Love to see him stay all Miata power, but I bet it will break too. At his power level - he needs to go with the T56 IMO - better gearing - higher top speed with the 3.9 diff.
My stock FD3s trans/diff held 423 whp and 497 ft lbs over a year and even on the drag strip with heavy ass 275 street tires/kazera rims no problem...lasted longer than the motor.
Gingium Are they hard to find? I have a 2006 Mazda mx5 w 2.5L swap, 1000cc injectors, and turbo around 385whp w ACT clutch rated for 340whp. My trans is stock 2009 6speed.
Agreed. He makes a great teacher . Very to the point and also entertaining . Best rounded miata content without knowing a old school guru personally , or spending years on the message boards. Mileage will vary on mb , some platforms have more opinions than actual info . I’ve noticed there is almost too much info on the miata out there
If you think the T-5 shifts bad, stay away from a T-56. I have a car that had a T-5 (now TKO-600), and another one with a Viper spec T-56. The T-5 is better then both of them as far as shift quality is concerned. I like the Getrag 260 as it shifts pretty smoothly, not as good as the Miata 5-speed though (IMO). The RX7 trans swap seems to be the most logical option assuming you can get one reasonably.
I freaking LOVE videos like this. Not a Miata guy but I love learning everything I can about potential builds and detailed videos mixing facts and opinions are awesome to me! Keep it up!
You are definitely one of the most look forward to UA-camrs on my entire list wish you had more videos on the regular but the quality is great so keep up the good work
And.. The Aisin5 and Getrag 5L40E. . Rear wheel and can handle ~500 lb/ ft ~$700-$1500... Cadillac (GM)..and BMW transmissions... from mid 2000's...3.73 & 3.91 final drives Nice work BIG G....👍
Greg!! I just started watching your videos. I just got my own 90’ completely stock miata!! So stoked to get wrenching on it. But honestly you should go turbo2 trans just for the $$ savings and the street cred of having an rx7 trans. YOUR VIDEOS ARE SUPER HELPFUL!!!
Finally a topic I've been wondering about since the beginning of the EFR journey. Hope it works out good with TII gear ratios as that would be my choice to go with.
I think the CD09 is worth checking out, they're known to be cheap, reliable and easy to source. I know Taylor Ray is doing an LS swap in his miata and opted for a CD09 to back his LS up so it should be able to handle your engine as well. If you do end up going with a CD09 I'm sure you could collaborate with Taylor to see how he's going about mounting it and all that. Keep up the great content Greg!!
Good video thanks. Have just gone for the K-Miata and the ZF 5 speed with 3.63 Torsen. Power around 320 hp atw for the time being, have water/meth coming so looking to be around 400 atw over the next year.
I have an E30 with an M50 swap and the G260 transmission. I absolutely love it. I have the AKG short shifter and it's so nice. It's got a satisfying click to it and almost zero throw. My goal for my miata is to do a j swap and if I can get a G260 behind it I'd do it in a heartbeat.
That pronunciation of 'Getrag' was perfect Greg! I'm not German but I live in the country next to them (The Netherlands) and I speak a bit of German so I can tell you that you did a good job! Anyway, I really hope you for the GT60! It's a bit more expensive but the availability in the EU is pretty good so yeah.. please go that route! Good luck with the project man!
I run a ford C4 automatic (rated to hold 1,000 hp with lifetime warranty) and a ford 8.8 IRS. The trans fits with no mods to the tunnel, weighs 100lbs, but I had to make a bellhousing, have a converter made, custom driveshaft and crossmember. Bought a sequential shifter for it. The diff I did my own setup, it has a tru-trac LSD (torsen that can take 1000hp) and 3.55 gears, drive shaft shop 900hp rated axles. You would like the diff swap I did, but probably not like the auto. I run 35psi on a EFR 7670, about 500whp, a couple 0-60 and launch videos are on my channel.
From the introduction of the chapetr n°12 of "Mazda Miata Performance Handbook" wrote by Norman Garret (Miata NA engineer) I read: "Downstream of engine, Mazda made the Miata pretty stout. The transmission came from the second-generation RX-7 family, a larger and more powerful car. The rear differential has it roots in the RX-7 and 929 sedan parts bin, so it has sufficient strength for anything short of V-8 engined car. There are a few components worth improving once you've made the engine stronger, however." I think there should be a bit less truble in RX-7 Turbo transmission swap. You will decide by your own. Never thanked to you in these years, I want to do that now because you inspired me to buy my own Miata and work on it. So i started my project Truble'N'Truble. I' m having so much fun down on the track. So THANK YOU GREG!
