***.

Here is the link:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...wItem

Edit: Just did a little bit of google searching. Have only heard from one guy who actually had one. He has a 600 hp drag car that apparently breaks axels and 3rd gear on one occasion, but the diff holds strong. Gossip says that it is made in germany.

[574-240sx]

I don't think I will trust it. I don't even trust OBX mufflers.

[ArcherV20]

Noob Question :

Is that all there is to an LSD? On heavy throttle - just for example the KAAZ Solid LSD listed there has a few more trinkets, looks like a few ring clamps, gaskets and seals. The OBX one listed doesn't seem to have any of that.

But persay I did buy the OBX or the KAAZ, would I need any other additional parts? I've heard about different output shafts being required etc.

Sorry guys. This post just gave me some kind of hope.

[naed240sx]

You shouldn't need anything else, although it is reccomended that you replace bearings and seals. Regular outputs are used.

[IMPerfection]

Noob Question :

Is that all there is to an LSD? On heavy throttle - just for example the KAAZ Solid LSD listed there has a few more trinkets, looks like a few ring clamps, gaskets and seals. The OBX one listed doesn't seem to have any of that.

But persay I did buy the OBX or the KAAZ, would I need any other additional parts? I've heard about different output shafts being required etc.

Sorry guys. This post just gave me some kind of hope.

The Kaaz is a clutchpack LSD, and it uses the stock open diff axles/shafts. I know little about the OBX except that it's likely a POS. Google turns up many dissappointed OBX customers.

[dickie]

they used an obx diff in an integra to test them when they came out for that car last year around this time. the car kept blowing axles.

obviously the lsd for our cars would be different, but i wouldnt trust something like that in my drivetrain. i hope people that get screwed take it to obx and maybe they will either start making quality products or else get their crap off the market.

[naed240sx]

they used an obx diff in an integra to test them when they came out for that car last year around this time. the car kept blowing axles.

Sounds like this was a drag car. If so, the diff probably worked quite well, and the axles were breaking because the weakest link during launches now became the axles as opposed to the diff.

[IMPerfection]

It's cheap because OBX does no R&D. Buy a quality part.

[dickie]

no it wasnt a drag car, the guy was actually an avid auto x'er but it didnt even make it to the track. the car was never even driven hard and within 300 miles the axle broke. no big deal, he replaced it with a new oem part and kept driving. a little later he broke the brand new axle. he ended up braking 4 axles total and lodged one in his transmission. im not clear on how his diff did this but the other car he had was running a used oem type-r diff and never had any problems... these were professional installs. i believe he took apart both difs and noticed several signs of shoddy production including very noticeable rough edges and poor build quality.

[naed240sx]

It's cheap because OBX does no R&D. Buy a quality part.

Everybody knows this. It's no secret. they do however make copies of parts made by companies that do do r and d.

[dickie]

Everybody knows this. It's no secret. they do however make copies of parts made by companies that do do r and d.

i forgot whose design they copied for the integra dif but they left out some parts and like i said, the quality in comparison is nowhere near as good. this was as of last christmas.

edit: they copy the quaife design but leave out some of the essentials necessary for it to function properly.

heres a thread from honda-tech about it.

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1249085
Modified by d!ck at 4:32 PM 12/12/2005

[naed240sx]

Thanks for that link. I wonder if their nissan diffs have the same problem.

[centralcoaster33]

Um, is a helical diff geared? How does it work? Like a gleason with paired worm gears? As opposed to a clutch type? Wouldn't that be better than a clutch type like Nismo and Kaaz because those can be noisy and will wear out? I'm not saying get the OBX one, but maybe another brand of helical...

[dickie]

from what i can see it might be okay to but if you REALLY want HLSD and are willing to sacrifice a drivetrain :P

i think from what i read they are working on the problems, cant tell you about the production quality, but i can only assume it would be the same as the integra difs.

regardless hold off on buying this untill they get enuogh complaints to make revisions.

[Badfish]

Everybody knows this. It's no secret. they do however make copies of parts made by companies that do do r and d.

Sooner or later:

Introducing the all the new OBX sr20det "style" motor.

