What happens after you wear out the stock VLSD?
 

So I've been practicing drifting with the stock VLSD and from what I've read on here, it'll eventually wear out into a open diff. How would I know when that actually happens, and test for it (just see if both wheels still spin forward when it's on a lift?) ?
In the case that it does, will Nissan's warranty cover me for a new one?
If not, should I just make it a welded diff if I'm not financially able to get a 2way LSD?
Thanks

Since your drifting you'll know what I'm talking about.

How do you know when you have an open diff. First Is when only one tire is smoking not two. and, or, when your not counter steering.

Easiest way to test is by performing donuts. First find a safe,open space, out side the city to perform this test. Try both left,and right hand donuts.

Testing on a lift is not accurate. you will need load on the diff to determine if its locking or not.

If your car is not a dedicated track car. i would not recommend welding the diff for a street car.

This is how i would test it my self. Hope other members can come in and add there ways.

Good luck.

The stock vlsd can be very unpredictable when you Get really agressive as well so if you're serious about drifting i'd look into changing it sooner rather than later. The last thing you want is the Dif reverting to good old one tire fire when you're expecting it to lock up and slide around a corner..

the stock vlsd is nice to practice/learn on, as many have mentioned you will notice it wear out when you lift the rear end and can spin one wheel freely without the other locking up. If you are planning on getting serious with drifting, like participating at events you have to get a 1.5 way lsd or 2 way. Drifting with a dedicated lsd is very noticeable. You don't need to be as aggressive and your drifts will carry longer. They are much more predictable as well. I personally went with the KAAZ lsd on my 240, but with my 350z i went with the Adjustable Nismo LSD which was great. You can control how much the rear end locks up (40%,60%,80%,100%) if i'm not mistaken. I would not weld the 370z's diff as it would no longer be a practical daily driver.

thanks for the responses

i mainly just practice in the rain to conserve tires, in a empty parking lot in a nearby park. there are random light poles scattered across the lot. last night i started off with donuts around a light pole, then drifted around 2 poles, then 3 poles. i was at it almost non-stop for about an hour and a half. i noticed when i went back to just doing donuts around a pole, i couldn't help but just spin out, yet i managed to still be able to do maintain wide drifts around 2-3 poles.
is this a sign that the vlsd is going out, or just overheated? will it be remedied after i changed the diff. oil? and can it be rebuilt or replaced under the powertrain warranty (i've read how some can and cannot be rebuilt. cost?)?

How does a VLSD even wear out? The diff is supposed to work by shear of fluid between two discs and the discs don't touch. If you change your diff fluid (the part that is experiencing shear), it would seem that a VLSD shouldn't lose its performance with time.

So what is actually wearing out?

The vlsd is in a separate sealed unit, cant change fluid in it

Get a good LSD and be done with it. Probably the most over looked mod. People seem only to buy things that can be seen.

:iagree:

:iagree:

If you're on a tight budget, you could weld the diff. Welded diffs usually produce understeer at the limit, though. If you're ready to purchase an LSD, let me know what I can do to help.

And they suck for daily driving and will wear out your tires alot quicker than you'd like

Thats untrue if you get a good LSD. My OS Giken is awesome for daily driving. Hardly even notice it and tire wear is fine. A torsion biasing diff like a Quaife would be a good choice for a street car too.

I thought it would be obvious from the quoted txt that I was referring to welding the dif...

Agreed! Welded isn't even good for track.

chances are i'm gonna try and have a cheap s13/s14 build setup with my boy so we can really go at it. it's too nerve-racking trying to go all out in a new car