I have a 1996 Sable LS wagon. Here's the thing.. I love this car but cant take the gas prices so i'm going to convert it to an EV. ( yes for all you ICE guys I hope you forgive me ). I want to connect the electric motor directly to the differential by passing the transmission all together.


My question is, can the differential handle the torque of moving approx. 3500 lbs of car without burning up. Seeing as the car "red lines" at approx. 7500 rpms I dont think there would be a prob. but need some expertise... Thanks!!

 

You cannot do that your car is front wheel drive. The diff is part of the trans. You would be better off to just connect the electric motor to the trans. That is the only way you can do it without getting expensive. Although after spending all that $$$ on a conversion you could have bought alot of gas with that $$$. if you are getting poor milage when was the last time you changed the plugs or oxygen sensors for that matter? I have seen 2-5 MPG with these changes. They pay for themselves in a month or so depending on how much you drive.

 

I have decided against converting the Sable and went with a manual transmission.. True, the conversion is approx. 5-6,000 but @ 4.00/gal. that would be made up in approx. 4 years or less. It''s not about saving money anyway so much it''s about not having foreign oil dictate my life and wallet. Sure i could just use that money to just buy more gas but what then after3-4 years, i''m still in the same position. A famous saying: "if nothing changes, nothing changes".