Potential final drive change? Manual owners look here!!

[Nick Mann]

I have been wanting to change my final drive ratio for a while now - my feeling is that the gearing in the manual VR4 is too low. My van and Vickys Mazda 3 both have much longer gearing with much less power and torque!

For anyone that hasn't noticed, my original thread is here:
http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?58746

That thread has arrived at a point where a 3.615 ratio is available delivered for US$750. I want one! The bad news for me is that nine more people also need to want one before I can get mine!

There are a few people already interested, so numbers already stand at between 2 and 5.

The supplying company is:
http://www.teammfactory.com/

Who I found through a thread where they were advertising final drive options on the MLR:
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=458849

Please reply here if you are interested, and please say if you are like me and gagging for one, or if you are scratching your head not sure, or something in between.

Cheers!

Nick.


List of people who definitely want one:

1. Nick Mann
2. Kenneth
3. scott.mohekey



List of people considering:

1. SEAN-NZ
2. Roy (OZVR4) - definite for mid 2014

[Kenneth]

Put me down as definite

[scott.mohekey]

I would be a definite too, depending on time frame.

[c0xxy]

i'm gonna go with a no atm. swapping to a galant is the next thing on my to do

[Nick Mann]

Cheers for the updates guys!

[Colin Wiltshire]

I would, but having just bought a house, I have no more money:(

[SEAN-NZ]

what rpm would we expect at 100k in 5th? anythings gotta be better than what i was sitting at on the way home from out of town, can we actually expect a fuel saving?

[Nick Mann]

It depends a little bit on your tyre size, but it is a little bit more than 10 percent less than you have now. So if you are at 3000 rpm now then it will be 2640 rpm with this final drive. Basically divide your current rpm by 4.11 then multiply by 3.615.
As to fuel saving, I have not got a clue. I am hoping for a little bit but I am not doing this expecting it. I would imagine how your car is tuned at the rpms you most often use before and after the change would make the biggest difference. Taking the 3000 rpm example, if your car runs very rich at 3000 but slightly lean at 2500 then you should get a good fuel saving! ultimately the gear is higher, so the power at the wheels is lower. So transmission losses may higher but the engine will be revving lower. Are you going to drive lazily and not change down a gear or are you going to accelerate only on the right part of the torque curve? I think speculating on the fuel consumption after the final drive change is tricky.

[SEAN-NZ]

didnt think about working it out that way, im pretty lazy, but that may change, idea on the time frame on this? a lot of money to part with haha

[Nick Mann]

The time frame is how long it takes to get ten people interested.....

I very much doubt we'll have ten people signed up before Christmas.

[SEAN-NZ]

nice and long then, i guess no ones knows of anyone to do this to a vr4?

[Nick Mann]

I've seen a Japanese car with a tre final drive but being Japanese the details are sketchy.