The Sikky Mazda FD3S Heavy Duty PPF / Differential Brace is a high-quality piece made by a fabrication firm that specializes in LS-swapping different platforms for drifting. Needless to say, the strength and durability of their products are tested in grueling conditions every day.
The differential mounting brackets are precision-cut and welded together.
The welds are nice and strong.
The front diff mount requires the bushing to be pressed in.
We removed the urethane bushings from the bag and were ready to install them.
5 comments
Love it. Wild that there are so many new developments on 90s cars.
Good writeup guys! Is the FD PPF really that heavy? I only have experience with the NA/NB Miata PPF which is a very light aluminum piece. Maybe only 5-10lbs. Is the FD one steel instead?
It’s steel and weighs 20lbs. The new aluminum braces are much lighter.
I’m completely unfamiliar with Mazda’s ppf, so apologies if this is a dumb question. The ppf looks like it provides a bit of longitudinal stiffness that isn’t replaced with the new parts. Is there a risk of increasing the stress at some of the subframe connection points as a result?
Love the project regardless – thanks.
No worries at all, thanks for the feedback. The purpose of the PPF is to turn the entire drivetrain from the engine to the differential into one solid unit. So the entire drivetrain hangs off of the two engine mounts and the two differential mounts. The new setup changes this to a more traditional layout where the transmission is supported by a (new) bushing and the front of the differential is supported by a (new) bushing. Each additional bushing triangulates the engine/trans and the diff to provide longitudinal support and stiffness.