Z33 Ring and Pinion in Q45 Diff??

[karl wasabi]

So I did a lot of research and I haven't been able to find a solid yes or no answer. I have the Q45 diff setup in my S14 and it has a final drive of 3.54. I want a lower final drive so I'm thinking about getting an automatic Z33 3.36 ring and pinion or an Xterra 3.13 ring and pinion.

Does the Z33 ring bolt up to the Q45 VLSD? Will it fit in the pumpkin without any modifications? Same for the Xterra ring, would that work? I don't want to put a Z33 pumpkin in because of all the fabrication involved.

[NismoPlsr]

I'll try to remember to see if I can find the exact info and post back here, but I believe the ring gear PCD might be different between the ring gears.

[Def]

The front XTerra R&P should fit. That's where a lot of people get the 4.63 R&P.

I think the Z33 has a different differential flange offset, but I'm not 100% on that. I think they made everything bigger in the Z33 diffs, even though they're still an R200. So very few things swap back to earlier R200s.

That said, why do you want such a ridiculously low ratio?

[karl wasabi]

The front XTerra R&P should fit. That's where a lot of people get the 4.63 R&P.

I think the Z33 has a different differential flange offset, but I'm not 100% on that. I think they made everything bigger in the Z33 diffs, even though they're still an R200. So very few things swap back to earlier R200s.

That said, why do you want such a ridiculously low ratio?

Yeah, I've been doing more research and talking to more people, and it looks like the Z33 ring and pinion won't fit into the Q45 housing. Still haven't been able to find a solid answer about the Xterra 3.36 fitting either.

I want a lower ratio for my drift car. It has an LS3 with a T56 and I'm running out of gearing in 3rd with a 3.54; specifically on smaller courses where 4th isn't possible. With that in mind I would like to have a higher 3rd gear speed. It should be right around 94MPH with a 3.36. I don't have the money for a dogbox or quick change rear end, so I'm trying to look for the best Frankenstein setup. I was also thinking about running a much taller rear end and use 2nd through 5th, but I would much rather have 1st through 4th.

[Def]

Ahhhh.. mullet motor - gotcha. :)

The XTerra diff is probably pretty cheap - worth a try. But I'd still just say save up some pennies, donate some sperms, get a quick change. I've thought about it many times, but I think I'd rarely change the ratio for most tracks here. Still nice to think about...

I'd probably just go for running in 2nd-5th. The synchros generally handle shifting better than going into 1st. You can change all ratios almost 25% by going with a 4.36 - and those are readily available (that's a short rear end btw, not tall). Cheapest way to change your gears and probably get you what you want in 1 gear higher. Plus it'll give you a really short 1st gear to lug around in pits/paddock so you can run a gnarly clutch and not put a ton of paddock wear on it. Probably not that important for the mass you have for clutch kicks, but on 7.25" and 5.5" clutch setups it's really useful for extending the service interval.

[karl wasabi]

Picked up a Z33 automatic diff from a wrecking yard. Just to confirm, the Z33 ring and pinion won't work in the Q45 diff. I'm going to just swap the Z33 diff into the car and modify the subframe. It's actually not too much work if you know how to fab (I don't, but my friend does). Good news is that I can still run the 31 spline Q45/Z32TT axle setup that I already have in my car and the input shaft bolt pattern is the same as Q45. Took a picture for reference.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/kismo14/Diffs.jpg (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/kismo14/media/Diffs.jpg.html)

Left is a pre '97 Q45 VLSD. Middle is Z33 automatic open diff. Right is Z33 manual diff. Not sure if it was open or VLSD since it was welded.

As you can see, the actual pumpkin of the Q45 is a bit longer, about 1/4", but when it's mounted in the car they are almost identical lengths. The rear cover of the Z33 diff is about a 1/4" longer so it makes up for the snout difference.

[TheRealSy90]

Hmm, i'm tempted to sell my s13 diff with OsGiken 2-way and just do a welded z33 diff and axles to match my z33 tranmission...

[NismoPlsr]

Hmm, i'm tempted to sell my s13 diff with OsGiken 2-way and just do a welded z33 diff and axles to match my z33 tranmission...

It's what all the cool kids are doing, or get an OS Giken for the z33 diff.

[karl wasabi]

Hmm, i'm tempted to sell my s13 diff with OsGiken 2-way and just do a welded z33 diff and axles to match my z33 tranmission...

Seems like a lot of unnecessary work unless you are making big power. I originally went with the Q45 diff setup for the beefier axles, then switched to the Z33 diff for the gearing.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/kismo14/Subframetac.jpg (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/kismo14/media/Subframetac.jpg.html)
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/kismo14/Subframe.jpg (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/kismo14/media/Subframe.jpg.html)
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/kismo14/diffinsub.jpg (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/kismo14/media/diffinsub.jpg.html)

All ready to be bolted back up!