NA6 LSD's

[Wannabe Kiwi]

Hello all,

Im looking at picking up an NA6 in the next couple of weeks and I have a few questions when it comes to diff's.

Do all NA6's come with LSD as standard of did some come with open diffs?

How much should I expect to pay for a decent condition LSD?

Reason I ask is that I will be doing a few drift practice days in the car and want to be able to swap out a locked diff or a decent LSD.

Cheers for your help

James

[poison]

Good choice, but most do not have an LSD, inside the drivers door there
should be an info sticker, some models do have an LSD and other club members
may be able to tell you what to look for.

Used diff heads see to run from $350 for a torsen to $600 for a clutch type
(both used) , but to have them set-up correctly for backlash etc is about
$200 from a specialist, this excludes removal and installation of the diff,
which is a single unit so takes about 2hrs just to remove. It's critical to
get the diff head set up correctly or you'll have wear and noise problems.

I'd have thought you'd have to look at power upgrades for drifting,
turbo.... I don't know if you are thinking of getting into competitive
drifting but the NZ scene is a lot like the USA as we have big open tracks
so the speed is often over 140k. So the MX5 will struggle at that speed to
power drift. In Japan the tracks are a lot tighter and often set up in big
car parks so the speed is usually under 100k. Also you may need a MANZ
approved roll cage to use it on a track day.

Look on youtube and search for "Miata Drift" Miata being the MX5 name for
the rest of the world excl Japan. There are some great videos.

Buy an MX5 for fun and a cheap old Nissan sedan for a dedicated drift basher

[Wannabe Kiwi]

Lol funny you should say about the old nissan sedan as I've got a 32 GTSt in the garage which is awaiting its new motor & box combo.

The 5 will be a daily driver but also street legal toy. I want to be able to do practice days at the track for whenever the Skyline is off the road (like now for example) and to be able to take it up to the Kaikoura drift track (old go cart track) etc so having a spare diff thats lock-able would be usefull.

What I will end up doing is buying an LSD for the street, then welding up my factory open diff for drift use and just swapping as I go.

[Euen]

Early NA6 MX5s came with a viscous LSD option and the diff was smaller (6" ring gear) than the version that came out with the later models. The introductioin of the 1.8 saw an increase in the cwp size to 7". The 6" version in the early 5s is not regarded as being very strong and one of the first things to go bang if you subject the transmission to any form of abuse is the diff. The 7" is a lot stronger (based on the orgiinal RX7 diff) and came with an optional Torsen limited slip unit. You can find more info on the transmission here
http://www.solomiata.com/Drivetrain.html

[poison]

I have to agree with Euen on that one, get an 1800 NA if you can, a good
diff choice might be one of these

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 473808.htm

I have one in mine and they are virtually locked but OK on road too. A very
popular choice in Japan for the tarseal Gymkhana boys, which if you've seen
them it's almost a tight single car drift circuit.

[Wannabe Kiwi]

That ad is hard to understand.. it's a Cusco 'Type' diff? or a Cusco diff?

I'l prob go for the NA8 LSD and weld up whatever comes in the car and just swap them in and out for drift duties

[dynofiend]

Another note, the early VLSD of the 1.6s is next to useless for drifting. The mx5 is not an ideal drift car mind you. Its short wheelbase, light weight and low polar moment of inertia can make it very snappy.

[12a MX5]

Is the rear diff out of a GTX an option?

[Keith Jones]

I think the GTX had the 6" cwp, so you'd have the same problem as with the early MX5s.
If you are looking at putting serious power thru the rear end, ie. over 200bhp, you'll definitely need the 1.8 diff (talking from experience).