[240sxual]

Yeah, please don't buy anything that OBX makes. The guy who owned my S14 before me had put a dual tip obx muffler. The welds came apart and I ended up replacing it. When I looked inside of it, it was rusted and looked like a cheap piece of crap. OBX is cheap for a reason... cause they make doo-doo parts.

[IMPerfection]

S15 HLSD for the win!

That's what's going in my (grip) car. Or a KAAZ 1.5-way...

[Nissan_240sx]

I wouldnt trust it, a Diff. is one of the best ways to put your power on the pavement.

I don't think I will trust it. I don't even trust OBX mufflers.

lol what kinda muffler did you get from them? My friend has the obx n1 style exhaust. 3" inlet, 4" outlet. sounds alright though

[dareo]

So basicly nobody has any real experience with the OBX LSD in a RWD car. And all of you are just pulling out anecdotal evidence from completely different setups. So what if an OBX muffler got welder wrong, $425 differential internals would have to be somewhat well made or severely marked up. R200 diff is pretty solid, and a well made copy could work. But nobody has actually tried one yet. I dont care if it broke in an Integra.

[dareo]

Okay after some research, sadly only on Honda/fwd type forums i have a few OPINION based conclusions. #1 They can fail, but most problems reported are of a fwd transaxle type. -solution, drive RWD. #2 A big reason why they fail is because sometimes they arent assembled perfectly. Like some allen bolts arent torqued all the way.-solution: inspect the hell out of it before you put it in, or let a pro put it in. Any sign of manufacturer defects and you should send it back.

#3 the materials are obviously not up to Quaife standards, but if your not making huge power it shouldn't be an issue.

#4 OBX pirates designs, so R&D costs so much less than a real automotive engineering company like Quaife.

#5 I haven't seen anyone who actually has one of these in a RWD post anything anywhere.-solution: keep looking, possibly try one myself.

#6 Subaru people don't dare because if you break a diff you break a transmission too-solution: again, drive a RWD car

#7 I think the internals are pretty decent because they can use most of the same parts in every differential sold, the housing and outputs for the most part are changed per application. Correct me if i'm wrong please.

#8 OBX LSD can be an alternative to more expensive LSDs if you don't have a lot of money. If you have money, spending extra for an S15 or Quaife is a good idea just to reduce your failure rate. I do say reduce and not eliminate because LSDs will brake if you beat on them long enough.

Final Opionionated conclusion:An OBX LSD can be just as good if and only if the following stipulations are met:

Its properly assembled and inspected for immediate defects

Its installed correctly, things like runout are checked, ect.

Its got the best fluid in it, you change regularly, and you don't massively overheat it or similar unnecessary abuse.

*edit: Also, don't expect it to work if you make huge power. In a 240sx anyone making much more than 300whp probably will break an obx. If your running a stock turbo SR, CA or RB you'll probably be just fine, even for a long time.

Please add to my information and correct me where i'm wrong.
Modified by dareo at 4:14 PM 12/13/2005

[240sxual]

So basicly nobody has any real experience with the OBX LSD in a RWD car. And all of you are just pulling out anecdotal evidence from completely different setups.

True, but I think its representative of their companies quality (or lack thereof). OBX makes everything crappily so I thinks it would be safe assume their LSD would be no different.

[dickie]

if i pay a retard to cut doo doo with a plastic knife all day and suddenly decide i want him to start cutting chocolate cake instead with the same knife would you eat it?

sorry for the analogy, and yeah this is our opinions because we live by the better safe than sorry credo. if you want to put one in your car and test it for us, by all means, do so!!!

[GhostDriver]

Somone will buy one eventually.

[TheOne]

if nobody tries it then who's gonna know, but with such reputation of OBX...........(btw does OBX have its own site? just wondering as i've only seen those products on ebay)

[centralcoaster33]

dubadubaduba dot obxracing dot com

But there's like no specs, just products. Click on the "tech" link to learn more! =)

[centralcoaster33]

oops i meant

dubudubaduba dot obxracingsports dot com

[ORL240]

brake if you beat on them long enough.

