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

[dickie]

yeah i read the whole thing way back when. STILL would not cheap on a diff.

but you guys test them, id love to know how it turns out for you!

[95lstegman]

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.

oh i will report, and i'll be throwing it in a lot of people's faces, but i'm still on stock boost and a blown rear strut, and at minimum those come first i think. i don't drag race or ***** street race (you know who you are, and you're not proving anything - get to a drag strip and stop killing other people!), so traction if first and second gear aren't a big deal. it's the GS-T's in my area that are unopposed b/c there are 3 of them, 1 MkIII Supra Turbo, and me, and i'm the new kid. no FMIC = they don't even know i'm turbo. once i've successfully stomped these mostly stock ricers, i'll proceed to making my car handle like the god it was born to be.

[ORL240]

^ 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.

How u like me now? Small nuf 4 ya?BTW I only resized because you coplimented my cars first.

I really don't have any complaints about my vlsd but a reasonably priced lsd upgrade is something to consider. Not willing to spend over $600 on a lsd when nissan lsd's are very solid and car isn't making hp to demand quaife or kaaz.
Modified by ORL240 at 5:29 PM 12/15/2005

[95lstegman]

yes well some VLSD's work well, and some not so well. whereas for $450 i can get a product that i've seen time and again working perfectly. i've never seen one person break this, whereas i've seen about 5 exploded KAAZ's (in FWD apps), and it's 1/2 the price of the big boys, and it's 0 maintenance. to me it's less of a chance buying an OBX and worrying about it not working or breaking than it is buying a VLSD and worrying about it not working.

[naed240sx]

How u like me now? Small nuf 4 ya?BTW I only resized because you comlimented my cars first.

I really don't have any complaints about my vlsd but a reasonably priced lsd upgrade is something to consider. Not willing to spend over $600 on a lsd when nissan lsd's are very solid and car isn't making hp to demand quaife or kaaz.

VLSDs are solid in the sense that they don't break, but they wear out easily. They have bad holding power, and never really completely lock up. You don't need any more power than stock to take advantage of a good clutch diff.

[top_secret]

I'd try one, its not like R200 diffs are hard to change out or expensive... they take 30 mins to swap out and can be had for under $50 just about anywhere. the only thing I'd be worried about is that under applications it says it fits:89-94 Nissan 240SX S13 CA18DE/R20DE/KA24DE Rear LSD95-98 Nissan 240SX S14 SR20DE/SR20DET/KA24DE Rear LSD

I think this means that there is an excellent change it is designed to work with cars with an OEM LSD (just like the kaaz etc used to be) which means people upgrading from a viscous like me would be fine but people with an open diff would need the vlsd output shafts off a 240sx or J30. Just something worth mentioning.

[naed240sx]

kaaz is designed to work in a stock open diff pumpkin and shafts.

[top_secret]

apparently youre new to the scene, a few years ago no one made clutch diffs for the open diff cars, kaaz, cusco, and all the other big brands needed vlsd output shafts to be swapped into open diff pumpkins... I have a feeling that the "fits 240sx lsd" means that the OBX one will too.

[95lstegman]

mmmm could be. i may have to go out and get a busted or worn out diff from a J30 or Z32 N/A or something. grab some output shafts. i guess i might rock the VLSD until i could afford the OBX, but i don't really want to bother changing diffs twice. in any case an LSD is too far away for me to look at. my car never seems to work. damn nissan . . .

[centralcoaster33]

Doesn't the vlsd have the shafts you need already? So are we saying the open diff on my car won't accept the OBX diff without getting shafts? That would suck for me.

Sorry to hear about your Nissan. Did you put gas in it? Mine always works with gas... and a monthly trip to Jiffy Lube...

[top_secret]

that could be the case, I don't know. might want to email them and find out before you order. Z32 NA output shafts will not work on an S13, you'll need the J30 or S14 ones, search to make sure you get them off the right year.

