New Quaiffe to LSX transaxle

[Andrew Robertson]

What's New

Check out the link above. The FFR guys are having a go at initiating a group buy to get a decently priced peice available for LSx, and by the looks of it SBC too. Not affiliated, just thought it of interest. Basically a 4 speed LSD with a (marginally usable) moonshot 5th.

Available to non kit purchasers

Cheers, Andrew Robertson

 

Hi Andrew

dont be sucked into this nonsense, and dont believe all you read, its an attempt to sell more GTM kits with the promise of fools gold at the end of the rainbow.
Its not a moon shot 5th gear its a moonshot transaxle using a steam driven rocket and other peoples none refundable money?

regards

Chris

PS. the only Quaife Transaxle strong enough and available to bolt to the LS Chevy is the race winning ZFQ / 62G.

 

[Jac Mac]

Chris, I dont know where you get your info that you have based your comments on, but I just read the post by Mr Smith on the FF Cobra GTM Forum & it quite clearly states that:
1. All deposits taken on these will be kept in a seperate account.
2. If insufficient advance orders are taken that deposits will be refunded in full..100%.
3. The same will apply if the delivery time for these transaxles exceeds the estimated 3/6month period.

Quoted HP/Torque values are 700/725HP and 500ft/lb Torque... not far shy of your 600HP & 550ft lb.

Ratios are same as a Vette..2.66 1st, 1.78 2nd, 1.30 3rd, 1.00 4th, 0.5 5th with 3.42 Final Drive.

PS. if they have been to Quaife & asked for or been given these HP/torque values plus have it bolt to the LS Chev ( And it would be very simple to incorporate enough material in the bell housing/block face to enable both Ford & Chev bolt patterns) then maybe your ZFQ does have some competition especially in the price stakes--- $7800.00/$8200.00 against $11.800.00... tough race to win in a market where originality is not necessarily high on the 'must have' list.

 

Hi Jac

I respect your input on many topics, but you need to read further and know who I know. Quife certainly do not warrant this transaxle at those figures.
I work with Quaife and visit the factory monthly.
Have you actually seen one of these FF Transaxles? If so post a real picture not a CAD.
have you seen development installations? if so post pictures.

From the Factory Five web site
Quote
Second of all, there are no refunds on these orders as we are committing a huge amount to the initial order.

regards

Chris.

 

[David Morton]

Chris,
Wait and see. If you are right then so be it. If not, then so be it as well. I personally
have no axe in this fire but I dont really like some of the tone in the above posts.
Live and let live and stop using up your heart beats over trivia.

 

[Bob Putnam]

I hope the ratios shown are incorrect. 1:1 fourth, 0.5:1 fifth? Beeezaar...

 

[Jac Mac]

Chris,
I am in no way involved with this FFR project, Am not an FFR forum member & have never spoken to or contacted FFR in any way & have no other knowledge apart from the link Andrew posted & then reading the post by Mr Smith in the GTM forum on this transaxle on the 8.25.09 ( This past tuesday ). In that post he states points 1,2,&3.as I previously mentioned .

Obviously you have read conflicting info elsewhere which I have not or one of us has misunderstood the intent of what we have read ( which Im fairly sure I have not having just re-read the post in the GTM forum ).

Given that I have no interest other than reading Andrews post & link, NO I have no photos of the trans or installations, my Kiwi No8 wire version of transaxle spyware obviously needs an upgrade.

 

[Doc Kaler]

Jack,


I took the liberty to copy this from the FFR website:



"Guys,​

This transaxle is a very high-end part that normally retails between $10k and $13k. To accomplish the prices needed to help guys build their GTMs we have some tough requirements to meet, so I want to make the terms clear.​

First of all you have to pay for the part in full, and then WAIT for between 3 and 6 months! Your money will be put in an escrow account where it will remain until you receive your transmission.​

Second of all, there are no refunds on these orders as we are committing a huge amount to the initial order.​

Third, these parts are designed for 750 hp and 500 lb/ft torque, however the manufacturer warranty covers engine applications up to 550 hp.​

Lastly, we reserve the right to cancel and refund your order for any reason.​

Dave Smith
President"


I believe this might be where Chris has gotten his information. The RED is my highlight. But Mr. Smith does state at the end that they can cancel and refund orders for any reason.
​

 

[Erik]

Well all I can say about this is I hope that people start asking the tough questions before they tie up $8200 for 6 months.