Nice video Greg, as always ! I am not sure exactly what is being broken on the miata 6 speeds but if it is gear (and not the casing) you should be able to make it a bit more proof by doing some tweaks that are very well known in motorsport world - deburring, polishing - with all those you removing stresss risers - scothbright wheel is a great tool to use (you can probably aply this also for the casing if the casing cracks) then you can use cryogenic threatment (it cost about 100-150bucks, depending where you live) and then you should also shot peen the gears- shot peening is very very effective way to increase strenght of any part (even your rods are most likely shot peened) so it is not too rare to see up to 80-100% increasement in pressure at which gear fails using. I believe that all those modifications with nice shock proof oil can make 6speed usable for up to 400tq any day, IF the problem is gears itself. Actually, I think there is some pretty cool article about bulletproofing the transmission on motoIQ, so check that one. obviously your unsprung clutch disc does not help the trans too :-)
It looks as if most people are going for the TII trans. Being a former FC owner I'm going to say RX7 trans as well, I went from an FC RX7 to a NA MX-5 1.6. Like the people said keep it mazda and keep up the good work
Thank you for the class, proffessor Craig :D betwen those two, i think i would go by the feel of the shifting action, as i would like to keep the crispness of Miata trans... Once you try miata with shortshift, you never wanna go to something that feels worse
Just asking, isn't there a company that rebuilds transmissions with better parts so that they hold more power? You could keep the stock drivetrain that way
build transmission is very expensive, if you want it to be made to whitstand 350+ bhp then you're looking idealy at billet gears, but even if they'll just scan and copy the original gears it's gonna be in 3-5000 bucks range
If you weld some aluminum straps were be the right place to put them ? And what HP & TQ would it hold ? I had one rear ended arms brake in half. So on anther one weird 4 aluminum plates 2 on each side with polyurethane bushings & made transmission brace & bushings it a lot solder & handles way better & shifts way better.. So it should help if flex is the problem . The older Subaru wrx had problems with the transmission case & they have some braces to stiffen it .
The T5 and T56 are pretty good options. If you dont like the feel then just get a short through shifter. the after market is huge for these trans. Plus you can find them in almost anything, even my 84 turbo Z31 came with one.
I'm running a 6 speed in my mx5, with 360bhp and 270lb ft of torque. Weekend Road use and drag strip only as it's a second car. It's been going strong for Three years so far, but I had the gearbox stripped and recondition prior to installing it so I knew it was in good Heath. I change the oil in it each 3,000 or 12 months, which ever comes first. Using the redline lightweight shock proof oil which apparent has a higher viscosity rating when warm, along with shock proof molecules or something similar compared to others oils. I'm not mechanically sympathetic when driving, it's used hard and with lots of traffic light GrandPrix! :) But I have tried to limit the low down torque, so it's mapped to come into slow and linear. Only hitting peak boast and flat lining at 4500rpm. I think that is key to save the gear boxes. Massive low down torque and big peaks kill gear boxes. Oh and I also only run 195/50/15 semi slicks to allow a little give/trye slip on launches, in my mind it might ease the pain on the gear boxes. I would love to run a Rx7 or BMW swap, buts its cost and Argo I can't be bothered with right now.
Great video as usual Greg, although I'm getting rid of my mx5 I will keep watching your videos because i want to see how your miata turns out and also just your content is awesome
I think you should go with which ever is easiest for you to source. :) and I'll definitely try to follow the route which you pick. (After i build my engine next year lol) :)) verrry excite to see the video/videos!! Ps. I'm about to take my turbo miata on It's maiden voyage!!! No leaks at idle :) packing a fire extinguisher in the passenger seat. Wish me luck! Haha
Well from the info you provided and since I learn a lot of my miata knowledge from you I’m gonna say stick with the Mazda family and put a turbo II trans in, also nice job on the vid keep up the good work
Since you asked… Getrag was pretty good already (maybe a lil' heavy on the r, but that's *always* hard for Americans), but ZF ("Zahnrad-Fabrik", literally "cog factory") would be pronounced "tsett eff" if you wanted to do that in German, too ;D
Welcome to the CPC I'm your Transmissionologist and would like to talk to you about upcoming transmissions in the forecast! Go with the Turbo ll, keep it cheap.
Would be totally rad if you ran the Getrag! Ive been eye-balling that swap, and it would be so helpful if you had a video or series on it. That would be amazing. K miata might even help you out with it!
This might be a possible choice too. I picked up a Chaser (1JZ) R154 for my 94 supra. 640whp atm, surprisingly holding up lol I thrash it, did a burnout on Hoonigans supra meet, clutch kicks, donuts, you name it. It was $750 at the time, not sure of pricing now. Only problem is you need to adapt the bellhousing. OH! r154 is on 80s turbo supras, you can get them from the junkyard for cheap. Nissan 6 speed 009 I think is about $1,200 from Dealership. They hold ALOT of power. Might be another alternative. Love you channel btw!
I just read somewhere that somebody put the RX7 guts into the Miata trans housing to me that sounds like a really clean conversion although I have not had time to research into it yet
Quaife has a few other options for our miata transmissions: They make stronger gearsets to replace the '94+ 5sp gears (and you get to choose the ratios when you order). ~$2500 for the kit. Rumored to handle anywhere from 350-600 ft/lb. For those who hate money, they sell a couple direct-replacement 6sp sequential transmissions. ~$10,000 for either straight cut or helical gears. Claimed to handle 375hp.
