Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 23:51:30 EST
Reply-To: Wolfvan88@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Lilley <Wolfvan88@AOL.COM>
Subject: Planning to go five speed? 483 vs 457...48(Some what long...)
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If you are planning to upgrade to a five speed tranny get the new South
African five speed with the .457 ring and pinion. It is WORTH the extra
amount...
When my 4 speed tranny broke, I pondered upgrading to a five speed
transmission or rebuild. I decided to go with the five speed to have an over
drive option and future increased resale value.
I had a locking differential installed. (The locking diff replaces the open
diff. It enables both rear wheels to receive power and if one wheel spins
still provides power to the other wheel allowing you to get out of slippery
situations. It sounded good in theory...)
I also had the fifth gear changed to .70 (When I was having it built, the .77
fifth gears did not get made as expected from Weddle Engineering's
manufacturing plant. There would be a 2 month delay until they would be made
so I chose the .70)
I liked the five speed option, for the most part the gearing fit the speed
limit ranges pretty good except for 1st and fifth.
1st was almost too low. I would top out at 10 MPH. I would have to shift
gears halfway through most intersections because it would top out too quickly.
A lot of my driving is @55 mph. Fourth gear was too short, I did not like
running the engine above 3500, and fifth had it a little low at @24K.
The fill hole is above and in front of the shift rod making filling a
challenging task. Plus you have to fill it 14 mm below the hole...
The locking diff worked OK but soon it started developing problems. After
@10K miles I decided to remove the tranny and ship it back to Weddle (The
locking diff is a part made by someone else and they simply resell it) They
gave me credit towards the installation of a 4 spider German heavy duty open
differential.
I did not change the gearing. I had accepted the gearing.
When I received the tranny back from Weddle, UPS had dropped it and damaged
the tranny. So it had to be sent back to Weddle to have it inspected.
Weddle because of delays from UPS and other stuff, Weddle gave me a NEW South
African transmission with a .457 R&P and 4 spider diff (It had all the
internal VW Heavy Duty parts mentioned earlier on the list) with 0 miles in
place of the first five speed that had a .483 ring and pinion and .70 fifth
gear.
After driving the new tranny for 1200 miles, this is the tranny that VW
SHOULD have put in the Vanagon (Along with all of my upgrades to the
Wasserboxer engine).
It is like driving a stock fourth speed With a Fifth gear overdrive.
Fifth goes from 35 to @80+
Fourth gear goes from 25 mph to @70 mph
Third goes from creeping to @45+ mph
Second goes from creeping to @35 mph
First goes from stand still to @20 mph
(*I have pictures of my dash cluster at various speeds and gears plus I am
considering adding a video of the cluster, while driving, on my CDROM that I
am putting together)
*Disclaimer Your range can vary from my range because of the increased power
of my engine improvements.
And the best improvement from the first five speed is that the fill hole has
been moved to a location between the axle and shift rod and at the correct
height.
So if you are planning to change out to a five speed go with the .457 R&P
tranny! It is worth the extra cost. I know because I have had both and only
after 1200 miles on the new, I wish one was available when I originally
bought mine. (It was two weeks after I order mine)
Robert
