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A Quaife Diff May Be Available For The Micra Gearbox Soon...


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#1 fuzzy-hair-man

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Posted 02 February 2019 - 10:19 AM

I've always wanted a LSD diff for my CG13DE gearbox in my mini, but was put off the Gripper by the amount of maintenance and setup that generally seemed to be required, as I imagine it's the same for most CG13DE conversions there's no way I can take the gearbox out with the engine in the car.
 
After much searching through Quaife's online drawings and measuring a standard diff I've found that the diff they make for the Almera / Pulsar box is actually very similar and would mean a limited amount of work for Quaife to adapt to the micra gearbox.
 
So after discussing my findings with Matt Humphries (Matt prepares rally Micras and sells go fast micra parts) and we think that there is the realistic prospect of this being able to go ahead.
 
Quaife have a minimum order which means that we need to have at least 10 diffs spoken for and deposits paid before we can give the go ahead to Quaife.
 
I hope it is OK to mention this here as I'm not selling these and because it's a style of diff that hasn't been available to anyone running the Nissan CG engine.
 
A couple of things, these details are a little fluid until details get nailed down.
  • At this stage this is not certain, there's a good prospect if we can get the numbers but nothing is certain.
  • Price is likely to be around the 1000 UK pounds, (this is comparable to the Gripper).
  • 50% deposit is required, Matt must order more than just the 10 so this gives him some security.
  • It looks like there will be provision for a speedo drive but we will be able to confirm this soon.
  • All money is paid to Matt not me, I'd just like a ATB style diff for my car and have more free time than Matt...
For anyone that has wanted a diff for general road use or a diff that is more progressive for race or rally use this is probably your best chance! previously you'd need to get a ultra rare viscous LSD box with different driveshafts, a pulsar / almera box and change driveshafts etc, or be lucky enough to get a rare Suretrac diff. Quaife have a very good reputation and history as far as I'm aware so that shouldn't be a problem.
 
Please let me know either in this thread or via PMs if you are interested and we will see where it goes from there!
 
For anyone that doesn't know the difference between a clutch pack style diff (Gripper) and the ATB style such as the Quaife hopefully the following will help. Anyone else please add your experiences. I'm putting this here more so you know the difference and can better decide.

 

Automatic Torque Biasing Diffs ATBs:

  • No tuneablity but less intrusive easy setup.
  • No maintenance, install and forget, they may loose some action over a long period (I think we are talking decades here).
  • Are generally more progressive and predictable and therefore can be considered better for fast road / street.
  • Also used by racers and rally depending on driving style.
  • Probably more reliable.
 
Clutch Pack diffs:
  • Allow more tune-ability in how they act, but can also be more effort to get working right.
  • Clutch packs are wear parts so will need replacement although this can take time.
  • Tend to react quickly and strongly compared to other styles which can mean they are less suitable to street driving.
  • There is more setup, tuning, and maintenance to these style diffs.
  • Gripper currently do not have provision for a speedo drive.
Some more reading:
 

 



#2 smudger068

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 03:15 PM

This is fantastic news for alot of areas of motorsport that run with CG13 gearboxes.
But,
£1000 a go you'd have to be pretty serious about the requirements for a diff! Especially in a mini application.

#3 fuzzy-hair-man

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 05:12 AM

This is fantastic news for alot of areas of motorsport that run with CG13 gearboxes.
But,
£1000 a go you'd have to be pretty serious about the requirements for a diff! Especially in a mini application.

 

Yeah I'm really excited about the prospect of getting a ATB diff, I'm enjoying developing Spot my mini as an extension of the conversion and the diff is part of that.

£1000 is about the same as the Gripper which is the other main option, I feel as though the Quaife would be a much better solution especially for a mini.

Have a look at PollyP's thread on the MSC forums and he has done a lot of fiddling around and maintenance with his Gripper, not something I feel like doing...

(there's 28 matches for LSD in this and that's just the index! He has been at for a long while and some are just checking it out)

https://www.micra.or...og-index.52496/

 

It's about £1000 at this stage, we need to see how many orders we get and what Quaife come up with, I'm not sure how well they looked at the measurements I gave them (via Matt) but it's only the outer case and the splines for the driveshaft that are different, all the internals are the same which has to save on development costs! I feel it likely that they create the correct splined part already, so it's really just the case, the outside dimensions are the same so even the case isn't the biggest hassle. On the other hand I'm not Quaife and don't manufacture these things.



#4 Artstu

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 07:28 PM

Can I have one with a 6-speed sequential dog box please? :) https://shop.quaife....ntial-gear-kits

 

Sadly I'm not flush enough to order a diff though. 



#5 al_reidy

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 07:44 PM

Really interested in a decent LSD for the micra cg13 box!

#6 evansisgreat

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 07:52 PM

I assume this will then need to be put into the box by us or a transmission specialist?



#7 Artstu

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 08:14 PM

I assume this will then need to be put into the box by us or a transmission specialist?

 

It'd be a shame to just have it as an ornament on the mantle place.



#8 evansisgreat

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 09:01 PM

 

I assume this will then need to be put into the box by us or a transmission specialist?

 

It'd be a shame to just have it as an ornament on the mantle place.

 

 

Ha, didn't quite write what was in my head there. I meant it as a question, is it realistic to fit ourselves? I've built a few engines but have always been intimidated by gearboxes. I watched a friend do a BMW diff and was really confused at getting the backlash and other tolerances correct. It'd be an even bigger shame to mince it because it was fitted wrong.



#9 alaskanow0

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 10:19 PM

I’d be interested, currently have a gripper in race engine, but fancy a ATB in my turbo. £1000 seems a little steep, compared to other cara, but I guess it’s sown to low volume. Everything for the cg13 seems expensive. Forged piston, rods group but anybody?

#10 fuzzy-hair-man

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Posted 08 February 2019 - 09:37 AM

A good explanation of the types of diff available and how to choose between them for your application.

 

https://www.rrtransm.../lsd-comparison



#11 fuzzy-hair-man

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 03:04 AM

 

Ha, didn't quite write what was in my head there. I meant it as a question, is it realistic to fit ourselves? I've built a few engines but have always been intimidated by gearboxes. I watched a friend do a BMW diff and was really confused at getting the backlash and other tolerances correct. It'd be an even bigger shame to mince it because it was fitted wrong.

 

 

Sorry, I meant to reply to this, I'm intending to install the diff myself, I've had a spare gearbox to pieces to get the diff measurements and it wasn't too complicated, I haven't done the bearing clearances and tolerances though. To get the diff out I didn't have to take the gearset apart but did loosen off some of the mounts for the selectors so it can lean over and let the diff past.



#12 fuzzy-hair-man

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Posted 03 April 2020 - 12:15 AM

I thought I'd update this thread,

There's a new group buy quaife order going ahead for the Micra gearbox.
https://www.facebook...02688963334208/

Currently over 20 which gets us a price of £540 before VAT if we can get to 30 the price goes down further.

If you are interested I suggest you contact via the Facebook link.
It's been confirmed by Quaife this will include the speedo drive.

With over 20 confirmed now is the time to get in on this, it seems Quaife's unlikely to do short production runs even if they already have a design so I'd be surprised if these are offered again any time soon as it will be hard to find the numbers!




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