I just blew 3rd gear in my '97 turbo miata... with the 5-speed. Engine dyno'd at 317HP and 284 lbs at 17psi boost. I can confirm... it held for about 3000 miles-ish. But the other day, downshifted to 3rd, got up to full boost and BAM! *crunch crunch crunch* This video is SUPER informative. Now I am trying to find a miata 6-speed and worried that it's not enough either. Thanks for putting this together. If you have any other good ideas on where to actually find this stuff - I would love any info you have.
At 284wtq you should be plenty fine with the 6-speed. But that's definitely enough to explode a 5-speed, hahaha. With the 6-speed just be sure to use a sprung clutch, and try not to "bang" the 3->4 shift all the time as that is a weak point I discovered. Plenty of people run 350-400whp through their 6-speeds, I just think it was a combination of an overly aggressive clutch and a turbo that makes a ton of low end torque that broke mine
I'm at 397whp over 300ftlb with 3.9 rear on a miata 6speed. It's lasted over a year. Before the 6speed swap. I broke two 5speed transmissions back to back.
Greg, take a look at the Aisin AR5! Solstice/Sky/Colorado. Cheap and easy to find in yards. I believe there is a few bellhousing options already for a number of other swaps. 1jz and 2jz cars namely, and of course Ecotec miatas.
Put a 5 speed in your Miata but upgrade the internals to a Quaife setup, not only still Mazda but still Miata and better cruise speed than a 6 speed but better power handling. But, whatever you go with I can't wait for the next video keep up the good work
The thing with the t5 or t56. You'll get what you pay for. The tractor ones are usually 1500 to 2000$ brand new, or pulled from an oem vehicle. If you want, you can spend 3k-7k and you'll get a bulletproof one, that'll shift smooth with whatever gear ratio you want because there's a lot of options.
@TheCarPassionChannel Greg, if you use an MZR engine Quick Time makes a bellhousing for the T5 ($1k) and a single disc clutch rated at 550hp ($1.5k). Of course if you're putting that onto a factory WC T5 with the 300-330hp rating ($1k-ish) you're not looking at much of an improvement, but if you run an upgraded unit, something like the APW A-5 (575hp-600ft/lbs, $2.9k) it makes a little more sense. FWIW they are "Duratec 2.0/2.3" swap parts, but I understand that the blocks and cranks bolt the same. The Mustang shifter location is 3" too short, the Camaro one is 2" short, and then there are others that are even shorter or way too long, so there is that price to pay. But the T5 weighs about 100lbs less than a T56 and doesn't require tunnel bashing to fit, s there's that.
You should get with Collins adapters and come up with a kit for a cd009 (350z trans) swap kit. Pretty sure it does have a proper overdrive plus they're cheap, readily available, and very strong.
I would keep it Mazda! I don't love the idea of deleting the PPF though... isn't that going to negatively affect handling? Love the vids man keep up the fantastic work. Got a 1990 with a handful of tasteful mods including a 1.8JDM swap and Flyin Miata 2.5 suspension. So much fun.
Id love to see you tackle something ive been throwing around the idea of for a while, a m5odr2 swap. not swapping in the whole trans but putting the miata bellhousing and tail section on a m5odr2 center section. these are the heavier duty version of the same trans that is in the miata, they can hold plenty of torque based on the fact that its the trans found in the 97+ f150's. stock torque levels on the most powerfull engine was 325ft-lbs in the 5.4 and that was with a towing capacity of 2500lbs on top of the 4200lb truck no clue what the torque limit would be on a 2500lb car but i would have to guess 450+ if not more. the shifter actually feels a lot like a miata once you shorten the shifter to non truck length.
I would love to see the Turbo II trans swap. No one has done a video as far as i know. I think it might be cheaper as well over the kswap options after all said and done. You spent enough money just get that thing turned up for as little money as possible now.
I wanna say go for the Getrag just to hear you have to say it as often as possible :P But honestly it sounds like the RX-7 makes more sense. The parts may marry up better due to being Mazda OEM but also the better cruising RPM. Cheaper helps too. Either way, I'm sure you'll make some kickass content to help out future people that may go the same route.
If you check out Matt Farah driving the v8 and spec miata from CJ Wilson Racing, the guy states some swedish company makes bellhousing adapters. I know there's probably a homebound bellhousing specialist in the states, but definitely an option if nothing else is available.
Check out Quaife, they have some interesting options for Miata, including a sequential box! I believe 949 racing has a video on the sequential gearbox. Extra baller!
