OS Giken Differential in Viper

Dan Cragin

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I have tried all the differential options and always go with the OS Giken Superlock. It has a seemless transition from lock to unlock, runs cooler than a gear diff and has exceptional tractability.
 

v10viperbox

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Wow old posts.

The wavetrac diff is the latest now. I am still doing a lot of reading because I want to get rid of my stock gen 3 diff and like you I am not really sure what to replace it with.

I have been told that the wavetrac diff is really a drag racing diff and not a good on road courses. I have the OS giken and it is worlds better then the OEM, the 3.55 gears help as well. But it is overkill for anything other then high HP street cars and mainly track driven cars.

The OS Giken also makes some interesting noises. You can definitely hear things shuffling around in the back at slow speed.
 

cowger

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Just went through this. Devin @ Unitrax is still a fantastic resource and I suspect he will recommend the Wavetrac for all but full-on racing, in which case the OS Giken and Quaife are more money but might be better.
 

Garron

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The OS Giken also makes some interesting noises. You can definitely hear things shuffling around in the back at slow speed.

Thank you for your honesty, I really hate when you put a girl in the car and you have to say don't worry about all that noise, It is supposed to do that......
 

v10viperbox

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Thank you for your honesty, I really hate when you put a girl in the car and you have to say don't worry about all that noise, It is supposed to do that......

My wife says it sounds like LSD rear end in my last 65 cobra replica. It definitely pops at low speed and in corners but the car feels so much more planted it could burp and fart in church and I would excuse it.

If you get one do remember to change the fluid after 1-2K miles or so I think. They did not used to recommend that but now do.
 
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Boxer12

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Mine only made those noises for about the first 1k miles of track use...or when I am just crawling in the pits going out after a hard session. That being said, I don't recommend it for street driving. The OEM is fine for that IMO.
 

Nader

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That is just breakin and no reason to change fluid. The giken is amazing compared to stock diff especially 03-06. Point straight and nail it. What a rush. I did 3.33s at the same time. Great gear.
 

Stuntman

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Back from the dead. Any updates or feedback on the OSG units a few years later?

In regards to the 'popping', that is due to the diff locking and preventing the rear tires from rotating at different speeds under light loads. Since tires need to turn at different rates, especially at low parking lot speeds and sharp corners, the diff fights this speed 'differential' and tries to make the inside tire spin as fast as the outside. This causes the tire to 'chirp' or to load up the suspension bushings until something gives and eventually 'pops'.

As in the MotoIQ article on how to tune the OSG LSD: http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArtic...art-2-Tuning-a-Limited-Slip-Differential.aspx


"As a final step we sent out our clutch discs to get WPC treated. To read more about WPC Treatment , click here! Many mechanical LSD’s are noisy; they ratchet and chirp the tires on sharp low speed turns. The diff is locking here and doing its job at low speeds. When adjusted aggressively they skid the inside tire and shake the whole car. Special LSD additives reduce this NVH nightmare but often cannot eliminate it. By WPC treating the clutch discs, it is possible not only to eliminate this irritation but to also improve performance by shocking the tires less to so they can find traction better. The OS Giken LSD has some of the smoothest operation of any aftermarket LSD we have tested with minimal to no noticeable ‘chattering’ side effects. Due to the special properties of WPC treatment, we chose to WPC treat our LSD since the treatment often results in the discs lasting 2X longer and cooler as well. If you drift which is really ******* LSD clutches, this treatment can really help. On a street car it’s almost mandatory for the smoothness it provides. WPC works so well that Kaaz offers it as an OEM option."

You can reduce this 'popping' by WPC treating (www.wpctreatment.com) the clutch plates, deactivate clutch discs, add stronger internal 'negative' springs or lighter preload bellville washers.


0.02
 

JAY

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I went with the Wavetrac and Love it ! Did a few track days and put down the power in a predictable manner . :)
 

Dan Cragin

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The Wavetrac is a great LSD for the street. It wont loose traction when a wheel gets of the ground, unlike a Quaife or Tru-Trac. For the track, I prefer the OS Giken.
 

Stuntman

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I've never tried a Wavetrac but I've driven a few TruTracs in Mustangs and think they are a great diff especially for a street car, I'm sure the Wavetrac is also much improved over stock. I've also run OSGs in many different cars on up to 900whp turbo 350Zs and NSXs on road courses without ever failing one. I think OSG has by far the most adjustment of any diff out there and it can be made to virtually eliminate the popping/chattering at low speeds when prepped properly.
 

Boxer12

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5000 track miles later...OS Giken doesn't make all the noise it did when new, it is quite livable now and has been operating more smoothly for a while actually. If Dan and Mark agree, you can bet its golden advice!
 

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