[95lstegman]

yeah sorry i thought the Z32 N/A had 6-bolt outputs. in any case i stick to the '95-'96 J30 (and some '94's has it as well) b/c i KNOW those had it and they are common as heck.

boy this crap puts a hamper on the price. i'm hoping that by the time i get an intercooler, BOV, and boost controller the price will have come down a bit like the Honda apps did.

[top_secret]

find out if you need them for sure or not! it might work with the open diff, I'm just not sure.

[95lstegman]

well right now i'm halfway to broke thanks to holidays, but feel free to paypal me money to get one and find out, then try to break it as best i can .

[centralcoaster33]

Your check is in the mail Stegman...

Output shafts had me concerned so I emailed OBX. They responded in less than 24 hours with good news! Here's thier response:

Hello Stephen,

Yes, we do make one for the 240SX LSD. No, it will not require new output shafts. We have been manufacturing and selling LSD for the past 16 years, we have not gotten one return back on our all gear type helical LSDs. The helical type are also maintance free.The clutch type is 1.5 or 2 way types requires monthly maintaince and also shanks during turns, where the helical type is very smooth.

We have a written lifetime warranty on all our LSDs. For retail sales, services, discounts and additional inquries, please contact http://www.tuningdepot.com or [email protected]

Thank you

Dave-OBX

[k6kicker]

pretty tempting

[top_secret]

Your check is in the mail Stegman...

Output shafts had me concerned so I emailed OBX. They responded in less than 24 hours with good news! Here's thier response:

Hello Stephen,

Yes, we do make one for the 240SX LSD. No, it will not require new output shafts. We have been manufacturing and selling LSD for the past 16 years, we have not gotten one return back on our all gear type helical LSDs. The helical type are also maintance free.The clutch type is 1.5 or 2 way types requires monthly maintaince and also shanks during turns, where the helical type is very smooth.

We have a written lifetime warranty on all our LSDs. For retail sales, services, discounts and additional inquries, please contact http://www.tuningdepot.com or [email protected]

Thank you

Dave-OBX

that makes it sound like its for the lsd and doesn't need output shafts if its an lsd.... he said we make one for the 240sx lsd... no the 240sx open diff.

[95lstegman]

yes but i think from the standpoint of OBX they may not differentiate between 240's with LSD and those without. i'd like to get one sooner rather than later and find out for everybody, but money does not permit it. my instincts tell me we'll need LSD diff outputs, but something about OBX tells me perhaps they would make one for non-LSD-equipped cars b/c they need it more. i still think we'll need stock LSD outputs. when i find out i'll report back .

[centralcoaster33]

I agree, Dave's response may have been a little unclear. Perhaps he didn't read my email all that closely, doesn't know the differentials have different output shafts, or understood it fine and didn't write his response that well. Here's what I wrote:

Hello, I have a 1997 Nissan 240sx se 5speed with an open differential. I wanted to know if your helical limited slip differential will fit in my car and if it will require new output shafts. I also wanted to know who has tested these on their own car and what they had to say about them. So, where could I find a product review, feedback, or technical data? Also, would this differential be considered a 1.5 or 2 way diff?

Thanks,

So, I will write him again, spelling things out real slow, and ask for a specific answer to clarify everything.

[centralcoaster33]

So I wrote Dave and am waiting to hear the bad news. Here's another thing. I went back to ebay and was looking at the pretty pictures. I noticed that every LSD except the OBX seems to show bearings. New kits even come with seals and a gasket. I might have to write Dave yet again to see if they come with that stuff.

[240sHorTy]

I went ahead and ordered the OBX helical today. Now, I'm curious if I need the vlsd output shafts or not. Anyone got a spare set to sell? I was hoping to recieve it by the end of next week and install on the weekend, but I can't if I don't know which shafts I need. Mine is an S14 with open diff.

Auction listing is very unclear. Says 89 -94 240sx. Then it says ALL S13 s14. Then again it says: Fits ALL 1989 to 1994 Nissan 240SX 2.4L models including: Base, SE and LE. But don't the SE's have viscous? That would be impossible to fit both Base and SE, no?? Confused. Should I buy the shafts too?