T-series transmissions fit NB miata’s with a little bit of trimming, not sure about NA’s. Tom’s turbo garage used a T-series trans in his v8 swap. Probably need an adaptor plate but it’s do-able
Whatever you decide to go with, many say the rx7 transmission shifter feel is on par with the miata..... and the miata shifter feel is one of those things that lured me in... i don't think i've ever shifted a fc, just a fd but the fb was great as well.... love clicking through the gears in the miata tho so for that reason I'd say to keep those rx7 trannys in mind but it's of course possibly a tradeoff to having something bulletproof.... it's great to have top end/low rpms on the highway but someone i work with who put a v8 in their miata had the front wheels start coming off the ground at ~135 mph.... said it scared the shit out of him... that being said it's my personal opinion if you maintain balance/add a splitter to the front, you'll stay planted but something to watch out for he drove it with a carbureted ford v8 with a ford rear end, had a couple of times where it just snapped out on him, was blistering a camero one day, then he hit a wet patch in the road or something (100+) and before he could do anything it just snapped around and he was spinning in circles into a field(luckily instead of a tree) He also said on another occasion driving in the snow/ice he was idling in 3rd/4th gear going about 25 mph with his foot off the throttle and the back end snapped out on him, and he ended up on the side of the road beached on the crest of the ditch.... a couple of cops came over and lifted it up enough to get him going after asking him about his speed/saying nobody should be on the road and stuff
One of the reasons that the TII hasn't been used historically in Miatas is the improper gearing. The places where you need to shift on the TII do not correspond to where the BP motor makes it's power. I am pretty sure in the the Miataturbo.com transmission thread there was talk about how changing between a TII and a 6-speed was worth several seconds around a race course. I will see if I can find the post for you.
you didnt strip the gears in the 6 speed.. your 4th gear started coming apart if i remember correctly.. why not take that 4th gear have is pressed together and welded then machined back to spec side and throw the tranns back in.. again.. you didnt strip the gears so i think it could handle the power if its not coming apart and making it impassible to shift. im sure it would cost a hella lot less then a hole trans swap! pluS!! you keep that miata feeling trans in the car! great work keep it up! we all want more content!
I haven't looked into it much, but I hear the 350z/370z trans swap is factory overbuilt for like 600bhp factory. There is a complete swap available I believe.
I personally would go with a T56. Completely different than T5s (which arent even that reliable). But the bell housing issue is a big one, so I think that the Turbo 2 trans is probably the best out of the two.
i have heard of cd009's being used for swaps in miatas with alot of success, not sure how well they fit with the stock powerplant though. Plus you can get them used for real cheap or even brand new from nissan for under 2 grand.
I came here looking for transmissions that could handle a turbo J32 if I swap into the Miata and eventually turbocharge. Learned that stock trans won’t hold enough power on my budget build and may have to resort back to the LFX swap.
Turbo II transmission! Yes!!!! FC POWER!!!!
Love to see him stay all Miata power, but I bet it will break too. At his power level - he needs to go with the T56 IMO - better gearing - higher top speed with the 3.9 diff.
Gingium
I guess you have it right there!! If you couldn’t get that turbo engine swapped on your FC, you can use its tranny in your NA.
My stock FD3s trans/diff held 423 whp and 497 ft lbs over a year and even on the drag strip with heavy ass 275 street tires/kazera rims no problem...lasted longer than the motor.
Gingium Are they hard to find? I have a 2006 Mazda mx5 w 2.5L swap, 1000cc injectors, and turbo around 385whp w ACT clutch rated for 340whp. My trans is stock 2009 6speed.
Idk about you but in California the zf trans the 6 speed is so common like 700 dollars so you know which one I’m copying
Life: Hey come live me
Me: Shut up there's a CarPassion video
Addison Zeck watching CarPassion is living life to the fullest
Car Passion videos are life!
Greg Peters. Why do you not have as many subscribers as there are Miatas in this world
He has at least one more. I am not really intrested by Miatas, but this content is awsome.
I drive Audi A4 and i still watch his videos because thy are good :D
Agreed. He makes a great teacher . Very to the point and also entertaining . Best rounded miata content without knowing a old school guru personally , or spending years on the message boards. Mileage will vary on mb , some platforms have more opinions than actual info . I’ve noticed there is almost too much info on the miata out there
Your channel is so underrated man, I love this!
AfroMyrdal not underrrated, it's the start of something big ;D
Turbo 2 trans and diff squad!!!! KEEP IT MAZDA 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
+1
WOOOOO
@mrmattman when you do a turbo II swap can you retain the stock na speedo gear and reverse switch?
If you think the T-5 shifts bad, stay away from a T-56. I have a car that had a T-5 (now TKO-600), and another one with a Viper spec T-56. The T-5 is better then both of them as far as shift quality is concerned. I like the Getrag 260 as it shifts pretty smoothly, not as good as the Miata 5-speed though (IMO). The RX7 trans swap seems to be the most logical option assuming you can get one reasonably.
of course RX7, to stay loyal to Mazda.
Nebbia affaraccimiei agreed!!
Agreeed
Thirded
Fourthit
fifted
I freaking LOVE videos like this. Not a Miata guy but I love learning everything I can about potential builds and detailed videos mixing facts and opinions are awesome to me! Keep it up!
You look much happier now idk why...love yah my dude
Nice to see you are getting it sorted, and have not lost the will to live.
