longlivekel1

Hey guys.
I am not a master honda dude but have the engine in my classic mini.
Is it possible to swap just the VX final Gear into my EX tranny.
I have the final drive 4.250 and was lookin at the 3.250 out of the VX tranny.
I know you have to use both the final gear and its mate but am curious if those 2 gears themselves can swap out easily.

Thanks!

Kel

virgineg6

Ive heard of people doing this on b series trannys, so im sure its possible.

owneyboy

iTrader: (1)

yes you would need to get a ex counter shaft. press in the ex ring gear onto your diff and it would work. but in all honesty i would just find a EX trans for the hassle and work.

94EG8

To swap the VX final drive you need the ring gear and countershaft from a VX as well as 2nd gear. IIRC you'll also need to shim the mainshaft. I'm not sure exactly what you're going for, but if it's mileage it's not going to make enough of a difference to bother with. If you really want to go through with it though PM me, I've got a VX final drive and second gear here I'd sell cheap.

owneyboy

iTrader: (1)

oops i thought it was a vx final drive into an ex sorry for given u backwards info. as far as usage of vx 2 and maching it to fit i never heard of that but i never messed with the vx PM mistabone. or look for aquafina

longlivekel1

Im lookin to get better HWY Rpm.

I have a spare ex tranny right now. Just curious if it is an easy direct swap.(the final shaft and gear.

fleabag

I would just sell the EX transmission then buy an HX transmission and swap in the VX final drive. The HX transmission is a "B" transmission just like the EX transmission so it's built better though it's worth less than the EX transmission. EX transmissions are worth more than a VX or an HX transmission which is why I think you should just sell it and not do a final drive swap in the EX transmission.

longlivekel1

I didn't think the B series mated up to the d series engines.

94EG8

They don't. You said you had an EX tranny though, it being the lowest geared D-series tranny available.

longlivekel1

Okay,
Fleabag said hx is a "b" transmission.. As in durability equivalency.
Gotchya.

So the HX tranny has the 3.25 final diff but not junk made like the VX?

longlivekel1

Ok. the HX has a 3.85 final diff.

fleabag

No, the HX has a final drive of 3.77. Also the Civic CX/DX 1996-2000 Hatchbacks also have a final drive of 3.77.

longlivekel1

Ok. Well the Vx is 3.25

94EG8

The "B" refers to identifier on the case. EX/Si/HX have a B000 stamp near the passenger's side axle hole, it refers to a big bearing case (larger diff bearings and a larger countershaft bearing on the bellhousing side as well as a needle bearing on the other end) CX/DX/VX/LX have an A000 stamp.

longlivekel1

O ok gotchya.
Completely forgot about those model numbers.
Thanks for the clarification.

kzelisko

I've actually done exactly this. I took a del sol si trans off of a d16z6, put my vx counter shaft, 5th gear, and final drive in(just the gear not the whole final drive diff assembly), and used 1st-4th from the del sol. Works just fine. Much better gear spread too, though you can't really use 2nd to pass on the highway anymore, it's a whole lot better around town.

longlivekel1

Awesome. Your insight helps a lot with this post. How is your HWY rpms? (60,65,70,75mph) Do you get still get a lot of get go when you drop it into 4th to do an aggressive pass? Did it affect your performance for gears 2-4?
Did it help your mpg at all?

Thanks!
Kel

kzelisko

Im doing just over 2000 rpms at 60 and just under 2400 at 70. As for passing power, I actually have a vx so it didn't really come with any of that The way i have my trans setup vs stock 2nd 3rd and 4th are all slightly shorter(higher rpms or more power available) than the stock vx gearing it came with, so i can't offer much insight on the ex final drive to vx driveability impressions. My 1st and fifth gears are exactly the same as vx stock. I can say that 4th most likely will not afford you much passing power, but you will be able to use third to well over 100 mph, dependent on what your redline is. All in all I'm pretty satisfied with my upgrade, the shorter 2nd and third help alot vs. the stock vx stuff, but the overall gearing is still quite tall compared to most other 4 cylinder out there.

longlivekel1

Okay,
I thought you had a d16z6, but just realized you have a vtec-e and just got a d16z6 tranny for it.
I will need to drive my mini some more to get some sort of final verdict. Unfortunately its in the mid 90s and it sux to drive in that heat.
BLAH...
Here is a couple pix of my mini.

kzelisko

There are other more moderate choices out there besides the vx final drive. Your z6 would have a 4.25 final drive, so you could go with a d15b7 final drive which is 4.058, and that would drop you ~150 rpm lower at 70mph. You could also go with an hx final drive, which is 3.722, and that would put you about 400 rpm lower at 70 mph. In comparison, the vx's 3.25's put you down about 800 rpms lower at 70 from stock. Since I imagine you are driving this car to have fun, I would probably avoid the 3.25's. If you want to lower you cruising rpm noticably i would personally go with the 3.722 final drive, as it's still short enough gearing to have good acceleration with careful gear selection. Also worth noting, if your trans came from a civic si or del sol si, the fifth gear on those cars was .75 instead of .702 like in all the other cars, so that would increase your cruising rpm.

longlivekel1

I have done a little more research.
Here is a chart based on the EX gears 1-4 and final drive swapped and what RPM/MPH will be while rolling on my 13x6 wheels

fleabag

But the issue with this swap is that you don't know if you have enough torque to run at low RPMs due to the valve lift and timing not being designed with this sort of gearing in mind. I've read of people who used a VX transmission with a non VX like valve head and they said that when they completed their VX swap, the car became much more drivable. But that's with a hypermiler in mind, the same might turn out to be unbearable for you.

longlivekel1

that is exactly what i fear

fleabag

Well I'm sort of in the same boat as you and the only thing I can suggest is get a VX transmission, try it out, if it doesn't work, then go with the HX or CX/DX Hatchback transmission with its 3.777 final drive since those hatchbacks come with the Y7 engine. The D16Y8 engine in non-vtec mode has a cam profile similar to that of a Y7, FYI.