Installing a Quaife differential

[Parisianviper]

Hello everybody,

I'm thinking about getting a local tech in Paris to work on my rear differential , to switch to 3,55 gears and install a Quaife ATB differential.
Is there anything he should be careful about (he never worked on a Viper), any tips ?

Thanks for your help.

Eric.

 

[Schulmann]

If you have the differential it is a straigt forward job. Job can be done in 2-3 hours.If you have just the parts to convert your differential you need a guy who already did this conversion. You need a differential specialist. Vipers are not complex cars from mecanical point of view. A good mecanic can easily fix anything on the car. When it comes to tuning/electronics it is a different matter. You need a highly experienced guy.

The most difficult part of the job will be to jack the Viper.

By the way, Quaife is greate for drag racing above 600rwhp ...

Ou veux tu faire de la course autour de Paris ?!

 

[Parisianviper]

Hello Schulmann,
I want my stock differential to be equipped with a quaife and 3,55 gears, so it means it has to be opened and rebuilt. The tech has experience with Corvettes and Drag racing (Funny cars) but is not a differential specialist.
Maybe I should try to find one.

From what I read, Quaifes are great for track but they improve handling and therefore safety on slippery surface, and when driving a little hard.
And you know about how we French drive... we need all the safety we can get...
And since i'm going to have the differential open for gear change, it won't hurt .
By the way, your written french is flawless.

I do plan on doing a little track time this October in Dijon though, you can look at some pictures in the "gathering" section of this forum.

 

[Schulmann]

Good idea to change it if you race and you are over 600rwhp ... What other mods do you have ?

If I was in France, I would keep the 3.05 differential for highway speeding.
I prefer speeding over drag racing
If you switch to 3.55 you will reduce your top speed and increase your fuel consumption on highway. I used to run between 150kmp and 200kmp in europe ... The stock gears are great for this.

Record speed: Geneva - Paris 3 hours 20 min with 3 fuel stops. And there were a couple of Porsche that overtook me ....

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

ParisianViper, I'd track the car first and then see if you need it. I believe unless you are a serious and are already a great road racer, you don't need it. IMO
I was told it could add a second per lap, and if your Tommy Archer that would mean alot, but not for the average joe. Again IMO

I had one on my GTS and I had many issues that never got resolved.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Good idea to change it if you race and you are over 600rwhp ... What other mods do you have ?

If I was in France, I would keep the 3.05 differential for highway speeding.
I prefer speeding over drag racing
If you switch to 3.55 you will reduce your top speed and increase your fuel consumption on highway. I used to run between 150kmp and 200kmp in europe ... The stock gears are great for this.

Record speed: Geneva - Paris 3 hours 20 min with 3 fuel stops. And there were a couple of Porsche that overtook me ....

The attention these cars get in the US, I can't imagine owning one it Europe

Do tell

 

[Parisianviper]

Schulmann, France's highways are limited to 82 miles/hour, you have to go to Germany to have some fun legally. So top speed is not an issue and gas is cheap nowadays. .
My car is actually worse than stock since i had to fit the European Mufflers in order to pass the sound level testing. But some mods are planned and i don't want to open my differential every five minutes.

Andrew, can you tell me more about these unresolved issues?

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Schulmann, France's highways are limited to 82 miles/hour, you have to go to Germany to have some fun legally. So top speed is not an issue and gas is cheap nowadays. .
My car is actually worse than stock since i had to fit the European Mufflers in order to pass the sound level testing. But some mods are planned and i don't want to open my differential every five minutes.

Andrew, can you tell me more about these unresolved issues?

 

[FE 065]

There used to be a group of Viper racers in Andorra (Pyrenees). Their group was called GIWASA, but their website seems to be down.

They could help you through any Viper work you're planning.

Their last contact info was:

Phone:
376-833-359

Fax:
376-833-259

Email:
[email protected]

 

[Parisianviper]

Thanks FE 065, I will try to contact them.

 

[Schulmann]

In Andorra roads are really thinny. For autoracing it's a tough place both French and Spanish side. Its even a long ride from Toulouse. However it is a nice place to buy Gold, Bijoux, Rolex/Breitling watches and designer clothing. Andorra is one of my favorit places to shop on earth ...

And another thing special about Andorra is their tuners .... This is also a car parts heaven. There are a lot of tuning shops along the road that comes up from Barcelona. If you want something special to be installed on a BMW/Mercedes/Ibiza this is the place to go. Everything is 20-50% off the regular prices.

 

[FE 065]

I was emailing one of the GIWASA guys for a few months. He used talk about all the high speed touring they used to do over there, and complained how the police in the area were now very active, ruining their motoring heaven.. (c'est dommage..)

 

[Topawam]

I drove my ZX11 from Toulouse to Andorra a couple of time, and what a blast, especially on the part of the road that was one way only for a few miles going downhill...
Awesome time, I can't wait to go back there with the GTS.

 

[Jack B]

The best scenario would be to have Unitrax put the asembly together and ship it to your mechanic. You don't want him assembling the Quaife/gear set, plus, it needs a minor machining operation. Also buy a couple of extra sets of straps and bolts.

 

[Parisianviper]

Hello Jack B,
I understand Unitrax is best qualified to do the job, but the quaife will come from the manufacturer in England, to avoid unnecessary shipping/custom costs.
(20% tax on anything coming from the US).
I thought the minor machining was necessary on a GEN III housing, not on a Gen II . Can you confirm?