Transmission
11-02-2005, 08:14 AM
#5
The Evil Twin
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 9,294
Racing clutch is usually a waste of money except for bragging rights.
Are you seriously going to have over 250hp or over 7K rpm on a regular basis?
A stock non-turbo 1981-83 tranny should be fine and get the stock 'turbo' clutch and flywheel if you want a little more grab.
Are you seriously going to have over 250hp or over 7K rpm on a regular basis?
A stock non-turbo 1981-83 tranny should be fine and get the stock 'turbo' clutch and flywheel if you want a little more grab.
11-02-2005, 11:16 AM
#8
Head Muckraker
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 9,221
At least one!
Seriously, though, the 81-83 NA 5 speed is plenty strong for just about anything under 250 hp. Obviously, burnouts and drag launches will dramatically reduce the life expectancy of any tranny, but the stock tranny should be good to go.
The non-world class T5 that came in these cars is not all it's cracked up to be either. The shorter 1st gear with a 3.9 rear can definitely help acceleration, but the tranny itself is only rated for about 220 ft/lbs of torque anyway.
If you want to spend $2500+ on your tranny, you can get a T5 upgraded up to about 600/700 ft/lbs of torque.
Seriously, though, the 81-83 NA 5 speed is plenty strong for just about anything under 250 hp. Obviously, burnouts and drag launches will dramatically reduce the life expectancy of any tranny, but the stock tranny should be good to go.
The non-world class T5 that came in these cars is not all it's cracked up to be either. The shorter 1st gear with a 3.9 rear can definitely help acceleration, but the tranny itself is only rated for about 220 ft/lbs of torque anyway.
If you want to spend $2500+ on your tranny, you can get a T5 upgraded up to about 600/700 ft/lbs of torque.
Last edited by lww; 11-02-2005 at 11:25 AM.
11-02-2005, 02:27 PM
#10
Originally Posted by 007max
i'm interested in changing the gearing in the rear end to aid highway cruiseing, does anyone make taller gears for our cars?
EDIT... sorry... I guess your question was "Who makes them?" I think there was a set of 411's on ebay for the R200 not more than a week or 2 ago.
11-02-2005, 02:40 PM
#12
Originally Posted by 007max
i guess i had it backwards with the tall/short thing. i'll put it this way, what i'm looking for is to lower RPMs at highway speed
hmmm, maybe its just time for a 6spd swap
hmmm, maybe its just time for a 6spd swap
this was it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DATSU...spagenameZWDVW
man... if ya gunna go 6 speed... do a corvette LS1 swap!
I'm not sure if I said the "tall/short" gears right either.
11-03-2005, 11:36 AM
#13
The Evil Twin
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 9,294
Originally Posted by 007max
i'm interested in changing the gearing in the rear end to aid highway cruiseing, does anyone make taller gears for our cars?
You want the 1981-83 non-turbo 5-speed matched with a 3.54 R200 rear diff.
That should be good enough. Don't run undersize tires. Stock size is 205/60/15 keep it the same outside diameter.
11-03-2005, 01:44 PM
#16
The Evil Twin
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 9,294
Originally Posted by 007max
my car is a 1980 5spd coupe, and trust me the tires are not undersized 
Either a turbo 280ZX or a 1975-78 280Z rearend will be an R200 3.54
11-03-2005, 02:53 PM
#17
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Gering Nebraska
Posts: 513
Originally Posted by FubarI33t
what kind of 280 you got,
What Year?
What Sub Model? (non-turbo, turbo, 2+0- 2 seater, 2+2- With a back seat)
Auto, Or 5 Speed?
What Year?
What Sub Model? (non-turbo, turbo, 2+0- 2 seater, 2+2- With a back seat)
Auto, Or 5 Speed?
11-03-2005, 11:25 PM
#18
Head Muckraker
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 9,221
Originally Posted by Bleach
Unfortunatly you have the 3.7 rear and the 5-speed with the odd 5th gear. You need to swap both the tranny and rearend to get the best highway low rpms.
Either a turbo 280ZX or a 1975-78 280Z rearend will be an R200 3.54
Either a turbo 280ZX or a 1975-78 280Z rearend will be an R200 3.54
You were right about the tranny though. 0.773:1 5th gear vs. 0.745:1 that came in the 81-83 NA.
You can identify the diff (R180 vs. R200) by looking at the diff and seeing if the rear axels are different sizes. If you still have trouble, snap a digital pic and post it.
Since you already have an R180, you can just run out and find a diff from one of the following cars:
240Z 70-73 MT (3.364) (R180)
260Z 74 MT (3.364) (R180)
280ZX 79 MT,4 Spd,2 Seater (3.364) (R180)
280ZX 79 MT,5 Spd,2 Seater (3.364) (R180)
This would be a straight swap.
While you're in the junk yard looking for the rear end, you can pick up a 5 speed from an 81-83 280ZX non-turbo. This will give you the 0.745:1 5th gear which combined with the 3.364:1 diff, will give you the tallest final drive ratio
And tallest ratio = lowest # : 1 ie. 3:1 is taller than 4:1.
Cheers,
LWW
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