Venom: H6 Gen2 Liberty GX

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Tue May 21, 2013 7:51 am

Nope. In hindsight it would be much simpler to buy a DCCD gearbox, swap out the DCCD for a viscous and just pass it on as a regular STI 5mt for a few hundred less.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed May 22, 2013 10:29 pm

I'm really looking forward to seeing this machine again - even better would to be out bush with it again. I'm pining to be out there mate - you know it!

Look forward to hearing how it goes!

Cheers

Bennie

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 8:44 am

The diffs are broken in and DCCD is working as intended. Dulagarl and Venom just had 5 days in Wyperfeld / Bid Desert NP's so the drive train got a great work out.

Report on the front diff - it is barely noticeable in terms of noise/locking operation. The spring dampened activation on the Cusco RS type is very effective in that regards. In terms of driving the car on tarmac when accelerating through corners the front LSD is working to straighten the wheels so the steering wheel gets heavier. If backing off the accelerator mid turn then the steering wheel lightens slightly. It's very predictable and controllable. It suits my driving style as I do all of my breaking before a turn and accelerate / cruise through. I'll put it this way - my girlfriend has no hesitation driving it on the highway / city with no problems whatsoever, and I have no hesitation sitting in the passenger seat when she is driving it.

Rear diff - The KAAZ is awesome. Again I've got the friction plates set up for maximum lock effectiveness. It does clunk around tight corners as the plates slip. I have no problems with that, but if you want a silent rear LSD then get a Cusco RS type.

DCCD works like a charm in both manual and automatic modes.

Really the main point I would make with these diffs is that you just drive accordingly. Just like you drive a front wheel drive car differently to a rear wheel drive car.

I can't separate these three mods from each other and report on their effectiveness individually. Combined the car is a nigh unstoppable beast, when I do stop it is because all 4 wheels are spinning. For a week in Wyperfeld I used low range on 1 climb, the majority of dunes I did in high range 2nd. I dropped to high first purely when I wanted to go slow up some very bumpy climbs. I strongly suspect that with such a tight drivetrain I was not experiencing the momentum loss that occurs with open diffs as the wheels slip/spin over bumps or soft ground. Hence why I could climb with less initial speed and keep powering up in the high gears.

This is my fifth or so trip to wyperfeld / big desert and it's actually an excellent benchmark testing ground for my car I've had my car there in all the drive train configurations. My first trip was with the single range V4 STI 5MT. The first improvement was the L series low range and vacuum operated centre locker running 3.7 diffs. Then most recently with this setup. The new diffs are just as big an improvement as going from single range to dual range, that is how ****ing goddamn good it is. In hindsight the 3.7 diffs were to high. The 4.1 is much better off-road, better acceleration on road and I can't notice the fuel economy difference.

I think a lot of people would be surprised at just how much wheel spin compromises a cars off road ability, and just how much occurs when off-roading a Subaru. I don't just mean the wheel spin that stops a car dead but also the little momentary wheel lifts as a car climbs. That loss off momentum accumulates as climbing to really work against the vehicle.

Summary

Front Cusco RS type LSD - Noiseless / very unobtrusive yet very effective locking. If you don't want the steering wheel feedback then get a torsen/helical, but my g/f can drive it so anyone can. Personally I would never consider a KAAZ in the front of a daily driven car.

Rear LSD - KAAZ is noisy but very effective. If you want a silent rear diff get the Cusco RS type.

DCCD - ****ing **** hot. 50/50 lock for offroad, 65/35 for tail sliding / doughnut fun, auto for ridiculous traction all the time.

I reckon this car is now one of the most capable off-road Subaru's in Australia. Definitely one of the most capable with all legal mods.

taza · Post by **taza** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:25 am

Wow, great to know.
I've since realised after my latest mods that the next thing holding me up is the open diffs. I can for the most part crawl but once I loose articulation the open diffs do nothing to help andI sslow down or come to a stop. The worst thing about having to get a run up so you make it due to the open diffs is you break things.
Do you have any vids of your car in action with its current setup?

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:13 pm

Awesome, very happy its worked out so well after all the frustrating setbacks you've had! Cant wait to see it in action

There's a very long steep slippery climb I found near Warburton which will test it out...I'd say prob dry weather only

hydrowill · Post by **hydrowill** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 5:04 pm

So cool, getting me keen to finish my gearbox! As the others said looking forward to seeing it do it's thing.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 6:10 pm

Awesome Venom!

Now I'm devo'd I wasn't there to witness this, it's like an event in history that people will be talking about for years!

Super keen to get my gearbox in... then work out something with the rear diff.

Glad you're finally over the moon with your setup - you've been one of the most active members on the forum working to get your setup just right, and I feel that you're finally there!

Hate to say it, but "I told you so (about the 4.111:1 diffs)!"

Cheers

Bennie

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:30 am

taza wrote:Wow, great to know.
I've since realised after my latest mods that the next thing holding me up is the open diffs. I can for the most part crawl but once I loose articulation the open diffs do nothing to help andI sslow down or come to a stop. The worst thing about having to get a run up so you make it due to the open diffs is you break things.
Do you have any vids of your car in action with its current setup?

