Neverdone Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Hello all, I've been doing drivetrain research for my car for the past...long while now, and I just came upon the wonders of Subaru LSD's and how the Datsun community puts them in much better cars. The standard practice from what I have gleaned is to yank a Subaru lsd R160 out of an early 90's or so Legacy or other lsd equiped Subaru (as it came as an option only, not standard) and remove the diff side stub shafts which plug into the diff. We then take our diff side shafts which plug into our diffs (mostly the 510 guys do this as the 240z diff shafts are slightly different) and then connect them to the Subaru's R160 for a cheap and effective lsd. HOWEVER! The gearing on most of the early Subaru's is pretty high (3.9, 4.11 and such from what I've read) and I need something a bit lower due to the engine I want to run and because it's going to be a street car. The other "problem" is that these diffs are R160's, and I would much rather have an R180 so it's a direct bolt in and it's just plain beefier. This leads me to what I can see as two options if I want to go down the Subaru route. I could purchase an STI's diff andd buy the stub shafts that John C awesomely makes, then make some adaptors and convert to cv axles. This is a bit more spendy than I had hoped to go. ORRRR...I could get the diff out of the long forgetten Subaru SVX, which low and behold IS an R180, has a gear ratio of 3.54, and has a 25 spline output shaft. My question to all you guys is, has anyone used an SVX diff before in a Datsun, and will the Datsun output shafts of a 240z (which are 25 spline R180 shafts) attach to the Subaru's diff? The SVX is a VLSD, and I don't know if that means there will problems with installing the shafts. Lots of people seem to say that it's bad...but then of course never say why. If no one knows for sure or can't give me a good reason as to why it won't work, I'll just end up buying one in a few days and see what happens. Thanks for the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Only certain years will work, and I think it has to be the CLSD version to mate with the axles. There is a 510 site that list's all the diffs and especially the r160 an 180's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 The VLSD shafts are different than the standard/CLSD output shaft stubs. You would need to use the output stubs that came with the SVX diff and modify them for use in your Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I got all excited when I saw the ``Will it blend'' subtitle. I feel ripped off. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neverdone Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 The VLSD shafts are different than the standard/CLSD output shaft stubs. You would need to use the output stubs that came with the SVX diff and modify them for use in your Z. How are clsd output shafts different from vlsd ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 one side is significantly longer than anything used in the normal CLSD diffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neverdone Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 one side is significantly longer than anything used in the normal CLSD diffs. Oh ok, thanks dude. I searched around for a while to find what the svx rear axles looked like and you're right, regular Datsun R180 output shafts just wouldn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger280zx Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 You can get a subie 3.7 lsd. Remember the r160 is actually stronger than a z car r180. If you look around you'll find 510 guys and subie guys putting a fair amount of power through the 160's (400+rwhp). Look here and on ozdat.com, there is alot of info about the 160 swap, I'm not too sure about the svx stuff though. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neverdone Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Question: How is it stronger? Is it 4 pinion instead of 2? Also, seeing as the word is definitly out about the Subaru lsd's, and are about as rare as hen's teeth in a picknpull, is there a good place to find them for not an outrageous price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 The Subie R160LSD is a 3-pinion LSD, wheras the stock Z R180 is a two-pinion open. The R160 doesn't suffer the spider-gear failures like the R180, but if you could find a 3 or 4 pinion carrier for the R180....then the R180 would be stronger. I have no idea if a 3 or 4 pinion carrier even exists for the R180, but I'd bet that the later years (86+, likely...) MIGHT have them...I'd have to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted April 5, 2011 Administrators Share Posted April 5, 2011 Also, seeing as the word is definitly out about the Subaru lsd's, and are about as rare as hen's teeth in a picknpull, is there a good place to find them for not an outrageous price? You're running into the same brick wall most of us do... ain't no such thing as a cheap Datsun LSD. A few guy's are in the right place/right time, but generally, you gotta pay to play. RE: VLSD. I refuse to put one in my car. It's a dead horse, but that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it For what you're building, I'd stay away from 2 spider gear R180's. The 4 gear variant is damn tough, though. Tough enough for 350+ft/lb street cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Ron, just where can we find the 4 gear R180's? Open or not, I'd like to have one for a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted April 17, 2011 Administrators Share Posted April 17, 2011 Dig through Mortensens FAQ's. Not sure if he covered sources or not, but that's where I'd start. Mine came from purchasing a comp. LSD center section, and that's how most of the people I know end up with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphur280 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I just picked up a SVX R180 diff, its vlsd 3.54 and has 27 spline count, i got the axles with the deal too, I'm gonna see what I can do to make it "blend" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.