I don't believe when people in this forum just brush off comments like "can go 3 races between rebuilds"... i some just don't understand how much abuse a car goes through and how often things are rebuilt. Your looking at well over a 1,000 abusive high rpm shifts without a problem.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the RX-8 6-speed directly out of the MX-5 Miata? This isn't known to be the most stout of transmissions.

I can definitely tell the difference from my 3rd gen's 5 speed, which seemed indestructable.

In reality, racing does take a major toll on the gearbox. When I was crewing for Pettit Racing at Daytona (I also worked at their Sebring races), they would bring 2 spare transmissions as they would always loose 5th gear from long, hard running at high speeds on the banking, where fluids tend to pool in the wrong places. They had trannie swaps down to 20 minutes.

And these were the exact same transmissions that their customers would run in their cars... stock with a close ratio fifth. In fact, one race they burned out thier 3rd trannie and came looking for me to "borrow" mine.

My long-term plan is to drop a 3-rotor 20B in the car in a few years. Renesis, if anyone has successfully built one, 13B if they haven't. Lightly supercharged to 400-450 hp (roots at 4 psi or that new axial SC that is being discussed on a VERY long thread elsewhere). In any case, I will definitely be running a 3rd gen 5 speed (close ratio fifth) with this setup to handle the torque.

 

Which of those Honda/Acura trannys were 6 speeds?

 

Is there a short shifter kit for the RX-8? That's one thing I dislike about the gears in the car very long throws compared to my last car (WRX with Sti short shifter)

 

um what car are you driving? we have a short throw shifter

but since you asked there is a MazdaSpeed kit that takes off a little length and another guy in australia is custom fabricated another really short shifter for cheap

I've been in the STI and the shifter seemed higher...hmm lets get IKEwrx in on this conversation

 

In my last car it's really just flicking your wrist slightly to move from one gear to another. In the car it feels like I'm rowing with my arm.

What car am I driving? RX-8 6 speed duh :p

I wasn't referring to a stock STi either

 

Does anyone else find that they race with the stock brakes pretty amazing? To drive as hard as they do lap after lap and not experience any fade with stock brakes is a feat! I guess I won't have to worry about my brakes when I'm hauling in the canyons.

 

Yes, they do use the stock calipers but they also change the pads, fluid, and lines to put up with the abuse at the track.

 

On my prelude I would rev match all day. Almost never used the clutch. You actually get really use to it. I NEVER had 1 issue with my prelude tranny. I would drag it, autoX it everything. The motor was nowhere near stock and the tranny took a lot of abuse, but nothing ever failed on it. I put close to 60k on the lude also. Rev matchin on a solid tranny (such as hondas) does no harm.

 

I believe the process of shifting without using the clutch is called floating.
My parents were both truck drivers, my dad did it all of the time.

 

I clutchless shift alot. Its easy on my Explorer, and its pretty easy on the 8, although the shifts are much more abrupt and direct. But for some reason 5th refuses to upshift without the clutch. I dont do this much anymore, but may sneak in a lazy upshift on the 8 every so often. It does take a tamed foot to get the transmission out of gear with the throttle.

I enjoy the tranny otherwise. I am going to try some RL or maybe some 50/50 when I put it up this winter for good.

 

The suprainvasion comes to Las Vegas Nevada every year sometime around Oct/Nov. I lost count of how many transmissions that went boom!!! and I still wont a Supra LOL!

 

How many Supra transmissions get abused on the street? Damn near all of them!

 

How does getting a car to 60k mean it has a durable transmission? 600k sure...but 60k? come on, thats still a really young car!