LSD Group order ?

Who would be interested in a group purchase of an LSD unit for the 3.2 fitted cars? If we are enough, perhaps we can place the order with Quaife, and have them develop it for us. They already offer a LSD for the 2.5, but so far no one has been able to find out if this would work on the 3.2 trouble free. (Quaife does not reccommend fitting the 2.5 to the 3.2)

I already have a contact with Quaife, and i am sure they would consider making us a 3.2 unit, if the first order is large enough. Same ting has been done a few times for other Alfa's. Worldwide distribution would not a problem.

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Come one guys, i know there are some of you out there wanting one..

Currently the only two option LSD for 3.2 are priced at +£1100. With a sensible size group order we could maybe knock 30-40% off that.

If I had the spare cash I would, however the good lady won't allow me to spend that so afraid not, It is a very good idea mind you, you'd think there may be a little more interest.

I could probably broker such a deal with Quaife, since one of my best friends from school/Uni works there. However, I don't think they need a new unit as the 2.5 fits. People have bought batches of 2.5 units from them and sold them unchanged into 3.2's - Quaife have never themselves verified that it fits so do not say it does.

Depending on my likely income this year and the attitude of the insurance company I may well take the plunge for a quaife, a set of the softer Autodelta shocks, and a front strut brace which is enough to make a very good car even better.

Then again, if they can't sort my sodding indicators out (it's been in for 3 full days over a 3 week period now and still I have no indicators or hazards) then I might sell it in a fit of rage! I'm going to have to start researching the indicator thing myself not leave it to the dealer - a shame for a car not yet a year old...

If you got a personal contact there, then it would be a great help if you could broker the deal.

I noticed you mentioned that the 2.5 has been sold to 3.2 unchanged. Would you happen to have more details about who did this? As you probably remember, i tried to find out if the Madeno LSD i bought was in fact the same as the Quaife 2.5 LSD. I know for a fact that Quaife sold 2.5 LSD's to Madeno, but Madeno says that the LSD i bought is theirs, and not the Quaife 2.5...

I really dont fancy bying another one from Madeno having this doubt in the back of my head, and the Autodelta one might be a bit too agressive for my taste.. Hence the idea of getting a proper 3.2 Quaife done. I did ask Quaife if the 2.5 wold fit a 3.2, they the reply i got was that this was not something they would reccomend, nor had they tested it on a 3.2..

Originally Posted by jwyatt

I could probably broker such a deal with Quaife, since one of my best friends from school/Uni works there. However, I don't think they need a new unit as the 2.5 fits. People have bought batches of 2.5 units from them and sold them unchanged into 3.2's - Quaife have never themselves verified that it fits so do not say it does.

Depending on my likely income this year and the attitude of the insurance company I may well take the plunge for a quaife, a set of the softer Autodelta shocks, and a front strut brace which is enough to make a very good car even better.

Then again, if they can't sort my sodding indicators out (it's been in for 3 full days over a 3 week period now and still I have no indicators or hazards) then I might sell it in a fit of rage! I'm going to have to start researching the indicator thing myself not leave it to the dealer - a shame for a car not yet a year old...

I can't speak for the others but whilst LSD is for me a very desirable mod ahead of ECU mapping even, my car is still under factory warranty. Given it's an engine/transaxle out job (apparently) it tends to be the sort of thing you do after the warranty has expired...

You might find the interest ramps up markedly in a years time when all of them have gone or are approaching end of warranty.

I'm sure there was someone on here in the far east that had fitted the 2.5 diff to a GTA no probs. I don't want to comment on specific people re-selling Quaiffe diffs in case I get in trouble...

Are we sure the job is an engine-out job? This is critical to me, and I'm sure to others, in terms of cost.

I contacted a well-known specialist quite local to me, that sells a lot of 156GTA's, and they said:

"We have never replaced a diff. on a GTA before but assuming the diff. comes out with the engine in place (and we think it does) the estimated labour cost would be £330.00 plus VAT"

At that price I might do this very soon, depending on insurance. If it was an engine-out job then I'd leave it until the car is three years old (exactly 2 years away) then decide how long I'm likely to keep it, if at all...

The diff can be changed without much effort! no need to even seperate the transmission/engine (so i've been told) Please correct me if i am wrong..

Diff not inside the gearbox?

Guys, how much are we looking at?
We need answers here. All were getting is more questions.

OK. These are the most important questions.

How much for the Diff it's self with no discounts? Apparently its $1100 Pounds(Don't have the Pound simble), That's approx. $2,500 Aussie Dollars, $1,900 US Dollars.
How much trouble is it fitting the diff to a 147/156 GTA(Time wise)?

How much will it cost in Labour($)?

Will Quaife ship it Around the World?

Originally Posted by AlfaJack

Diff not inside the gearbox?

the diff sits in a seperate housing that is bolted to the gearbox (its the bit the driveshafts attach to)

Autodelta gave me a fitted price of £1800 (incl. 17% VAT) for their LSD.
The non-fitted price on their site is £995, which is ~£1165 (incl. VAT).
That works out at around 10 hrs labour (£64 per hour).
I know it's v. expensive but TB highly recommends it...and as you all know, he's usually right (he was spot on about AD's suspension kit and Michelin PS2s, both highly recommended).
Personally, I will only get the LSD if I go ahead with AD's 3.7L conversion, which would be sometime next year, if at all.

