6 speed STI or Legacy 5 speed

[bbjones121]

The boxer engine gets very good gas mileage where it runs at highway speed with my 5 spd in my Legacy. My first gear also pulls very hard in my Legacy. Since the 818 is almost half the weight, I feel like a 5 speed would actually be better for it. There will already be traction issues with the 5 speed taking off, wouldn't you rather have a longer first gear? You would probably end up starting in 2nd more often if you had the 6 speed. Anyone else have this same theory or actual real experience?

I read somewhere that it is one of the reasons that the engineers of the Lamborghini Diablo kept the 5 speed for so many years. If I remember 1st gear goes up to 60 mph because there was so much power that anything shorter would have traction issues. Wouldn't you want a very long first gear for the 818?

[Slatt]

Agreed, it's an issue, but a bit expensive to fix. I bought the RA gear set for my DD 03 WRX last fall. My plan was to try it out and then put that tranny in my 818 when the kit was ready for it. But I like it so much for tooling around town and shifting down for those AX hairpins that I'm ordering another RA set for my 06 818 tranny. The taller 1st no doubt hurts 0-60 times for the WRX but I figure it can only help for the 818 for the reasons you pointed out. We have at least one vendor here selling that set with the conversion kits for each year's WRX tranny.

[bbjones121]

Probably flatirons tuning. I have been there a couple times. Realy knowledgeable and nice people.

I think I may just go the 5 spd route, either gear kit for my 03 wrx case or the whole legacy tranny.

[C.Plavan]

I went Legacy GT 5spd. Two actually. Give me a a couple months and I should have it on the track with my 2.5L race motor.

[Canadian818]

What's the tallest 1st and final gears available? Is 60mph possible in first?

[JeromeS13]

You would need tall tires in the rear (275/35/18), a 3.454 final drive, and a 3.166 first gear... That's the closest you'll get and it nets you 56 MPH with an 8,000 RPM redline.

[Canadian818]

You would need tall tires in the rear (275/35/18), a 3.454 final drive, and a 3.166 first gear... That's the closest you'll get and it nets you 56 MPH with an 8,000 RPM redline.

So no? :)

Should I assume custom ratios are extremely expensive? Over the next few years there's going to be quite a few 5spds getting built for more hp with PPG or similar gears, would a lower final drive be more viable?

[Ironhydroxide]

Go here.http://www.apexgarage.com/tech/gear_ratios.shtml

Final drive possibilities are: 3.7, 3.9, 4.111, 4.444

First gear possibilities with stock sets are: 3.545, 3.454, 3.166, 3.083.

We can do 50. We'll need a taller tire to do more.

[EODTech87]

You can do 60mph in 2nd with a 4.444 final drive. Why not do that and just forget 1st gear.