You are definitely one of the most look forward to UA-camrs on my entire list wish you had more videos on the regular but the quality is great so keep up the good work
1) can you do the same thing for diffs?
2) youre my miata king. ❤
And.. The Aisin5 and Getrag 5L40E. . Rear wheel and can handle ~500 lb/ ft
~$700-$1500... Cadillac (GM)..and BMW transmissions... from mid 2000's...3.73 & 3.91 final drives
Nice work BIG G....👍
Greg!! I just started watching your videos. I just got my own 90’ completely stock miata!! So stoked to get wrenching on it. But honestly you should go turbo2 trans just for the $$ savings and the street cred of having an rx7 trans. YOUR VIDEOS ARE SUPER HELPFUL!!!
No actual car work in the video and still one of my favorites keep it up love the channel
Ive been waiting for this video! Thanks for staying consistent Greg!
Finally a topic I've been wondering about since the beginning of the EFR journey. Hope it works out good with TII gear ratios as that would be my choice to go with.
Greg always comes up with the goods which is very useful for myself and all of us 👊🏻👌🏻👌🏻
I think the CD09 is worth checking out, they're known to be cheap, reliable and easy to source. I know Taylor Ray is doing an LS swap in his miata and opted for a CD09 to back his LS up so it should be able to handle your engine as well. If you do end up going with a CD09 I'm sure you could collaborate with Taylor to see how he's going about mounting it and all that. Keep up the great content Greg!!
Thanks again to another good upload Greg. I'm liking that RX7 trans the most.
I cant suck up all this miata info fast enough. Best car channel on youtube!
Greg! You need to get some merch so we can really show our love and support for all the hard work you've put in for our entertainment/builds!
Good video thanks. Have just gone for the K-Miata and the ZF 5 speed with 3.63 Torsen. Power around 320 hp atw for the time being, have water/meth coming so looking to be around 400 atw over the next year.
Still binging your chanel, love the content man!!!
Craig Jeeter, the Six Speeder Eater
Been anticipating this video! I was optimistically hoping you might go with a quaife
finishing my build up greg thanks for all the help
I have an E30 with an M50 swap and the G260 transmission. I absolutely love it. I have the AKG short shifter and it's so nice. It's got a satisfying click to it and almost zero throw. My goal for my miata is to do a j swap and if I can get a G260 behind it I'd do it in a heartbeat.
That pronunciation of 'Getrag' was perfect Greg! I'm not German but I live in the country next to them (The Netherlands) and I speak a bit of German so I can tell you that you did a good job! Anyway, I really hope you for the GT60! It's a bit more expensive but the availability in the EU is pretty good so yeah.. please go that route! Good luck with the project man!
See @thecarpassionchannel video....hits like before watching
I run a ford C4 automatic (rated to hold 1,000 hp with lifetime warranty) and a ford 8.8 IRS. The trans fits with no mods to the tunnel, weighs 100lbs, but I had to make a bellhousing, have a converter made, custom driveshaft and crossmember. Bought a sequential shifter for it. The diff I did my own setup, it has a tru-trac LSD (torsen that can take 1000hp) and 3.55 gears, drive shaft shop 900hp rated axles. You would like the diff swap I did, but probably not like the auto. I run 35psi on a EFR 7670, about 500whp, a couple 0-60 and launch videos are on my channel.
From the introduction of the chapetr n°12 of "Mazda Miata Performance Handbook" wrote by Norman Garret (Miata NA engineer) I read: "Downstream of engine, Mazda made the Miata pretty stout. The transmission came from the second-generation RX-7 family, a larger and more powerful car. The rear differential has it roots in the RX-7 and 929 sedan parts bin, so it has sufficient strength for anything short of V-8 engined car. There are a few components worth improving once you've made the engine stronger, however."
I think there should be a bit less truble in RX-7 Turbo transmission swap. You will decide by your own.
Never thanked to you in these years, I want to do that now because you inspired me to buy my own Miata and work on it. So i started my project Truble'N'Truble. I' m having so much fun down on the track.
So THANK YOU GREG!
Nice video Greg, as always ! I am not sure exactly what is being broken on the miata 6 speeds but if it is gear (and not the casing) you should be able to make it a bit more proof by doing some tweaks that are very well known in motorsport world - deburring, polishing - with all those you removing stresss risers - scothbright wheel is a great tool to use (you can probably aply this also for the casing if the casing cracks) then you can use cryogenic threatment (it cost about 100-150bucks, depending where you live) and then you should also shot peen the gears- shot peening is very very effective way to increase strenght of any part (even your rods are most likely shot peened) so it is not too rare to see up to 80-100% increasement in pressure at which gear fails using. I believe that all those modifications with nice shock proof oil can make 6speed usable for up to 400tq any day, IF the problem is gears itself. Actually, I think there is some pretty cool article about bulletproofing the transmission on motoIQ, so check that one.
obviously your unsprung clutch disc does not help the trans too :-)
It looks as if most people are going for the TII trans. Being a former FC owner I'm going to say RX7 trans as well, I went from an FC RX7 to a NA MX-5 1.6. Like the people said keep it mazda and keep up the good work
Don’t have a Miata anymore... just drop a like on every video because of the quality of your content!
