03 blown transmission... RA gearset?

Discussion in 'Modifications & DIY how-to' started by supergopher, Dec 9, 2008.

  1. supergopher

    supergopher New Member

    my wrx has been sitting up at SOG for about two weeks.
    now that the shock and anger have subsided, its time to fork over some cash.

    after doing a little researching here, and talking to the guys at SOG, i think an RA gearset is the way to go (lemons to lemonade, right?).

    i noticed some in here were saying to do the RA gears 1-4 and leave the 5th stock. is this the way to go?

    whats up with the RA 5th?
    does top speed suffer?
    will i be sucking down all my gas on the highway in 5th?
    does anyone have either setup that can give advise?

    obviously a six speed would be the way to go, but i want to stay around the 3,500 - 4,500 dollar range, so i guess that's out.

    Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

    jeff
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2008
  2. slowwrx

    slowwrx Supporting Member

    You can do a six speed for that dont buy the ra set you will just break them.
     
  3. Jake

    Jake Active Member

    why don't you just buy a used transmission? I bought a used '06 wrx tranny, rear end, all 4 axles, clutch, master cylinder, driveshaft and flywheel all for $2200 shipped to sog's door. It's a little stronger than the 02-03 trannies.
     
  4. WJM

    WJM Banned

    RA's are not worth it. Neither are stock gears. PPG's are as much as....

    ..

    6spd swap FTW.
     
  5. slowwrx

    slowwrx Supporting Member

    If you want an 06 wrx setup I have exactly what he is talking about sitting in my storage unit. Ill hook you up.
     
  6. Jake

    Jake Active Member

    if you don't take that 06 setup I may look at it for my L
     
  7. slowwrx

    slowwrx Supporting Member

    just let me know
     
  8. techlord

    techlord Active Member

    well first to answer your question YES you will suffer gas mileage with the full set. I had them and @ 85 you are running 4400rpm.
    Second grab your shit from SOG and run, they have gone down the tubes.
    Last for the price you are gonna pay for that tranny I will sell you a used one for a steal and it drops right in!
     
  9. Sparta

    Sparta Active Member

    Shit dude. U can get a 6 speed for around 3500 and we can have an install day to install the damn thing. Shop around and you'll find one
     
  10. WJM

    WJM Banned

    SIX SPEED ALREADY DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes all caps.
     
  11. supergopher

    supergopher New Member

    well. i feel foolish. i was going on the price SOG gave me. i thought they were highly spoken for. but a dealership is a dealership, i suppose.

    3500 - for RA gearset
    4500 - for a new trasmission case and all
    parts and labor included.

    i was freakin out about the prices too.

    so i CAN get that six speed, eh?

    now is my chance to go new and improved, i want something better than stock, thats for sure. thats how some of my mods came to be ... rag it out till it breaks, beef it up! cant wait to blow my 2.0! jk *knock on wood*

    so when we talk about 6 speed, we arnt talkin STI... are we?

    id love something that can take some abuse.
     
  12. WRXCoupe

    WRXCoupe Active Member

    If you're sticking with a 5sp the 06 tranny gears are, I believe, the same thickness as the type RA. You will require new axles etc, so SLOWWRX's set up is perfect I would jump on it. With that said if you do any type of racing, hard driving, high rpm launches or downshifting especially if your car is running 300+ refer to the post in all CAPS! Six speed is close to unbreakable!
     
  13. techlord

    techlord Active Member

    Damn that is one hell of a markup, the gearset is 1250 with micro polish and cryo treatment. and doubtful you need a new case...they are trying to stick it to you.

    06 or 07 6mt (07 has the better gearing) new just the tranny will cost you about 4K if you can even get one without a LONG wait. Kingwrex waited like 3+ months for his.
    compliments of coolrex via WJM the other parts needed are:
    32000-AJ350 2007 STi transmission
    805329010 Circlips *need 2
    38415AA110 stubs *need 2
    806730041 oil seal *each side is different
    806730042 oil seal *each side is different
    C1010FE004 short shifter
    35046FE010 -shifter joint
    633046020-spring pin
    4.1 quarts of Subaru Extra S gear oil

    if at all possible get the 6mt and never worry again, I dont.
     