Final Opionionated conclusion:An OBX LSD can be just as good if and only if the following stipulations are met:

Modified by dareo at 4:14 PM 12/13/2005

Well said dareo. It's weird how we are always quick to bash some parts without actual research or proof. I'm not saying go out and buy an obx hlsd but let's not go trash a certain brand without knowing if it's quality or not. I have a couple of friends with obx headers who have no complaints bout'em. I know, I know headers are not as intricate as hlsd.

[dickie]

^ i like your car(s) for the most part but could you please resize your sig pic? thanks.

please also refer to my crap/cake analogy.

[95lstegman]

allow me to shed some light as a rather experienced Honda guru and as someone who works on transmissions professionally.

in the honda crowd, we were very skeptical of these things when they first came out. several people bought them never to return to the boards with any info. finally a few words started coming back saying that they had had no problems. and eventually this guy with a 550fwhp civic drag car (daily driven as well) reported. he had had it in his car for just over a year, and had exploded a third gear recently, but the OBX LSD was still perfect. nobody who tried the OBX LSD for hondas ever got one to break to this date that i can find. they seem to be rather invincible.

the OBX product was not perfect, however. every once in a while a person would get one on which the bolts had not been torqued properly, and one person got one into which the planetary gears had been installed upside down. this would not affect performance, but they were backwards compared to a Quaife that was on duty as a comparison. the major problem that people reported was that axles would get stuck in the LSD. sometimes the axle had to be cut in order to open the gearbox for repairs/maintenance. on our cars, this would not be a problem since the diff output flanges won't need to come off except to service the diff, but planetary ATB diffs need no service.

lastly, a VERY well-respected guru named Earl, who is a great moderator and EXTREMELY knowledgeable, bought one and tested the materials and machining quality of the unit. as suspected the materials were a bit under par compared to the Quaife that OBX used to knock off of, and the machining of areas like the noses that hold the bearings wasn't perfect.

let me add that niether of these shortcomings ever caused one of these differentials to fail or otherwise not perform flawlessly. i have been hoping and praying since i got my 240 that OBX would make a similar product for the 240, and now that i have seen it, i WILL be buying one. the rest of you can hate on them all you want, but in the meantime, i'll have a sweet helical ATB diff that is indestructible and nearly 100% maintenance-free.

[naed240sx]

allow me to shed some light as a rather experienced Honda guru and as someone who works on transmissions professionally.

in the honda crowd, we were very skeptical of these things when they first came out. several people bought them never to return to the boards with any info. finally a few words started coming back saying that they had had no problems. and eventually this guy with a 550fwhp civic drag car (daily driven as well) reported. he had had it in his car for just over a year, and had exploded a third gear recently, but the OBX LSD was still perfect. nobody who tried the OBX LSD for hondas ever got one to break to this date that i can find. they seem to be rather invincible.

the OBX product was not perfect, however. every once in a while a person would get one on which the bolts had not been torqued properly, and one person got one into which the planetary gears had been installed upside down. this would not affect performance, but they were backwards compared to a Quaife that was on duty as a comparison. the major problem that people reported was that axles would get stuck in the LSD. sometimes the axle had to be cut in order to open the gearbox for repairs/maintenance. on our cars, this would not be a problem since the diff output flanges won't need to come off except to service the diff, but planetary ATB diffs need no service.

lastly, a VERY well-respected guru named Earl, who is a great moderator and EXTREMELY knowledgeable, bought one and tested the materials and machining quality of the unit. as suspected the materials were a bit under par compared to the Quaife that OBX used to knock off of, and the machining of areas like the noses that hold the bearings wasn't perfect.

let me add that niether of these shortcomings ever caused one of these differentials to fail or otherwise not perform flawlessly. i have been hoping and praying since i got my 240 that OBX would make a similar product for the 240, and now that i have seen it, i WILL be buying one. the rest of you can hate on them all you want, but in the meantime, i'll have a sweet helical ATB diff that is indestructible and nearly 100% maintenance-free.

Ok, now I want everyone to take a good look at this post. What a fine example of providing support for statements given.

That is some really good info stegman. You have to report back to us once you get it installed.