Many have asked how easy is it to pull the front diff and axels to make a poor man's GT2. Well this is how it is done.

You will need to remove the retaining straps and lower the sub support. Pull the axels and then tear them apart. I say tear them apart because they do not want to come apart. Once you pull the axel nut you will still need to drop the a-arm and spindle out of the way. This means removing the ball joints and tie rods and pulling it all out. Once they are out you want to just take the out joint apart and make a poor man's DME stub so the PSM and ABS can read the hub. Pull the drive shaft of course and put it all together. It is not difficult, just time consuming since there is a lot to remove out of the way and the diff is not small. It can be done in a day with simple hand tools.

 

I'm considering getting this done, could you tell me where you found the stub? i dont' want my psm to go crazy on me

edit.. sorry, i don't read very carefully... it appears it's written in plain text exactly what to do. I'll probably get it done tomorrow, if so, i'll post my impressions tomorrow.

edit#2.. since the stock suspension was designed around the AWD, is there anything I need to do to after going RWD?

 

will i gain real hp? or just transfer it to the rear wheels??

 

Nope, nothing to do. Just pull it and go.

No, you are not going to gain any HP. The motor puts out what it puts out. The loss is very low to the front as well as the bias. You are only gaining the transfer to the rear wheels.

 

Stephen,

So going RWD will not throw off the handling geometry of the car even on stock suspension? That's news to me !

 

None of the conversions we have done have been on stock suspensions. Most of the poeple that request this change have long been modified on many levels. How would it respond on a stock setup? Well why would you. Even the GT has different rates. You should make sure that you map out the right plan for your car.

 

Stephen,

Thanks for your quick responses, I appreciate your professional input on this.

I don't think I'm understanding your previous post when you said:

"How would it respond on a stock setup? Well why would you, Even the GT has different rates."

Are you implying that I should swap out to aftermarket coilover setup to compensate for the change in drivetrain? If so, what spring rates would compensate the shift from AWD to RWD?

I know corner balancing and going aftermarket will definitely help in the handling department, but what I'm curious is whether I will need to go to a specific coilover setup utilizing custom spring rates to maximize handling when losing the AWD advantages.

please let me know what you think. I hope Scott will chime in on this issue as he's also on the RWD setup and i'm sure Mark has also looked into this being the track junkie that he is = )

edit: the reason why i'm asking specific rates or ratios is because I was planning on going PSS9s, but from the sound of it, I may need something that will take variable spring rates and not simple progressive springs in order to properly compensate for the conversion.

 

Great post Stephen. Thanks for sharing.

 

Exactly, nice writeup man!

 

Very nice write up ...

 

Has Jean said on another similar thread, you also need to replace the rear bushings for stiffer units. I went back to 4WD for this and for the lack of traction in slow corners.

 

I am saying that I wouldn't expect with the stock setup to be worth a snot honestly. The GT2 uses much stiffer rates than the TT. So given one of the variables is weight transfer and power transfer I would expect the stock stuff to really not do well.

What is the best setup for you. Well anything that is going to bring the rates up and then have it aligned properly and corner balanced is going to be determined by what you desire. So many settings will change how the car responds.

Do I think bilsteins are the answer. I guess it depends on what you are doing wiht the car. If you plan on seeking GT2 height I say no.

 

I agree completely. If you do a RWD conversion, you *must* install a quality coil-over setup and have the car professionally corner-balanced to take full advantage of the conversion.

 

Hey Stephen, I know we have already had this conversation, but have you tried this on a Tip yourself? I'm gaggin' to do this mod!

 

No I haven't. The worst thing that will happen is you would end up buying new axels to replace the old ones. Give it a shot and see what happens.