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Gearbox Woes - Help With Options!


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Hi All,

after goosing my 3rd gear at knockhill a while ago i've been educating myself about how best to proceed, but after having spoken to lots and lots of people I'm left a little confused and worried. so wanted to air my confusion here for opinions..

options thus.

1. rebuild my existing wrx gearbox

pros - it will be built by an expert and i know it will be at its best

- cheapish, but don't know how much parts would be

cons - next time I go on a track its going to get stripped again.

2. get a 2nd hand wrx box or sti box; (sti box is negligably stronger)

pros - cheapest option

cons - next time I go on a track it will strip.

3. upgrade to a 6 speed

pros - good strong box, perhaps better resale on car!?

cons - contant anoyance changing gear all the time, heavy and costly.

4. upgrade to ppg 5 speed

pros - everyone says this is the best option, stregnth, ratios etc

cons - completely unaffordable at £2500

I hope some genius here who can shed hope for a good affordable solution.

I really miss my scoob sitting all sorry for itself.

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I feel your pain my friend and although I got my standard box re-built to standard spec, it is as you say, not the best option. I suppose you could go down that route and never track the car again; that is what I'm supposed to be doing (yeah right).

Also the PPG price of 2.5k is parts only, then you'd be another few hunner notes on top of that for rebiulding your existing box. I'm sure you'd likely be over 3 grand for that. :angry:

Sadly there is no real easy or cheap solution. How about trying to get a 2nd hand replacement and use it until you can save enough for something a bit stronger. Or, use the money that you'd spend on the cheap box toward the PPG kit and put the rest on your CC? My hope is to pick up a 6-speed STi box at some point, but I'll have to change the diffs and prop-shafs; or to go down the PPG route. Either way, its not going to happen any time soon. :D

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Also the PPG price of 2.5k is parts only, then you'd be another few hunner notes on top of that for rebiulding your existing box. I'm sure you'd likely be over 3 grand for that. :angry:

whoa.. that didn't even dawn on me.. righto so thats that completely out then :D

Think it all depends what you plan for the future. If your going big power then the best box possible. If it your not planning much I would probably go for a 2nd hand STI.

Not an expert on this just don't see the point in spending more than you need.

I agree, but i've been told that if I just go for a wrx box or an sti box (essentially only a few % difference strength-wise) that it is very likely to happen again, and i'll be back to where I am now.

I think for the future I would like to use it for track days quite a bit! that was only my first and don't want to give up so early.

as for power, well i'm not planning anything ridiculous.. its 310ponies at the mo and quite happy with them. just handling upgrades planned.

John - what was your decision in the end are you keeping the scoob????!???

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At 310 a good phase 2 still box should take the abuse no problem. Early phase 1 sti boxes are marginally stronger than the equivalent wrx but once you move to version 5/6 the differences are far far greater. They have less teeth but they are thicker and wider and therefor stronger. I personally ran 416/400 through one and that included big drag launches without a whine or a grumble.

PPG is another story.

If you want a new one you're best bet is to speak to the main 3 subaru specialists in the UK, API, Zen and Lateral.

API and ZEN will build the box for you but Mark at Lateral is a parts supplier only but a damm cheap one once you get to know him like I have. If you go down this route you wave a few options open to you, straight cut or semi, dog or syncro, standard fork or billet. You then also have to decide on your diff options but you can leave them be if your happy with your current setup. Straight cut is louder but stronger and semi is almost as quiet as standard but slightly less strong. Syncro is the only real option for a road car, dog is ultra hardcore but will let you do clutchless changes but will require constant rebuilds. I should also point out that the PPG kit only has 1st - 4th gears, you carry over your original 5th or you can source a UK 5th if you want to lengthen an sti one. The selector forks can be carried over from your original box but I wouldn't bother. Do it once and do it right and pay for the billet ones to compliment the rest of the kit.

So, PPG will stand you at well over £3k in parts + building + gear oil + fitting + 5th gear (maybe) or you can do like I do and hunt down a secondhand one. If your original box is still working you'll have that to sell to help recover some of the costs.

Edited by Playsatan2
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Peter, yeah I first thought it was low on oil then the greersport chap checked it himself said it was absolutely fine - what was his name again peter, you remember when your were gathered round the skyline at kh? (son-of-greer) I'm gonna ring them today.

and it shouldn't've needed a service cos it had a full service at hypertech about a month or two previous.

maybe it was my driving that killed it.. I do like to time my gearchanges so they jolt rather than mesh nicely (thats too slow!! :angry::D ) - which doesn't feel kind to it.

Palysatan,

Thanks for the info, best news i've heard for ages about this. gonna look into it.. It means I've come full circle! having first been advised from mr. forrest about getting a sti5/6 box! shoud've just listened in the first place!

Today I will be celabrating that I don't need PPG! :angry:

What does everyone else run? box/power/torque ?

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its not power that kilsl box's its the torque.

i stripped my 3rd gear at 260bhp 280ftlb, might have been getting a bit long in the tooth, but i was giving it death on the isle of mann tt course :)

if you doing alot of track days then ppg gea***t might be the best option.

its not the power that will kill it on track, its the heavy handling, and the ocasional missed gear change will spit out the cogs no problem, so paying more now might be a saving in the long run.

as sugested your options are

recon the box - prob wont last

6 speed - dicks around with the ratios, still not gonna get change from best part of 2 grand but will be up to the job

5 or 6 speed ppg, straight or helical cut - def do the job and strong enough for what ever abuse you wanna give it, but will set you back best part of 3.5 for a the kit (2k) building, and uprated clutch plus fitting.

the sti box's are stronger than the uk box's, but not by much, as far as im aware the type r box's are just sti box's with dccd so wont be a big improvment.

all in all i think if your doing track days then you need to throw some dollar at it

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its not power that kilsl box's its the torque.

i stripped my 3rd gear at 260bhp 280ftlb, might have been getting a bit long in the tooth, but i was giving it death on the isle of mann tt course :)

if you doing alot of track days then ppg gea***t might be the best option.

its not the power that will kill it on track, its the heavy handling, and the ocasional missed gear change will spit out the cogs no problem, so paying more now might be a saving in the long run.

as sugested your options are

recon the box - prob wont last

6 speed - dicks around with the ratios, still not gonna get change from best part of 2 grand but will be up to the job

5 or 6 speed ppg, straight or helical cut - def do the job and strong enough for what ever abuse you wanna give it, but will set you back best part of 3.5 for a the kit (2k) building, and uprated clutch plus fitting.

the sti box's are stronger than the uk box's, but not by much, as far as im aware the type r box's are just sti box's with dccd so wont be a big improvment.

all in all i think if your doing track days then you need to throw some dollar at it

i like how you cant say gear-set but you can say dicks. hehe.

thanks mate for your post, this was kinda what I was thinking too, but there are reports of people running 380/380 or whatever thorugh a standard box in almost equal measure to reports of people saying they've stripped. I was almost entertaining the idea and expense of the 6 speed, but seems like so many uncertainties in getting parts and them being compatible that i'd prefer a simpler route IF there's enough people who say that 310 will be fine with it.

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