Anyone running a shimmed VLSD?

Sketchy564

Sketchy564

Driver
So i found a couple good write ups on shimming a vlsd, and i definatley want to do this before i put my vlsd in. The only thing im curious about is that supposidly it shortens the life of your diff itself, which would make sense. But i cant really find any info on how fast it wears it down

so i was just wondering if anybody has been running a shimmed vlsd on their car and how they like it and how well its been holding up over time and abuse

and incase anyones wondering
http://zilvia.net/f/s-chassis/200226-shimming-r200-j30-vlsd.html
 
wow, never thought/heard of that. im gonna do it. who cares how long it lasts? a diff is like $100 if that, if it lasts 6 mos, youre golden
 
I have personally tried this, with a fresh s14 diff with 63k and a s13 hicas diff with 140k. This does not work at all, it just made the diff fade out a lot faster when actually using it.
 
IThaJokaI said:
I have personally tried this, with a fresh s14 diff with 63k and a s13 hicas diff with 140k. This does not work at all, it just made the diff fade out a lot faster when actually using it.
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what this guy said

it works at first but it kills the viscous coupling inside the diff fairly quickly.
 
JiujitsuDrift said:
It's not going to work as good as a 1.5/2 way, EVER.
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obviously, but this is $10 or less when a 1.5way is $500ish used and around $900 new depending on which one you get. Plus this is a lot easyer to daily with if you dont want to hear all the clunking noises


IThaJokaI said:
I have personally tried this, with a fresh s14 diff with 63k and a s13 hicas diff with 140k. This does not work at all, it just made the diff fade out a lot faster when actually using it.
Click to expand...

gsracer said:
what this guy said

it works at first but it kills the viscous coupling inside the diff fairly quickly.
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How thick of a shim/how many shims did you use?

i only plan on using a thin shim the same size as the one in there now, or just replacing the one in now with a slightly thicker one, so it locks a little easyer, but not too much stress

ive heard of it killing the gears but not the actual viscous unit. People do this either as an upgrade, or they do it once their vlsd's become worn out so they lock again
 
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This doesnt help the diff lock harder, the locking is all done with the fluid inside of the viscous unit. This is another one of those myths, that people randomly think up and call it genius.

The shim is meant for adjusting the diffs position, not its locking capabilities. Buy a welded or a 2 way, or deal with the vlsd being exactly what it is.
 
Sketchy564 said:
obviously, but this is $10 or less when a 1.5way is $500ish used and around $900 new depending on which one you get. Plus this is a lot easyer to daily with if you dont want to hear all the clunking noises
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You're going to hear something a hell of a lot worse then a clunking noise with your $10 mod. Especially since it's your daily driver. I'm always one for cheap do-it-yourself mods, but you HAVE to know when to say "No, that's a stupid idea." If you take it apart, just put the correct size shim that you need, and let it be. Correct install FTW.
 
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i dunno i think ftw and do it.... i hate the way a welded dailys....
i like haveing a better option...i think this is a fairly new idea and im always skeptical...about everything....so im gunna try it...or go bak to a welded....if it dont werk in the long run.....im a broke trying to drift ass dude...
 
IThaJokaI said:
This doesnt help the diff lock harder, the locking is all done with the fluid inside of the viscous unit. This is another one of those myths, that people randomly think up and call it genius.

The shim is meant for adjusting the diffs position, not its locking capabilities. Buy a welded or a 2 way, or deal with the vlsd being exactly what it is.
Click to expand...

I wouldnt call it a myth because people have done it and said the difference is incredible. As far as the shim adjusting the position, i dont know enough about the internals of a diff to argue that being true or not, but im pretty sure if you put a bigger pre load shim, or add a small one to make it bigger, it will make the diff lock up with less effort and more consistantly.

INFECTED said:
i dunno i think ftw and do it.... i hate the way a welded dailys....
i like haveing a better option...i think this is a fairly new idea and im always skeptical...about everything....so im gunna try it...or go bak to a welded....if it dont werk in the long run.....im a broke trying to drift ass dude...
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Awesome man, let me know how it goes! Ive only really read good things about it besides the people who swear by the welded diff. Ive always wanted to do this, and the vlsd i bought was an s13 open diff housing with z32 guts put into it, and one of the half shafts sticks out a little while the other one goes in all the way but comes out without any effort, so i want to take it apart and put it back together, and since im doing that, i might as well shim it.

JiujitsuDrift said:
You're going to hear something a hell of a lot worse then a clunking noise with your $10 mod. Especially since it's your daily driver. I'm always one for cheap do-it-yourself mods, but you HAVE to know when to say "No, that's a stupid idea." If you take it apart, just put the correct size shim that you need, and let it be. Correct install FTW.
Click to expand...


Your saying replace the worn pre-load shim with a new one? if so thats basically what i plan on doing, the new one will only be a little bit thicker. My cars being built for autocross, road racing, and daily driving, not just drifting. So i want something that locks up, but isnt too harsh. Vlsds (imo) work great for drifting, but they dont always lock up when you want them to, and as everyone knows they wear down after a while, which is why im looking into this
 
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Cause Were Cheap And Crafty......
Lmk Wat Happens U Guys Mite Get It Done B4 Me(got A Clutch To Do)
I Hope I Can Make The Skid Pad...
45 Degree Driveway And Clutch Job Dont Equal Out Together.....
 
INFECTED said:
Cause Were Cheap And Crafty......
Lmk Wat Happens U Guys Mite Get It Done B4 Me(got A Clutch To Do)
I Hope I Can Make The Skid Pad...
45 Degree Driveway And Clutch Job Dont Equal Out Together.....
Click to expand...

Im in the same boat you are, i gotta get my swap finished and start the car first, and then when i change the diff fluid im changing the diff itself, and im gonna put the hopefully shimmed vlsd in


and to the two who have tried it and say it sucks because it stops working after a while, what size shim did you use? and did you replace the existing shim or did you add another on top, cause that seems like it would make a big difference on the longevity of the diff

i dont think it will be too big of a deal if you replace the shim with one thats only slightly bigger, or if you just add the thinnest shim you can find

also keep in mind im not looking to have my diff lock up super crazy, i will daily the car, autocross, and road race with it, so drifting with it is not my #1 priority, but i would still like the vlsd to lock up a tad bit more consistently
 
I don't think you understand english so well.

This shim that your adding is for adjusting the VLSD, not for making it lock. I read this write up, then tried with with double the factory shim. Then tried it with a barely over sized shim.

They did not make the diff lock harder, because it is THE FLUID INSIDE THE DIFF that makes it lock. Not that shim. All it made it do, is get hot super fast which makes it stop working until it cools.

then like 3 weeks later, they decided to blow out the side of the case. $100 diff + $10 in fluid + $10 shim = $120, welding an open $50.

Not to mention, you don't want your diff to "lock harder" for anything other than drift/drag. Or else your gonna have traction problems on turn out.
 
What do you mean by the shim is for adjusting the VLSD? whats to be adjusted about it?

And for me welded is not cheaper because i already have the vlsd, so all i need is the shim and the oil. And i need to replace the oil anyways, and open up my diff anyways to check out whats wrong with my half shafts

also, i do not want a welded diff on my car, period
 
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