What kind of differential is in the base/Touring?
 

Hi everyone, this might be a silly question, but what kind of rear differential is in the base and Touring cars?

The Sport and Nismo descriptions list a viscous LSD. Does that mean the base and Touring came with an open diff, or some kind of mechanical LSD?

Thank you!

Open diff.

Thank you Spooler!

Actually i think Nissan's Viscous LSD,behaved like an Open Diff....i noticed it even my Car is new,now 46,000km...worst..not effective at all.

I have never driven another sports car before, how do you notice the difference?

Open diff applies the same torque (50% to each rear wheel) regardless of traction. Not good on a track when you're powering through a turn on the edge of traction

VLSD can transfer torque to either wheel as needed. This effectively allows the car to put down more power to the wheel with more grip, maximizing traction, typically during a turn. Of course the VLSD isn't a proper track solution - the fluid overheats way too easily and it just turns into an open diff until it cools down.

A 1.5 or 2 way diff allows a lot more torque transfer and is ideal for track driving.

If you are lucky like me and have the sport touring you get heated power seats and all the goodies of sport. Yay!

Mines better: sport/touring/nav and all the goodies of sport

Lol no tech for me unfortunately... ah well i dont mind getting "lost" :driving:

Try half power start from a Junction with Steering in a Angle,you can wheelspin on the inside wheel.

Do a hole shot. You will have only one wheel spinning. What we call a "one wheel peeler". You will leave only one black mark most of the time.

Or "one tire fire"

One will be a tad darker than other,,,I added a Quaife unit to my Base/Touring & took care of that!

And this is when the VLSD is good, or expired?

For the open diff. When the VLSD gets hot and overheated. It will do the same thing.

I just got lucky and it happened to come with the car. The oem nav isn’t that great and I most likely would not have opted for it if I was given a choice, though the nav system between the ‘09 and ‘13 are quite different.

Um, that's not how they work at all.

An open diff puts all power to the wheel with the least amount of traction if traction breaks loose. If one wheel breaks traction, no power goes to the other wheel.

An LSD enables some of the power to be split in that same situation, provided the needed breakaway torque to get power to the other wheel doesn't exceed the breakaway torque in the LSD. Clutch discs are used in the diff to provide that additional friction. Those clutch discs wear out over time and an LSD becomes more and more like an open diff. Nissan has always used minimal breakaway torque in their LSD units, greatly limiting their effectiveness. Same holds true for the old LSDs they used in D21 and D22 trucks. With those you could slide in 1-2 additional discs to "tighten up" the LSD, and with enough additions, you can basically turn an LSD into a spool where both wheels always get the same power. That's not desirable either because in a turn, that means the inside tire HAS to break traction to prevent binding.

I had been sitting a bar for quite a while when I typed that :o I have edited the post to clarify :tiphat:

Still wrong. Open diff sends power to the wheel with the least traction. It will send 100% of the power to the lighter wheel in a corner.

Not necessarily. I have a base with open dif, and have no troubles at all laying down perfect "elevens" in 1st and 2nd gear in a straight line.

In my experience. Sometimes you get both. Most times only one.

with an open diff, if both tires break traction equally, then power goes to both wheels. It's when one breaks loose more than the other is when you get the one wheel peel effect.

I don't make a habit of roasting tires. It's pointless and a waste of good rubber. But, the 6 or so times that I have, it's laid down perfect 11's each and every time.

Now in the rain, it's a different story. Both will spin for a second or so, then the left one stops and the right one just goes like a bat out of hell. LOL

I do need to get a solid LSD at some point though. It sucks trying to pull out in traffic on the main drag and the right tire lets loose when you're trying to get up to speed.

That is why it is called the one wheel peeler. LOL

The bad part about an open diff is this. If you are driving it very hard and the car steps out to the right. The diff will transfer all the power to the other wheel in an instant making the car snatch left. It is very dangerous and most folks just flat out loose it when that happens.

I Roasted mine a lot before,,,it's the un-expected lane changes that's spooky!
Only happened a time or 2 & that's when Quaife went in.