The Price of Transaxles - Why are Transaxles Expensive?
- Thread starter FOX1
- Start date
"...they are worth it." I think that depends on who is answering the question now doesn't it?
Looks like this thread has long since died down but I have often wondered the same thing.
Why is it that an American transmission can handle well over twice the torque at under half the cost of a European transaxle?
Yes, there are some differences that need to be considered, but it's not exactly like transaxles are new to the market or anything. A few more gears and such do not make it worth the cost. we are talking steel, not platinum gears here.
As has been stated time and again, why on earth do people try to reinvent the wheel when they could take a a proven design and build upon it? Would save most of the cost for certain. Maybe it's marketing (look at us, we are the latest greatest on the planet...etc). Maybe it's just because they know they can and enough people will plunk down the money to pay for their tinkering! Well, I'm not one of those. As a matter of principle I will not pay more for a transaxle than my entire engine costs brand new from the factory.
No matter what some people will have you believe, engines are just as complex (think of all the moving parts and what goes into their manufacture), if not more so, than transaxles and they cost more in terms of research to produce the likes of a Coyote for example. Yes, we do have economies of scale involved, but if the price of a reliable transaxle was such that it could be had for say 5 or 6K (about what a high end transmission costs), then I bet you would sell a lot more and probably corner the market as there would be no reason for folks to go with the others.
Of course that would drive down the cost of the others too, but in so doing, would prove that they were overpriced to begin with.
Seymour Snerd
Lifetime Supporter
"involved???"
I think you are vastly underestimating and/or misunderstanding how "economy of scale" works in manufacturing. In order to build anything in large quantities (like Corvetter transaxles) involves huge product-specific investment in manufacturing engineering and capital equipment, and that has to be funded up front. It's isn't just about amortizing the R&D effort of a couple mechanical engineers.
So somebody with a huge amount of money has to believe your story about selling $5,000 transmissions in quantity, and then let you have that money for a year or two while you get your factory going and your material supply chain set up, at the end of which you have to have a sales, marketing and distribution organization that has already found all those customers, convinced them to buy, take delivery, and pay for your railroad cars full of transmissions. Any link in that chain delays or fails and you're out of business.
Well, I am not an economist (I'm an engineer) but I do hold a second degree in finance which involved quite a bit of study into these sorts of things so I am not as completely in the dark as you seem to believe.
Anyway, the point was that yes, it does make a big difference when you have a large production run, but that's where not reinventing the wheel and going with a proven design to alleviate all those research dollars (or pounds, yen, etc.) comes in.
If you didn't have that big hunk of change to worry about and you relied on third parties who specialize in manufacturing such components (in other words, not creating your own factory to produce the parts) then much smaller runs could be profitable at a greatly reduced cost.
Seymour Snerd
Lifetime Supporter
So, what are you waiting for? Start making $5,000 transaxles! If you're right you'll be rich in no time.
Oh yes, I remember you now from other threads. I'll leave it at that. LOL!
Darrin
I looked into this and rehash it my head every know and then.
I may one day give it a go, what I came up with was a 3 shaft transaxle.
Tremec tko 600
A new output shaft
cast or cnc a rear ext housing.
A set of drop gears and C & P from winter differentials.
The diff ratio is not important as the drop gears change the ratios in a quick change form.
A diff housing would require casting.
The input shaft slips straight into an internaly splined shaft that passes through the diff housing to the clutch.
Jim
Jim
I looked into this and rehash it my head every know and then.
I may one day give it a go, what I came up with was a 3 shaft transaxle.
Tremec tko 600
A new output shaft
cast or cnc a rear ext housing.
A set of drop gears and C & P from winter differentials.
The diff ratio is not important as the drop gears change the ratios in a quick change form.
A diff housing would require casting.
The input shaft slips straight into an internaly splined shaft that passes through the diff housing to the clutch.
Jim
Jim
A project along those lines has been done here in NZ by a trans shop in Auckland, dont know much about it other than it would appear that they have built it with the input shaft above output shaft centerline which does not favour the GT40 application.
I have a gearbox that is certainly strong enough to handle most engine combinations, so long as you are not force inducting it.
Cost $3600.00 for open differential, and $5700.00 for one with one of the best Limited Slip Differentials made.
Come and get it.
I think what most people do not realize here is that it is not JUST the transaxle you will be in need of. You will also need a flywheel, clutch, adapter plate, Axles, etc, etc, etc.
If all you are looking for is a cost effective option for a gearbox that will handle the HP, poof, I have it, give me a call and you are off and running. It is a 6 speed, cable shifted gearbox, and has shown itself to handle 700 HP so far without failure. This is never the end of the story, however. There are always discussions of gearing and costs associated with the rest of the build, and the next thing you know, people are asking for the impossible, and not willing to pay to make it at least close.
I understand that there is a lot of discussion about building a new gearbox that will answer all of the needs of people building kits, and make it cost effective at the same time. This is a dream and simply not possible. We all wish we could supply something like that, but everyone's expectations are different so how do you come up with a solution that will suit everyone?
I wish anyone who decides to try the very best of success, but it is a risky adventure and not one I would ever want to invest literally 100's of thousands to find out if it would work or not.
Just my .02
Erik Johnson
(303) 440-8899 work
Cost $3600.00 for open differential, and $5700.00 for one with one of the best Limited Slip Differentials made.
Come and get it.
I think what most people do not realize here is that it is not JUST the transaxle you will be in need of. You will also need a flywheel, clutch, adapter plate, Axles, etc, etc, etc.
If all you are looking for is a cost effective option for a gearbox that will handle the HP, poof, I have it, give me a call and you are off and running. It is a 6 speed, cable shifted gearbox, and has shown itself to handle 700 HP so far without failure. This is never the end of the story, however. There are always discussions of gearing and costs associated with the rest of the build, and the next thing you know, people are asking for the impossible, and not willing to pay to make it at least close.
I understand that there is a lot of discussion about building a new gearbox that will answer all of the needs of people building kits, and make it cost effective at the same time. This is a dream and simply not possible. We all wish we could supply something like that, but everyone's expectations are different so how do you come up with a solution that will suit everyone?
I wish anyone who decides to try the very best of success, but it is a risky adventure and not one I would ever want to invest literally 100's of thousands to find out if it would work or not.
Just my .02
Erik Johnson
(303) 440-8899 work
What transaxle are you referring to? I checked your ebay store and couldn't find anything like that but maybe it wasn't listed there?
There are actually two gearboxes that will work quite well that have the same cost. Either the G96.00/01 which would be inverted to work in a mid-engine application, or the G86.20 which does not require inversion, as it is out of a mid-engine car. Axle geometry is the key factor here in choosing between the two of these gearboxes. One will have the axles above the input shaft center line and the other will be below. We do not have these listed in our EBay store, at least, not for applications for kits, so if you would like more information just give me a call and I will be happy to discuss these options with you in greater detail.
Erik Johnson
GBox LLC
(303) 440-8899 work
Erik Johnson
GBox LLC
(303) 440-8899 work
Howard Jones
Supporter
Good idea Jac, they certainly haven't got any cheaper and with the addition of PDK types gearbox's not any less complicated either!
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