you are completely wrong about that. usually the 6 sp runs faster 1/4 miles. i have driven both( my friend has a IX gsr). i ran a 12.98 with my car bone stock and i couldnt run any better than a 13.19 with is, and it seems the 6 sp is much easier to launch with.

 

I will get the benefit of staying in 4th on the drag strip, but that's only a side benefit. The reason was what TVA said. I stripped the teeth off 4th gear with only 300whp/337wtq, and I plan to road race competitively (time trials) then eventually wheel-to-wheel, so I decided to go with a Shep-built 5spd that could handle the abuse.

My 6spd was great, and I loved it, but it wasn't cut out for lots of road racing and is generally frowned upon by the major trans builders (Shep and TRE). What happened to me has happened to several other 6spd owners, so it's not a fluke, but some have had no problems with their 6spd while road racing frequently, so it's not 100% that the 6spd will always fail.

For people who don't race, the 6spd is still a great choice, and it should last many years.

 

That doesn't have anything to do with the transmission. The 6spd has shorter ratios than the _VIII 5spd_, which can possibly propel you more quickly through the 1/4 if driven perfectly, but there's really very little benefit, if any. The IX 5spd has almost identical ratios in gears 1-4 as the 6spd, so there's no difference.

Anyway, once you get to around 110mph trap speeds on the 6spd, you really start to suffer. You either stay in 4th with sever power dropoff up to 7800-8000rpm, or you shift to 5th and lose time. Either way, it gets kinda sucky.

 

thanks for your input warr. well i thought you said you can have the 6 sp beefed up by shep or TRE. so if the could beef the 6 sp up wouldnt that be better for road racing?

 

who cares drag racing sucks

 

evilevo, i am putting that buschur free since 2003 in my sig if thats ok cuz i agree to the fullest!!

 

Its alot better than the roll racers I see everymorning on the way to work, and honestly how many people have access to a road course? Granted I have one of the most popular strips just a spit away, I still think its good heart pounding racing. Watch a top fuel car run the 1320 and tell me it sucks

 

lol no prob man

 

It can be made a little better, but you can't change the fact that the gears/teeth on 4-6 are tiny. That's a fatal flaw...

I would have stuck with my 6spd if it were a good idea, but the built 5spd appears to be a much more reliable choice. AMS uses Shep 5spds on their road race cars with twice my power and haven't broken one yet to my knowledge.

 

It's heart pounding until you do an autocross or get on a road course, and then it becomes ho-hum. Watching a top fuel car has very little to do with us and our Evos, so it's not relevant to his comment. I know I'm in the minority here, but to me, watching any car drag race sucks, and that's because I'm not doing it myself. I can't stand watching OTHER people race - I get too anxious and want to jump in the cockpit.

 

i prefer the 6spd for daily use, but everyone has their own opinions

 

Races that last for a few seconds are lame. I agree with Warrtalon when it comes to watching a race. It's more fun when you are actually doing the racing yourself.

 

6sp with an EXEDY twin HD is the most fun to drive. Unfortunately they break with additional tq and are very sensitive to trans fluid type.

 

Whether you keep the 6 speed or go to the 5 speed (assuming failure has already occured) a gearbox cooler is cheap insurance. Even if it hasnt failed yet its not a bad idea, you lower the temps and can add a filter to the operation to help trap anything that will lead to an eventual failure.

The only known upgrade as far as stronger internals is the Ricardo 5 speed conversion in the 6 speed case, but its really a non option because of price. TRE and Shep offer rebuilding services as well as some other things that are going to help extend life but they arent putting in beefier gears or anything.

 

gotcha, neither of the websites say anything about the 6spds. i doubt i will road course race it, our local track isn't the greatest. if i did it though it would not be often, same for drag racing, only occasionally. primarily street driven and it is only a weekend car.

anyone sell a cooler kit or have a parts list to build one (pump/cooler/etc) the way the case is made with all the fins to draw head did make me a little nervous.

if i get it together and it fails, then i will probably get it rebuilt/sell it/ and get a built 5spd

of couse everyone told me i would snap axels and blow tranny's in the civic i used to have putting 400 down, only raced it occasionally and drove it like i had some sense most of the time. never had a problem