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Upgrade Standard Diff to Torsen Diff

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So, I was lucky enough to find a 302 in Colorado that had not been presold but unfortunately it is pure base model with no Torsen or Recaro seats. It is still a totally awesome car and I smile ear to ear when I see and/or get my butt into it. That said, I am curious if now going back and trying to uprgrade to at least the Torsen diff is a reasonably simple thing and worth the effort or if I should just stick with the base diff. I am not planning to track it much, mostly weekend warrior/joy riding. How complicated/costly would it be to get the Torsen put in?

Base seats are fine for me for now, not planning to upgrade them.

Any advice appreciated.
 
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If your not going to the track, I would drive it some first. If you dont love it, add the diff. you may find it is fine without.
 

JScheier

Too Hot for the Boss!
If there is a good local shop that can do 8.8 gear installs, then swapping in the Torsen should be the same cost / effort as a gear change.
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
Yeah a capable shop should be able to handle it, and you can get the T2-R version as well if you're going aftermarket.

The T2 plus the Recaros is a helluva deal from the factory, though.
 
i was kind of wondering about this myself. Local dealers all wanted 12-20k over sticker so I went out of state, got the color I wanted and msrp, but it didn't have the torsen/recaro package. I love the boss, and probably won't track it, so I probably don't "NEED" these upgrades...but... :-D
 
I have tracked both the Boss with a Torsen and several Mustangs without the Torsen. The Torsen is a must have for any Boss on the track IMO. The Torsen allows the Boss to come off the corners much better than any LSD I've ever driven. I must say I'm sold on the Torsen.
 
If you are going to drag race it, I have heard rumors that Torsens don't like it. Only rumors, I have no experience with it. They also do not like when you lift a wheel, but I don't think that is an issue on these cars (why I stuck with clutch types on other cars). If you are not going to track it at all, or just the occasional casual DE, then it probably isn't worth it. If you have a driveway that has a sharp incline, stick with the stocker as the Torsen will leave you spinning a wheel like a noob unless you hit it just right with enough speed. I do have experience with that.
 
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CaliMR said:
If you are going to drag race it, I have heard rumors that Torsens don't like it. Only rumors, I have no experience with it. They also do not like when you lift a wheel, but I don't think that is an issue on these cars (why I stuck with clutch types on other cars). If you are not going to track it at all, or just the occasional casual DE, then it probably isn't worth it. If you have a driveway that has a sharp incline, stick with the stocker as the Torsen will leave you spinning a wheel like a noob unless you hit it just right with enough speed. I do have experience with that.

There is a technical paper posted on here somewhere about the torsen diff. Both wheels have to be on the ground for it to work properly since the resistance of the wheels work off each other. If you are ever in a situation where one rear wheel is off the ground, they say to press the brake a little to give the free wheel some resistance so the one on the ground can gain traction.
 
PJ, yes that works for basic stuff. It works for open diffs too, to a degree, as I have done it quite a bit in the mud. But it is something to be aware of.
 
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I'm one of the few here who don't have it - mine is strictly a street car. I may not know what I'm missing, I admit, but I'm totally happy with how the standard and quite substantial LSD works.
 

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