Installed: STi RA Gear Set, the gears the WRX should have come with stock!!!

[dug-e-fresh]

Wow!!

What a difference these gears make!!

Each shift greets you with immediacy that just isnt there with the OEM gears.

Its feels like you are shifting through a relay race, really picking up where the last one left off...

Special thanks to RalliSpec for the install... unfortunately they are really backed up in business right now and arent taking anyone until sometime in June.

Dave @ RalliSpec has really worked with me and has done a great job. He was up front and honest, something very refreshing to me in this field... I have has some bad experiences in the past with tranny techs.

I am not sure how the OEM gears are treated, but Dave told me the RA gears are shot-peened from the factory, and in addition he has the RA gears cryo-treated on his own, included in the package.

The ratios for the US WRX vs STi Type RA gears (assuming redline shifting @ 7k):

	WRX (US)		
	ratio	overall	mph
1	3.454	13.471	38.5
2	1.947	7.593	68.2
3	1.366	5.327	97.2
4	0.972	3.791	136.7
5	0.738	2.878	180.0
fd	3.900		
			
	Type RA		
1	3.083	12.024	43.1
2	2.062	8.042	64.4
3	1.545	6.026	86.0
4	1.151	4.489	115.4
5	0.830	3.237	160.1
fd	3.900

As you can see, the RA 1st isnt quite as aggressive as the OEM 1st... but everything else is much better.

Honestly 1st doesnt feel all that much different... its the rest of the gears that you can really appreciate the improvement.

I am very happy!

def

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[N/A]

Good their done with your car now they can get to working on Impreza riders EJ20 converisons wiring. He owes me a test drive.

[dug-e-fresh]

Was my car holding them up for that?

def

[thrdeye]

How much does something like this cost? The gear ratio fro 1-2 is MUCH better.

[omahasubaru]

RPM's @ curise on the interstate don't appear they would be that much higher... maybe 300 rpm or so? I could be off, but this looks quite nice...

Any chance you can tell us what the gears & install cost you? Did you know if they had to do anything special to get the gears to fit the newer age transmission?

[N/A]

Not sure if they put off his car to finish yours. I know it was supposed to have been done last week but he hasn't heard back from them yet.

So do you think the new gears will hold up any better in the long run compared to the Chalak gears sets that still use the syncros?

[dug-e-fresh]

The gearset cost me $1350.

RalliSpec install with all rebuild parts cost me $850 + NJ 6% sales tax ($51).

Total barring any other issues: $2251.

I of course had some issues... my flywheel was warped, my ring and pinion was damaged from driving with broken gears AND I had a new clutch disc installed while they were in there.

For me it came to ~$2700.

Now, keep in mind that these are prices I paid and I cant guarantee that things havent changed.

As far as I know, not a single thing "special" was done to fit these gears... simply drop in like you would the OEM WRX gears.

In regard to cruising RPM @ say 70 mph.... stock= ~2722rpms, RA= ~3062rpms. Not all too appreciable.... Me like!!

def

[96Lconversion]

With those new gears your 0-60 time must be much improved, that taller 1st and shorter 2nd prob really keep you in the powerband now!

[bemani]

I'm jealous $2000 huh? I would really like to get it done one of these days. I hate my 2nd gear to no end

From which version of type RA did you use?

[lstepnio]

That's pretty impressive and the price is suprisingly reasonable. I'm curious if you have the STi tranny/motor mounts installed?

Originally posted by dug-e-fresh
...
Its feels like you are shifting through a relay race, really picking up where the last one left off....
def

How are the synchros? From your comments it sounds like the synchros are great. Can you shift into first at 20mph without grinding (with or without revmatching)? The stock first gear synchro is terrible.

[JimmyOOOOO]

Originally posted by Tshulthise


How are the synchros? From your comments it sounds like the synchros are great. Can you shift into first at 20mph without grinding (with or without revmatching)? The stock first gear synchro is terrible.

what on earth would you want to shift into first at 20 mph for?

