Transmission Question
 

I've heard that the trans itself, not necessarily the bellhousing or the tailshaft, but the trans itself is the same one used in the MS Miata and the 350/Q35. Is this true?

Ive heard that 8 tranny is same as the 06+ Miata.. Not sure about MS Miata.

And Not sure about 350/ Q35 (G35?).. I would think Nissan 6 speeds might be stronger as I know some of those guys make far more power and no issues.. Mazda 6 speed MT seems to be weaker.. I have small issues with mine when it heats up.

Thanks Phil, and yeah, derrrr, it is the G35. I dunno about that one. Just an internet rumor I heard once. When Flyin Miata opens up in an hour I'm going to give them a call. See if they know anything about it. See if they'll pull a few measurements for me. It would be nice if this works

One thing I do know is that the 8's tranny doesn't like to hold much more than 500WHP. I haven't seen many solutions for this yet as most people don't make their 8's THAT fast. I'm sure I'll be looking for a solution by this time next year though.

Best solution is t56...

Thanks guys. Apparently the 06+ miatas use a one piece case so that idea is out, the previous miatas used a removable bellhousing so I'm looking for one of those now.

I am curious about the T56 though. What has to be done to put that behind a rotary?

I think you can contact Kennedy Engineering. They can make any engine bolt to any trans and vise-versa.

If memory serves correctly I believe the 8 trans is also in the honda S2000. Neither cars make much power or torque and rev to the moon. Whats the problem w/ the T2 tranny??

I've seen some pics of the S2000 tranny, while it may be the "same" as the 8, the case is VERY different. So much that I don't think it would fit at all.

The T56, I've done some research on the gearing and it's HORRIBLE unless you send the rear end ratio to the MOON! so that option is out, sadly.

Now I'm looking to find locally a 6-spd miata trans from 1999-2005. It's a 2 piece case so the bellhousing swap deal MAY work. If not, maybe I'll contact Kennedy and see what's out there with some more favorable ratios.

The could 'ole type R box IMHO is a POS. Especially the one that I have. It's notchy, grinds slightly, and doesn't like to be shifted at higher RPM's. Now all of this "can" be fixed by someone who really knows how to rebuild a tranny, the one thing that they can't fix though is the gear ratios, I think they SUCK, especially for an auto-x/track car on tight tracks. One auto-x I attended my best time was had with the car in 1st gear through the entire track......... think about that........ 2 reasons where the bog in 2nd and the pysical time that it takes to get the tranny into 2nd when coming out of a turn @ 7k+. Granted I could've made/lost time in other sections of the course but being slower down the one strait by leaving the car in 1st allowed me faster accel coming out of the turn at the end of the strait. Forget about upshifting into 1st unless the rev match is PERFECT. They hold a TON of power, but they are, especially mine, horrible. I would much rather find a miata (or other trans) for ~$5-700 and then pay $5-700 to have that box cryo'ed and properly rebuilt.

From some of the pics that I have seen, the '99-'05 miata box looks to be my best bet right now, so if anyone knows of one......... please let me know.

They are both made by Aisin but they are not the same box. Pretty close, tho.

The 8's tranny doesn't like STOCK RX8 horsepower, LOL, let alone 500. I broke mine at around 350-rwhp.