s15 6 speed transmission

[transient]

I know they're known to break, but i'm hearing that mostly from a drag racing pov. What about autocrossing etc? If they really are all that bad, are there any aftermarket 6's to get? I'm not looking at doing this anytime soon, but I'd like to know what's out there, etc.

[White240sx]

The 6 only “breaks” when it is abused, pretty much like anything. As long as you aren't drifting with 300ps+; the 6-speed would be fine, especially for things like autocross and road racing. Buuuuut.….;) the only way it will go in is if you have the S15 SR attached to it.:) You also need the drive shaft and rear diff (which is where the speed sensor is). I believe many of the 6-speed "upgrades" designed for the SR 5-speed are said to work in a KA tranny, although finding a set that doesn't cost 3-months salary would be a challenge.;)

[mistert]

i ihear you'll be fine, as long as you dont plan on giving it 400+ hp, or ripping corners a neaw one, driving like a madman, popping the clutch and spinning the tires all the way.

as far as having problems mating them up, I havent heard anything about that...speak to SR20parts.com, i think they have a couple for sale.

(Edited by mistert at 11:50 pm on Nov. 30, 2001)

[jay]

Yeah if I am not mistaken the S15 trans on sr20parts.com is about $2K. You would be way better off putting that money towards a swap.

[Zexel]

they have a lower gear ratio (you must shift like almost every trilisecond it seems)  you rarely even get into 6th gear, my friend has a TA Ram Air, 6 speed, he's had it for a while and told me that he's hit 6th once out of like the 3 or 4 months he's had it.  and he was serious.  he hates having to shift every second or so, and it seems like every second, and he never abuses it.  just drives it like he should and it has so low of a gear ratio that it keeps him shifting up until about 4th, he barely even goes to 5th either.  we got onto the highway, and he put it in 5th just for the fact that the rpm's were up to 3500 or something like that.  so I mean, it's nothing really to brag about that you have a 6-speed, but if you want to get one, all power to ya!  it would be one of a kind, that's for sure.

[whateverjames]

it would be even more insane shifting by not only having the 6 speed, but a 4.08 rear end. isn't the S15 rear end like a 3.45, or would the S15 differential come with the 6 speed.

[transient]

Alright. Looks like i'll stick to a 5-speed then. Thanx for the info. What about aftermarket 5's? Any that shift more smoothly or anything?

[Zexel]

never really looked into aftermarket 5's.  I'll check out some sites and post back to tell you what I find.  yeah, it gets on my friends nerves that he has to shift so soon all the time.  

[240S15DETE6K]

Tell your friend he's missing the point!  I had a stock car with a 6-speed and the owners manual said that the recommended shift pattern is 1 - 3 - 5 and 6 if needed.  The point is, you don't have to row thru every gear, but the ratio is there when you need it.  

[KoukiS14]

True. . I don't go through every gear even with my 5 spd. .. . sometimes I go from 1st to 3rd. . and 3rd to 5th hehe

-Rob