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How strong is R180 diff?


yo2001

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I wouldn't do it. I've seen N/A 2.8's blow up R180's in 2 different Z's. They were autox cars too, not drag racers. One guy destroyed the Nissan LSD. The carrier grenaded on him, but he's also the only guy I've known who broke a mustache bar. Let's just say he liked to light em up.

 

Jon

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I'm running 305hp and about 260 ft. lbs. throught my R180 with a Quaife ATB. All track and autocross use. 15 hours so far without any problems. I'm running Redline Shockproof gear oil and change it every 5 hours.

 

Most R180s in the US have a two pinion differential which is weak and will go boom. If you've installed the Nissan Comp "competition" clutch pack LSD or installed a Quaife then you've got a much stronger differential and it can handle more torque.

 

FYI... there are two Nissan Comp clutch pack LSDs. They sold a "street" version that has two pinions and a "competition" verstion that has 4 pinions.

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The first time I went to the track, 1/4 mile track I grenaded the r180 on my very first launch. The car had a sbc 350/700r4 combo with 250 hp to the rear wheels.

 

Mike

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Guest MistressMotorsports

I would think that, unless you're drag racing, an R180 would hold up to your power and torque. I have a full race 3.0 with 305 hp and 270 ft-lbs torque. After 6 full race weekends this year, my welded, but otherwise stock R180 looks brand new inside. I took it to Unitrax for routine maintenance last month, all they did was replace the seals. I use Royal Purple 75/90 with no external cooling. I wouldn't really know how an R180 would hold up to drag launches, but it seems to be great for road racing. Given the approximate 30 pounds weight difference between an R180 and an R200, plus the fact that the R180 has better axle geometry, I wouldn't switch unless I absolutely needed to.

 

Mike

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thanks for the reply guys. here is the reason why I was thinking about it.

 

Subaru LSD with 3.70 gears. it looks like a direct bolt on a Zcar. with correct M-bar and things. It's cheap and it's LSD. I wander if the diff has been upgraded enough to take the abuse? I've seen pretty hard launch out of WRX's

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Yep, R160. But not all is lost.

 

A local Z guy is running one of these R160 LSD units in his 240z in heavy autocross use. He's running a fairly hot 2.8L triple setup that I would estimate is in the area of 180-190rwhp. He's run 2 full autocross seasons with this diff, and is running A032's. He's a smooth driver but isn't afraid to put the hammer down too.

 

However with that said, I've long ago decided that it would be too weak for a turbo application... or at least too weak for me to spend money trying it.

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If the search function is working today, there are some old posts from Z guys running the Subaru R160's in their Z's. They considered it their secret weapon, a cheap source of readily available LSD's. You can probably buy 2 or maybe 3 of those for the price of one new R200 LSD. The old posts also pointed out that an automatic tranny will greatly reduce the "shock" on the diffs. Thus an R160 might live longer with an auto.

 

Also from past posts, when R180's "grenade", they usually fail in the spider gears. As someone said, it is the "one wheel burnouts in the bleach box" that kill them. I figured welding an R180 would completely eliminate that concern. But what I have wondered is if putting a Quaiffe into an R180 wouldn't be the hot ticket. The R200 is a hell of a lot heavier.

 

As for gear oil, how important is that with a Quaiffe or welded diff? Clutch pack, or even viscous, LSD's have to dissipate the heat from the slipping clutches. Thus those guys will overheat and burn up. But the ATB and welded diffs shouldn't have that problem. Just cheap insurance?

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Guest MistressMotorsports

Sup Dog, good question. With my welded diff, gear oil is probably not very important. I run good stuff out of habit, and because it's cheap insurance. I change the fluid once each year, so the cost is minimal. Guys I know with Quaiffes see some pretty high temps, and many have resorted to external coolers, so I would think good fluid is really important there.

 

Mike

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Well, here's a fact to just how strong those R160 LSDs are. As mentioned before, every diff I've seen blow up was an open diff and the spider gears blew apart. I've run the Subie (R160) LSDs for over a decade. Currently, it's in my 510 that I sold last year. My 510 has a VG30 turbo that was putting out 300 ft lbs at the wheels, putting engine torque at nearly 400 ft lbs. HP was 325 at the flywheel. The car has Z32 16" wheels with 245s in the rear and is a 5 speed car. I've run the car hard for 2 years, set a hillclimb record here in Oregon, ran autocrosses (those events on race tires) and daily driven. When I first got it, I did a 2nd gear, 150 ft power-brake burnout on video and done all this since. It's has several track days and a total of 4 years later is still fine. I'm working on getting hybrid on the road and would go with it as the V8 torque is the same, but will have an automatic. I'm going with an R180 because of the CV conversion, nothing else. So, there you go. If you can get a good deal on that diff, I'd go that way. I can usually find them for $150-225. Just put some Amzoil or Redline in it and you should be fine.

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Hey Gary, good to hear someone chime in that has used that diff and pushed it. I'm curious about your VG30DET 510, got any pics you can post or email? What did you do to get clearence at the steering box? We've got one in progress here and have converted it to rack & pinion, and a Z crossmember... I'm curious to see how you've done yours.

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