PS: I had the pleasure of hearing TB's car in motion while my own was in for a new thermostat last week.
What an astonishing soundtrack! As good as anything I've ever heard, including Ferraris and Aston Martins.
He may have debadged his GTA but, frankly, there's no disguising the (undisclosed ) potential of that beast

The diff price sounds high, Quaife quoted me £514 to supply their 2.5 diff for my 147GTA two years ago, shouldn't cost twice the price for a beefed up one if it was even needed, a group buy should bring the price down further, of course they wouldn't confirm or deny its suitability for the car but were happy to sell me one to test. There is a good chance from what I recall from looking at the tech drawings of it that it will also be suitable for the JTD as you can fit your existing drive gear to it, is that correct? I also assumed it sat inside the gearbox, never got around to having a look past getting a price as I switched to the dark side.

Originally Posted by sandys

The diff price sounds high, Quaife quoted me £514 to supply their 2.5 diff for my 147GTA two years ago,

They quoted me £660 in april 2005 and they are still the same price in 2006.
http://www.quaife.co.uk/catalogue/page8.htm

List price of the 2.5V6 Quaife LSD is £660+VAT in their 2006 catalogue.

If Quaife can't build a 3.2 LSD i'm afraid im out of the buy personally.

It's for a 3.2 supercharged, so sticking a 2.5 LSD in it, would be a bit too optimistic, even if it does fit.

If they can only offer a 2.5 version, and you guys decides to go for it, then i'd still like to be kept in the loop or help out on the potential deal. Having good contacts with a company like Quaife is worth Gold, so i'd be glad to help with shipping, customs etc. if needed.

Originally Posted by Peter K

If Quaife can't build a 3.2 LSD i'm afraid im out of the buy personally.

It's for a 3.2 supercharged, so sticking a 2.5 LSD in it, would be a bit too optimistic, even if it does fit.

If they can only offer a 2.5 version, and you guys decides to go for it, then i'd still like to be kept in the loop or help out on the potential deal. Having good contacts with a company like Quaife is worth Gold, so i'd be glad to help with shipping, customs etc. if needed.

My contact is skiing, I'll talk with him when he returns re: a bulk buy. We'd need 5 units or more.

Don't worry about it being badged as for a 2.5 - the diff internals are the same for pretty much all their diffs and therefore the same as the diffs Quaiffe run on their mega-bhp GT race cars, it's just the fit that changes. They can handle far more torque than even a 3.7 conversion can produce.

The Autodelta diffs are a clutch-type and do cost more. They might have a slight performance edge on track but clutch-type diffs are not ideal for high miles day to day road use, they wear and need maintenance, and produce some odd grinding noises from time to time! For me a maintenance-free Quaiffe unit is ideal as I do a lot of miles in the car as my everyday car. They last pretty much forever.

Any news on the LSD bulk buy, I would be very interested in purchasing for my 2.5. There may well be other interest on the 156/147 forum if you need numbers.

It's been manic at work and I'm in hospital for a small op tomorrow, over the course of my convalescence (2 weeks) I'll make sure I contact my friend and talk about it.

It would be good if we could get a view from a mechanic who has changed a 156 diff or done work on that area of the car to say absolutely whether the whole gearbox needs to come out or not - that is still the deal-breaker for many of us. Any volunteers?

I was going to stay out of this thread to avoid any distractions from a group buy effort, but :

1) Good luck with the op Jwatt, here to a speedy recovery
(Oh, and hope its not a "gearbox out" job )

and

2) I can confirm bmoferralls quote from Autodelta, of approx stg £600 fitting charge for the Autodelta diff, I would guess the same amount of labour would be involved for the Quaiffe unit?
My engine was out anyway so can't confirm if this was a pre-requisite or not.. Will ask my local (knowledgable) Alfa mechanic when I am getting a washer pump replaced next week if I think of it.

Cheers,
TB

Originally Posted by jwyatt

I'm in hospital for a small op tomorrow, over the course of my convalescence (2 weeks) I'll make sure I contact my friend and talk about it.

It would be good if we could get a view from a mechanic who has changed a 156 diff or done work on that area of the car to say absolutely whether the whole gearbox needs to come out or not - that is still the deal-breaker for many of us. Any volunteers?

Originally Posted by Peter K

Who would be interested in a group purchase of an LSD unit for the 3.2 fitted cars? If we are enough, perhaps we can place the order with Quaife, and have them develop it for us. They already offer a LSD for the 2.5, but so far no one has been able to find out if this would work on the 3.2 trouble free. (Quaife does not reccommend fitting the 2.5 to the 3.2)

I already have a contact with Quaife, and i am sure they would consider making us a 3.2 unit, if the first order is large enough. Same ting has been done a few times for other Alfa's. Worldwide distribution would not a problem.

I am from Singapore and own a 156 GTA. I would like to order one.

Thanks,

I wish we could get a 1st hand verification, that the 2.5 diff works with the 3.2.. i've had a confirmaton from Quaife, that the added power from a supercharger, should not pose any problem for the diff itself. The weak link would be the drive shafts and crownwheel/pinion.