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Initial Impression:
As I drove off the lot of Elk Grove Honda I noticed that my car felt much lighter. It was much more willing to go and I could tell that the car was accelerating harder than before.
Yellow Box:
Neil over at Rolling Audio (Sacramento) installed my Yellow Box. He did an amazing job, taking pictures along the way to show work done underneath the car, and mounted the box underneath the center consol for a super stealth installtion . I used a "Garmin" GPS system to calibrate the YB and used the run that came to a 24 foot proximity. (Supposively GPS systems are not 100% accurate) Result, my speedo/odo. was off by 11%. Although the number seems slightly higher than the norm. (10%) I've been able to confirm from other tests (Miles markers....exit signs...mapquest...) that the numbers are right on. I've noticed that the speedo drops slighty slower than before, and I think this might be due to the YB computing.
Shifting:
I find myself shifting more than before. On the same roads at smililar speeds I find myself in 1 higher gear for optimal driving. Also, it is much easier to get the car going in first, which is a very nice for local driving and stop and go traffic. On the highway in 6th gear @ 80mph my revs are at 4900rpm. (400~500 above stock).
Noise:
The new gears increase the mechanical noise level in the cabin both from the engine (higher revs) and buzzing from the transmission. Although, not everyone who has installed the gears mention this sound, it was something that I definalty noticed vs. stock. I spoke the technician who installed the gears and he told me that it is natural with the new gears. I was able to confirm this with other mechanics.
Rear Differential Oil:
As stated above, I was not pleased with the buzzing noise and was in search for a solution. In the process I found out that regular dyno. oil was put in the diff. for the new gears. As recommended by xviper, I decided to swap out the diff. oil to synthetic @ 600 miles.
I used Mobil1 GL-5 75W90 Synthetic Gear Oil.
Brand new Mobil1 Synthetic oil
Dyno. oil after 600 miles. No metal shavings detected, which is a very good sign!!
Mobil1 Synthetic gear oil after 900 miles. Also no signs of metal shavings. At this point I knew for sure that the installation was very good and problem free.
As you can see in the pictures the oil in your rear diff. takes a beating like no other. Just after 600 miles the dyno. oil was very dark and thick. The synthetic stuff really held up and actually still maintains the clearness and honey like consistancy. Using the synthetic oil reduced the buzzing sound but did not resolve it totally. I have gotten used to the sound and do not notice it as much as before.
Synthetic Gear Oil is "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" for those thinking about this mod.
1200 miles:
At this point I considered my gears broken in. I started to drive the car harder and harder. I found myself over revving the first few times and bounced the revs off the limiter a few times. The redline comes so much quicker than before and it was something that I had to get used to. Driving is an absolute blast! For a non-Force Induced modification the acceleration is so much better through all 6th gears.
Gas Milage:
Previously I was getting 24mpg ave. I still get around 24mpg with MORE spirited driving. I don't drive my car as hard as some of you but the new gears apparently haven't affected the gas milage. Given, the new gears provide for increased TQ in the lower revs. I think the car burns less while getting it moving, which compensates for the increased revs. while crusing on the freeway. (**This is an assumption that I have made and I do not have any scientifical or mechanical evidence to prove so.)
Thoughts:
A mod well worth it . Even better if you can DIY like xviper did. You'll save yourself quite a bit.
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss issues brought up in this thread.
Can you give us all an idea of the price range for this mod including Labor for installation, time you had your car in the shop, and cost of the gears (were they ricks?). Thanks!!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by sebrings2k Noise:
The new gears increase the mechanical noise level in the cabin both from the engine (higher revs) and buzzing from the transmission. Although, not everyone who has installed the gears mention this sound, it was something that I definalty noticed vs. stock. I spoke the technician who installed the gears and he told me that it is natural with the new gears. I was able to confirm this with other mechanics.
Just a heads up. Any new noise is bad. Was the buzzing there before? If the buzzing is at a constant speed you may be having lash noise. If so, your ring and pinion may not be set up right.
Originally posted by sebrings2k Noise:
The new gears increase the mechanical noise level in the cabin both from the engine (higher revs) and buzzing from the transmission. Although, not everyone who has installed the gears mention this sound, it was something that I definalty noticed vs. stock. I spoke the technician who installed the gears and he told me that it is natural with the new gears. I was able to confirm this with other mechanics.
Just a heads up. Any new noise is bad. Was the buzzing there before? If the buzzing is at a constant speed you may be having lash noise. If so, your ring and pinion may not be set up right.
The noise was there before...I don't think it was as loud though.
I could be hearing something else and just thinking its coming from the new gears.
Besides the buzzing noise, given it is indeed "lash noise", what other symptoms would i notice from a bad ring and pinion set up?
From the last two diff. oil changes, i didn't find any metal chunks or shavings what so ever. Isn't this a good sign?
Please let me know if you have any recommendations.
When the pinion is not close enough to the ring there is increased lash ( the total amount of space in the drivetrain between parts where there are space like ring & pinion, transmission gears, u-joints, all the way to the crank) leading to more noise where the engine RPM is about steady. Where the engine is sometimes powering forward and sometimes just holding it back slightly is where the noise will increase. This might be magnified into increased transmission noise. It puts strain on the drivetrain. If your car had the same noise and it is now amplified this may be what is happening. If you feel the noise is the same but changed by rpm only then fine. If you feel the noise is amplified you may want to have the backlash checked.
You can do a rough check in the car by seeing how much you can get with one rear jacked (one on the ground) wheel to spin back and forth with the trany in gear, brake off. You do not want to do this with any force to move the engine. Compare your degree of wheel movement with another S2000, preferably new. They should be the same.
Although this may make you feel better doing it, I doubt this is accurate enough to find all but the worst cases of excess backlash so I probably wouldn't waste my time doing it myself. Great for that old farm tractor.
Heavier and possible some synthetic formulations of gear oil will dampen some of the excess lash and make the symptoms less.
If the noise increases over time then beware for sure.
Do you have any shops around that only do rearends? They could tell you from just a drive.
IMHO Don't panic and just see how it goes over the next few months.
. I used a "Garmin" GPS system to calibrate the YB and used the run that came to a 24 foot proximity. (Supposively GPS systems are not 100% accurate) Result, my speedo/odo. was off by 11%. Although the number seems slightly higher than the norm. (10%) I've been able to confirm from other tests (Miles markers....exit signs...mapquest...) that the numbers are right on. I've noticed that the speedo drops slighty slower than before, and I think this might be due to the YB computing.
