allright... time is running out on my stock trans for my '01RS. the EJ20 seems to be winning....:mad: anyway... rallispec seems to be the obvious choice for the gears, and it's probably what i'll be doing... but... i also saw Gruppe S selling RA gears for around $1,200... about 300 bucks less. i want the non-RA STI gears, so maybe they have those as well. you guys know any other place to go...?? any other reasonable suggestions? i'd like to stay under 2,500 with parts and labor. speaking of labor... what should i be paying for the rebuild and install?? i was quoted roughly $1,200. seems to be a bit high...?? any help is always appreciated.


thanks guys
cody

I just had RA gears installed in my '01 RS gearbox. I'd go with them if only for the fact that the RA gears don't by default just drop in...there are some pieces that they had to get made specially and that they had to put together to make it work. Not only that, but they have the correct speedo gear for the 4.11 final drive. RalliSpec also sends the gears off to be cryo'd. I don't think $2500 with parts and labor is unreasonable. Good luck!

-Geoff

i read all the stuff you just had done. looks friggin' great!!! i love the wagon, but when i found this thing with the ej20 already in there, i couldn't pass it up... anyway, are you saying that the regular STI gears DO drop right in? if so, that would be wonderful.... in any case, thanks for the feedback, and enjoy the new beast!

cody

new username?

HEY! that didn't help me! stop hijacking my thead! blah blah blah....;)

looks like sabre lion got a promotion!
congrats man!

Nah, I've just decided to go by my real name. :)

FWIW, I'd go with RalliSpec's kit simply because they cryo the set and do an awesome job. Best thing to do is to send them your tranny via FedEx or UPS and let them do the build BEFORE things break, otherwise it ends up costing more.

The wagon's great. :)

aren't all STI gears cryogenically treated??? i didn't think it was specific to rallispec... that's huge if they're only at rallispec...

and, i'm probably just going to order the gears, and have a shop around here do the rebuild/install. i can't be without a car for 3 weeks, or whatever they say the turnaround time is.

It's my understanding that they are not. RalliSpec orders them from Japan like everyone else and then has them cryo'd. They used to come hardened from the factory, but then they stopped, so RalliSpec decided to have them cryo'd. As I've said, they also have custom speedo gears and everything else you need to make it work. :)

Cheers,
Geoff

Dave from rallispec on the RA 5 speed gears.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=475777&highlight=sti+gear+rallispec

i didn't see anything there about the cryo treatment...?? maybe that's not the reason you posted. i am aware that they do a complete job of including everything needed for this project, which is why i will most likely (about 99%) go with them.

anyone else know about the cryo thing??? i'm very curious if rallispec has these treated themselves, i know it's an extremely expensive process. i don't know if it would be economical for them.... and maybe i'm way wrong... anyway....

thanks
cody

I just drove back from RalliSpec two weeks ago, and yes, they do have them cryo'd in the US. I discussed it in-depth with Dave. If you really want to know, I took a video with Dave showing the differences between the shafts and a couple gears that I can give you the address for. (Not public, due to bandwidth)

-Geoff

i appreciate the offer, but i'm pretty well convinced of their expertise...
i just got off the phone with Greg at Rallispec. Very helpful. they do the cryo themselves. i'm very suprised... but that's very cool (so to speak). looks like i will be putting an order in within the next couple days.

now about synchros.... how can you tell if you really need to get some of these?

If you grind going into any gears. :)

yeah... that's what i keep reading. so if they just "stick" a little, that's normal/okay? i seem to remember when i test drove a new RS about 4 years ago that they were a little sticky when shifting gears... just don't know how it compares to mine now. i should probably go to the local subie dealer and take an STI for a test drive:alien: anyway, thanks for the help Geoff, i think i'll be putting in my order at rallispec tomorrow. then i must concentrate on keeping my current gears alive for 3 more weeks....

cody

For some good reading:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=475777&highlight=rallispec

-and-

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=534228&perpage=25&highlight=rallispec&pagenumber=2

Geoff, glad to hear the car is treating you well. Hide your license! ;)

i've read that stuff before... very good reading. but it all comes down to Rallispec kicking ass. and i agree. but what about my synchro question/statement above?? i did some searches in the trans forum, but couldn't find exactly what i was looking for... maybe i should post over there...

thanks again
cody

Most of the time, a gearbox which is still in good working order before the STi or STi RA gearset installation won't need any synchros replaced. Their are exceptions to this rule, however, like using the wrong fluid or mis-shifting damage.

good deal! thanks for all the 411 guys. order goes in tomorrow!

cody