Well i talked too the OBX dealer today and they will have the diffs for the 5 and 6 spd maximas out in about 3 months, price wise they will be around 500-600. I just figured i would post this and see if there is any interest in them.

 

awsome. A guy has in a 10 second prelude. It finally broke when he reached 600hp, not sure what torque was, that is probably what broke it.

 

id be interested

 

yea, id look into it.

 

very interested.

 

i wonder how the quality of it stacks up against a quafie? or if its anything like the headers they have..

 

i hope its not like the headers they have.

 

yea what they said. i wouldnt put anything obx in my tranny.

 

I'd be interested but probably only if I could prove it's significantly better than the stock viscous.

 

While I'm interested, I'll let someone else be the guinea pig b/c as it's been stated w.r.t. header quality, OBX isn't exactly a market leader.

 

i might be interested. tilley you got a stock hlsd dif from a 2k2-2k3 laying around? lol

 

Do you have lsd?
Jae

 

im sure anything form obx would be years better then that trash in our trannies

 

I wish i did.


BTW OBX makes a quality product just fitment is sometimes not the best. I had OBX headers on my GFs max for over a year and they still look like new and the car is driven daily in all weather. Im gonna see if i can get a sponsor from them too test one out.

 

I've heard good and bad about their differentials from the Honda guys. Apparently, if you get a good one, they are very strong and hold a lot of power. Some 10 and 9 second cars run them. But quality control is terrible, from the stuff I hear, you have to check the torque specs on everything out of the box. And some of the tolerances are off, so axles get stuck. However, it is an almost identical copy of the Quaife for about half the price, I'd run one.

 

I would be interested if they can get the QC setup up correctly.

 

This is a torque biasing diff. The stock VLSD is only limited-slip: less intrusive, but the disadvantage is obvious. It's all about what you want.

 

Dooffood, can you briefly describe the pros and cons of VLSD vs torque biasing diff's in real world applications please?

If I can be sure of fitment and that it's a quality product, I would try it. My 5spd is starting to get a little cranky.

 

Well either way i think it would be great. Since most of you guys don't have VLSD trannies in your car i find it very funny that you tend to condem them. I have a VLSD tranny in my car and i can give it nothing but praise. In a word it has transformed the car into a vicious traction beast, i can't say for sure in drag racing but in cornering and in the rain it is worth its weight in gold. This is my best mod next to MEVI. i am not sure how well OBX will do on quality in their product but my best advice is its better than nothing.

 

VLSD uses fluid to lock up the wheels. When there is a big enough speed differential between the two wheels, the fluid in the diff gains viscosity and limits further spin. Advantage is it's very smooth, hence why many OEM's use it. Disadvantage is that the fluid can only "lock" up so much, so it can't prevent all slip. Plus above a certain power level, it's not great.

The OBX is the same as the Quaife in that it's torque biasing. The differential varies the amount of torque sent to each wheel. When one wheel slips, it causes the differential to send more torque to the other wheel. Advantage is that this is a very effective system and very strong, high hp won't overpower it as it would a viscous diff. Only real disadvantage is if you lift a wheel, the other wheel gets no power. But how often in real life will you lift a front wheel?

 

^^ That's a decent explanation. There's a thing or two also worth mentioning along with that:

1. A VLSD only limits how much faster one wheel can spin than the other. This means you'll still have wheel spin in some cases, just not nearly as much. A torque-biasing differential, on the other hand, will actually take torque away from the wheel with less traction and apply it to the one with more traction. This means it's even better than a VLSD at putting the power down because it sends the torque to the wheel with the most grip.

2. A VLSD is always working, no matter what you're doing. The resistance it applies to the wheels that keeps one from spinning out of control can also make your turn-in response duller. A torque-biasing diff, on the other hand, acts like an open diff until you apply the power, so it won't limit your turn-in. It can also help your cornering, since the outside wheel will be spinning faster (simply because it's the outside wheel), and thus it will get more of the torque.

3. Because of how they work, torque-biasing diffs almost never die unless they're made cheaply and you have TONS of power. That's why Quaifes had lifetime warranties, even with racing use. Other limited-slip diffs (viscous and clutch types) are guaranteed to die sooner or later.

