Yesterday I went to a custom exhaust vendor to get my much delayed Turbo Exhaust custom made.

My objective was to have a free flowing exhaust to free up some more horses and to have a new look exhaust.

As I result we agreed on a 2.5" straight through system with two silencers and different tailpipes to provide some back pressure.

We started the car with no silencers and it was mega loud and I liked it but would not be able to live with it on a day to day basis.

The result is this:

2.5" ss with minimal bends. The big bulky thing you can see in the middle of the pic is the Differential. ( we will be talking about this later )






And on the car:









Now the nightmare begins............

Drove home. The car felt different. quicker spooling and a little louder. Performance wise it felt quciker and more responsive. I am sure I have gained some ponies.

On the way home I heard a loud clanging noice from the rear of the car.

I thought **** the exhaust had fallen off.

Got out the car and had a look under the car it was fine!

Got in the car and drove it again and it did it again but got louder louder and then BANG....car would not move.

THE REAR DIFF HAD BLOWN!


Luckily the guys at MX5MAD showed true customer service and came out to the garage. There main mechanic said he would replace the diff there and then.

Legend!!!!!

Another 5 hours later. the new diff was on.

Heres what we saw when we opened the broken rear diff:

As you can see some of the teeth on the clutch type LSD had broken clean off.



The bits you can see in the oil is metal bits!!!



Heres a big peace:



Now the good news:

I now have a Torsen rear diff. For those who don't know what that is. It is the strongest rear diff and is an LSD. So no excuses for not going on the 1/4 mile now! :wink:

The bad news:

I have a bill of £1000. Yes £1000. The more I dont want to spend anymore on my car...the more I end up spending.
However the rear end is now bullet proof. I hope!

I am happy the nightmare is now over.

I go to sleep!

 

I woulda kept the clutch type diff and just swapped a new ring gear on. Clutch types rule compared to torsen. Torsen works... but clutch is nicer.

Of course, not having to rebuild a torsen... is nice

 

It is good that you got a new rear diff, its even better that the garage guys came out to help you!

Nice car

 

It is only "bullet proof" if it is a 1.8 rear. A 1.6 rear with a torsen is just as weak as a 1.6 open or VLSD. Sorry to rain on your parade, but I hope I read your post incorrectly.

 

I didn't think there were any 1.6s with torsens? Thought they were all only on 1.8s with the larger rear

 

Tabs the exhaust looks good! just remember that on a turbo car you want zero backpressure.

You are very lucky to have gotten your car fixed so quick.


BTW a clutch type LSD is alot stronger than a Torsen.

*MOD EDIT* IN WHAT ASPECTS?!

 

^ thats what I thought...

 

Damn, that sucks man.

You are starting to worry me, haha.

Hopefully my diff will last a few hundred more miles... =(

 

Torsen is not the strongest LSD there is, and the original differential you had was not a clutch type. It was a Viscous LSD which uses a system similar to a clutch type LSD but it cant really be compared to a clutch type LSD. Sorry to hear about you blowing it, but thats just what happens since its weak as can be. Exhaust looks good though.

 

1.6L torsen doesnt exist, it was either a VLSD or a Open diff.

 

WTG Tabs providence for the win maybe now you will work towards being the fastest blingiest miata in the UK. cheers mate

 

sorry guys...the new diff that went on is a 1.8 Torsen, with halfshafts and propshafts. Its not a 1.6. It was sourced from www.mx5mad.com who also fitted it out of working hours...top guys!

I know its a torsen as you can see right through it. There was no bar in it (which would mean it is a 1.8 open diff) I did my research and made sure they provided the right diff. were'nt cheap tho including fitting as they are rare in the UK.

 

Man that sucks, 1000 lbs. = 1945 US!!!!!

BUT - at least now you're ready to assault the strip with your newfound power and durability! How about that dyno run, too?

 

As has been said, all 7" diffs. have the same strength, whether they're Torsen, clutch-type or viscous (latter two available on the S4 and S5 RX-7s, respectively).

 

Hey hey hey !
Your runnin 10PSI ? No wonder the diff blew, I'm surprised it didn't go sooner !!!

 

I believe I have the 4:30 Torsen too.

The car feels slower but has longer gearing.


Does that mean I will get a better top end speed now?

I think its time to run more boost!

 

uh you mean the 4.1 torsen right if so then yes the gears will wind out higher and the top speed will be higher indicated, and to some extent maybe 5-10mph more actual.

 

you probably blew a 4.30 and went to a 4.10. The less agressive rear gear in theory would trade a little acceleration in favor of higher terminal speed. In reality, it may actually make it easier to hook up in first, and may or may not really affect any 0-60 times. It will let you rev a little less on the highway.

I guess you'll need to swap out the speedo gear so that your speedometer and odometer are correct.

 

That Exhaust is clean. Nice.

 

Glad it's back together and workin 4 ya. Nice custom job.