# Gearbox Upgrade Cost



## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Has anyone recently carried out a gearbox upgrade ? Just wondering the overall cost ?
Full gear set, clutches. looking to support 800 torque approx.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

You’ll get loads of different opinions from different people.

None of the uprated parts come cheap though.

800 lbs/ft is quite a lot, what bhp are you making?


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## Tiler (Mar 28, 2014)

It all depends how far you go. But 15K for a middle of the road build, but 25k for a full Dodson set up with 4 wheel drive unit.


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Skint said:


> You’ll get loads of different opinions from different people.
> 
> None of the uprated parts come cheap though.
> 
> 800 lbs/ft is quite a lot, what bhp are you making?


I think it's about the max for a small set of EFR's. My ideal build is about 850 ish


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## archan (Apr 25, 2019)

Not sure about UK cost, but the parts alone were around £25k on my car. Full dodson. Highly recommended.
Also want to stress that if you build the trans do it properly. Will save you time and heartache in the long run.


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## Skellz (May 9, 2020)

Hi,
I’m having a 1000bhp ~750lbs/ft upgrade done by Litchfields next month and I’ve been quoted £9.6k for Dodson 6sp gearbox build with Dodson 16 plate clutch.
Cheers Steve


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## adz87kc (Jan 8, 2018)

Skellz said:


> Hi,
> I’m having a 1000bhp ~750lbs/ft upgrade done by Litchfields next month and I’ve been quoted £9.6k for Dodson 6sp gearbox build with Dodson 16 plate clutch.
> Cheers Steve


That seems really cheap. LM list the Dodson set at £9311 on their parts website.
Basically a free clutch pack and free labour at that price 


Not going to bother with baskets or extra bracing or drop gears?


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Skellz said:


> Hi,
> I’m having a 1000bhp ~750lbs/ft upgrade done by Litchfields next month and I’ve been quoted £9.6k for Dodson 6sp gearbox build with Dodson 16 plate clutch.
> Cheers Steve


Hi is that all in vat ? Price seems to vary so much on this,but i was quoted 5k plus vat,but that was without the dodson 16 plate clutch,so not sure on that price. I did speak to Litchfields about the Dodson 1 st gear kit that came in at about 1,800,but was advised with the 700 Ibs/ft to go for the full build.


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## Skellz (May 9, 2020)

adz87kc said:


> That seems really cheap. LM list the Dodson set at £9311 on their parts website.
> Basically a free clutch pack and free labour at that price
> 
> 
> Not going to bother with baskets or extra bracing or drop gears?


Yes have forged baskets too. Dont know about the bracing and drop gears, as not mentioned on estimate, i will ask. I was given a deal when having both gearbox and engine upgraded together. Car is a my17 if that helps, so engine etc quite new.


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## Skellz (May 9, 2020)

PaulcbaGtr said:


> Hi is that all in vat ? Price seems to vary so much on this,but i was quoted 5k plus vat,but that was without the dodson 16 plate clutch,so not sure on that price. I did speak to Litchfields about the Dodson 1 st gear kit that came in at about 1,800,but was advised with the 700 Ibs/ft to go for the full build.


yes Inc VAT


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## adz87kc (Jan 8, 2018)

Skellz said:


> Yes have forged baskets too. Dont know about the bracing and drop gears, as not mentioned on estimate, i will ask. I was given a deal when having both gearbox and engine upgraded together. Car is a my17 if that helps, so engine etc quite new.


Nice one! Can't beat a cheeky deal 


Off topic, but, you should start a build thread with your car specs etc


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

So 9.6K gearbox, 8.3K engine and 5K turbos =


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

UKPAISLEY said:


> So 9.6K gearbox, 8.3K engine and 5K turbos =


Im just working that all out,make it 9.3k for turbos. Around 30k


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

It’s ok just building the box but you need cwp and billet diff cases etc to make it all reliable and possibly shafts.
I think it came to £45k when I worked it out.


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

Skint said:


> It’s ok just building the box but you need cwp and billet diff cases etc to make it all reliable and possibly shafts.
> I think it came to £45k when I worked it out.


For 800 lbft I'm not so sure that's needed mate, I could be wrong but I believe my 928 whp and my 1326 whp gtrs both have stock diffs and cases


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Skint said:


> It’s ok just building the box but you need cwp and billet diff cases etc to make it all reliable and possibly shafts.
> I think it came to £45k when I worked it out.


