PeterVSays

Hmm, I never thought about the jdm 4.7 final drive... might have to look into that.

But i think i'll get the RM-01a exhaust first before the final drive. I havent been able to drive my car in a while since im overseas.

CW-ITR

iTrader: (11)

You said it. The stock FD and the new sound of the RM-01a will keep you occupy for a long while before you feel the need for the 4.9 fd.

AssPenny

FD (4.9) all the way for best bang for the buck in my opinion. I wish this would have been my first mod. Who cares about driving at 5k at 80mph



Craig - Who drives 3k plus miles every year for expo

v-attack

iTrader: (1)

Final Drive , hands down , no doubt best upgrade , get 4.7 or higher FD installed and enjoy your new vehicle. It really wakes the car up.

As stated above, do mandrel bent exhaust and chose fav muffler later on.

R

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

Gearing always wins. You likely won't even feel a difference from the exhaust.

If it's just an occasional track car go with the MFactory 4.923 FD. If you will be tracking it a lot or just want a really fun setup, go with the MFactory close gear set and MFactory 4.05 FD. For a super fun setup, go with the discontinued (still available currently) MFactory straight cut close gear set. The whine they make is bliss.

The close gear set with 4.05 FD has nearly the same ramp rate as the stock gearing with 4.9 FD but the car will accelerate faster with the close gear set as the engine will be putting down more power after each completed 3/4/5 upshift.

I've built both setups for many different uses so any questions you have let me know.

I'm an MFactory Distributor and their Official North American Installer as well as an ITR Expo Sponsor.

Whoopee Doo Racing built B18C(R) transmission with MFactory 3.07 1st, straight cut 3/4/5 close gear set, 4.05 FD, and helical LSD for your visual enjoyment.


P.S. Install and roundtrip shipping is less through me than it is through the dealer you talked to and you won't have to pay CA taxes.

Black R

^ wood love one of those straight cut gearsets.

Hnnnng!

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

Grab one up before they're sold out. LMK if you want one Ken.

PeterVSays

how much would it cost for shipping, parts and installation?
-close gear w/ 4.05 fd
-close gear w/ 4.928 fd
-just 4.928 fd

coolhandluke

iTrader: (2)

I should probably mention my other ITR has this exact setup above. Its a fun setup, much preferred over my JDM ITR + 4.9FD setup in my 97'.

AssPenny

How is it on long drives? Do you need ear plugs or is it pretty reasonable at 80mph?

Craig - Who is always interested in super fun upgrades

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

That is your trans Ryan.

Here is it Craig. 1.028 5th, 4.05 FD, 205/50/15's. I had no problem with it on the drive to MO (Missouri, not Mid-Ohio). When you're cruising it barely takes any throttle to keep it moving so the noise isn't bad at all. Easy to have a conversation over. Once you give it throttle the noise increases.

coolhandluke

iTrader: (2)

Anything above 4500RPM is loud engine noise wise IMO, but it isn't terrible. The straight cut gears whine similar to a supercharger though. It's fun everytime when you shift into third. That does add overall noise on the interstate though.


Oh that's definitely my car there.

donut.

Why not go to buttonwillow and thunderhill with what you have before making a decision.

A 4.7 is better suited for those tracks on a 1.8L.

HYREV2NR

I worry more about over working an A/C compressor than spinning high revs on the HWY.

coolhandluke

iTrader: (2)

Good point, the application(s) should really dictate your selection versus a generalized approach.

KraZyCHOWMEIN

I have the Mfactory 4.9 and love it. I had the JDM final drive on my GSR and it was by far the best mod I did. Not regretting getting the 4.9 for the R.

I take the compromise with the track applications since track days are new to me and it's not a simple swap.

white rocket

If you are considering HPDE's and Auto-X's I would suggest starting as stock as possible and adjust as you feel needed. Just my $0.02.

Labour costs and "while you're in there" options should be considered for any trans work. Bolting up an exhaust is far easier than pulling and building a transmission. Having said that, gearing is probably the best bang for buck in terms of noticeable gains(clearly based on this thread so far ). Even with a full 2.5in quality header-back system I don't think you would touch the low end power you gain with gearing and FD changes. Bolting a nice catback to the stock 2.25in cat and header isn't really going to do anything but sound cool so you really need to think in terms of the header, cat, exhaust as a singular unit. A high quality set-up will run $2k and perform well but 15whp isn't much in the grand scheme. "How much does $2k buy you in trans work?" should be considered.

The trans work will help the car in low rpms and help keep the engine rpms where they need to be during a driving event and it really wakes the car up IMO. That quick wind up helps combat the weak torque factor these high revving motors suffer from. The revs belong up there, let's help get them there:- is kind of how I look at it. The con is the high rpms during highway cruising.

Having said all of that, it really comes down to the desired usage of the car and what future mods are planned. Stock is good

A D NOH

Get a 4.9 FD and an LS 5th gear.

Look at the last few pages of the original 4.9 FD thread and you can see some calculations I did to show RPMs saved over various miles driven with the LS 5th.

Freeway speeds with LS 5th and stock FD are very similar.

Have fun shifting to third in an intersection like a semi truck, haha

I like my R

iTrader: (2)

Does the 4.9 MFactory FD whine at all or is it quiet like stock?

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

It has a small whine.

I do not recommend the LS 5th. RPM drops too much when upshifting into 5th and jumps too much when downshifting into 4th. You'll also get better fuel economy with the stock 5th.

A D NOH

Could you explain how you get will get better fuel economy with the stock 5th?


Daily driving, the upshift to fifth from fourth is no issue. 5th to 4th on a track would be something that you'd need to get used to though.

HYREV2NR

Even though you're turning higher RPM's there is less throttle angle therefor the injector duty cycle is lower.

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

^Beat me to it.