Hmm yes I do have a video from this weekend. I'll get it off the girlfriends camera in the next few days. All the power in the world is pretty useless if it all goes to the one wheel sitting up in the air. Decent LSD's go a long way to mitigating that. They are not lockers, but my car isn't a hard core 4WD either and I think a good set of LSD's is a very good compromise for what is also my daily drive.

If I could give any advice I would say it is well, well worth the investment to get a good LSD. The front Cusco is just so far ahead of the OBX torsen, and the rear KAAZ is miles ahead of the second hand factory plated diff I had previously. Both are definitely worth the extra money in my opinion. I will never waste my time with a compromise on a diff. if I'm in the same position again I'll wait until I have the funds to go with a new name brand diff.

NachaLuva wrote:Awesome, very happy its worked out so well after all the frustrating setbacks you've had! Cant wait to see it in action

There's a very long steep slippery climb I found near Warburton which will test it out...I'd say prob dry weather only

Sounds good Nacha

Thank you very much for your help with the car. It makes a big difference having an extra pair of hands and good company when working on a car.

hydrowill wrote:So cool, getting me keen to finish my gearbox! As the others said looking forward to seeing it do it's thing.

Do it

It transforms the car off-road. Really, when put in context issues like 2 or 3" lift, HD or standard springs, etc. etc. are in a way only surficial issues when undermining a cars ability off-road is a viscous centre and open front and rear diffs.

El_Freddo wrote:Awesome Venom!

Now I'm devo'd I wasn't there to witness this, it's like an event in history that people will be talking about for years!

Super keen to get my gearbox in... then work out something with the rear diff.

Glad you're finally over the moon with your setup - you've been one of the most active members on the forum working to get your setup just right, and I feel that you're finally there!

Hate to say it, but "I told you so (about the 4.111:1 diffs)!"

Cheers

Bennie

Yep 4.1 is the way to go. 3.7 was a good experiment, but the main determining factor for 3.7 was that I could use a stock pinion shaft. It's really the DCCD conversion that has allowed me to go 4.1 with factory parts. Not that I would change how I did things. The reality was I did not have the funds for this current drivetrain when I did the vacuum locker and OBX front diff.

Like I said in reply to Taza, I would recommend to anyone to take the time to wait and save for a really good rear diff.

Davidov · Post by **Davidov** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:47 pm

Would front and rear LSDs still be worth it with a standard 4kg center? Or does the center make that much of a difference?

d_generate · Post by **d_generate** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:32 pm

Great to hear everything has come together in the right way, I've decided to go for size over function and bought an MY07 LWB high roof 6 speed transit van...............now they make a FWD and a RWD, I wonder if you could adapt both with a Subi 6 speed...hmmmmmmmmm

hydrowill · Post by **hydrowill** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:58 pm

D generate there are a few 4x4 transits running round alough I hear not cheap for the conversion. DIY may be a different story. A few running round with V8s aswell, hmmm v8 4x4 tranist.

d_generate · Post by **d_generate** » Sun Jun 16, 2013 12:00 am

hydrowill wrote:D generate there are a few 4x4 transits running round alough I hear not cheap for the conversion. DIY may be a different story. A few running round with V8s aswell, hmmm v8 4x4 tranist.

Never heard of one but haven't really looked into them much yet, the 2.4 turbo diesel actually pisses along way better than I ever expected and easily keeps up with city traffic, I got 10L per 100Kl on the last tank around town which is better than the liberty and way cheaper to buy than the new 100ron which I'm using.

I've been going nuts on fleabay buying stuff to turn it into a motorhome, I think I'm up to about 27 purchases in the past couple of weeks lol.

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:30 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usQ56XM2QJk

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:10 pm

Oh how I miss that sweet sweet H6 sound!

That's one sharp looking turn at the end of the video - would have added to the challenge.

I can't pic where this is - did you visit a new area?

Cheers

Bennie

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:22 pm

Yea the last little bit at the top around the corner was actually the steepest, but the car ate it up.

Not sure what dune that is... it's not the Big Dune.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:55 am

your car sounds amazing in that dune climb video. the note you get from in front of the car just sounds like pure grunt. the tinny note you get from behind makes it sound like its reving more than it is.

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 9:51 am

Some pics. Nothing too interesting...

Engine pitch rod was buggered.

New superpro pitch rod in.

New rear trailing arm bushes.

Carbon fiber STI strut brace installed.

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 9:55 am

BTW poly the bushes add noticeably to NVH. I don't notice it too much, but the difference is most certainly noticeable when driving on rutted roads. I'd probably swap back to factory rubber bushes before i went on a significant outback trip, for the cars benefit and mine.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:21 am

Looking like a lot of work has been going on Venom!

Are you feeling closer to the end of this build? Probably the only one on the forum if you are!

And NVH? Nice Vehicle Handling?? Brain's on it's own holiday without me...

Cheers

Bennie

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:35 pm

There's always more to do mate

but yes the main pieces are in place and working well. The rest is just fussing and maintenance. NVH - noise/vibration/harshness.