I tried to bring some of my concerns to the forum with a fairly long detailed account for all of the GTM options, listing my opinion good and bad for each of them. I tried to be as objective as possible, ( maybe I failed a bit ) but after spending quite a bit of time putting it all together and editing some of my passion out of it, it lasted all of 5 minutes before it was removed.

I did get a email saying that it was going to be reviewed, and that I would be notified if they would put it back up, but I got the sense that they really did not like the idea of me pointing out that the offer had some pretty big questions that needed answering before I would feel comfortable recommending it.

I think that even if they pull it off it may very well end up being a very bad decision with regard to warranty issues and reliability problems, can you imagine why they did not like my post? But as I understand it, these are not to be marketed to anyone other then the GTM builders. The reason for the dual prices is for those who have already received their kit, and those who order this at the same time as they order their kit.

We shall see I guess. I thought it rather a shame that they would censor me for expressing my opinion on their offering, when everyone else keeps asking me for it any ways. Oh yeah not to mention that I pay for the right to post as a Supporting Vendor. I would honestly think that any new product that is realistically and honestly represented, should be able to withstand a bit of scrutiny, to ensure that people are well educated and not disappointed in the future.

For those who do not know, I am fortunate to be the primary provider of gearboxes to the Factory Five builder, not the only one, but surely the best and busiest. I think the thing that really confused me the most about this is, the idea is to cut that cost the buyer of their kit needed to spend (with ME) on a G50, but when I put the figures together, the FF5 option was only $30 less expensive then the G50 option that I have been using.

Here was the kicker, Mr. Smith wrote: "One more time, I am NOT posting this to try and steal business from ANY supplier or distributor. So many companies have done such great work! Frankly, we have ALWAYS avoided working with running gear as a rule since companies like the engine factory, Ford racing, etc all do a great job and prices of these parts have been quite competitive. This hasnt happened with the GTM and the challenge has not been QUALITY, rather PRICE."

Price differential between the G50 option and the new gearbox $30.00 Really!!!

No harm to the vendors who I don't know, make a living helping your customers, complete their builds, answer questions, etc. etc. I have tried and tried to see my way clear to believe this, but no matter what I do, I just can see how I can.

That being said, business is business, and if I could make more money supplying more parts myself and keeping my customers buying everything from me, and not someone else, yeah- you bet ya I would. ( Right Fran ?? LOL ) Let's be realistic, it is the best way to control your market, but you have to have something that will really stand up, like several of the options companies here offer. I just don't think that this is the one. Sorry, but that is my opinion.

Thanks for letting me rant a bit. I feel better now. LOL hahaha

Please let me know if there is ever anything that I can do to help anyone out here. Questions are always welcome, it does not matter if you are a customer of mine or not, I am always here to help.

Warmest Regards,


Erik Johnson
GBox Sales Manager
(303) 440-8899 work
(303) 895-4828 cell

 

[Erik]

Wow new development, I have been asked to refrain from making any comments on the site, at all with regard to the FF5 gearbox option... Ha

 

[Ron Earp]

Wow new development, I have been asked to refrain from making any comments on the site, at all with regard to the FF5 gearbox option... Ha

I just want to clear this statement up a bit - I, nor any admin at GT40s.com, has asked you to refrain from making comments about a new gear box from Quaiffe. If you advertise Gbox wares here, yes, I'd ask you to become a vendor or cease but that isn't the case. I just don't want those reading your post think that GT40s.com has asked you to stop discussing the box on this site.

Thanks,
Ron

 

[Erik]

Sorry Ron,

I did not mean you at all in fact I need to get with you to get a new account with my current company. Everyone here has always been excellent to me and I am sure that will continue well into the future.

I was talking about the FF5 site. I apologize for any misunderstanding. Could you please send me your contact info again so that I can become a supporting member here again.

