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It's pictured in the instructions available at the link above.
That's not present on RHD, so he can avoid worrying about that entirely!
It seems the collapsible section is reversed with most occuring at the lower uni on LHD, but guess a small amount and a break-away would happen at the upper.
The design is different, but there is rubber in there. It's much more subtle than the LHD version. Just a thin layer between two sleeves, with a pin holding them together.
I will admit that worrying about this level of compliance in the steering is a bit **** retentive. But racecar.
If you wanted to go full racecar, Sweet and Woodward do zero play 36 spline unis for the usual suite of Japanese cars. More than likely you'd have to cut the middle of the shaft and extend it.
A say, 3/4' helicopter joint sleeved and drilled onto both the column and shaft would be another option. First possibility would give very little collapsibility, second would give zero.
I would have expected a NOS or low km steering shaft to still be available on the auctions, during a purchase a couple of months ago, I'm sure there were several listed.
i am in the process of doing the same transmission swap.
I was wondering whether you had a list of the sensors/connectors part numbers of the CD00A transmission?
i am in the process of doing the same transmission swap.
I was wondering whether you had a list of the sensors/connectors part numbers of the CD00A transmission?
There are only 2 sensors on the CD009:
-Neutral switch (not needed)
-Reverse switch
= Both use the same connector that is a PITA to find or get a part number for. Fisch Racing Tech sells a pigtail or connector and pins.
I'm working with Fisch now to come up with the most plug-N-Play wheel speed sensor / speedometer input sensor out there for the CD009.
@Billj747 What rear gear did you go with for the CD009 & 8.8 combo?
Thanks Steve.
"After running multiple calculations, we decided for our raised redline target of 9,000rpm, the stock transmission gear ratios, and the direction of upgrading the transmission in the future, we settled on a 4.30 to 1 final drive ratio."
...It appears I did not mention in the articles that we had to change the final drive ratio due to the much shorter gear ratios of the CD009.
We ended up back to the stock 3.73 final drive ratio (original to our 8.8) which put the shift points essentially back to where they were on the OEM FD gear ratios and final drive.
The 3.73 looks about perfect. I calculated a bunch of standard trans/diff combos, and a bunch with the CD009, and looked for an FDR that would basically have the first five gears shift like a stock trans with a short 5th and a 4.1 rear (current setup), and then the 6th be pretty close to the original OE 5th w/ a 4.1, for highway use. 3.692 is pretty close, so the 3.73 would be as well. These figure a 25" tire height, and a 7500 red line.
Actually—the 3.55 might be a better choice. First is ever so slightly taller (I find first gear barely usable with this power anyway), 2nd is the same, and then 3-5 are closer and lower than current setup. I'd worry a little bit about the last usable track gear (5th) topping out at 149mph. I've got GPS data showing that I'm doing 150 at various points on tracks (currently with a gear that tops out at 168), you'd be right at the top of the revs there. But then 6th with a 3.55 is super tall. Maybe too much so.
Actually—the 3.55 might be a better choice. First is ever so slightly taller (I find first gear barely usable with this power anyway), 2nd is the same, and then 3-5 are closer and lower than current setup. I'd worry a little bit about the last usable track gear (5th) topping out at 149mph. I've got GPS data showing that I'm doing 150 at various points on tracks (currently with a gear that tops out at 168), you'd be right at the top of the revs there. But then 6th with a 3.55 is super tall. Maybe too much so.
What do you think Billy?
Your calculations match mine. It's great to see you putting in this level of thought, which is usually overlooked by the majority of people when they are modifying their cars.
Since you track your car and have data, it is much easier to optimize gear ratios for your power level. In regards to lap times, there is far more time to be gained by optimizing the lower gears and slower corners than trying to eliminate shifting to 6th at the end of a straight. If you're spinning your tires or up-shifting at track-out of low-speed corners; you are going to want a taller final drive to be able to put that power down. Likewise, if you are bogging out of low-speed corners and are in-between gears where 2nd is too short and 3rd is too long; a shorter final drive to bump up the RPM to keep you in your powerband will yield the biggest improvements of lap time.
If you have RPM in addition to vehicle speeds on your data (and even if you don't, you can just punch in minimum corner speeds or speeds after the apex where you get to full throttle and calculate your RPM and shift points), then you can cross-reference your torque curve from your dyno to determine which gear ratio would be ideal.
You would want to do this at all of the tracks that you drive at to see if optimizing a turn at one track will compromise another turn (on the same track or another track). Keep in mind that the most important corners on a track are the ones that lead on to the longest straights. So it's best to focus on those first.
490whp is a good amount in a light car. Generally speaking, that would favor slightly taller gears, but doing the above analysis can be worth second(S) on track and make your life behind the wheel a lot less busy.
I don't use the 490@20 setting on track. I use the 13psi, which is probably 420 maybe.
There's basically two places I even use 2nd gear at the tracks I go to (WGI, VIR, SPR), and that's the Oak tree at VIR (and it'd be great if I didn't have to there, because it'd be a lot smoother), and the carousel at Summit. Everything else is 3rd and 4th, with 5th on straights.
At WGI I'm in 4th all the way up the esses, and need to go to 5th AS SOON as the car passes the last apex, because I'm screaming at the top of 4th and just want the car settled before I shift a gear at that speed.
5th sometimes through the esses and def on the back straight at VIR about 1/3 of the way down. 5th on the front straight, just after start finish (should be before, but I've found if you hold 4th to 8k past the line, there's a half a second of lap time gained from not shifting. 5th just past start/finish at Summit.
