Rank your beloved factory manual FWD "transaxles"

Just to keep this somewhat simplified, I'm going to use the premise that its going in a mid or rear engine locost. Also what can be "squeezed out of the mating motor" or "the mating motor dies when..." needs to stay irrelevant to keep this on track.

It needs a clutch, but how it engages or how the thing shifts, doesn't matter.

Junk Yard or parts car availability, torque handling for drag racing, clutch size, clutch availability, smoothness, half shaft size and availability should be some of the key concerns in ranking.

Please list the transmission name and some back ground info if known.

I know very little about FWD manuals. I have heard of these being "relatively" robust, but I don't know how they rank:

5 speed NVG T850 - from SRT4s, 2.7 Clouds - SRT4 mates to 2.0/2.2/2.4/2.5 4cyl - 2.7 mates to 3.3/3.8 V6.

5 speed MTX75 - Ford Zetec, 4cyl Duratec and V6 Duratec - family compatibility? used for Noble upgrades.

The SRT transmission is stout, but not known for its smooth shifting. That being said it is the one I selected for my mid-engine Locost project (along with the engine from the same vehicle).

I don't recall the MTX75 from my focus being great shifting, but it certainly wasn't bad. Probably not as beefy as the mopar box, and you would have to add a limited slip differential.

the Volvo 850 had a fairly robust manual transmission (more so than the autos)

Here are it's specs:

Manual transmission: M 56 H
Single-disc dry plate clutch. All-synchromesh on all gears including reverse; integrated final drive. Operation via a floor mounted gear lever. Overdrive.

Final drive ratio 4.00:1
Reduction ratios
1st gear 3.07:1
2nd gear 1.90:1
3rd gear 1.19:1
4th gear 0.87:1
5th gear 0.70:1
Reverse 3.00:1

The strongest manual FWD transmission on the planet would probably be the Toyota E153.

V6 Camry/Solara, and MR2 Turbo.

Bolts to "MZ" series toyota motors, and "S" motors. (3sgte, 5sfe, etc. AllTrac/MR2 Turbo motor.)

Clutch is pretty big. (That what you meant about size?) Clutches are plentiful. Shift action pretty smooth, though not say... Miata smooth. Axles will be strong. Triple cone 3rd gear synchro.

Been messing around with Focuses(from stock to 500WHP turbocharged monsters) since 2001 and have been active on a couple Focus forums since then. I have yet to hear of any problems with the MTX75.

Swank Force One wrote: The strongest manual FWD transmission on the planet would probably be the Toyota E153. V6 Camry/Solara, and MR2 Turbo. Bolts to "MZ" series toyota motors, and "S" motors. (3sgte, 5sfe, etc. AllTrac/MR2 Turbo motor.) Clutch is pretty big. (That what you meant about size?) Clutches are plentiful. Shift action pretty smooth, though not say... Miata smooth. Axles will be strong. Triple cone 3rd gear synchro.

Actually the Getrag 5-speed from the Maserati TC by Chrysler with the DOHC 2.2L might be stronger as it was originally designed for a mid-engined Corvette that GM stopped after the project was well under way.

However it is insanely hard to find and only Getrag would service it. I suspect much of the work put into it found its way (like so many things learned from the 80's Turbo Chryslers) into the SRT4 and PT Cruiser transaxles (which are different, but bolt to the same motors).

ever thought of running 4wd???

A Toyota E57... sister to E153... open, or locked

I always liked the shifting in my 6 speed 03 VW GTI. I think it's the 02A, at least the 020 family of transaxles. Shifts were silky smooth, various gear ratios depending on the year and engine installed.

1.8T and VR6 were the common motors bolted to them.

What about the one from an X1/9? Oh wait, those are made of glass.

The 6-speed in the Cooper S seems to do OK, but it's not what I'd call much fun to shift. Personally, one of my favorites is the transaxle in the last gen Celica GT.

In reply to junked:

Nothing from Mazda.

I've heard that the GM F40 gearbox survives in V8 Fieros, and bolts to all GM engines worth working with.

I've never driven one, so I have no idea how they feel to operate.

In reply to oldeskewltoy:

That won't work well in a mid-engine configuration unless you are going for something like this:

In reply to HappyAndy:

Sadly, there isn't an easy way to bolt it to the LS4 (FWD LS) AND have a starter. If there was, this would be the end all be all for mid engine applications. Also the F40 was available NEW on ebay for a LONG time for $400 bucks. Always wanted to get one but wasn't real sure where it would end up going.

The getrag on my cooper s is a good little box, but I like the 6 speed in my old spec v more. More of a positive feel to the movement.

Not sure about ultimate power limits, but the Saab F35 bolted to an Ecotec will handle quite a bit of power. It can be found with a torsen, and you can get a 6spd upgrade for it if you wish.

