Subaru diff info help

I'm looking at a Subaru R160 diff on eBay that is listed as having a VLSD.  However, one of the pictures is this:

Which really looks like an open diff to me.  

Am I missing something?

Thanks,

Looks open to me too.  Looking to put this in the Spitty?  

VLSD? Very Limited Slip Differential?

In reply to spitfirebill :

Perhaps. Although the $400 BIN price for this particular one seems a tad high.  

Factory R160s with LSD are pretty rare animals and likely worn out, probably ahead to build your own or upgrade to an R180.

Vlsd= viscous limited slip. It’s got snot in it to help those gears bind. Lol. 

Look for an r200 vlsd. Even the r180 was better than the 160’s. Z32,z31, s13,14,15, r32,33,34, heck, even s30, s130, and the whole Datsun clan got those. 

The best bang for buck was to pillage an Infiniti J30. They were all lsd and r200, and dirt cheap. Plus, being a granny auto only vehicle they were never hooned. 

In reply to Trackmouse & Aspen :

As Spitfirebill hinted - if I buy one it would go in a Spitfire, so it has to be a R160.  A Spit engine on a great day would put out 100 HP.  The one I have might put out 90. The added strength of a R180 or R200 would not be worth the added weight and size.   Plus, I already have the installation kit for a R160 in a Spit (although I still need to figure out how to adapt it to the CV axles I have).

I'm still debating between a R160 conversion or just installing a Quaife in the Spit diff with European 3.63 gearing (stock in US is 3.89).  One attraction of the R160 is the available 3.54 gearing, although I've noticed that ratio is somewhat rare.

Ian F said:

 One attraction of the R160 is the available 3.54 gearing, although I've noticed that ratio is somewhat rare.

If you really want a 3.54 final drive, the seller of the originally posted diff will probably be more than happy to tell you that said 'VLSD equipped' R160 is that ratio as well.

In reply to Driven5 :

Well... yeah... since it is in the listing title... which is what I've had as an eBay search for the last few years. Most of the ones I see have shorter gearing. 4.11 or so. 

You mean, you didn't even have to ask to get them to lie to you? 

Actually, a quick search of the Googles images looks like the VLSD might even actually be a legit description too. 

According to the googly imaging searches that could be a vlsd.  All the images of subaru ones claiming to be vlsd look like that.  

Patrick said:

According to the googly imaging searches that could be a vlsd.  All the images of subaru ones claiming to be vlsd look like that.  

That's what I found as well.  Was hoping someone with first hand experience would know...

FWIW, if I ever post a question on this forum, rest assured I've already googled the sh1t out of it and didn't find an answer I was comfortable with.

In reply to Ian F :

It’s called snot folks. The “goo” stiffens as the difference in wheel spin occurs and causes the differential to grab BOTH axles. It’s the best of both worlds (also the worst of both...). It’s an open diff otherwise, until you spin (and you have to spin the “snot” out of it. Pun intended.)

https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Nissan_240SX_Performance_Modification/Differential

In reply to Trackmouse :

OK.  So in the case of the R160 in question, those plates are buried inside the ring gear housing, which is why it looks like a normal open diff? 

In reply to Ian F :

There's only one viscous unit per diff.  (Same, incidentally, for the VLSD unit in a Subaru transmission)