Hopefully, someone can update with clearer answers.

[Shift_Oversteer]

Well thanks for jumping in the pool first!! Man if these things work in the open diff pumpkins with open diff shafts OBX is about to make a LOT of money... KEEP US UPDATED PLEASE

[95lstegman]

in answer to the question about whether it would be a 1.5-way or 2-way . . .it's niether. a helical limited slip differental (not really; it's more of an auto-torque-biasing differential since it will not limit slip if one wheel is on pavement and the other is in sand) will act like a 1-way differential only. now, in the case of a Quaife (which the OBX is supposed to be a knock-off of), the helical gears are spring preloaded, which gives them a little preload in acceleration and deceleration, so it will have a hair of effect in deceleration as well, and faster response in acceleration.

[top_secret]

yeah its not a lsd at all, its actually a torque biasing differential (which has a limited slip effect under most conditions).

in response to some questions: s13 SE's did not necessarily have lsd (mostly only the hicas and or abs cars did) but s14 SE's did have the viscous. It can't fit both pairs of output shafts, so its important to find out which it fits!

As for the bearings and seals and gasket,bearings: optional, they are expensive, I don't know a whole lot of people that change theirs out, the stock ones are plenty reliable so they should be fine.side seals: unless yours are torn you can reuse them with no problem (I did mine) and even if you can't courtesy nissan has them pretty cheap.

rear gasket: I have one laying around cause I ordered it but ended up just using RTV to seal it up... RTV works just fine!

[naed240sx]

yeah its not a lsd at all, its actually a torque biasing differential (which has a limited slip effect under most conditions).

Why do you think they call it a helical limited slip differential? Because it is a lsd. It prevents tire slip when compared to an open diff, so it is a limited slip diff.

[top_secret]

no actually it doesn't, in a situation with no or very little traction one wheel still spins. Its called a torque biasing differential. People just call it an LSD for the purpose of simplicity. Its not accurate.

"In a helical differential like the Quaife, the reaction force shoves the sun and planet gears sideways, where they rub against the ends of their housings. This rubbing encourages both wheels to turn together.

The reaction force only happens if there's some resistance to your shove, though. If there was no resistance in our door latch example, the doorframe would just fall over. If there's no resistance from the other gear, it will just turn. This is why, technically, a helical limited slip isn't really a limited slip. Put one wheel on ice and the other on pavement, and there won't be enough resistance to prevent all the power from going to the ice.

This is why Quaife prefers the term "torque-biasing differential.""

~taken from:http://www.sportcompactcarweb....livia/

[k6kicker]

"but s14 SE's did have the viscous"

Nope, good call, but the the only SE S14 that came with them also had abs as well, i do belive together in some sports package. I'm sure there are SE S14's with abs and no lsd, but the majority of the S14's with ABS do in fact have the vlsd.....its a shame my SE S14 has niether

[Shift_Oversteer]

I'm kinda excited to find out if these things are legit and if theyll fit us open ppl!!

[240sHorTy]

Well that's encouraging info. Maybe the statement about fitting base, le, and se is true then, which would have to mean open. I hope so.

Regarding the shafts themselves. I read in a post about s15 shafts that this guy went out and checked the salvage yard, trying to find ones that would work with the s15 pumpkin. Of course he didn't find any. But he claimed that both open and vlsd shafts were 30mm and 29 teeth, but that the difference was in the position of the locking ring. I have no idea whether this is the case, but if it were, could I not just machine a new groove for the locking ring in the proper position? Or do they use different size shafts or different number of teeth?

That's the problem with searching through old posts, trying to sort through all the good information and misinformation. Anyone have input on this?

[naed240sx]

S15 shafts only work on s15 diffs. As for s13 and s14 shafts, they are all the same diameter and number of teeth. The difference being that one of the shafts of the viscous diff is longer than the other. You can use open diff shafts in a vlsd, but it will no longer function like a vlsd.