Originally posted by JimmyOOOOO
what on earth would you want to shift into first at 20 mph for?

I race (autocross) my car and occasionally a course has a section or two that requires a shift from 2nd to 1st to stay in the power band. In a race you can't slow down to 10mph and wait to get it into first. With the current WRX tranny you have to try and rev match the engine to the tranny and pray that you are very close or you will hear and feel the terrible grinding of coggs. With almost any other foreign model car (I've driven Honda, Toyota and Nissan's without having this issue at all) you don't have to be extremely precise with your rev match to smoothly downshift. The WRX tranny has MUCH to be desired. The STi six speed doesn't have this problem but the 5sp is terrible.

[bemani]

Turbo lag!

dug-e-fresh : Did you get new front / center diff while you're at it?

[stratos]

Originally posted by Tshulthise


I race (autocross) my car and occasionally a course has a section or two that requires a shift from 2nd to 1st to stay in the power band. In a race you can't slow down to 10mph and wait to get it into first. With the current WRX tranny you have to try and rev match the engine to the tranny and pray that you are very close or you will hear and feel the terrible grinding of coggs. With almost any other foreign model car (I've driven Honda, Toyota and Nissan's without having this issue at all) you don't have to be extremely precise with your rev match to smoothly downshift. The WRX tranny has MUCH to be desired. The STi six speed doesn't have this problem but the 5sp is terrible.

yeah, I hated it so much, that I usualy just left it in 2nd. I just installed a RA 6-speed. Looks like I'll be spending all most of my time in 2nd but with more shifts to 3rd especialy on straight bits. I am willing to bet that I'll never see shifting down to 1st. 1st on the 6-speed is almost like a "granny gear". You can acualy start the car from a stop in 2nd with little fuss. And 2nd and 3rd are so close they almost feel like the same gear. Can't wait to try it out...just have to get my shifting tech down.

[dwx]

Originally posted by stratos



yeah, I hated it so much, that I usualy just left it in 2nd. I just installed a RA 6-speed. Looks like I'll be spending all most of my time in 2nd but with more shifts to 3rd especialy on straight bits. I am willing to bet that I'll never see shifting down to 1st. 1st on the 6-speed is almost like a "granny gear". You can acualy start the car from a stop in 2nd with little fuss. And 2nd and 3rd are so close they almost feel like the same gear. Can't wait to try it out...just have to get my shifting tech down.

Good to hear you got it installed, I'm probably going to do mine in a couple weeks. What did you do for the rear diff? I got ahold of another WRX diff that was almost brand new and am doing a 3.9 ring/pinion swap on it. I've heard from other people that installed the 6-spd that it does indeed have problems shifting from 2nd to 1st at higher speeds. 1st gear on the RA tranny tops out at like 36mph tho and 2nd tops out at like 56? with our redline, so I'm not sure of many scenarios where shifting into 1st is a really going to happen. The ratios on the RA (or any JDM/AUS 6-speed) are:

3.636
2.375
1.761
1.346
1.062
.842

3.9 final drive

The gearset that he is using is probably out of a V6 STi, which stock used a 4.44 final drive. Very short ratio gearbox.

[stratos]

For right now I am using a brand new R-160 3.9 with an open diff . I think they are used in the TS waggon automatic. I just did not have the equipment to swap the LSD ie: dial gauge, shims etc..

I did however take the rear cover of my stock WRX R-160. Man it looks like an open diff!! not an LSD. the viscous unit must just barely be an LSD. Like I said I could hardly tell the difference in appearance from it and an open diff.

I am thinking of getting KAZZ 1.5 rear diff, and not hastling with switching my stock LSD out. Its a whole new learning curve with the new tranny.

[dwx]

Originally posted by stratos
For right now I am using a brand new R-160 3.9 with an open diff . I think they are used in the TS waggon automatic. I just did not have the equipment to swap the LSD ie: dial gauge, shims etc..

