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Very interested in experimenting with this idea. Vehicle runs s2 6 port, s2 trans, lwfw/oe clutch, 5.12 R&P on 255/35/18. I conclude that 1st and 6th gear are completely useless track or street and is not a very good combo imo.
Quick thought would be to source a jdm 5spd and pair it with the 5.3. I imagine 1st will probably still be useless except for stop signs and red lights on the street.
Constructive thoughts and comments are very welcome. If anyone has or knows where to source a used jdm 5 speed, feel free to contact me or forward the information.
if you're looking for max acceleration, the 6 speed is still faster since 5th is 1.0 ratio vs 0.806 on the 5 speed. if you not trying to be competitive with lap times, then it doesn't matter.
idk, with a 5.3 r&p it might be pretty good, let me look at that and get back to you. Motorsports told me many years ago a lot of the RX8 track racers were using it instead of the 6 spd for reliability
my friend is building his rx8 for endurance racing (9 hour race each day), and will be using the 5 speed with 5.1 diff. that setup will suit him well for reliability and less shifting throughout the race.
I've daily driven my 5 speed quite a bit now paired to the S1 4.44 diff. The rpm drops are not as drastic in the 5speed especially in the lower end 1st/2nd. However it does seem to not pull as hard with the longer gears across the board which may be due to still being paired with the 4.44 diff. 1st would still be only used from stop. My 5speed doesn't downshift to 1st until the car is under ~8mph, going to rebuild it at some point.
I imagine pairing with a S2 diff or 5.X would work wonders.
the 2-3 shift and 5-6 shift on the S2 are pretty fubar, pretty sure you can get the MX5 1.65 3rd gear to fix that, but not sure about the 6th gear, might know a shop that can offer it though
Greatly appreciate all the input so far guys and special thanks to Team for compiling / sharing his charts.
The jdm 5spd paired with 5.8 r&p looks very promising imo and I'm also very interested in the Mx-5 3rd gear swap for s2 6spd. Sourced from the 10th AE correct?
I'm interested in the shop you mention as well for the service.
I should have added that Team.
it should be clear by now, but ppl still doing the same ol revving 'till 10k rpm youtube.
Please don't do that to your motor.
Take care.