01 Feb Project Updates: Differential Diagnosis
While the snowfall totals continue to grow outside, Fluid MotorUnion’s use of bad puns for titles is growing at a much more rapid pace.
Today’s post actually contains more than just some shots of the Z4M’s differential, which we mentioned was receiving an upgrade. We also received the RS6 intake back from powdercoating today.
The addition of more black to the RS6’s already-pretty-damn-dark engine bay creates just a bit more subtlety underneath the hood. It matches the carbon fiber intake cans quite well, though, but take a look for yourself and see what we mean. We haven’t reassembled it fully yet, as we’re using the RS6 to test-fit our other 5 intakes to ensure everything is ready to be tacked and welded together, but the shots should suffice to show what the final product will look like in everyday use:
And now for the main event (at least the event that allowed the pun-tastic post title, a mixture of that and too many House re-runs). Keller has finished disassembling the differential to shorten up the rear end, from the stock 3.64 to 3.91. Even though the change doesn’t seem too large (and it’s actually a pretty mild replacement for the Z4’s differential), the move to 3.91 produces about 8% more effective torque at the expense of a little gas mileage (as the engine will be turning just a bit faster at the same speed). But when it comes to increasing the capabilities of your vehicle, gas mileage tends to fall by the wayside. But enough technological discussion, it’s time for the pictures! Here’s some shots of the exploded (as in disassembled, not literally exploded) differential:
And now a public service announcement from your friends at Fluid: With the upcoming snowpocalypse/snowmageddon/snowstradamus/etc., don’t forget that there’s a time and place for all the hooning you want, but that’s not on public roads amongst traffic. Not everybody has the soul of a Swedish rally driver in them, so increase your spacing and take ‘er easy until you find the first empty parking lot you see. Then go buck wild. But more than anything, safety and control are of the utmost importance in weather like this.
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