Basically, think of it this way: when you're powering out of a corner, your inside wheel will want to slip. An open diff will make it worse. A VLSD will make it better, but won't stop it completely. A torque-biasing diff will stop it from even happening in the first place.

On the flip side, if you run over a patch of really slippery ice or (as mentioned above) manage to get a wheel in the air, a torque-biasing diff won't be any better than an open diff -- because of the way it works, if one wheel has NO traction, the diff can't redirect torque away from it. I've heard that there are also some very rare cases in which a torque-biasing diff can interfere with your steering, although I have no idea what the circumstances would be for that to happen.

Basically, a torque-biasing differential is overall better at putting the power down than any other limited-slip diff, period. It also won't interfere with cornering in a FWD car the way other LSDs might. But in many cases, people prefer simple limited-slip diffs because they can be more predictable. They don't hunt for every single possible chance to put the power down, so when you want to break the tires loose, you can do so without incident, and you can control it much more easily.

 

how hard are these to put in? ive never had any experiance with lsd's of any sort. Would i need anything besides the lsd diff to install? is there any how to or can somone give me a basic run down of how to install (im not in the dark i know what parts are what and have taken my tranny out along with everything that goes with it) any help would be awsome, or im sure i could have searched on google or somthing but i just want to know firsthand

-Ryan

 

what about hlsd then?

 

HLSD = Helical Limited Slip Differential. It's a torque biasing diff that works on the same principle as the Quaife and this OBX one that we're talking about.




About the install: you can follow the directions in this install guide.

...Even though they spell Quaife incorrectly....

 

What about the stuff I've heard about low speed lockup on gear types and difficulty at turning in parking lots & such? Not that I really care much at this point but many other drivers might.

 

I've heard similar but I've never heard details about how that happens. I'll see if I can find out more...

 

Well, I haven't found anything about those problems via Google just yet, but I have found this article:

http://www.houseofthud.com/differentials.htm

Great links to other resources as well.

Read, learn, and enjoy.

 

VERY good info both of you. Thanks! Sounds like for me at least being in Cali, the torque biasing diff is the way to go. Will I be able to put that on my 5spd (no limited slip)95 gxe? Would I need any other parts? Curious about final price...

 

My bro installed the Q. No problems with it. Turns/curves are like new again. Straightline's a cinch.
Jae

 

Bump for an update...

 

I would be interested in buying at least two- but I am curious to see how it compares to Quaife... I was going to just get LSD from the dealer made for an AE but guess I will wait.... curious to see so keep us updated please

 

If this is really a copy of the quaiffe, I am 100% in. It's a good price and we could get a GD going too. Helical is muuuuuch better than VLSD.

Can someone elaborate on what this would do for burnouts? When I got rid of my slicks the driver side one was burned to pulp vs the passenger side slick being fairly new, due to constant one wheel burnouts. This made the car very inconsistant.

 

It would allow for consistent two-wheel burnouts since it removes torque from the wheel with less traction (in our case the driver side since the axle is shorter) and transfers it over until it's 50/50.

 

I might be interested also, but like others have said, is it a good copy of the Quaife, and I'd be concerned about the quality/fitment with OBX.

 

Sounds believable, but I kno I don't have LSD. When my tires were down to the wearbars, I did a burnout and left 2 skidmarks of unequal lengths. A friend of mine w/fwd quaife also had skidmarks of unequal lengths. I don't think burnouts are a good test.

Also, Quaife is a torsen LSD. I think it requires "preload" to work. So if you're going around a corner and 1 wheel's lifted, the Quaife can't equalize the shaft speeds cuz the inner tire doesn't have traction; the inner tire's still gonna spin uselessly. Another example is if 1 tire's on ice, and the other on pavement, you can't expect Quaife to kick in 100%.

Jae

 

Well even if the split isn't exactly 50/50, both wheels will be getting sufficient traction EVERY TIME. You can't guarantee that with an open diff.
This has already been covered on the first page.

 

True. But... how often is that ever gonna happen?

 

How about a word from the guys working on making this happen?

I'd be interested in one as well, since the 3 gen uses the same diff as the 4th gen.. as long as they fit the 4th gen VLSD tranny, then they'll work in a VE 5 spd tranny too.

 

any updates?

 

This is an old thread that i bumped up for an update. Tilley hasn't chimed in yet.