Great info, I was surprised to see how well this thread took off. In general searching, there is so much about which engine will make what power, but I don't find much in transaxle comparisons (assuming I am searching correctly). I would like this thread to have a good summary for anyone searching for the same (its already got great content). So here is what I see should be listed to date:

Ford MTX-75 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_MTX-75_transmission

NVG T850 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Neon_SRT-4

Volvo M56 http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/124605-m56h-vs-m56l/

Toyota E153 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_E_transmission

Getrag G253 http://motoringfile.com/files/mini_2008_full_line_specs.pdf

GM F40 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_F40_transmission

I found info stating the Maserati TC manual was a Getrag 284. This was also used on some 3.4 DOHC W-bodies. Do you all think this tranny is too rare to make it on the list, but make it a footnote for someone on the hunt that finds one?

How do the VW 020 trannies compare on the list so far?

And speaking Volkswagen group, what about the Audi 016 in comparison to all? I think it started FWD before the GT40 crowd made use of it as a mid setup. http://garage.ideola.com/downloads/G31-Transaxles-PeteTinucci.pdf

I've heard most stock Nissan FWD manuals were weak overall compared to other brands, was the Spec V better or am I reading biased info?

Any preference for Honda transmissions?

I'll keep the Mazdas off the list as noted unless someone denies the claim.

The SRT T850 has input shaft issues in high hp situations, plus uses a modular clutch and hydraulic actuation.

The earlier neon's T350 doesn't hold as much power but uses a clutch cable and you can use the older turbo dodge's flywheel/clutch instead of the factory style modular setup.

Going back even farther the A568 from the Spirit R/T and Daytona IROC R/T is supposed to be stronger than the T350 and is the most sought after of the 2.2/2.5 5 speeds.

Shift feel on any of them won't be that great.

The Maserati TC getrag box is extremely rare and I haven't personally seen one being used outside of it's factory setting. Actually I'm not sure I've ever seen a 5 speed Masi in person.

Add:

Saab F35 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F35_transmission

Chrysler A568 http://www.allpar.com/eek/5spd.html

Any other votes to mention the Neon T350 on the list, since they are everywhere and have aftermarket?

Audi uses longitudinal engine installations most of the time. 016 trans as shown;

Not like, say, an MTX75.

I'm working on a Toyota E153 now. That thing is quite impressive. It has an oil pump and an oil cooler. And that's behind a 100HP 3SFE motor. I bet you could dump 400HP through this thing without grenading it.

turboswede wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: The strongest manual FWD transmission on the planet would probably be the Toyota E153. V6 Camry/Solara, and MR2 Turbo. Bolts to "MZ" series toyota motors, and "S" motors. (3sgte, 5sfe, etc. AllTrac/MR2 Turbo motor.) Clutch is pretty big. (That what you meant about size?) Clutches are plentiful. Shift action pretty smooth, though not say... Miata smooth. Axles will be strong. Triple cone 3rd gear synchro.

Actually the Getrag 5-speed from the Maserati TC by Chrysler with the DOHC 2.2L might be stronger as it was originally designed for a mid-engined Corvette that GM stopped after the project was well under way. However it is insanely hard to find and only Getrag would service it. I suspect much of the work put into it found its way (like so many things learned from the 80's Turbo Chryslers) into the SRT4 and PT Cruiser transaxles (which are different, but bolt to the same motors).

Are people putting 1000hp through those?

Dr. Hess wrote: I'm working on a Toyota E153 now. That thing is quite impressive. It has an oil pump and an oil cooler. And that's behind a 100HP 3SFE motor. I bet you could dump 400HP through this thing without grenading it.

Double that number. All day.

Though.... E153 was never attached to the 3sfe.

The Mazdaspeed 3 transmission seems to be strong. The old H-type, despite Pres589 having a bad experience with his, is stout, but doesn't have a great shift feel, is uncommon to find, and at the end of the day, is nowhere near as strong as some of the other options. Becoming common in The Land Down Under to swap out H-Type transmissions for Toyota E153s with adapter plates.

H-Type: Came on Turbo 88-92 Probe/Mx6/626, as well as the V6 89-92 Probe.

That's it. And that's why they're uncommon. The transmission was developed because the F2T motor (What's in those cars) ate the standard G-series transmission like they were Pringles in testing.

OK, so which E series box is it behind the 3SFE in a Y2K RAV4 AWD? It's the same one as in a Celica Alltrac.

Dr. Hess wrote: OK, so which E series box is it behind the 3SFE in a Y2K RAV4 AWD? It's the same one as in a Celica Alltrac.

Same family, much weaker.

Would have been an E2 or E3 of some variant instead of the stronger E15x or E5x transmission.

Still not exactly a slouch, though.