P.S. I would not but the eBay one. I would pay the extra fe $$$ and get it from a reputable speed shop or directly from Phantom Grip. That ad just looks to shady. Why doesn't the seller have a pic of the unit he has for sale instead of a pic and info from the Phantom Grip website?
------------------ 1986 SE 350 V8
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01:17 PM
Bernie Member
Posts: 410 From: Las Vegas, NV Registered: Jun 2002
Good point but he has a very high feedback vs. sales score so I am not that nervous about dealing with him. I saw a show on tv once where they used a device like this in a new Austin Mini. Seemed to work well.
quote
Originally posted by tesmith66:
California Kid is using one in a Getrag.
P.S. I would not but the eBay one. I would pay the extra fe $$$ and get it from a reputable speed shop or directly from Phantom Grip. That ad just looks to shady. Why doesn't the seller have a pic of the unit he has for sale instead of a pic and info from the Phantom Grip website?
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01:27 PM
Maetrix66 Member
Posts: 621 From: Hartland, ME, USA Registered: Nov 2002
i have a hard time shelling out that much money for 2 peices of mild steel and 4 springs.. but if they work as well as some seem to think then its still a hell of a lot better than the cost of a quaife
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11:51 AM
gumert Member
Posts: 400 From: Hunderton, NJ Registered: Mar 2004
Yes, that's how it works. Unfortunately. The metal blocks and the spider gear contact faces gall up. Phantom Grip state in their instructions that it only becomes effective after five or so hard launches, this allows the contact faces to mate and mark each other up. How much swarf is produced then becomes a function of how hard you drive it versus the spring pressure. How much then floats about depends on how often you change your oil. A magnetic oil drain plug insert is a must.
I'm not aware of which spring is supplied with the Fiero one, but the red (American) spring in the Suzuki unit I tested wasn't worth a damn. I had to change to Yellow (Euro) springs to get any worthwhile limiting action, that was in a front w/d Swift though.
The swarf problem was one of the reasons I wanted to experiment with bike clutch material, the paper/kevlar compound should hopefully not cause as much metallic debris. (There is a metal impregnated cork material available, but it's not quite so good for high power outputs). I have a whole host of Euro and Japanese springs to test, but I'm in the process of moving house so it's going to have to wait for a couple of months.
Iain
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10:34 PM
PFF
System Bot
p8ntman442 Member
Posts: 1747 From: portsmouth RI Registered: Sep 2003
any idiot with a machine shop and the right material can copy the pg unit, I own a real one in my w41 calais 3.91 fdr 5 speed getrag. The springs I ahve are the green ones ( racing), and then they can be shimmed with washers. I think they work better in izuzu trannys than getrag due to differences in spider gear material, I know geo metro spider gears are a good swap when installing the pg unit.
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10:58 PM
Jul 31st, 2004
Will Member
Posts: 14226 From: Where you least expect me Registered: Jun 2000
Not sure about the Isuzu, but the Getrag has a magnet inside it from the factory. Also, the VSS's are pretty magnetic as well. I recently disassembled a Getrag that had been through peg-leg burnouot hell. The diff gears were all loose in the carrier and one side of the housing was chewed up and lots of metal pieces (some unnervingly large) were stuck to the magnet and the VSS. The metal came from both the carrier and the thrust washed between the carrier and the side gear.
There's another alternative to the PG. It's called the Gr8 Grip. It's a basically new product made by Bud Adelman at Bud's Outback in AZ ( www.gr8grip.com ). Instead of two pieces of metal like the PG, it has four pressed apart in all four directions, pushing against the spider gears as well as the side gears. It provides about 40% more bias torque than the PG.
------------------ '87 Fiero GT: Low, Sleek, Fast, and Loud '90 Pontiac 6000 SE AWD: None of the Above
Luck, Fate and Destiny are words used by those who lack the courage to define their own future
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10:05 PM
Aug 1st, 2004
California Kid Member
Posts: 9541 From: Metro Detroit Area, Michigan Registered: Jul 2001
Has been installed for 1 year (about 5,000 miles), has lost some of it's effectiveness, and hard launches/heavy acel/ or decel result in mild torque steer from back end. My conclusion is that while this system works, it is a maintainence item, much like a crank bearing, but wears a little quicker. Trans fluild changes must be due at very early intervals (compared to long times recommended).
Update on the PG unit in my trans, trans oil (GM's good stuff) was changed and examined for metal dust/tiny fragments, nothing found out of the ordinary. Torque streer condition was directly related to blown rear Koni struts. Further recommendation is that if you go with this setup, get the heavier spring set and use all the spacer washers.
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09:22 PM
jelly2m8 Member
Posts: 6119 From: Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Jul 2001
I installed a Phantom Grip in CTFiero87's ZZ4/Getrag swap. I put the upgrade kit in with the green springs and all the shims that I could possibly get in there. He says that it is working great.
1986 SE 350 V8