I did however take the rear cover of my stock WRX R-160. Man it looks like an open diff!! not an LSD. the viscous unit must just barely be an LSD. Like I said I could hardly tell the difference in appearance from it and an open diff.

I am thinking of getting KAZZ 1.5 rear diff, and not hastling with switching my stock LSD out. Its a whole new learning curve with the new tranny.

I was thinking of swapping it out for something mechanical but I didn't really want to spend the money to do so. I got the extra diff for free and just sent it to AV Sport in Arizona to have them do the swap. They have done a bunch of them in their rally cars already. Shipping the diff around isn't exactly cheap. I've had the 6-speed for over a month now though and I'm getting a little antsy to install it. I may look into swapping a kaaz or quaife unit into the car when I have the old one out. I looked around for a 91-92 Legacy turbo diff but couldn't find one for very cheap. Those are also 3.9 and LSD.

[stratos]

Originally posted by dwx


I was thinking of swapping it out for something mechanical but I didn't really want to spend the money to do so. I got the extra diff for free and just sent it to AV Sport in Arizona to have them do the swap. They have done a bunch of them in their rally cars already. Shipping the diff around isn't exactly cheap. I've had the 6-speed for over a month now though and I'm getting a little antsy to install it. I may look into swapping a kaaz or quaife unit into the car when I have the old one out. I looked around for a 91-92 Legacy turbo diff but couldn't find one for very cheap. Those are also 3.9 and LSD.

If you dont mind me asking what do the charge for that?

[dug-e-fresh]

I left everything else alone in leau of time and money.

I would have loved to installed a front diff... mayne next time.

Pretty sure this is V6 gears, amd yes, I beleive they were designed with the 4.44 fds in mind... I wold imagine that would be almost too close ratio as the 3.90 makes for a pretty substantial improvement as it is.

As for shifting into 1st... did it last night while crusing @ 20mph or so... went right in with no fight.

The synchros are probably the same as the US WRX... not 100% sure...

def

[omahasubaru]

Originally posted by dug-e-fresh
In regard to cruising RPM @ say 70 mph.... stock= ~2722rpms, RA= ~3062rpms. Not all too appreciable.... Me like!!
def

Ahhh... so my 300 rpm guesstimate wasn't too far off.

Me likey... too bad I can't really justify them anytime soon.

[omahasubaru]

Originally posted by dug-e-fresh
As for shifting into 1st... did it last night while crusing @ 20mph or so... went right in with no fight.

The synchros are probably the same as the US WRX... not 100% sure...
def

Must be an '02 thing... I know some changes were made in '03, but my car downshifts into first just as easily as my '99 RS did. Infact I think the synchros on my '03 WRX are better and any of the other subaru's I've owned.

[dug-e-fresh]

I would definitely say it was/is an '02 thing...

My box has been rebuilt with '03 parts before in the hopes they were actually stronger parts.... they werent.... however, the 1st gear issue I had with my '02 gearset did not exist with the '03 parts.

With the '03s I could shift down into 1st up to 30 mph... not that I do, I merely tested to see how far I could go... hit 31 mph, and there was a crunch.

As for the STi RAs, seems to be the same... still breaking them in, but so far I tested up to 20 mph and had no issues.

def

[Noize]

I'm getting this gearset after I get power mods done. I despise our OEM gearing. 4th just plain sucks. The days of trapping like crap in the 1320 compared to our DSM and Evo friends are soon to be over.

Originally posted by stratos
...I did however take the rear cover of my stock WRX R-160. Man it looks like an open diff!! not an LSD. the viscous unit must just barely be an LSD. Like I said I could hardly tell the difference in appearance from it and an open diff....

The rear diff is extremely weak. You can jack one side up (two tires off the ground) and put the car in first, rev up to 3000 rpms and it won't even move the jack. I could have a bad rear diff but I know one other person who got the same results.

The center viscous coupling is pretty weak too although its much better than the rear.