Thanks much, but first, just finding that Torsen diff w/axels and
shafts is almost impossible, and the one I did find went for over $800
w/shipping. I'm looking at a nearly $1000 repair w/labor. That would
be an easy 100% over my budget. Yes, I'd love to have a full-blown
race car, but affluence evades me. Let's face it, to do it right I'd
need to spend thousands. Hey, if I ever caught up with my missing
affluence, hell, I'd have a Lotus Elise and be done with the whole
thing, happily chewing up and spitting out almost every Miata on the
road!

So, I'm left with a broken Miata, having to drive a Geo Tracker in
it's place. Unless I can get this whole deal done for $500 or so
(including labor), I'm just flat out of the Miata scene. That hurts,
and so I applied this logic: I don't really drive aggressively and
don't race. The car has lasted for 162K miles with the stock rear,
and around 90K of that has been under 5-6lbs of turbo boost. Believe
it or not, that includes a trip to the dragstrip (definitely out of
the question now--that might have been what put it on its last legs).

So, a general question to all--if you had to decide between a strong
open diff, or a weaker locker (of any sort), which would you choose?
I don't think I've ever spun the tires on this thing outside of that
one trip to the strip.

BTW, who cares about the ratio when one is pumping an additional 40hp
minimum? Betcha my 150+ horsepower Miata with a 4.1 would still
outaccelerate a stock 1.6 with a 4.3 rear. Might even blow the doors
off a 1.8.

I was just about to buy one of those old viscous units when I read
this, so further advice, in the face of the above info, would be
greatly appreciated.

DonB
'91 white


On Mon, 18 Jul 2005 22:33:41 -0500, "Kempi" >
wrote:

>I'd say: forget about it!
>By now, the viscous unit from 90-93 is dead.
>Try better to look for 99+ differential from 5speed with shafts.
>99+ 5 sp, have the same ratio as Your 1.6 Miata - 4.3 :1.
>Torsen will cost $400- $850, open from $200.
>
>Kempi
>
>
>
>"Don Benton" > wrote in message
.. .
>> Hopefully my last question on differentials.
>>
>> I can't seem to locate the '94+ parts, but one outfit quoted me $350
>> for a locking differential out of a '93. I recall reading they
>> weren't particularly effective, but my question is, are they any
>> stronger than the non-lockers for those years?
>>
>> DonB
>> '91 white
>