Hello everyone, So I recently did the LSD trans swap on my car and just wanted to give my thoughts on it. I am new to this forum but I’m sure this has been gone over before but I just wanted to give my take.

So about a month ago my trans started to make some not very nice sounds, now mind you my axle seals had been leaking horribly since I bought the car and I kept topping it up and pushing it off until welp the trans went.

So I decided nows a good time to upgrade and I knew LSD trans’ were available so I started searching. Found one for $500 shipped so I bout it. Came from a 96 I30 with 160k, my 97 has 137k but all the other units were a few hundred more expensive so I just took a chance.

Decided I might as well do a clutch and my rear motor mount while in there as well. Went with the M-Pact 6 puck ceramic from rock auto, also grabbed the driver side LSD axle from auto zone.

So now for the swap. I’m a mechanic at a shop in PA so I had full access to a lift and all of my tools so let that reflect the time it took. Cleaned the new unit and installed new axle seals. Pulled the car in around 11:30 this Saturday and had it all buttoned up by 5:30 the same day. Definitely a very simple install if you have decent mechanical skills but I will say the biggest factor was having a lift at my disposal.

Now for the results! Wow what difference in how the car handles. Where as before the car used to kind of wallow into corners now it’s point and shoot, feels much more stable in the front while cornering since both wheels are now helping through the corner, I know the VLSD isn’t the “best” type of LSD out there but the difference compared to open is definitely noticeable and in a good way. Now as for the six puck ceramic clutch, I was worried it was going to be difficult to deal with daily driving but I must say the clutch pedal feel is actually slightly lighter than the stock clutch the only real difference is the friction zone is much tighter. Now this is compared to a factory Nissan clutch with 137k on it so keep that in mind.

In total I spent $840 between the Trans, Clutch kit, Rear engine mount, Driver side axle, seals and fluid.

Thanks for reading, would definitely recommend this swap if you enjoy spirited driving. I will keep you guys updated after I put some actual miles on it since it’s only been two days.

 

Congratulations. I've had VLSD transmission since 2006. It makes a big difference in traction, especially around corners. It is one of the better mods for sure.

Is the clutch disc sprung?

 

Thank you! And yes it is a sprung clutch, if it wasn’t I don’t think I would’ve went for it. It is my daily so I wanted something that can take abuse yet still be reasonable in traffic. So far no complaints except the new throw out bearing that came with the kit is a little noisy when it’s cold.

 

Those throw out bearings are usually junk. I always use OEM they’re cheap.

 

Congrats! I am envious on the VLSD! I have an Auto. Before my 99, I had an 88 and it had a LSD and climbed through snow like an AWD. Then I bought the 99 new to find it now came with an open drive.

What a DISAPPOINTMENT. Sucked in the snow despite "Traction Control" And now tires always have to be at the top of performance in snow to get better results with one tire pulling (or slipping) the whole car.

What were they thinking? What? A few hundred dollars in cost?

 

Congrats on the swap, it really does make a difference.

Nissan was basically bankrupt by the late 90s, so there's that....

 

But I would have paid more for it! That's just poor management and explains a thing or two!! Or If I had known, would have gone to Niagara Falls (Canadian side) to buy from a dealer up there.

Now, they're all doing it. OPEN DRIVE... with a CVT! NOPE NOPE NOPE! We got a 2021 CX-5 with AWD and SIX speed AT! Main reason was no CVT. And all the rave reviews.

 

So it’s been about a month with the new trans and it’s been good so far. Love the way the VLSD feels. So what I originally thought was the throw out bearing is actually the bearings in the trans. Looking into doing a rebuild on it asap. I’ve read that the differential carrier bearings have issues and causes other bearings to wear as well.

The shop I work at is renting out Cecil County drag way June 19th so I am trying to get a lot of things done before I go.

Trans rebuild is first on the list although I did just order Tein springs and Koni struts for the front and KYB’s for the rear since I have two blown rear shocks and one front blown. Blown shocks make my daily commute (All PA backroads) miserable.

Just recently replaced the tires as well with some Continental Extreme Contact DWS06+ which I must say, even with my clapped *** suspension, handle great!

 

My experience with Struts in my 99 is that all aftermarket Assemblies wear fast and get noisy . Went through three sets all around.

Now I'm back to OEM Nissan SE stock but with Koni Orange Struts all corners. Konis are set up for not failing prematurely if lowering the car with shorter springs. The KYB setup I had rode like a Mack Truck. Konis are perfect!

All I can say is the only strut mounts and strut bearings and other strut consumables I would ever put in this car again are OEM Nissan SE parts. Except Spring Insulators wear fast and that causes excessive noise.

CS_AR and I both used Heavy Duty thick walled Shrink Wrap Tubing instead on each end of the springs. The only way to insulate springs.

 

Interesting, I wasn't aware Koni made anything other than Yellows for our cars. Cool! And good idea on the HD shrink wrap tubing.

 

So it’s been a little while since I’ve been on here, life gets busy. So anyways I am finally getting around to rebuilding the transmission I installed a few months ago. The bearings have gotten bad as of late. I no longer can use 4th gear and 5th gear pops out regularly. I have stopped driving the car while waiting for the rebuild parts since I don’t want to end up ruining the unit I had just put in earlier this year. Just got the bearings and synchros today and can’t wait to rebuild it and have a nice fresh trans. Gonna tackle the rebuild next weekend when I have some time.

Since my last update my alternator locked up and my radiator decided it had enough as well so I had to replace both of those.

I will update when I get the rebuild finished up but I am very much looking forward to having a nice and tight trans in my car.

Also the suspension I installed is decent I would say. The front end seems to bottom out easily, more than I would expect, with the tein coils and kyb orange shocks but the ride is good as well as the handling. Seems like a stiffer spring up front would be better but I’m sure it would compromise comfort. It’s still feels kind of “floaty” but my only other comparison was my 2000 civic that I had lowered on tein coil overs. So maybe an apples to oranges comparison especially since the suspension that was on the car was clapped when I bought it. I still love my maxima though and will keep working to get it to where I want it.

 

Are they S.tech springs?

 

I'm curious to know how this transmission rebuild goes. I've got a '96 Infiniti with 5-spd manual, and at 273k miles the transmission is finally getting noisy and whinny. I suspect it simply needs new bearings, but I have zero interest in taking on a rebuild like this, I'd much rather find a good used manual transmission and swap that in. So will a 5-spd manual from a Maxima swap into an Infiniti I30 directly?

 

If its 95-01, yes. If you're swapping to/from a VLSD 5 speed, you'll need a different drivers side axle.