Club Triumph

has anyone on here installed a R200 long nose diff into a saloon? I know it has been done with a R160, and I am looking into purchasing one soon. But the R200 has many more options with regards to factory LSDs and from what I read the centre out of a short nose can be swapped into it. The problem with the R200 though is that they are massive. I have one on offer to me but am reluctant to get it as I dont know if it'll fit. It would never break though!
I have been looking into Subaru R160 diffs with a viscous LSD. There seems to be a mine field of different ratios available, with no real identification externally as to ratio or LSD. Anyway I have narrowed down what models to look at and how to get an idea if the viscous LSD is worn out or not.
This whole endeavor has been much trickier than I imagined- modern Subie diffs are cheap and plentiful but they only seem to come in 4.44 or 4.11 ratio, and the stub axles will need to be modded to fit my half shafts. Old datsun diffs (same diff more or less) seem to be also pretty plentiful and really cheap, and their stub axles will bolt straight up to my Datsun half shafts, and the ratios are more suitable but LSD centres are ultra rare- I would have to put in a quaife or Kaaz centre which would make the whole thing pointless.
So I have decided the best compromise will be to fit an R160 out of a forester with a viscous LSD in as good a shape as I can find.
I had a look at a WRX today and its diff felt loose and dissapointing. Luckily we have a well looked after forester, which I have found come with the same LSD. The same test on that proved much stiffer, so now I have something good to go off.
Ive found a local guy with three wrecked foresters which should have the right ratio that I am going to check out, hopefully I have a win!
Cheers
Josh

User Encom from NZ has a R200 fitted to his Saloon.  Not sure anymore where it came from and ratio, but he should be along soon to tell.
I have a R160 from a Forrester in my Stag, sans LSD but with the same 3.7:1 ratio as the standard Stag diff.

Julian

Hi Julian, I was meaning to speak to you about your 160 diff. How does the LSD feel? Ive heard a bit of bad stuff about the viscous LSD but I reckon one in good condition would work nicely.
Edit: Oh I just noticed you have no LSD.
Cheers

Has anyone got experience with a 4.1:1 diff in a saloon with overdrive? This is the lowest ratio I can find in an R160 with viscous LSD. I wouldn't be doing much highway driving.

Even with O/D you would be wringing its neck mate with a 4.11. The 2.5 needs a longer diff than that. Mine runs an A type with a 3.45, and i would put a longer ratio in if I could!

My 2.5 runs a 4.11 diff (not a Scooby, original Triumph) and it doesn't feel too bad - at the weekend she was doing a tonne (GPS speedo, not on the car) and was still pulling hard, so if you want to get out and throw it round some twisties etc then a 4.11 wouldn't be too bad. I agree that for a motorway cruiser it would be a bit short geared.

Thanks for that guys.
I had pretty much discounted the Suby diffs on account of them pretty much all being 4.1 or 4.4 ratios, and was pretty close to buying a 3.7 r200 open long nose diff and another short nose r200 with a helical centre (quaife style). This would have been a really good setup but was going to cost me a lot more than I wanted to pay, but still less than half of what a quaife centre in the Triumph diff would cost.
BUT THEN... the owner of a datsun 1600 diff and axles I had been really interested in but thought I missed got back to me. I was keen on it because in the little pic on the add with the rear cover off it looked suspiciously like an original clutched lsd! It was just advertised as a datsun diff, for only $225 bucks, with the same datsun axles I already have and in 3.7:1. I asked him about the centre it had, trying to be coy about it, in case he didn't know what he had. He said it came out of a hotted up 1600 and he thought it might be an LSD but wasn't sure. Its just taking up space- I'll take it off his hands!
I will try not to get too excited about this until the deal is done, as these things are rarer than hens teeth and worth a lot more than that but here's hoping!
Cheers
Josh

Guilty as charged, I have a long nose R200 in my Saloon. But a R160 with Datsun 180B half shafts (using Tri-Dat UJ's) will do the job. The R200 is a bit of an over kill, and weighs a lot more.

Actually the car is for sale

Looks like its meant to be there! The 160 is gonna look pretty small in that space.
Im thinking of getting hold of the part that the diff mounts to in a Subaru and grafting it into my existing diff support.

Encom,
Did you have to make room for the R200 to fit?  The R160 fits fine under my Stag but the breather fouled on the rear crossmember which I just bashed a dent in with a big hammer.

As for the rear diff mounts; I used a standard Stag rear diff mount. I reall is as though it was meant to fit.

Julian

Any photos of your R160 install Julian?

Good to know the rear mount will be easy Julian.
Encom, you used the same output flanges I was planning to use if I went with an R200. How did you mate them to the Triumph axles? Or did you go for CV shafts?
My Diff will ship tomorrow, so I can start pulling the rear end out. Im going to enlarge the hole for the exhaust while Im at it.
Here i a pic of the Subaru rear diff mount that I was thinking about getting to help mount the diff. I would just use the diff mount part and graft it to my existing diff mount. Dont know exactly how yet but I think it will make it easier than fabbing from scratch.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REAR.....7:g:QTAAAOxyrrpTf0cI
Cheers

Josh, be aware that the Stag rear diff mount is different to one of the Saloon types.  Either the Mk1 or the Mk2 is the same.
At least that is what I recall.  It could be that only the Mk1 and all Estates has the same mounting.

Jonny:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/12619047@N04/albums/72157620689843079

Julian

Thanks Julian. From memory my Mk1 is the same as a stag.
Cheers

Mk1, Stag and all estates are the same.  Mk 2 saloons are different with ears cast into the rear housing.

Nick