Thank you for the class, proffessor Craig :D betwen those two, i think i would go by the feel of the shifting action, as i would like to keep the crispness of Miata trans... Once you try miata with shortshift, you never wanna go to something that feels worse
Just asking, isn't there a company that rebuilds transmissions with better parts so that they hold more power? You could keep the stock drivetrain that way
Fanis kap that’s what I was thinking too. If it’s possible to do that then that would be my favorite route
build transmission is very expensive, if you want it to be made to whitstand 350+ bhp then you're looking idealy at billet gears, but even if they'll just scan and copy the original gears it's gonna be in 3-5000 bucks range
Competition racers still break Quaife gearsets at the sameish torque figures. The issue is the gearbox and housing itself.
You'd need to find a way to stop case flex which is what kills the gear sets
If you weld some aluminum straps were be the right place to put them ?
And what HP & TQ would it hold ?
I had one rear ended arms brake in half.
So on anther one weird 4 aluminum plates 2 on each side with polyurethane bushings & made transmission brace & bushings it a lot solder & handles way better & shifts way better..
So it should help if flex is the problem .
The older Subaru wrx had problems with the transmission case & they have some braces to stiffen it .
The T5 and T56 are pretty good options. If you dont like the feel then just get a short through shifter. the after market is huge for these trans. Plus you can find them in almost anything, even my 84 turbo Z31 came with one.
I left moreskids for this. I love you Greg
I'm running a 6 speed in my mx5, with 360bhp and 270lb ft of torque. Weekend Road use and drag strip only as it's a second car. It's been going strong for Three years so far, but I had the gearbox stripped and recondition prior to installing it so I knew it was in good Heath.
I change the oil in it each 3,000 or 12 months, which ever comes first. Using the redline lightweight shock proof oil which apparent has a higher viscosity rating when warm, along with shock proof molecules or something similar compared to others oils.
I'm not mechanically sympathetic when driving, it's used hard and with lots of traffic light GrandPrix! :)
But I have tried to limit the low down torque, so it's mapped to come into slow and linear. Only hitting peak boast and flat lining at 4500rpm. I think that is key to save the gear boxes. Massive low down torque and big peaks kill gear boxes.
Oh and I also only run 195/50/15 semi slicks to allow a little give/trye slip on launches, in my mind it might ease the pain on the gear boxes.
I would love to run a Rx7 or BMW swap, buts its cost and Argo I can't be bothered with right now.
Great video as usual Greg, although I'm getting rid of my mx5 I will keep watching your videos because i want to see how your miata turns out and also just your content is awesome
Good video man. Need more informative videos like this
I think you should go with which ever is easiest for you to source. :) and I'll definitely try to follow the route which you pick. (After i build my engine next year lol) :)) verrry excite to see the video/videos!!
Ps. I'm about to take my turbo miata on It's maiden voyage!!! No leaks at idle :) packing a fire extinguisher in the passenger seat. Wish me luck! Haha
Well from the info you provided and since I learn a lot of my miata knowledge from you I’m gonna say stick with the Mazda family and put a turbo II trans in, also nice job on the vid keep up the good work
yess a new video, today is a good day
Since you asked… Getrag was pretty good already (maybe a lil' heavy on the r, but that's *always* hard for Americans), but ZF ("Zahnrad-Fabrik", literally "cog factory") would be pronounced "tsett eff" if you wanted to do that in German, too ;D
GETRAG 260 @KMIATA HOOK THIS MAN UP
Welcome to the CPC I'm your Transmissionologist and would like to talk to you about upcoming transmissions in the forecast!
Go with the Turbo ll, keep it cheap.
Would be totally rad if you ran the Getrag! Ive been eye-balling that swap, and it would be so helpful if you had a video or series on it. That would be amazing. K miata might even help you out with it!
This might be a possible choice too.
I picked up a Chaser (1JZ) R154 for my 94 supra. 640whp atm, surprisingly holding up lol I thrash it, did a burnout on Hoonigans supra meet, clutch kicks, donuts, you name it.
It was $750 at the time, not sure of pricing now. Only problem is you need to adapt the bellhousing.
OH! r154 is on 80s turbo supras, you can get them from the junkyard for cheap.
Nissan 6 speed 009 I think is about $1,200 from Dealership. They hold ALOT of power. Might be another alternative.
Love you channel btw!
I just read somewhere that somebody put the RX7 guts into the Miata trans housing to me that sounds like a really clean conversion although I have not had time to research into it yet
I think you should go all out considering your the best miata guy out there.
Awesome video!
Really good info. Thanks dude
Quaife has a few other options for our miata transmissions:
They make stronger gearsets to replace the '94+ 5sp gears (and you get to choose the ratios when you order). ~$2500 for the kit. Rumored to handle anywhere from 350-600 ft/lb.
