ChicagoEVO

What would it take to convert an evo or any car to clutchless rally suspension? I see them shift to sixth in two seconds and I know I must have it.

Doesn't it seem like a transmission of this nature would be a huge improvment to your driving and fun?

I would much appreciate comments from anyone who knows anything on this topic.

zeroize

depends on what you call "REAL" clutchless transmission, a racing transmission could cost up to 10k and you would have to rip ur car apart to install (thats if you have the resources for parts and technical knowledge)
well... check this, i'm looking into combining the 5zigen clutchless system and the ikeya sequential shifter, so in theory, it would act like one of those babies gilles panizzi's driving.

more info on the clutchless system
http://www.takakaira.com/php/table.php3?id=185&cat=2

info on the seq. shifter
http://www.ikeya-f.co.jp/english/index.html

we're looking at arouund 3k worth of equipment and considerable, but not impossible, amount of labor. i think havin either of the two would be tons of fun already, but hopefully i could pull off having them both at once, working coherently.

zeroize

oh yeah BTW, if ur interested in that setup you should follow manilaEVO's post on this forum, he runs a sickass Evo (well to be accurate two, a "Grocery car" Evo VII and track Evo VI) and hes gonna install that setup soon, so u should read his future reviews of how compatible the two systems are....

Group_N

But clutches are fun...

zeroize

oh clutches are a ton of fun, thats why i'm doing this and not getting an Evo GT-A, but hey, i mean i like the clutch, but you gotta admit a clutchless sequential shifter is ALOT of fun..

ChicagoEVO

Sounds sweet Zeroize.

Could you mount the shifter knob just to the right of the steering wheel like the rally guys do it?

Just seems like you'd be a much better driver having the ability to shift that quickly. You'd never stay in a gear cause you were lazy. Also when the gearing is set really close, a sequetial trans would make you fly!

Also, what do you think labor for a job like this would cost?

Thanks all

dipper

I think it would be cheaper to buy the E46 M3 with the $2500 SMG-II option than to do the custom job for the Evo.

zeroize

i have no idea how much the who thing would cost, and if any shop in the states have the technical knowledge to install them (i dun think 5zigen nor ikeya has their branch here) but about the M3 comparison, they're two different cars, with very different driving personalities, and its very far from correct to say after all that it'll be cheaper to buy an M3 with SMG, we're talkin bout atleast a 15k base price difference here u know....

zeroize

well the ikeya kit stand quite tall already by itself, but you have to bare in mind that the kit was designed for J spec cars where the shifter would be oriented to the left of the steering wheel, but since ur pulling off a job like that, and if you wanna be serious, i dun think a custom extension of the actual shifter would be that hard to do, that way you can have the shifter all the way right up next to the steering wheel, but then you'll also have to work with the pivot point, coz an extension like that might throw off the shift lengths. you know what just gimme ur email address, i've got some videos (i think mpg or mov format) of the shifter in action... aww its damn sweet...

RA29

I think x-trac makes the sequential transmission for the rally cars.
They cost an obscene amount of money, more than the base car itself.

But if money is no object and you want to shift as quickly as possible with reliability, that's the way to go.
Clutches suck, they cause you to lose time when shifting

ChicagoEVO

I'd love to see the videos, my email is ChicagoEVO@KU.edu .

Think we'll ever have evo Vs and VIs in the states? I wish someone would crash test and sell them here. Maybe the US VII or VIII will be cool too.

I'm not too sure but i think the BMW sequential trans is fairly low tech compared to some aftermarket stuff. I know the ferrari paddle shifters are super nice. Porsche has then too, no?

Sk8boardIL

as far as i know porsche invented all this and now is used by other companies, i think.

dipper

The BMW SMG-II is not low tech. It is the similar F1 implementation design as Ferrari. SMG-II is a lot more advance than the original SMG. Start going to M3 forums and check out people's opinion about it. It seems to be very superior than a slush box.

dipper

I know it is two different types of car. But I doubt the guy asking for the conversion is really going to use it for off-road rallies. In that case, the M3 is going to be similar in performance in road course.

Like you said, you are not sure the cost of the conversion. And I doubt that it would be less than 15k with the cost to install and reprogram the computer systems.

So in that sense of comparison, it is a logical comparison.
Now comparing the AWD turbo Porsche with sequential manual box is a different story.

zeroize

i wouldnt even associate the word "low-tech" with the BMW name, BMW had laid down firm foundation with their recent releases to make the BMW name synoymous with "very high-tech", and the BMW SMG is one of the best semi-automatic systems in the world (well ofcourse after ferrari, whose auto system is even faster than their manual in track tests), but personally i just dun like the paddle shift system... just isnt as fun as pushing stick up and down on a seq. shifter...