Thanks and sorry for the misunderstanding.

Erik Johnson
GBox Sales Manager
(303) 440-8899 work
(303) 895-4828 cell

 

[Ron Earp]

No worries and I'll send you a PM with info. I just didn't want folks to think that GT40s.com was trying to stop posting about the new transaxle. I'm sure folks are very interested in any new suitable transaxles coming to market.

Ron

 

[Andrew Robertson]

I'm surprised how pre-menstrual a number of us seem to be about this.

I would have thought an initiative like this would have at least been in the "stand back and watch with interest" category. Personally I give FFR a few points for giving this a go, even though it's clearly in their interests.

Cheers, Andrew Robertson

 

[Erik]

Andrew, I agree with you. I truly do with the exception of the pre-menstral thing, I applaud FF5 for the attempt, I simply do not agree with the inability to answer questions that I think should be answered prior to a commitment of $8200.

If they can pull this off I think it would be great for them. I just do not think that it will great for the end user. If they do not exceed a LS-1, no problem. More then that, I don't think so. Now I fully admit that this could be very much incorrect on my part, as I am only using the Quaife website and a few good sources to reach this conclusion. Keep in mind that I am not your normal sales person, in the sense that I really do care about the community and the people that put their trust in my opinion. I do not take that lightly. I look at it a bit as my responsibility to know the correct answer, and while I do not have enough facts in this case to know without any doubt that I am truly correct, I at very least know the correct questions to ask to ensure that people make an informed decision. Not everyone is mechanically educated, and not everyone will think to ask some of the questions that in my opinion need to be asked. It bothers me a bit that I am not allowed to question something that could, if it is everything they say it is, take business away that I would normally get. I am not at all bitter about their decision to go after this market, in fact, I truly applaud and congratulate them for going this direction. I would think that if this offer truly is what FF5 is representing it to be, it should be able to withstand a bit of scrutiny.

I truly appreciate your thoughts on this, really I do, you will find that I will never slam someone for having a different opinion to one that I have. In my business, if you are not growing and expanding your knowledge, you are getting left behind. Thank you.

Warmest Regards,


Erik Johnson
GBox Sales Manager
(303) 440-8899 work
(303) 895-4828 cell

 

[Jac Mac]

Had a look for any updates on this & it appears that the initial order for 50 units has been placed.
With regard to the comments on ratios above, they wouldnt be my choice either, but apparently by using similar ratios to the donor vehicle ( In this case a late model vette) it makes it easier in some states for rego & emission reasons, I know similar rules apply here in NZ & Aussie on late model donor stuff.
I guess if you 'really' want to race one you would spend the $$ to get an appropriate trans with multi ratio choices etc. The USA is really spoilt for choice in this regard, has all the ingredients to build really strong transaxles within its own borders, yet seem to lack the drive to make it happen for reasonable $$,........

 

[VicM]

I don't have a horse in this race, but to me, the ratio spread between 4th and 5th makes the transmission unusable on the street. And, that is where I estimate most GTM builders would use their car the most.

I don't know why they didn't keep ALL the ratios the T56 comes with. It probably cost more to delete 5th than it would to keep it in.

Maybe it was a competition/marketing thing?

 

[Jac Mac]

I don't have a horse in this race, but to me, the ratio spread between 4th and 5th makes the transmission unusable on the street. And, that is where I estimate most GTM builders would use their car the most.

I don't know why they didn't keep ALL the ratios the T56 comes with. It probably cost more to delete 5th than it would to keep it in.

Maybe it was a competition/marketing thing?

From what I understand it was to keep the ratios in line with those of the donor car (C5/C6 Vette?) which apparently makes it easier re registration/emissions etc for builders in some states/countries along with compatibility with all the electronic inputs etc the car needs from speed sensors etc. You have to remember that a large number of builders only require a car that 'looks' like its ready to race rather than actually do so, this probably applies to a large number of similar types like the SLC... Ultima.. & others, its just that the 'few' who do race them are the more 'vocal' of the group , thus we tend to get a distorted view of who does what.