Graziano gearbox owners - The Race Line has a upgrade for you.

[The Race Line]

Hey there everyone,

So as most know, The Race Line has been specializing in gearboxes for some time now. We are happy to announce that we have a fantastic new gearing option for all of you Graziano gearbox owners.

We have developed a new drop gear set that is a direct replacement for the stock set. It effectively re-gears the entire gearbox, similar to how a new ring and pinion would, but without the expense, and difficulty in installation.

One of the issues that we noticed with the Graziano gearbox, (Audi R8, and Lambo Gallardo) is that while it is wonderful for a high reving engine, it is not ideal for the V8. We have made a gearset that will effective change the internal ratios to be very similar to the Ford GT ratios.

I would be happy to discuss how this will help owners of the Graziano gearbox achieve more of a harmonious driving experience in more detail with anyone who is interested. For now I just wanted to let everyone know that there are is a great option now available.

Give me a call or PM me with any questions.

Happy to help and happy building everyone.

Erik Johnson
The Race Line
(970) 344-7761 phone

[flotowngtm]

That sounds awesome. Cant wait to see it in action! Those boxes are stupid strong!!

[dhanisch]

Hey there everyone,

So as most know, The Race Line has been specializing in gearboxes for some time now. We are happy to announce that we have a fantastic new gearing option for all of you Graziano gearbox owners.

We have developed a new drop gear set that is a direct replacement for the stock set. It effectively re-gears the entire gearbox, similar to how a new ring and pinion would, but without the expense, and difficulty in installation.

One of the issues that we noticed with the Graziano gearbox, (Audi R8, and Lambo Gallardo) is that while it is wonderful for a high reving engine, it is not ideal for the V8. We have made a gearset that will effective change the internal ratios to be very similar to the Ford GT ratios.

I would be happy to discuss how this will help owners of the Graziano gearbox achieve more of a harmonious driving experience in more detail with anyone who is interested. For now I just wanted to let everyone know that there are is a great option now available.

Give me a call or PM me with any questions.

Happy to help and happy building everyone.

Erik Johnson
The Race Line
(970) 344-7761 phone

Erik,

That's awesome news. I think I'll have to hook up with you when I get my details worked out with my setup. I'm waiting on Lamborghini to send me my cables and having my flywheel modified by SPEC to accommodate a replaceable friction surface and a very sturdy clutch setup which ends up being cheaper than just a stock clutch for the Gallardo, but handles 1300+ ft/lbs.

So when you're talking a change in gearing, are you talking about changing the final, or the actual 1-6?

Also, what about the change in gearing from a 2004/2005 over to a 2006+? If I'm not mistaken, they changed it quite a bit.

2004/2005:

1: 2.563
2: 1.850
3: 1.423
4: 1.138
5: 0.939
6: 0.806
final: 3.077

2006+
1: 3.313
2: 2.053
3: 1.458
4: 1.138
5: 0.939
6: 0.784
final: 3.077

And then when it comes to the Ford GT:

1: 2.61
2: 1.71
3: 1.23
4: 0.94
5: 0.77
6: 0.63
final: 3.36:1


The later Grazianos seem to have a ratio much like the stock G50, which I can personally attest to, is not ideal. This didn't really bother me until I got into my dad's 2008 Viper. Holy hell you can go fast in 1st gear with the right ratios and some torque!

My Graziano came out of a 2005, so I'm going to see how well it fares before tackling the gearing.

If you come up with a sub-frame solution for the GTM, let me know. That's one thing I'm tackling next. It's a tight fit in there, and the subframe won't work whatsoever.

http://www.danhanisch.com/GTM/Graziano-LSX-GTM-subframe-interference.jpg

[crash]

Not to speak for Erik, but drop gears are a set of gears that connect the transmission to the final drive. They are a standard item in a racing transmission. They allow for fine tuning of the gear box by just changing two gears. Usually these are made extremely accessible, like behind a cover at the rear of the gear box. Think of a quick change rear end and you get the idea about drop gears. That the Graziano has this is GREAT, because you will be able to change all your ratios with only changing ONE gear set. That is a huge plus for this gear box. Here are some examples of quick change rear ends...

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Winters-Performance-SR2525-SR2980-56-Inch-Quickchange-Rear-End-Plain,5062.html

http://www.1speedway.com/Quick_Changes.htm

[The Race Line]

Yep Crash,

You hit right on the head. That is exactly what the drop gearing does. It allows for all of the ratios to be changed quickly, without need of a new ring and pinion.