For those who hate money, they sell a couple direct-replacement 6sp sequential transmissions. ~$10,000 for either straight cut or helical gears. Claimed to handle 375hp.
There is a 6 speed Toyota trans from the newer diesel trucks that fits in with minimal mods that people use for Miata and Datsun swaps here locally
I just blew 3rd gear in my '97 turbo miata... with the 5-speed. Engine dyno'd at 317HP and 284 lbs at 17psi boost. I can confirm... it held for about 3000 miles-ish. But the other day, downshifted to 3rd, got up to full boost and BAM! *crunch crunch crunch* This video is SUPER informative. Now I am trying to find a miata 6-speed and worried that it's not enough either. Thanks for putting this together. If you have any other good ideas on where to actually find this stuff - I would love any info you have.
At 284wtq you should be plenty fine with the 6-speed. But that's definitely enough to explode a 5-speed, hahaha.
With the 6-speed just be sure to use a sprung clutch, and try not to "bang" the 3->4 shift all the time as that is a weak point I discovered. Plenty of people run 350-400whp through their 6-speeds, I just think it was a combination of an overly aggressive clutch and a turbo that makes a ton of low end torque that broke mine
I'm at 397whp over 300ftlb with 3.9 rear on a miata 6speed. It's lasted over a year. Before the 6speed swap. I broke two 5speed transmissions back to back.
would need an adapter plate, but a w58 trans from the mk3 and various other toyota vehicles are good for mid 300s and are dirt cheap finding.
I'd say go with the Turbo II trans. Good swap price and seems to be a good overall transmission. Plus keeping the Mazda heritage in the car!
Greg, take a look at the Aisin AR5! Solstice/Sky/Colorado. Cheap and easy to find in yards. I believe there is a few bellhousing options already for a number of other swaps. 1jz and 2jz cars namely, and of course Ecotec miatas.
I feel blessed that you can get a ZF or 260 for £200 in England, Would rather you go RX7 so I can see which route you took to make it fit 😂
Put a 5 speed in your Miata but upgrade the internals to a Quaife setup, not only still Mazda but still Miata and better cruise speed than a 6 speed but better power handling. But, whatever you go with I can't wait for the next video keep up the good work
There’s also the transmissions out of the Soltice and Sky that you can use.
The thing with the t5 or t56. You'll get what you pay for. The tractor ones are usually 1500 to 2000$ brand new, or pulled from an oem vehicle. If you want, you can spend 3k-7k and you'll get a bulletproof one, that'll shift smooth with whatever gear ratio you want because there's a lot of options.
@TheCarPassionChannel Greg, if you use an MZR engine Quick Time makes a bellhousing for the T5 ($1k) and a single disc clutch rated at 550hp ($1.5k). Of course if you're putting that onto a factory WC T5 with the 300-330hp rating ($1k-ish) you're not looking at much of an improvement, but if you run an upgraded unit, something like the APW A-5 (575hp-600ft/lbs, $2.9k) it makes a little more sense. FWIW they are "Duratec 2.0/2.3" swap parts, but I understand that the blocks and cranks bolt the same. The Mustang shifter location is 3" too short, the Camaro one is 2" short, and then there are others that are even shorter or way too long, so there is that price to pay. But the T5 weighs about 100lbs less than a T56 and doesn't require tunnel bashing to fit, s there's that.
You should get with Collins adapters and come up with a kit for a cd009 (350z trans) swap kit. Pretty sure it does have a proper overdrive plus they're cheap, readily available, and very strong.
I would keep it Mazda! I don't love the idea of deleting the PPF though... isn't that going to negatively affect handling? Love the vids man keep up the fantastic work.
Got a 1990 with a handful of tasteful mods including a 1.8JDM swap and Flyin Miata 2.5 suspension. So much fun.
Hoping you go with Turbo II
Rx7 Trans, lots of support, adapter plates readily available, run it with your 3.63 and use all 415hp
Wonder where he's seeing those 800,000hp bmw's
Id love to see you tackle something ive been throwing around the idea of for a while, a m5odr2 swap. not swapping in the whole trans but putting the miata bellhousing and tail section on a m5odr2 center section. these are the heavier duty version of the same trans that is in the miata, they can hold plenty of torque based on the fact that its the trans found in the 97+ f150's. stock torque levels on the most powerfull engine was 325ft-lbs in the 5.4 and that was with a towing capacity of 2500lbs on top of the 4200lb truck no clue what the torque limit would be on a 2500lb car but i would have to guess 450+ if not more. the shifter actually feels a lot like a miata once you shorten the shifter to non truck length.
The getrag is the best choice!! That's what I want in mine !
I would love to see the Turbo II trans swap. No one has done a video as far as i know. I think it might be cheaper as well over the kswap options after all said and done. You spent enough money just get that thing turned up for as little money as possible now.
