Well, I keep hearing that the MY04 diff is as strong as a CompTech reinforced. I just happen to have one of each sitting on the bench right now. So you be the judge.

Here are some pictures. The MY01's cap were 14.75mm, the MY04 caps were 14.20mm while the CompTech caps were 23.22mm. From the looks of it, Honda added some mass to the MY04 caps and squared them off, but they are the same size as before at the thinest point. Infact the 1 I measured was .55mm smaller.

CompTech also replaces the bolts that hold the caps in place for an ARP bolt.

 

Thanks for doing this. I'm linking this into the FAQ's.

 

yup. hopefully this will finally dispel some of the myths out there.

 

^^^

I'm not an expert in metals...but, I wouldn't conclude that the MY04 isn't as beefed up (or, at least, sufficiently beefed up) with those photos alone. Where I work, there's all kinds of load classifications of bolts alone. Plus, I'm guessing that Honda has access to at least as many metal stress management design engineers as does Comptech.

To date, I haven't read anything about the MY04 diffs grenading. Maybe I've missed it, though. Is that problem rearing its head for the MY04?

 

We've been running the 04 housing on David Karner's car for nearly 10 races now plus many practice days and haven't had a single hint of trouble. This has included several standing starts as well.

We are making as much torque as the average supercharged S2000 and running very wide, very sticky race tires.

When Honda says the housing is improved, stronger, etc. I believe them. It isn't just the bearing caps either, and I think that's the hard stuff to measure.

UL

 

[QUOTE=ultimate lurker,Jun 9 2005, 10:59 PM]We've been running the 04 housing on David Karner's car for nearly 10 races now plus many practice days and haven't had a single hint of trouble.

 

Thanks for info. I have to agree that eyballing a part is not the best way to measure it's physical properties. The metal might be improved, the additional mass might have been placed only at critical areas etc. Time alone will tell whether the 04 is stronger. At this point, the Comptech is a known factor, the o4 is not. Lets hope Comptech comes out with a peice for the 04, than the decision would be easy.

 

Is there a significant weight difference between the MY01 piece and the MY04 piece that might suggest a different grade of metal?

 

Absolutely! As the post mentioned, our racing includes standing starts on occasion (road racing) and a lot of hard shifts (we've gone through several trannies). We use stickier tires than most people (ranging from Toyo RA-1s to race slicks). I wouldn't have necessarily expected a Comptech diff to be a problem either, but it is reinforced in a couple areas vs. an overall improved design in the 04 diff.

Everything is measurable, but as I said, it isn't easy to measure things like improved material construction.

UL

 

Not to add another variable to the equation... but the 04+ slave cylinders will also play a role as well. It will be interesting to see over time on the 04+ people who have done the "kill the delay valve" mod to see if their differentials go.