MY06 XT - 6 speed with DCCD or front and rear lsd?

tedscossie

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Joined
Apr 9, 2013
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Greece
Rally i wanted to ask u also something else concerning the LSD....
I live in Greece and i am near a mountain the half year so i am having plenty of snow.
I am lifted now 3cm at the back and 2cm at the front and i want some more.
I've seen people from here being 2inches front and rear and they dont face any problems with the cv joints etc...
what do u think from your point of you?
and also i am in the middle of changing the 5MT ( Forry 2.5XT 2006 model manual) that i am having with a 6speed with DCCD froma Japan one or getting front and rear LSD...
what do u think would be better in my situation?
the snow is quite heavy during winter time....we get some times in a day more than 60-80cm of snow.

Thanks mate!!

Ted (Greece)
 
Asking an Aussie about snow driving- well, I might not be the best person to ask. My experience is on dirt, and travelling long distances. In Australia, the 6 speed from an MY06 onwards has a good front and centre diff, and if you get a matching rear diff you will have a good set up. But it's a pretty expensive way of going there and you will be adding about 45kg of weight as well. But it will be very strong. Seeing as you have a turbo that would be a nice set up. Putting a dual range 5 speed in it means changing the interior (centre console) to incorporate the second gear lever.

You will also need to work out which ratio gearbox you want- there is more than one. And then decide what diff ratio you want. You can change the diff ratios but you will need to decide up front what gearbox ratios you want. I've never driven in that sort of snow so I can't say which would be best. The compromise will also affect any highway cruising you may want to do.

If you do go with the 6 speed, you will strike a number of issues which while not insurmountable, will require some knowledge most people do not have. The first one is the front driveshafts. There are a number of different types and you will need to know which are the right ones. I was fortunate that my mechanic did know. Or they just might fit anyway.

You will also need to get a different tailshaft I imagine. At the rear, if you use the R180 rear diff, you will also need R180 driveshafts, hubs and rear brakes to suit. Or you can keep your R160 and install an LSD like I did.

Installing an STI 6 speed is straight froward if you have all the right bits- the hard part is knowing what the right bits are. The dual range 5 speed might also have issues with the front driveshafts- or it may not. I found that I could run an 06 STI front diff and my driveshafts fitted. It can be like that. You can get after market front and centre diffs for the 5 speed.

As I said, because I don't know about snow driving, it's hard for me to to say which would be the best way to go. I suspect that since you have a turbo, the 6 speed would probably be the go.

I did not know that you needed so much clearance to drive on snow. I'm getting out of my depth here- I think someone else on the forum with snow driving experience would be best to answer this. I don't like going too high because of other issues it causes. I suggest you start a new thread where others with more experience in snow can answer.
 
Thank you very much for your immediate answer!!
I know everything about the 6speed and we have over here sme Foresters running that kind of transmission.
The best way for the Forry not to loose the grunt at the low revs is putting the Japan spec 6 speed from 2004 model where everything bolts straight away with no much hassle adn u don't need to change shafts etc....
Apart from that how the car behaves with the KAAZ lsd and the front STI?
I was thinking very much as u did to put lsd at the front and rear.
But I didn't know that the 06 STI front diff fits on our car....your car is a Turbo on N/A?
Thanks again for everything!!

My regards,
Ted
 
I run a non turbo 2.5. Now that I have seen your car, and that you have modified it the way you have, I am probably more inclined to go with the 6 speed. If you know others who have gone that way, even more reason if they are happy. You will probably find that the car will oversteer more when provoked. My Forester does not have the power to do much of that. But I also have a WRX with a 6 speed, DCCD, plated rear diff and helical front diff with about twice the power and it certainly does oversteer when pushed. As for off road use, well, it is just brilliant. I have shown the video of where the Forester out performed the Patrol and they were as impressed as I was. If only I could edit it to post here, I would.

The front diff does not just fit in. It is somewhat more involved and I only know one bloke who has been able to do it.
 
Having done some Australian snow driving my thoughts would be to have open diffs so that you don't get a whole axle spinning as IMHO this is when you'll end up somewhere you don't want to be with an even worse result!

I've found high range to be more than adequate but I've not dealt with 80cm of fresh snow - thoughts on this would be the best/highest lift you're comfortable with. Low range would do the job and apart from the low range lever in the centre console it'd be a direct bolt in. Your front shafts won't need to be changed either...

Hope this helps!

Cheers

Bennie
 
Thank you very much for your replies!

Ted.

As soon as i decide what to do i ll let u know!!
Take care!
 
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