Phantom Grip - good investment or?

[psi999]

ok my box is having to come out so i figured it was about time i did something about the single spinner diff.

I’ve been looking at putting in a phantom grip for a while and i'm just curious if anyone here has had anything to do with them. A few of the US big HP SR20 FWD's have fitted them with success.

Some links if you haven’t seen them before

http://www.modernperformance.com/dcx...rip_srt4.shtml

http://www.z31.com/phantomgrip.shtml

So what’s everyone think?..... I'd love to do something else but so far I haven’t been able to find any other suitable diff centre (Nissan 50A box if anyone knows of a centre).

P.S. I’m after personal or genuine experience etc (and why it was good/bad), not hearsay internet "opinions" (I can use Google too)

[PLAYA]

i know a few guys that had them in gtirs, and general opinion was that they were really shit.

2 of them went from them to a real lsd, and said the difference is just light and day.

[psi999]

What did they do shit?..... as long as they lockup ok in a straight line i would be fine with that.

"In cornering and braking, it functions as a disc-type limited slip. In hard acceleration, the Phantom Grip works as a locker causing both wheels to receive equal power instead of just one wheel spin."

Can you find out which "spring" kit they were running (ie, stock springs, heavy duty or extreme heavy duty green springs)?. There are power ratings for each springs (ie green springs are rated over 350hp @ wheels, and what the FWD SR20 boys use).

If your mates have pulled them out i'd be interested in checking them out (if there going cheap).

Cheers for the reply

[260BC]

A man of intelligence like you Pissii does'nt need feedback on such an obviously useless con device.

[GaryD]

ask at sr20forum.com

[psi999]

Gary - thats where i've been looking (i'm a member)

260det - They seem to have a good wrap around the nissan FWD traps (Jamie Farrer used one in his 9 second SE-R.)

Another review,

http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/...2/phantomgrip/

i think i'm gunna give it a go, they can be had brand new for around $270 US with the upgraded springs (under $400 landed at my door)... there are no LSD options for my diff that i can find (other than a boc locker )

[Grumpy Rooster]

Jon.

Angus had one in his 1st Gen Civic (STU88Y). He broke his and various gearboxes in the process. He now has a brand new PAR gearbox including custom LSD and PAR billet driveshafts. He is much happier.

Also have a mate who has one in a Swift. Well actually its something the same built by DMW Dave in Qld. Even Dave told him that it isn't the best thing in the world, especially when you've got decent power.

I wouldn't even bother with the amount of power your going to have. Anything with a reasonable amount of torque renders the thing useless as you can't get enough clamping pressure from the spring setup.

Spend the $$$$ and get something made up or buy something like a Quaife. Surely there would be a NISMO LSD as well.

[willsy01]

They have a habit of wearing through diff casings as well after a while.......

[sssgtr]

i appreciate the feedback too, i was considering replacing the viscous lsd in my spare RS5F50V box with the phantom grip.

[willsy01]

Try and get your hands on a Nismo LSD......they are the shizzle from what i'm told.

[psi999]

If youve got any info on a Nismo LSD to suit the 50A box i'd be interested.

Grumpy, is that with the new high power "green" springs?.... Thats the model i'm looking at (have you also got a contact number for this DMW Dave bloke up here, cant find it in the book).

I'm still keen to give it a go, there are a lot of good reports on them about (such as the 9 sec SR20 FWD from the states)..... but i dont want to be pissing my money into the wind if it's totally useless.

Wonder how much a custom LSD would cost, might be out of my current price range though i'm thinking.

[SomeFReaK]

I am using one in my car sucessfully, and its not exactly putting out too much power (115kw@wheels). The spring tuning can make a huge difference in how it works, so if you do order one, make sure you get a few different spring rates to find which one works best for you.

[thehelix112]

Am I missing something here? There is metal rubbing directly on metal here isn't there? *backs away slowly from anything PG related*

Dave

[GaryD]

Plenty of people using nismo lsds on PGA. Just depends on what gearbox youre using i suppose, as to what options are available. I have one, but i havent installed it

[psi999]

SomeFreak, good to hear of your success, what spring kit did you end up installing?

thehelix, yep metal rubbing on metal, or i guess locking up on hard acceleration..... its all well lubricated so i cant see it being a huge issue.

I'd love to use one of the Nismo LSD's on the PGA website, but they are for the smaller 32V box. (i actually spoke to the bloke organising the group buy and he is unaware of any nismo LSD centre for my box).

As i see it there are only two options, Phantom grip or custom (and i would rather not invest $$$'s into a untested drive train as yet). As long as it can provide some type of limited slip I would be happy (good $400 investment).