Transaxle strength

[Eric A.]

I apologize if this has already been covered, but I cannot get the search to work. I am looking for information about the relative strength of the ZF transaxle compared to the Porsche G50 and Audi 016. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Eric A.

[Mark Worthington]

G50 > ZF > 01E > 016

Some may dispute the order of the first two, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Bigend]

Quaife 6spd sequential > G50 > ZF > 01E > 016

[Mike Dozier]

Mark

Between Rick Merz, Bill Bayard, and all the DRB's down
under running G50's, I sure wouldn't argue with you.
The ZF has the "cool" factor, but the high cost means
the population of ZF replicas will always be low...
whether or not it will outlast a G50.

MikeD

[Lynn]

Kennedy Engineered Product agrees with Mark and so do I. That said, I think you can get a transaxle from RBT that is, in essence, a ZF and that has been modified to be at least equal with the G50. One might also then sub-catagorize the Porsche boxes like this G50/50 -> G50/xx.

The reason I say "might" is that G50/50 boxes are becoming so hard to find that they are close to being virtually removed from consideration. I found one after a couple of years of looking and then only when someone here noticed one for sale and posted it for the rest of us to see.

At the end of the day, pick the one you like and can afford and go for it. There are guys, especially in England, who are running gearboxes considered much weaker than the three you mention, and have been for years. All of them (the trannies, not the guys ;-) have their own peculiarities and issues that have to be dealt with, but once you have made a decision, the issues suddenly become relatively easy to deal with. Being honest with yourself about yourself and your capabilities, true needs, and reasons for wanting one or the other, and then finally deciding is the hardest part. (On second thought, maybe the guys do to LOL! I include my self in that as well:-)

Regards,
Lynn

[Lynn]

Jasper,

Are you talking about the Ghost Box from Quaife? Is it available again?? It has been through so many combinations and permutations of availabiltiy and application, that I gave up watching it because of the reoccuring headaches it was giving me. Not doubt, Quaife makes top notch stuff (with top notch pricing), but what they choose to offer seems to change with the wind direction. Originally, I thought it was going to be an affordable, well packaged six speed that would be very versatile, if not universal, in its application. To my knowledge this has never been achieved.

Edify us, please!

Regards,
Lynn

[Howard Jones]

OK something to consider from the renault group. IF a renault R21 is moded with the D Bell parts and then a quafe LSD is installed also with a rod shift then you have a light strong gearbox. It just might be the lightest choice and lookes to me to be able to handle at least 400hp. I also like my gearing 3000rpms at 80mph. As far as cost goes that is kinda up in the air right now but surely less that the G50's and the ZF's and more than the audi's

[BenL]

The full name of the ZF transaxle is "5DS-25". The '5' means five-speed. I believe that the "25" is the amount of power that you can push through the transaxle. Unfortunately, I don't know what the units are (Newtons?).

The Lotus 33 used a 5DS-10 and the Lotus 49 used a 5DS-12.

[Bigend]

This is what I mean.....

[TimOz40]

6 sp sequential sounds nice. Sounds rather expensive. Quaife > i can afford [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[killroy]

I wonder if any one has looked in to the transmission they are using for the IRL race series. I know that they will bolt to a Olds Aroura/Cadilac Northstar V8. They are designed to last multiple seasons of racing. If the ground clearance would work, I think that might be a good choice.

[Gary Gibbs]

What is the cost?

There is also the heavy but strong Ricardo unit used in the new GT. I understand it would cost $18k.

[Brett James-McCall]

Gary,
My understanding is that the Ricardo unit is longer and would stick out the back?

Brett

[Gary Gibbs]

Don't know the dimensions. It looks very large in general, and I understand it weighs just south of 300 lbs.

Maybe we can get on of the forum members who own a GT to make a few measurements and get back to us.

[Lynn]

The Ricardo and similar units from Xtrac and Enco that I mentioned in another thread as being used by GrandAM DP cars are indeed huge and would never fit in a GT40.

Lynn

[StuartB]

I`ve a Quaife 2004 catalogue in front of me with the `new` Q-TEK transaxle (rated to 500bhp, real nice, lots of features) and the MK1 and MK2 transaxles (rated to 650-700bhp) with full details and prices but don`t know how (and can`t be bothered to learn) to post the relevant pages. If anyone is interested please feel free to PM or email me and I`ll scan and email you the relevant pages, and as we deal with Quaife I`ll even sell you one if you want (no, you can`t have a discount, not without a signed deal on your house and first born child).
Cheers,
Stuart.

[Gary Gibbs]

Do you know the current pricing?

[Peter D]

Maybe a dumb question, but has anyone looked at using the Porsche Boxster g/box ?

I haven't seen one & know very little about Porsches, but I understand that the Boxster has the engine in front of the box, therefore no flipping required. They have been around for a while now, so I guess that used ones should not be all that hard to find.

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Brett James-McCall]

Peter,
I spoke to someone from Getrag about 18 months ago and his recommendation was not to do it, especially when I mentioned the Torque. The Boxster box is only rated to 320Nm.

Brett

[Peter D]

Thanks Brett, I thought it might be too good to be true (a relatively high volume production box from a mid-engined car) !

Kind Regards,

Peter D.