Happy to help,

Give me a call with additional questions.

Erik Johnson
(970) 344-7761 phone

[OCCPete]

Cost? What ratios are available?

[The Race Line]

The Drop Gear, or Portal Gear Ratio, is 0.7586 which substantially changes the ratios of the gearbox to allow them to work far better for the V8. It allows for much better shifting and torque utilization of the V8.

Cost on this gearset is $2000.00 which is quite a bit less expensive than other options currently available.

Is anyone interested in grabbing one of these for their build? I have only 6 sets left, but can have more made if needed.

Happy to help,

Erik Johnson
The Race Line
(970) 344-7761 phone

[dhanisch]

If I get taxes out of the way soon, I'll pick up a set from you if you still have them available.

[The Race Line]

Sounds perfect Dan, I will keep on aside for you.

Happy to help,

Erik

[guitaraholic]

I am unfamiliar how drop gears work. Will it essentially make the final drive ratio 2.33 (3.077x .7586)?

[The Race Line]

Yes that is exactly correct. The new final drive ratio is 2.33 or 2.6263 depending on which of the gearboxes you are using.

Erik

[The Stig]

Erik,

Does this add any length to the transaxle case/cover, or does it fit within the current cover?

Mike

[crash]

Erik,

Does this add any length to the transaxle case/cover, or does it fit within the current cover?

Mike

I think you may be misunderstanding. The drop gears are part of a Graziano gearbox. This is not a retrofit to a Porsche box. The Graziano box is substantially larger than the Porsche or Mendeola gear boxes.

[The Stig]

I think you may be misunderstanding. The drop gears are part of a Graziano gearbox. This is not a retrofit to a Porsche box. The Graziano box is substantially larger than the Porsche or Mendeola gear boxes.

Thanks Mike.

I know the Graziano gearboxes. I've done a bit of research and really liked what I saw. Oerlikon/Graziano is the current supplier to many high-end super cars such as the Lamborghini Aventador & Huracon; Aston-Martin DB9, DBS, Vantage; Audi (R8), and many more. Very nice, and very stout transaxles. They can easily handle the LS HP & torque; some say up to 1000 hp range without needing to add strength and additional cooling. I think 750 would be a safer bet though. If I were to build another GTM, this would be the gear box that I would use.

I was only trying to understand what the upgrade that Erik mentioned entails.

Mike

[crash]

Thanks Mike.

I was only trying to understand what the upgrade that Erik mentioned entails.

Mike

Again, not to speak for Erik, but the Graziano already employs the drop gear setup. What he is offering is a different ratio set of drop gears that allow for an adjusted final drive that he believes is more suitable to our relatively stock LS engines. It isn't a complete upgrade as in an addition of parts, but, rather, a swapping out of a drop gear set to simply change the final drive. Does that make sense? There is no difference in the size of the gear box, because this feature is already incorporated into the Graziano transaxle as original equipment.

[The Stig]

Again, not to speak for Erik, but the Graziano already employs the drop gear setup. What he is offering is a different ratio set of drop gears that allow for an adjusted final drive that he believes is more suitable to our relatively stock LS engines. It isn't a complete upgrade as in an addition of parts, but, rather, a swapping out of a drop gear set to simply change the final drive. Does that make sense? There is no difference in the size of the gear box, because this feature is already incorporated into the Graziano transaxle as original equipment.

That's what I needed. Thanks.

Mike

[1ED1]

Has anyone changed the drop gears and if you have could you post some pictures. Did you do it yourself or have someone else do it?
Thanks
Ed

[crash]

As Erik has not replied here for 4 months-Hope everything's okay Erik?- I will offer that driveline parts are the specialty of www.myraceshop.com and if anyone is not able to get ahold of Erik and wants something like this gear set, or axles, or stubs, or whatever for a driveline, we can help. We build to order and if you have a gear set, I can copy the spline and change the ratio to whatever may be desired. It certainly will take longer, and maybe cost more than what is being offered here, so go to Erik on this if you can track him down, but just know that if you, or Erik for that matter, needs any custom work done, as far as driveline parts, we can do that. :)

[1ED1]

Anybody know where you can buy a shop manual for the transmission.
Thanks
Ed

[The Race Line]

Sorry about not being around as much recently. I had a recent death in the family that required me to make some adjustments that I needed to work through.

I have not seen a shop manual for this gearbox, but the actual work that needs to be done to install the gear set is actually quite easy to do.

I will try to be back here on a regular basis again.

Erik Johnson
The Race Line
(970) 344-7761 phone