Isnt that for 1200/1300 hp upwards. ? I know there is a big difference money wise going from a 1000 to 1200hp and over 800 Ib/ft,fuelling and everything else. I might be completely wrong,im just going on what iv picked up from different tuners,although there is nothing better than reliability


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

PaulcbaGtr said:


> Isnt that for 1200/1300 hp upwards. ? I know there is a big difference money wise going from a 1000 to 1200hp and over 800 Ib/ft,fuelling and everything else. I might be completely wrong,im just going on what iv picked up from different tuners,although there is nothing better than reliability


The one thing I've noticed from in the seat going from 760 lbft upto 1000 lbft the gearbox shifts are absolutely savage, has to be that way as clutches are tight for drag racing with lots of grip and 1000 ftlb going through them


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

scoooby slayer said:


> The one thing I've noticed from in the seat going from 760 lbft upto 1000 lbft the gearbox shifts are absolutely savage, has to be that way as clutches are tight for drag racing with lots of grip and 1000 ftlb going through them


This is tru and the load and harder shifting is putting even more shock load on the components. A different league to my road car plan. No preped surface saves lots on transmission wowes.


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

PaulcbaGtr said:


> Im just working that all out,make it 9.3k for turbos. Around 30k


ALFA turbos the ??? LoL


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

UKPAISLEY said:


> This is tru and the load and harder shifting is putting even more shock load on the components. A different league to my road car plan. No preped surface saves lots on transmission wowes.


The shifts are savage 😂🤣
Yeah Ive never drag raced my other gtr on a prepped track, 928 whp 740 ftlb at the hubs and it's been super reliable 100-200 kph 4.3 seconds best time
On stock gears just cryotreated
This is spec of the box built by svm
Svm heat treated and superfinished gear set
Svm/GTC 16*Plate*Clutch*kit
Modified Baskets with Weld fix
Dodson gearbox circlips
Dodson drive locks
Dodson oil magnets
Titek diff brace


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

Here's a comparison of my 2 cars from the back 

Fast road gearbox nice and smooth 







And a savage drag box all uprated 







I've had several fast cars over the years but when I first got in the green one I thought "mmmm something not right with that box"🤣😂 lol 
Until it was explained to me it's ready for drag racing on slicks at big power which my other one isn't built to do


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

scoooby slayer said:


> Here's a comparison of my 2 cars from the back
> 
> Fast road gearbox nice and smooth
> 
> ...


Very impressive , No CATS, Syvecs or similar with ignition cut gear change ? and lots of clamping pressure !


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

UKPAISLEY said:


> Very impressive , No CATS, Syvecs or similar with ignition cut gear change ? and lots of clamping pressure !


Yeah road car s6 that's now stored away tbh don't use it anymore, and my new one is on s8 
Clamping pressure can be altered with a simple file change in syvecs but I'm gonna leave it be it's ready for kill mode all the time 😁


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

It’s launching them that puts them under stress, where do you stop and there’s nothing set in stone to what will give up first.


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## zed1 (Aug 13, 2013)

See, I always thought it made sense to buy a cheap car like mine, then spend £30k on mods rather than starting with a more expensive later model car. You could even change the bumper and wheels for not much more to hide the identity of the car.


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## archan (Apr 25, 2019)

Skint is right. If you intend to launch/Drag race a lot the OEM diffs will fail. It will hold longer if you mainly do rolling starts.
Make sure to also do a full 4WD upgrade. That alone sets you back around £8k or so. The quoted price from Litchfield can't be a complete pack (as I picture it at least) at that price.
For me it was:
Dodson extreme duty 1-6 (R35Ed6Sgs2) gears
Dodson Promax 10 clutch
Dodson 4wd full uppgrade
Dodson FWD Pinion gear (R35EDFWDP)
"Dodson Shaft FWD Output gear & Shaft
Extreme duty Front output with gear. (R35EDFOSG)"
Filter - Reusable (R35TF)
Dodson Housing Clutch FWD upgraded (R35FWDCH)
Dodson Clutch Upgraded FWD (R35FWDCP)
Those parts alone were ~£25k. Might be cheaper now.


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

Yes many opinions about this one... but let’s say if you crack your stock diff housing, you can get your block cracked too... at that point fixing will get very expensive... if you are going to launch it, I would recommend ”full built trans” with drop gears etc... + billett diff case + front driveshaft upgrade


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

But this is launching, and also launching on a prepped track. If you are running road tyres and on the road it's a different story. Also I'd you haull ass in the wet it's a different story. So I think lots of scare stories around.


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

UKPAISLEY said:


> But this is launching, and also launching on a prepped track. If you are running road tyres and on the road it's a different story. Also I'd you haull ass in the wet it's a different story. So I think lots of scare stories around.


I think your right tbh, mines seen some abuse with previous owner and holding up touch wood at this spec :


Gearbox
PPG V3 1-6GEARS
INPUT AND OUTPUT SHAFTS UPRATED
REAR DSS AXLE STUB KIT
EXTREME 20 PLATE CLUTCH
LINNEY DROP GEARS
BILLET GEARBOX FORKS
ALBINS SYCRO RINGS
LINNEY ETS carbon PLATES
DIFF BRACE BOX
MY17 BELLHOUSING
MY17 PLATE


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I bet your near 20k in the above build.


