My 6-speed Experience

shawn110975

shawn110975

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Guys I have had my 6-speed installed for some time now<O:p</O:p
and want to share my long overdue Experience about the upgrade to my 92 NSX 3.0L engine
<O:p</O:p
driving the 5-speed we all know it lacks in the second gear range I mean
you race someone you are winning intill you hit second then they pass you.<O:p</O:p

also the single clutch Rpm's dont drop as fast on my 2004 as it does in my 1992 dual clutch.<O:p</O:p
with that said since I got the dual unput shaft from Science Of Speed and had it installed in my 6-speed transmission its night and day.<O:p></O:p>

I mean my 92 3.0L almost feels exactly like my 2004,<O:p</O:p
I know the gears are different and that makes the world of difference but I suggest getting this upgrade<O:p</O:p
its def worth the cash.
<O:p</O:p
now I did not install the Lock out for reverse and have never had an issue when switching to 6th gear.

I have the Bosch relay and I know how to install it but never have time to do so on my own car


my 92 is all stock engine wise ( most reliable ) but I will be installing headers soon to give it that extra punch.<O:p</O:p
the swap is a must for 5-speed owners <O:p</O:p
I would like to hear other opinions that have done this switch.<O:p</O:p
 
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Shawn, how do you compare the single disk to the twin disk? I know SOS sells the main shaft for OEM twin disc conversion, but wonder why. Is the twin easier to operate or just someones personal choice.
 
Looking to do this upgrade down the road.

Would like to see what other have to say about the swap.
 
Hmm... I was just gonna put in a lighter flywheel on my 5spd and be done with it.

I actually kind of love the NSX 5spd 2nd gear... set it and forget it for twisty mountain driving. Is that wrong?
 
well after I felt the 2nd in a 3.2L NSX's you can def tell second gear is weak.

it almost feels like it has less HP in 2nd vtec missing or something

after the conversion in 2nd you can feel the powerband is still there all the way thru the gears

it brings a new feeling to the car.

I think the Japanese short gears for the 5-speed are basiclly the same thing.

I loved my 5-speed but 5th gear doing 70 and rpms at 5-6 seems like honda should have made the 6th gear sooner. when you shift to 6th the rpms go down to 3-4K seems to me less gas being used

I just wanted to share how I felt about this costly upgrade
but trust me its worth it.
 
So would you recommend the twin clutch in the 6 speed?
 
another 6-spd experience

shawn110975 said:
well after I felt the 2nd in a 3.2L NSX's you can def tell second gear is weak.

it almost feels like it has less HP in 2nd vtec missing or something

after the conversion in 2nd you can feel the powerband is still there all the way thru the gears

it brings a new feeling to the car.

I think the Japanese short gears for the 5-speed are basiclly the same thing.

I loved my 5-speed but 5th gear doing 70 and rpms at 5-6 seems like honda should have made the 6th gear sooner. when you shift to 6th the rpms go down to 3-4K seems to me less gas being used

I just wanted to share how I felt about this costly upgrade
but trust me its worth it.
Click to expand...

this was one of the biggest reasons took me 4yr.+ to find the NSX I want.
I sure paid $$$ for that xtra gear but like Shawn said, its well worth it.
Lucky me, it also has the Comptech reverse lock out module.

my came with a freshly installed 6-spd. (ex-owner had tie with Real Time and it was their spare, so he said and whatever) and the rest of my 93 has the usual I/H/E bolt-on mods + RDX injectors. with the oem 4.06 diff., the car turns barely over 3k rpm in 6th at 80mph and I get easily 30mpg w/ the funny Calif. gas but I can get 33+mpg goin thru TX using their real gas. I have 265 in the rear and I look forward to the $$$Giken 4.4 diff. in the future.

its well known that the 5 spd. can handle more hp/tork but my car will stay NA for life so its not an issue. I think the clutch is the heavy single type and once its dead, I'll put in the dual spline shaft to have more choices for lighter clutch/flywheel combo. As for now, its quite lazy during H&T.
 
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Where did you get the 6spd trannies from? One of the cars in the shop? Which one? :)
 
Here is my $0.02. I know Shawn is a younger/faster driver than me, but speaking as someone who regularly switches between a 5-speed and 6-speed, they're very different beasts but both fun to drive. The 6-speed feels more refined (perhaps due to the newer age, lower mileage, and addition of power steering), more like an Acura brand luxury vehicle ought to feel. The 5-speed, on the other hand, feels more raw/visceral to me and its twin disc clutch is less prone to shudder from a dead stop as the 6-speed's single disc clutch. The 6-speed does allow you to stay in VTEC through the shifts, while the 5-speed does not.