What is your RPM at oak tree in 3rd when you go to full throttle? What gear and RPM are you at exiting hogpen (T17) onto the front straight? Same for T4 and exiting the lower esses. Those are more important than eliminating a shift at the end of the back straight.
Also figure something it how those changes will change your RPM at Watkins exiting turn 1, your gear and power in the uphill (which is more important than the last apex at the top of the hill), and your rpm exiting the toe of the boot and onto the front straight.
What is your RPM at oak tree in 3rd when you go to full throttle? What gear and RPM are you at exiting hogpen (T17) onto the front straight? Same for T4 and exiting the lower esses. Those are more important than eliminating a shift at the end of the back straight.
Also figure something it how those changes will change your RPM at Watkins exiting turn 1, your gear and power in the uphill (which is more important than the last apex at the top of the hill), and your rpm exiting the toe of the boot and onto the front straight.
I'll need to look at a log, but Oak Tree is in 2nd. I do the previous corner in 3rd, and shift down in between, and its always a bit of a fist fight in a phone booth because the corners are so close together. Staying in 3rd doesn't give a good exit. if 3rd was a little lower, maybe it would.
Hogpen I do in 4th, well over 100mph at trackout, a 7500 upshift to 5th would come before the kink, but that's the one I spin out to 8k for laptime. What I'd worry about most is running out of 5th gear with a CD009 and 3.73 on the back straight, and needing to go up to 6th. When I did that with the OE FD 5th gear, it just killed the acceleration because the gear is too tall. Hence why i have the short 5th. I could see the same happening well before the bus stop at WGI.
The sacrifice on a 3.55 would be a taller 1st, and a super tall 6th that might not even be usable with my porting.
You will gain far more lap time by optimizing the rpm and tractive force in the low speed corners I mentioned than you will lose by having to go to 6th at the end of the straight at VIR or WG.
Determine the rpm in those corners first and then worry about whether you'll have to use 6th or not.
Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 26 – BorgWarner EFR Turbo System and TurboSmart WG
We are going to back-to-back test Borg Warner’s EFR 8374 and EFR 9180 turbos on our Bridge and Semi Peripheral Ported 13B REW engine. The twinscroll turbo will be mounted on the Turblown Engineering Investment Cast 347SS Exhaust Manifold and boost is kept in check by twin TurboSmart CompGate40 wastegates. Needless to say, we are very excited to see how these turbos stack up to each other on this build.
Billy, are you able to dry shift the trans with the serialnine shifter into 5th easily?
I installed my Fish kit with the serialnine shifter. I am less than happy with it particularly shifting into 5th. Funny thing is Fisch gently warned me but still recommended it. TBH its so bad that unless there was another shifter option I would ditch the kit entirely and look into T56 vs a custom tkx600 option. I switched to a GK shifter which at least dry shifting feels better and fits perfecting in the trans tunnel. 4th to 5th is still a little weird meaning there is very little lateral gap between 3rd and 5th making it easy to select 3rd by accident. The serialnine pretty much has zero gap between 3rd and 5th if that makes sense.
Wanted to share here for those potentially looking to do the swap.
Billy, are you able to dry shift the trans with the serialnine shifter into 5th easily?
I installed my Fish kit with the serialnine shifter. I am less than happy with it particularly shifting into 5th. Funny thing is Fisch gently warned me but still recommended it. TBH its so bad that unless there was another shifter option I would ditch the kit entirely and look into T56 vs a custom tkx600 option. I switched to a GK shifter which at least dry shifting feels better and fits perfecting in the trans tunnel. 4th to 5th is still a little weird meaning there is very little lateral gap between 3rd and 5th making it easy to select 3rd by accident. The serialnine pretty much has zero gap between 3rd and 5th if that makes sense.
Wanted to share here for those potentially looking to do the swap.
Thank you for your feedback. Have you driven the car yet? I have not, but am getting close to firing mine up and have only dry shifted it (which IMO - is really not a good tell for how the gates will feel and how it will shift when the gears and synchros are spinning.) I personally would never evaluate or criticize a transmission or shifter by dry shifting it. You really need to feel it in action. As far as a narrow 3-5 'gate' is concerned, changing hand position (try back-handing the shift ****), or maintaining pressure on the left side of the **** when in 4th and upshifting to 5th really helps with narrow gates.
I will be sure to post feedback on the shifter feel once I get my car running. I forget the brand, but there was another company that was coming out with a shifter that placed the center of the lever a couple inches back, which would require zero modification of the FD's transmission tunnel. You might want to take a look at that one if you don't like the GK (maybe it was GK?).
I did drive the car. I only asked because I know your car is not running. When I first felt it during install I told myself I am sure once the syncrho's are moving it will feel better. It really does not. Looking forward to your thoughts once its on the road. For now, my recommendation to anyone doing this swap is stay away from the seiralnine shifter. The GK mounted perfectly in the trans tunnel. I was able to fit the stock tunnel cover without modification.
Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 23 – Heatshield Products HP StickyShield
Rotaries produce a ton of heat. We keep cabin temperatures down by covering our transmission tunnel with Sticky™ Shield from Heatshield Products.
Thermal management is a major challenge for rotary powered cars due to the substantial amount of exhaust gasses and temperatures that they produce. Not only is it difficult to keep the engine itself cool, but managing the exhaust heat from the engine to the tail-pipe without burning down the car, melting electronics, or heat soaking the cabin is not always easy and turbocharging makes this even more difficult.
In this article we discuss:
-The benefits of thermal insulation
-Heatshield Products HP StickyShield
-Analysis of the factory heat shielding
-Installation of Stickyshield on the firewall, transmission tunnel, factory heat shielding, and rear muffler heat shielding