  14. WJM

    WJM Banned

    ANY SUBARU 6MT can take ANY abuse you dish to it (within reason on shifting, you can still break the forks, but I've been super hard on them and not had issues).

    For $8,000 you can buy all the parts you need for 6MT swap BRAND FREAKING NEW from subarupartspro.com AND have monies left over to pay someone who knows what they are doing install it all.

    Otherwise, you can wait for a complete swap to come along from a wrecked car. I've seen them as low as $1500 and as high as $6000. 05~06 is BEST. 07 has better 2 3 4 gearing.

    06~07 also means you get to keep the stock rear diff and find a 4EAT 2002~2007 impreza driveshaft.

    once again...

    GET A SIX SPEED
     
  15. techlord

    techlord Active Member

    pfft WJM what are you smokin...

    What I would do, first if this is your DD and you need something cheap used 5mt or just a cheap used car 1200 or less there are hundreds on craigslist.
    Wait for a good deal to come along, you should be able to do all for under 5K easily but when all is said and done 6 mother friggin MT
     
  16. Kokopelli

    Kokopelli Active Member

  17. WRXCoupe

    WRXCoupe Active Member

    It all depends on your $ that is the big reality check! Personally If your wrx still has the ej205 and you have some money to spare swap in a cheap 5mt and trade it in for a used Sti and call it a day. Save you allot of time and money dicking around trying to build an Sti out of a wrx. You could also consider an Evo, If I were to choose again and found one unabused Evo 7-9, definitely an Evo! As far as hp for the buck far better deal. Suby's a little more civilized i.e. ergonomics. Evo's wicked fast even with close to stock, just a few mods. From what I have been reading their Trannies are cheaper to bullet proof and the stockers seem to hold ok until about 400hp or so. If you can afford an 08 sti that would be worth it. The new chassis seems exceptional! It all boils down to your goals, money, time and resources!
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2008
  18. Davidwrx

    Davidwrx Member


    So they were wanting a total of $8000? That is so high I would think it was wrong. I could buy $3500 for the RA gearset installed, but not 8K.

    I agree with all of the above, many things to consider, but your cheapest option is to find a used 5 speed and get it installed. I would think that would be easy for under $2500 (much less if you do it yourself / get help to do it). Also you probably want to replace the clutch while it is off (that will add another $200 or so).
     
  19. WJM

    WJM Banned

    the RA gearset is somewhere in the $1300~$1500 range. Labor would be 16 total hours, so at $98.50 an hour (that was the labor rate at SOG in 2007) it would be $1528.00 in labor.

    So yeah, around 3k for the dealer to do it. Thats assuming they retail the gearset to you at that price above, not them buying it for that price then adding their required 100% or so markup.
     
  20. WRXCoupe

    WRXCoupe Active Member

    SOG has a few Sti's on the lot and they are probably hurting for business like any other dealer. I would throw some numbers around with them just out of curiosity.....
     
  21. WJM

    WJM Banned

    Defiantly find a cheap good used trans to throw in there first before talking numbers and trading it in.
     
  22. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

    I did my complete 2007 6 speed and so did Techlord (thanks to me) for under $4500 all said and done and that was BRAND SPANKING NEW FROM SUBARU.
     
  23. WRXCoupe

    WRXCoupe Active Member

    sweet deal!
     
  24. kingwrex

    kingwrex Supporting Member

    i did a 6 speed swap also for fairly cheap. it was a little more expensive than 4500 but i also did the full brembo swap also.
     
  25. Jake

    Jake Active Member

    ha, has the OP even responded??
     
  26. kawigreen

    kawigreen New Member

    I have a used 03 transmission to sell... I blew the original engine, then swapped the whole drivetrain out, so I have the tranny just sitting around. Are you still interested?
     
  27. supergopher

    supergopher New Member

    damn guys, sorry for the delay.
    okay, so heres the deal...

