Just purchased a 5-speed SC with welded diff. Was that a mistake for a normal driver?
12-03-12, 12:13 PM
#1
Just purchased a 5-speed SC with welded diff. Was that a mistake for a normal driver?
AS A RESULT OF ALL YOUR ADVISE, I DID NOT GET THIS CAR! I found a Mint 100k Lexus serviced beauty with MUCH EXTRA! More detail at bottom THANK YOU ALL!
Greetings,
I just purchased a 92' SC300 5-speed. I did not know what welded diff meant and unfortunately just proceeded without looking it up. I just looked it up and it sounds like it may be a problem.
The guy says it howls in parking lots and chews tires prematurely. How hairy would this be to drive from Md. to NYC? is it really dangerous in the rain. I vaguely get what the welded diff is for however I have no idea what it would be like in use. Is this modification one that should make me paranoid about abuse like heavy drifting daily? If that is the case, what parts should I inspect before completing transaction? How easy is reversing this process? Will the welded diff wear out other parts?
Thank You.
Greetings,
I just purchased a 92' SC300 5-speed. I did not know what welded diff meant and unfortunately just proceeded without looking it up. I just looked it up and it sounds like it may be a problem.
The guy says it howls in parking lots and chews tires prematurely. How hairy would this be to drive from Md. to NYC? is it really dangerous in the rain. I vaguely get what the welded diff is for however I have no idea what it would be like in use. Is this modification one that should make me paranoid about abuse like heavy drifting daily? If that is the case, what parts should I inspect before completing transaction? How easy is reversing this process? Will the welded diff wear out other parts?Thank You.
Last edited by Studiogeek; 12-05-12 at 07:41 AM. Reason: Did not buy.
12-03-12, 01:02 PM
#2
You should be okay for driving. Welded differentials will cause you to go through tires quicker. Because it's already rear wheel drive it's not the best for the rain. Just go easy on the acceleration. You'll have to buy a new diff and replace the welded one. When replacing I'd check for welds that may have broken off (most people can't weld correctly) and see if they did any damage to the housing.
12-03-12, 01:22 PM
#4
if the previous owner has welded the diff, i would imagine he knew he wanted it for performance purposes most likely drifting. So yes he probably did beat on it pretty hard.
Best bet is to look for a rear diff. unit in a junkyard or here on the forums.
Best bet is to look for a rear diff. unit in a junkyard or here on the forums.
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12-03-12, 09:47 PM
#8
I've gotta agree with all of the above posts.. except for being okay for rain driving, watch this video below to see how a diff works and why you'll loose traction cornering in the rain/snow especially since your tires will more than likely always be chewed
I'm not saying if you drive in the rain you'll crash and die.... just saying it's more likely to loose traction while cornering as compared to a open or limited slip. If you plan on putting some power down skip the open and get an lsd, it'll cost you around 800-1000 beans compared to $100 open diff.
Skip to 1:50
Last edited by rcchris7; 12-03-12 at 09:51 PM. Reason: video link didnt work
12-03-12, 11:27 PM
#9
All the above is the truth ^^^^
I wouldn't recommend driving a welded diff in the rain. It's fine for daily driving other than accelerated tire wear but any rear-driver needs to be treated gently in the rain-- especially one with a welded diff or LSD and no traction control. I have a Torsen rear in my car and I just drive calmly and carefully but it is a real concern. It's amplified when the axles have no differential action at all. No downshifting for power while turning or applying much gas in turns while its raining to be absolutely safe.
It is easily corrected by swapping out the diff pumpkin. The original ratio is 4.083 but they are rare to find. You can probably have a ring and pinion shop swap the R&P from your welded open diff, chuck the welded open and install a clean open diff from an automatic SC300. But this is getting pricey and you may as well be installing a real LSD with all that trouble and expense. It's easier to get a whole 4.272 pumpkin from an automatic SC300, and swap that in at least in the short term. I run a 4.272 in my 5-speed and I have no problems. Your speedo will be off but there is a way to correct this.
If you can find a complete 4.083 pumpkin that's the best back to stock option. I believe several year GS300's also had 4.083's other than 96-97 IIRC which were 4.272. There is a thread which tells exactly which year GS300 had what ratio. Other than that, for donor diffs, all year SC 5-speeds and 97-98 Supra NA's had 4.08's.
I wouldn't recommend driving a welded diff in the rain. It's fine for daily driving other than accelerated tire wear but any rear-driver needs to be treated gently in the rain-- especially one with a welded diff or LSD and no traction control. I have a Torsen rear in my car and I just drive calmly and carefully but it is a real concern. It's amplified when the axles have no differential action at all. No downshifting for power while turning or applying much gas in turns while its raining to be absolutely safe.
It is easily corrected by swapping out the diff pumpkin. The original ratio is 4.083 but they are rare to find. You can probably have a ring and pinion shop swap the R&P from your welded open diff, chuck the welded open and install a clean open diff from an automatic SC300. But this is getting pricey and you may as well be installing a real LSD with all that trouble and expense. It's easier to get a whole 4.272 pumpkin from an automatic SC300, and swap that in at least in the short term. I run a 4.272 in my 5-speed and I have no problems. Your speedo will be off but there is a way to correct this.
If you can find a complete 4.083 pumpkin that's the best back to stock option. I believe several year GS300's also had 4.083's other than 96-97 IIRC which were 4.272. There is a thread which tells exactly which year GS300 had what ratio. Other than that, for donor diffs, all year SC 5-speeds and 97-98 Supra NA's had 4.08's.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 12-03-12 at 11:38 PM.
12-04-12, 06:16 AM
#10
Where in NY are you? I am replacing the entire pumpkin on my 5spd open diff with a Supra TT torsen diff, so I can sell you mine once I switch them out, within the next few weeks...
12-04-12, 08:49 AM
#12
And that is because you will understeer off the road if you are not purposely oversteering everywhere.
It's even worse in the snow with an hx35..
Front tires might say: "Hey can we go over here a little"?
Rear tires are like: Hell no, we are going forward, weather you like it or not!"
It's even worse in the snow with an hx35..
Front tires might say: "Hey can we go over here a little"?
Rear tires are like: Hell no, we are going forward, weather you like it or not!"
