RE: trans system lightening

["Brian Shorey" <bshorey@domain.elided>]

>Looking at it as a system is the correct way to do it- but to the digest
>(and particularly to bs), if you have had the gears lightened, was the
>clutch/ input shaft also lightened?  Most reports I've heard say that the
>shifting is MUCH quicker, so it seems as if everything was worked on.

ok, since i was referred to, i'll take this opportunity to rave about my
gear lightened box one more time.  i had a box for my spider built by tom
sahines, and it transformed the car.  shifting is now lightening fast,
there's no thought of double clutching anymore.

the input shaft was not lightened, however tom did change one of the shafts
(can't remember which, but i think it was the output shaft) with that of a
four speed transmission, as he changed the ratios at the same time.

one thing tom mentioned to me was this - if you're rebuilding a
transmission, lightening the gears adds around $85 - $100 per gear, or less
than $500 to the cost of the rebuild.  as the lightened gears extend the
life of the synchros, the cost of the gear lightening will pay for itself by
not having to replace synchros in the future.

somebody mentioned that gear lightening was probably worth while for a race
car, but not for a street car.  i disagree - i also had a box done for my
gtv6, which is a time trialer, and for my gtv, which will be a street
driver.

having driven one with lightened gears, i can't imagine putting a box
together without them.

fwiw,

bs

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