viscous coupling replacement

[blest]

welp, my viscous coupling is pretty much dead, getting pretty bad torque bind, time to replace it. I'm definitely planning on upgrading since it needs to be replaced anyway.. was wondering what would be the best aftermarket replacement given my current mods and average driving conditions.. any and all input is appreciated!

current mods list:

larger MRT TMIC
APS BOV
Injen CAI
MRT Up pipe
blitz nur spec TBE
cobb 332mm front brake kit
cobb short shifter kit
prodrive springs (lowered .88" in front and .4" in rear)
cusco front and rear swaybars w/ MRT endlinks
cusco front and rear strut bars
ecutek EM

think that just about covers the mods.. car gets a few track or autocross days every month, a few snow days a year, and a lot of driving in the rain (living in WA). rarely driven in dirt/gravel.

any recommendations/reviews on the different viscous couplers on the market would be greatly appreciated.. especially if one fits my mods/driving surfaces more than others. also.. any links for some detailed viscous coupling replacement instructions would be great. Thanks!

[EvoEatr]

welp, my viscous coupling is pretty much dead, getting pretty bad torque bind, time to replace it. I'm definitely planning on upgrading since it needs to be replaced anyway.. was wondering what would be the best aftermarket replacement given my current mods and average driving conditions.. any and all input is appreciated!

current mods list:

larger MRT TMIC
APS BOV
Injen CAI
MRT Up pipe
blitz nur spec TBE
cobb 332mm front brake kit
cobb short shifter kit
prodrive springs (lowered .88" in front and .4" in rear)
cusco front and rear swaybars w/ MRT endlinks
cusco front and rear strut bars
ecutek EM

think that just about covers the mods.. car gets a few track or autocross days every month, a few snow days a year, and a lot of driving in the rain (living in WA). rarely driven in dirt/gravel.

any recommendations/reviews on the different viscous couplers on the market would be greatly appreciated.. especially if one fits my mods/driving surfaces more than others. also.. any links for some detailed viscous coupling replacement instructions would be great. Thanks!

Taking your mods into account your stock VC unit is sufficient, of course if you do want to upgrade, Cusco is an excellent brand

[SD_GR]

If you upgrade though I bet it will bump you up at least one class in autox. If this matters to you keep it stock.

[bobbyjimmy]

STi have a 20kg Centre Diff (as opposed to the 12kg one); part number for a 5MT is ST3891355000.

[MainFrame]

It depends on which diff you're talking about. I'm guessing your car has three (you never said what kind of car you are talking about).

[blest]

If you upgrade though I bet it will bump you up at least one class in autox. If this matters to you keep it stock.

realistically my autox days are dwindling.. im a tattoo artist and in the process of opening a new shop so my free time is quickly approaching zero haha. even in the event that it bumps me up a class it will probably wont be an issue pretty soon, just hoping to get in some occasional track days and some spirited driving in the mountains.



i def understand that given my current mods the stock VC will be fine.. i am hoping to build the car to considerably more power however, so i figure if its getting replaced anyway despite the higher cost i would rather have a more durable/better performing diff. looked into kaaz, quaife, and cusco.. thinking im going to go for the cusco type RS 1.5 way.. any reviews/opinions on this one? also want to make sure that 1.5 way would be the correct one to get over the 1 or 2 way.

[blest]

It depends on which diff you're talking about. I'm guessing your car has three (you never said what kind of car you are talking about).

haha good point, my bad lol. 02 wrx 5mt

[blest]

i guess the other opinion im looking for is whether it is a better decision to get an upgraded VC, or just replace it with a stock one for now and then when adding more power mods trying to get my hands on a sti 6 speed (if the money is ever there for that lol)

[06wrx4me]

I'd figure out why the old one went bad.

Have you ever replaced just 2 tires? Do you have mismatched tires on the car? Different sizes front and back?

If you don't remedy the cause, it will only repeat itself, or if you upgrade the diff, transmit up/down the line.

[blest]

I'd figure out why the old one went bad.

Have you ever replaced just 2 tires? Do you have mismatched tires on the car? Different sizes front and back?

If you don't remedy the cause, it will only repeat itself, or if you upgrade the diff, transmit up/down the line.

Very good point. I always replace all 4 tires, none are mismatched, i also keep up on tire rotations pretty regularly and check my tire pressure often.

Realistically its pretty likely a combination of 2 things that caused the VC to go bad (from what i understand both of these would lead to it failing anyway)..

1. after getting a flat tire AND needing a wheel bearing replaced i had my car towed on a flat bed to a shop.. then i showed up to the shop one day to find it had a small spare on to replace the flat while it was test driven.. despite that i had 17'' wheels on for the 3 other tires.. from what i was told it was probably driven for approx 5 miles like this

i have also spent quite a bit of time enjoying this car through corners. i rarely drag but i figure if the car is made to perform on crazy roads through the mountains, may as well let it perform haha. So it has seen a lot of driving that isnt exactly what a commuter car hangin out on the freeway every day would be put through.

if you have other input for things to check in terms of preventative maintenance and other things that would cause it to go bad i would greatly appreciate it.. im trying to learn as much as i can about subarus but i know that compared to most people on the forum my knowledge is pretty limited.. tips and info are greatly appreciated!

[blest]

STi have a 20kg Centre Diff (as opposed to the 12kg one); part number for a 5MT is ST3891355000.

thanks, def gonna be looking into this more.. after a little reading sounds like a nice option.


bump for advice on other causes for VC failure.. want to make sure i have all my bases covered before replacing

[Gigi et Pat]

Hi i got a similary problem !
my bearing of the viscous explose and result : viscous and 2 gear to change .....

I have a wrx 2002 .... and it seem to be this piece is not really easy to find !

This cost me 600$ for my mechanician its seem to be a good price

1000 $ for the viscous coupling, bearing and 2 gear ....

do u thing is a good price .... and what did u do finaly on yours wrx ?