always that sugar coated response from ISFpat.....but when you are right ...you are right ...LOL

 

I swapped an Aisin RA60 Transmission into an automatic equipped Land Cruiser some years ago... fun project, but plenty involved. The RA was used in the Lexus IS cars along with the Tacoma and FJ Cruiser. It's an decent piece, some units, especially the early versions, can develop throwout bearing issues...various improvements have been made to it over the years... but Toyota never really built it to handle huge power. The basic layout of it looks like it could be built to handle some power, it has the same shaft spacing as a V160, but you would be into custom stuff.

If you want a fast torquey manual transmission IS car, here's basic a recipe... Find a manual IS250 and swap in a 1GR 4.0L in place of the 4GR 2.5. Add a TRD Supercharger.

 

Anything can happen if you throw enough money at the project. As for actually doing it is another story. The ISF is a fantastic car the way it's currently set up. There are cars that are way better out there that have a manual transmission. But with the way things are going manual transmissions are becoming a thing of the past. More high performance cars are coming only with paddle shift transmissions.

Not all two petal cars are automatics. Dual clutch transmissions are are 100% manual that are hydraulically actuated. They can shift more constantly and quicker than any human could. This is the new technology that we will start seeing more of. It's a completely new world and different from what we are all accustomed to. I like the feeling of downshifting and setting the car up for a corner. It will take some time changing my driving habits/style with a DC transmission. In the end I know I will be faster around a track in a DC equipped car. You have less to think about and spend more time properly setting up the car for the corners.

A fast vehicle is not always a more engaging driving experience. If someone really wants the thrill of a lifetime I'd suggest a slower open wheel car. Sometimes the feeling of pushing a vehicle to its absolute limits is more rewarding than going really fast in a competent car at 70% of what the car is capable of. Speed is all relevant. Your skill sets will dictate several factors such as keeping the car on track/road, and making it home alive. Push too much and your bound to run out of luck.

 

There is no Aisin gearbox even holding a candle to the Getrag 233 for strength and reliability. Shaft spacing isn't the real issue. Three large bearings holding the one piece countershaft are just the beginning of why the "V-160" is so much more capable than the 400 Nm of torque it was designed to handle. The only downside is the gears weigh a LOT, so it's not a quick shifter by any stretch.

 

Shaft spacing goes straight towards designed torque capacity.... the lager the spacing, the larger the diameter of the gears and bearings.

 

As does the number of bearings and their placement. All design trade-offs. But if you really want to see design trade-offs, look at a GT-R gearbox...

 

Thanks, I'll have a look.