    SOG has been super nice to me, helping me with a car (its been almost three weeks now), so id like to give them some business.

    i should have been more clear in my last post.
    the RA Geatset (just the gears, keep my case) bought from SOG AND installed = 3500

    period.
    and other option is...

    an entirely NEW wrx tranny (case and all + installation) = 4500

    lets just say, im loaning the money, so i cant trade the car in and simply get an STI!

    when i first posted, the RA gears sounded like the best option for the best price.
    i got my answer (thanks techlord) about the 5th gear, in said gearset, and it sucks. i dont want to be at 4400 rpm at 85 mph. though i can keep the 5th gear stock (part of original post, any info on this?)
    so im STILL torn.

    SIX SPEED, i know, i know. i want one too!
    if someone told me there was a SIMPLE way to get that tranny, and all its misc. other parts, installed and EVERYTHING for about 4000-4500, id get a tow truck to SOG and say goodbye. but i just dont see that as realistic.

    i said earlier, i wanted to give them some business, but that dosnt mean i have to buy the tranny from them. the 06 sounds like a sweet offer, but doing axles and all that other stuff other than the tranny will kill me with installation costs.

    so... RA gearset? what about highway travel and 5th gear? just keep 5th as stock?
    anyone done that?

    and thanks to all of you! the info youve been contributing is awesome! i really, really appreciate it!
     
  28. WJM

    WJM Banned

    do RA 1-2-3-4 and keep the stock 5th if thats the only choice you can have with borrowed money.

    Just remember, they still cant take the abuse.
     
  29. techlord

    techlord Active Member

    that price is simply too high for a gearset that is easily broken. That is why I got rid of mine, I could not drive it like I stole it cause I felt I would break something.

    Now let's say you can get a good used tranny for 6-800 bucks and you pay someone here 4 hundy to install (free if you host a little G2G with food and beer). the way I see it is you pay in the neighborhood of 12-1500 MAX and save 2 grand towards that eventual 6mt or some other goodies.
     
  30. WJM

    WJM Banned

    ^true statement.
     
  31. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

    Yep that's what I would do in your situation.
     
  32. WRXCoupe

    WRXCoupe Active Member

    You should pm slowwrx see if he still has the 06 5sp with axles etc. He will install it for you as well. Probably quicker than SOG and you would be saving a bunch of money. The 06's are equivelent in thickness to the RA set and are stock ratios. As WJM stated can still break but compared to the price you're getting from SOG no brainer!
     
  33. Sparta

    Sparta Active Member

    what about Legacy GT Gears? Classic has 1-4 sitting there after I returned them (nothing wrong with them, just changed my mind) I think they costs about $900
     
  34. WJM

    WJM Banned

    A little tougher with a slightly better 1-2 spread, but you'll still break them eventually.
     
  35. Sparta

    Sparta Active Member

    yea, but for this guy? They beat buying the RA gears from SOG
     
  36. WJM

    WJM Banned

    not by much...

    If his $3500 INSTALLED quote is accurate, $1600 of that is labor, $1900 is parts. Easily $400 is fluids, sealer, gaskets and non-reusable stake nuts, shop fees/hazard disposal fees and etc. So that leaves around $1500 for the gearset which is right at Market MSRP from anyone else.

    Either way, if he plans on a 6MT later a used transmission is best.

    If he wants to DD this thing, stock or Legacy gears are best.

    If rallyx/autox then RA gears are best.

    If drag/road course then custom PPG gears are best.

    If all of the above, then 04~06 USDM STi 6MT.
     
  37. Mike@TTR

    Mike@TTR Active Member

    Or better yet, 07 Sti 6mt :)
     
  38. supergopher

    supergopher New Member

    thank you to everone who helped in my thead. i got the ra gearset... i LIKE em... when i brake them ill let you know! ill then be forever sold on the 6 speed as some of you already know from exp... on the brightside i now know how the RA's perform, and i can now tell others what theyre like.

    thanks again,
    the (maybe) experimentally dumb, but (defiantly) super fly, supergopher guy.
     

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