Love the caption at 300whp “weak sauce”
If you like the way a Mazda shifts and can get your hands on a RX7 T 2 I would go for it! All Mazda all the time. Good luck Greg!
Speedo sensors depending on the swap. Mazdaspeed Miata trans are said to be stronger than the usual 6speeds.
I wanna say go for the Getrag just to hear you have to say it as often as possible :P
But honestly it sounds like the RX-7 makes more sense. The parts may marry up better due to being Mazda OEM but also the better cruising RPM. Cheaper helps too.
Either way, I'm sure you'll make some kickass content to help out future people that may go the same route.
Turbo 2 trans looking like a good option.
If you check out Matt Farah driving the v8 and spec miata from CJ Wilson Racing, the guy states some swedish company makes bellhousing adapters. I know there's probably a homebound bellhousing specialist in the states, but definitely an option if nothing else is available.
Go for the Getrag. German cars are known for good feeling shifting + I’ve never seen anyone do it so I’d like to see it!
Check out Quaife, they have some interesting options for Miata, including a sequential box! I believe 949 racing has a video on the sequential gearbox. Extra baller!
If you can find the fc trans go that route. You spent enough engine money to do a swap but didn't to stay mazda, don't quit now!
I've heard of people using the fc trans and changing out the tail shaft with the miata ones so you can still use the stock driveshaft and diff
T-series transmissions fit NB miata’s with a little bit of trimming, not sure about NA’s. Tom’s turbo garage used a T-series trans in his v8 swap. Probably need an adaptor plate but it’s do-able
Whatever you decide to go with, many say the rx7 transmission shifter feel is on par with the miata..... and the miata shifter feel is one of those things that lured me in... i don't think i've ever shifted a fc, just a fd but the fb was great as well.... love clicking through the gears in the miata tho so for that reason I'd say to keep those rx7 trannys in mind but it's of course possibly a tradeoff to having something bulletproof.... it's great to have top end/low rpms on the highway but someone i work with who put a v8 in their miata had the front wheels start coming off the ground at ~135 mph.... said it scared the shit out of him... that being said it's my personal opinion if you maintain balance/add a splitter to the front, you'll stay planted but something to watch out for
he drove it with a carbureted ford v8 with a ford rear end, had a couple of times where it just snapped out on him, was blistering a camero one day, then he hit a wet patch in the road or something (100+) and before he could do anything it just snapped around and he was spinning in circles into a field(luckily instead of a tree)
He also said on another occasion driving in the snow/ice he was idling in 3rd/4th gear going about 25 mph with his foot off the throttle and the back end snapped out on him, and he ended up on the side of the road beached on the crest of the ditch.... a couple of cops came over and lifted it up enough to get him going after asking him about his speed/saying nobody should be on the road and stuff
I would go for the RX-7 FC transmission because it seems like a good choice
How about a CD009, it's cheap to swap if it breaks, it's lighter than a T56. It's strong and doesn't require cutting/bashing the transmission tunnel.
Ethyn it doesn't require modifying the tranny tunnel? Are you positive?
turbo 2 trans swap seems to be the best idea to me. Keep it Mazda
turbo II for the win
I think you should go the turbo 2 swap, pretty inexpensive swap kit, and can hold enough power for you, though they might be hard to find.
Greg, I know this is a bit more in cost but is a direct drop in and would solve all your problems. Quafe transmission would be the best.
One of the reasons that the TII hasn't been used historically in Miatas is the improper gearing. The places where you need to shift on the TII do not correspond to where the BP motor makes it's power. I am pretty sure in the the Miataturbo.com transmission thread there was talk about how changing between a TII and a 6-speed was worth several seconds around a race course. I will see if I can find the post for you.
you didnt strip the gears in the 6 speed.. your 4th gear started coming apart if i remember correctly.. why not take that 4th gear have is pressed together and welded then machined back to spec side and throw the tranns back in.. again.. you didnt strip the gears so i think it could handle the power if its not coming apart and making it impassible to shift. im sure it would cost a hella lot less then a hole trans swap! pluS!! you keep that miata feeling trans in the car! great work keep it up! we all want more content!
I haven't looked into it much, but I hear the 350z/370z trans swap is factory overbuilt for like 600bhp factory. There is a complete swap available I believe.
I personally would go with a T56. Completely different than T5s (which arent even that reliable). But the bell housing issue is a big one, so I think that the Turbo 2 trans is probably the best out of the two.
Get a short shifter for the t5/t56 and they're pretty nice to shift
JAX POSE they arent.
Depends on which one you get if it's a 1990 or 2000 or 2010 they're all different
The video was good.. then he added lots of maths and it was truly great. Thank you for the maths.
i have heard of cd009's being used for swaps in miatas with alot of success, not sure how well they fit with the stock powerplant though. Plus you can get them used for real cheap or even brand new from nissan for under 2 grand.
I came here looking for transmissions that could handle a turbo J32 if I swap into the Miata and eventually turbocharge. Learned that stock trans won’t hold enough power on my budget build and may have to resort back to the LFX swap.