wmr1980 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Just curious to know if anyone here has moved from a viscous diff which I believe the Zed comes with, to a mechanical diff? The efficiency and performance of a mechanical diff is obviously better, but was wondering whether the viscous diff suits the zed better? Obviously I'm sure lots of our drift members probably have welded diffs however has anybody ever upgraded their diffs? Tried to have a hunt around but couldn't spot anything. It's not on my list of "to dos" but just interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Not done it on the zed as the standard one is pretty good for what it is, but would definitely consider it if I had some money to drop. Have had 1.5/2 ways on other cars previously and the difference on track is very noticable, the difference when drifting is even more but Id have to lose the 285/19's on the rear if I went in that direction I probably wouldnt advise a welder unless you are looking at lots of drifting, as I say, the standard viscous locks up pretty well anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 Oh I'm not a drift king, and for day to day driving and on the roads, especially when it gets wet a locked diff is just not fun, though it does make it interesting! I've had many goes on and off a track with a 200sx which has a viscous diff, and after a bit of hard driving do start to give up a little - Which isn't a problem, but having owned a few cars with mechanical LSDs I was just curious. I haven't thrashed the zed enough to even warrant it, and am not considering it - but was just curious if anyone had done it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizz Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I'm going through this dilemma at the moment. If you're planning on doing all out drifting then a mechanical LSD or welded diff is the way to go. If it's drifting on a slightly lesser scale the viscous is fine Stevo does perfectly well with his and as Doc said drop the tyre sizes a bit and up the pressures and it'll be a dream. The issue I'm looking into is whether or not the driveshafts can put up with the punishment. A few guys have big horsepower on here running on the standard stuff but I think drifting is a lot agressive on the drivetrain than track and fast road stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 (edited) Drifting is a lot harsher mechanically, which is why the viscous diff starts to heat up, and the oil becomes more viscous itself, leading to less performance from the diff as it won't lock as much. To be honest I'm sure this doesn't apply to most of us, nor does it apply to me, however, my curiosity still felt like being tickled. Have you ever driven a fully locked diff as a day to day driver? It's not that pleasant and you'll wear your tyres out much more quickly! However you get good fast launches and lots of tyre smoke if you want it! Edited September 6, 2013 by wmr1980 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizz Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Just use a really high quality oil and that should keep you going 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 Oh yes, of course, I'm not in a position to be exploiting the inadequacies of a viscous diff, unlike your rather awesome build thread, for a mere enthusiast like me, I'll be sticking to the standard diff and just enjoy it as is as it'll be more than good enough for me. However it is interesting to see that it has been thought of, and whislt I wouldn't worry about doing anything like that, I just thought I'd 'put it out there'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizz Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 That's cool a lot of the boys on here are doing a great job of ripping up tyres with the standard stuff Get out there man and have fun. I'm not sure where you're based but Norfolk Arena, Teesside Autodrome and Driftland (Scotland) are definitely worthy places to get your drift on. Hope to see you there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 I'm in south east London near Greenwich. But hope in due course to turn up to more meets/track days etc... I did it before with my turbo charged hair dryer (mx5) so I plan on doing it again! At the moment I have to settle for London traffic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I could be very wrong but can't you "shim" the diff to look quicker or harder? I'm can remember someone doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 You can indeed. That's how the designers created the handling. In fact here's a good test - the whole video is pretty cool http://youtu.be/pMYgaezbZbk?t=16m35s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I'm not a drifter or anything but surprising he used only a little throttle. I thought you just mash the pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 You could do it that way too! However the way he did it was weight transfer and momentum - dabbing the brakes shifts the weight forward, the back lightens up, and if you have enough steering lock on the back will want to catch up and over take you, you then "catch" it with the throttle to control it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Your a clever guy, is this learned or from experience? Learn something new everyday :thumbs; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 (edited) haha - no not clever, or an expert. I'm just really interested in this sort of stuff. I have done a few track days and so on, and learnt from experimenting different things, but I'm far from from being an expert! So it's a mixture of experience and being a bookworm. Thank you for the kind words. I spent a lot of time driving old RWD cars with no driver aids too so I guess you sort of learn through the scares you get as you learn! Edited September 7, 2013 by wmr1980 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 (edited) The issue I'm looking into is whether or not the driveshafts can put up with the punishment. A few guys have big horsepower on here running on the standard stuff but I think drifting is a lot agressive on the drivetrain than track and fast road stuff. You looked into a Nismo GT Pro? My S13 one came with its own shafts, youd have a job killing them I reckon .......... However the way he did it was weight transfer and momentum - dabbing the brakes shifts the weight forward, the back lightens up, and if you have enough steering lock on the back will want to catch up and over take you, you then "catch" it with the throttle to control it. Aye, if you watch the vid below you can see me sliding the missus MR2 about at Anglesey (look at 2:27, 4:00) - it doesnt have the power to break traction so you have to use weight shift and lift off oversteer to get it sideways - if you dab the brakes its will have a similar effect but it slows you down, and who wants to slow down?? A standard 350Z has the power to light up the rears in anything up to 3rd but I often find myself using shiftlock (popping the clutch out on a downshift) to initiate, particularly now Ive got stupid rear tyres, which is a similar principle to lift off. Once you have broken traction its just a case of balancing grip with throttle, easy Driving sideways is a lot more about speed, weight and balance than outright power, full throttle is only for when the car is already in a drift TBH. Edited September 7, 2013 by docwra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 Can't see the vid - would be good to see it! Yeah the 350z is torquey enough to get it sideways, but as you say a clutch dip can help break the traction too - as you say it's not all about power, heck I used to do 20mph drifts in my mx5! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Try again ....... I used to be able to drift a small roundabout near me (private land of course) at about 2500 rpm when it was wet and my tyres were shagged in the Z33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Dip the clutch? Is it the sudden power when the clutch comes back or the unbalancing of the car of something that helps it drift? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizz Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 You looked into a Nismo GT Pro? My S13 one came with its own shafts, youd have a job killing them I reckon .......... I've got a Nismo GT Pro already Is an awesome bit of kit. The stubby axles into the diff aren't the issue it's the shafts which take the drive from those to the wheel bearings. Think I'll be able to do an "awesome" retro-fit to get it all to work, Keep watching my thread :-P Dip the clutch? Is it the sudden power when the clutch comes back or the unbalancing of the car of something that helps it drift? Yeah dude, it's called a clutch kick. Probably one of the most unfriendly techniques to the engine and drive train but it works if you've got a slightly under powered car that needs a little help breaking traction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmr1980 Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 It's not ideal, but it doesn't half work! Especially on old transit vans... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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