That said, I've put 5k miles on the 5-speed this year, and 6k miles on the 6-speed. The car that makes me grin more from ear-to-ear while driving? Probably the 5-speed coupe, but of course that is due to more factors than the transmission alone (I like the manual steering, rigidity of the coupe, Comptech exhaust, and the red color draws attention like you wouldn't believe). I have not taken either NSX on the track, and I'm a pretty mellow street driver, so take that for what it's worth.

I recommend that interested owners drive both transmissions prior to spending money for the upgrade. I'm extremely fortunate that I get to experience both, but if I only had the 5-speed, I probably would not do the upgrade as I enjoy it as is.
 
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HIJACKER said:
Where did you get the 6spd trannies from? One of the cars in the shop? Which one? :)
Click to expand...

it was already installed on the car when I bought it. the ex-owner sent me pix of the gearbox and it was still in a Honda crate but I can't find it but i did take pix of some of the spare racing parts he had which led me to believe he was not blowing smoke.

the car even came with air jacks on it as he was planning to track the car but never did. I removed it (30lbs) and sold it to someone in FL as it just wasn't practical for the street using nitrogen tank and the big single lug set up.

I called Rob Morrison about the ceramic Tilton in the pix but it was way too much work to set it up so I did not buy them. I wished they were carbon then I would've bought it. the ex-owner had many race parts but I had to past it on.

sorry Shawn...getting off topic:confused:
 
davidf said:
Shawn, how do you compare the single disk to the twin disk? I know SOS sells the main shaft for OEM twin disc conversion, but wonder why. Is the twin easier to operate or just someones personal choice.
Click to expand...

I'd be interested in hearing your take as well. THe 02 Type-R does this. So I imagine it will spin-up quicker than the single disc version. Then there is the SOS sport clutch that is lighter than both. Of course if you mate the twin OEM with a LW flywheel....
 
Supersonic yes the dual clutch rpms drop way faster

like my 2004 when at 6-7K rpm and you press the clutch in there is slight lag.

but same in driving in the 92 dual clutch no lag your at 6-7K you press clutch in
and the rpms drop instantly

def like Phonix said about the shudder

the single clutch shudders like in reverse and 3rd gear not sure why

but Like BATMANs said they say the 5-speed tran is stronger but
I dont run NASA engines in my NSX like BATMANs

maybe SOS can chime in on this what the diff in dropping Rpms are dual vs single
 
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shawn110975 said:
I just wanted to share how I felt about this costly upgrade
but trust me its worth it.
Click to expand...
I only agree partly. Yes, it's worth it on a slow 5-speed but the benefit/cost-ratio is very low unless you drive frequently faster than 100 mph. Short gears and 4.23 give you even more fun than a OEM 6-spped and leaves you a pretty much amount of money spent better somewhere else.
I would never part with my short gears/4.23 though.
 
bngl3rt said:
Which one do you have? NSX-R?

Looks like it requires a diff swap on 95-96 cars :mad:
Click to expand...
I've the japanese short gears and the Type-R final drive 4.23 in my 91. No change to the diff. Not sure about the diff of a 95/96.
European 95/96 do have the shorter gears already.
 
PHOEN$X said:
I recommend that interested owners drive both transmissions prior to spending money for the upgrade. I'm extremely fortunate that I get to experience both, but if I only had the 5-speed, I probably would not do the upgrade as I enjoy it as is.
Click to expand...
If I were in the US and could buy a 97+ easily I may do it the same way. But outside of the US 97+ are very rare and therefore pretty much overpriced. Even then, I like both worlds in a car, coupe AND fast. From this point of view I understand why people mod their earlier NSXs.
 
On the topic of cost to benefit ratio, rebuilding a 5-speed with JDM short gears is not cheap either.

JDM short gears ~$1500 including gears 1 and 5
Rebuild pack ~$1000
+ rebuild labour and install labour. Looking at $4-5k
 
Short gears only with rebuilt kit and installation should max out at $4k. But you have a revised tranny then.
What amount do you come with a 6-speed?
 
With purchasing a 6-speed tranny, you can sell your 5 speed to offset the cost. Assuming a used 6-speed is $4k, and you sell your 5 speed for $1k, the net cost is $3k + installation.

The only added cost is a clutch.
 

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