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

Skint said:


> I bet your near 20k in the above build.


I'm not sure on cost I bought it as is, far cheaper to buy than build


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I’ve sat before and wrote down the prices and parts required to do go good transmission set up on a car without capping the torque And realised how expensive it is to do.

I’m still saving Infact and it will become a project once I’ve got the dough together.

Ive got a donor dba gearbox from 2012 as a starting point but considering a newer 2017 version with tcm( we’ll see what happens).


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Skint said:


> I bet your near 20k in the above build.


I think u are correct, but it's built for the power of the engine. That's fully built box that is lol


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I suppose ultimately it’s down to budget and how far you want to go.

Ive seen a lot of failures of std and modified boxes, not limited to one specific part. I am aware of various issues inflicted by poor workmanship As well that may have led to the above.

Choose your tuner carefully and the parts they offer. The biggest factor for me would be how they deal with backup once you’ve parted ways with your cash.


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Iv heard the boxs are fairly robust upto 650 Ib/ft,what im more concerned about is a rod through the block at 625 Ib/ft. I suppose Skint an engine with say 1500/1000 is going to have alot more internal work with say an engine with 1000/750. I know its how the car is used etc with launching,drag strips,but a road car with 750 Il/ft wont need the expence of a seriously modified car


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

UKPAISLEY said:


> But this is launching, and also launching on a prepped track. If you are running road tyres and on the road it's a different story. Also I'd you haull ass in the wet it's a different story. So I think lots of scare stories around.


You can brake your diff case without launching


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

There’s quite a few options inside the box and like I mentioned before it’s going to come down to budget.

Ive read about linney uprated gearkits having 5th gear breaking up so even aftermarket parts can struggle.


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

Skint said:


> There’s quite a few options inside the box and like I mentioned before it’s going to come down to budget.
> 
> Ive read about linney uprated gearkits having 5th gear breaking up so even aftermarket parts can struggle.


Theres been a revision to the linney sets, Dimitri and Richard Landsat rate them highly and thats a very good recommendation, ive only seen on 5th gear break in V1 and that was after ets snapped in half due to incorrect rolling radius at Spa


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

As far as breaking diffs and ets goes, due to the fact europe does not have many drag strips most events happen on runways which are the killer of front diffs and ets units, the big cars were breaking one or both almost each event, since using syvecs to control the awd system the cars have not broken a single one, most people still use ecutec to control TCM afaik though. As far as a box and clutch to control big big power Id say mine would be 30-35k to do again, thats without final drive gears and shafts, with those then 40K and yes it might well break still!!!


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

You could go as far as putting the billet nose on to access the clutches without removing the box.

whats that add another 6k?

Albins cw another 6k?

The bill can grow quickly


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

Skint said:


> You could go as far as putting the billet nose on to access the clutches without removing the box.
> 
> whats that add another 6k?
> 
> ...


Willal billet nose was I think $10,000, might have gone down now, did cross my mind !!!!


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

$8,995


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

I have this linney gear set. Please tell me more guys. Are there really a weakness on 5th gear? What power levels they have been broken? Under what conditions they been broken?


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

Like I said only one ive seen hurt 5th was a very early one and it had snapped the ets in half at spa due to running wrong tyre heights.


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

dudersvr said:


> Like I said only one ive seen hurt 5th was a very early one and it had snapped the ets in half at spa due to running wrong tyre heights.


Ok, you mean by early that they have done some update for 5th gear since then?


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

krozna said:


> Ok, you mean by early that they have done some update for 5th gear since then?


I believe the whole gearset was revised BUT the first was very good, your not reading the part where I say there was a problem that snapped the whole ets body into 2 pieces, that failed before 5th did, car still drove home


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Is it just willall building the noses and supplying sheps trannies?


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

dudersvr said:


> I believe the whole gearset was revised BUT the first was very good, your not reading the part where I say there was a problem that snapped the whole ets body into 2 pieces, that failed before 5th did, car still drove home


Yes I understand that, but Skint also said that he has heard 5th gear broke. I bought my gearset 1,5y ago, would be nice to know is that already the revised gearset or not... It’s not installed yet.


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

Skint said:


> Is it just willall building the noses and supplying sheps trannies?


I spoke to a fella in Malaysia was going to make one and a billet rear diff, he already makes a billet bloke with darton sleeves for £5K ill chase him up and see if he got any further.


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## dudersvr (May 7, 2003)

krozna said:


> Yes I understand that, but Skint also said that he has heard 5th gear broke. I bought my gearset 1,5y ago, would be nice to know is that already the revised gearset or not... It’s not installed yet.


1.5 years prob version 1.


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

dudersvr said:


> 1.5 years prob version 1.


Ok, damn


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What’s the name of the Malaysian company?, I’ll look there site up.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Kronza when I find the thread regarding the gears I’ll let you know, it’s been a hectic 10 days and I can’t remember where it was .


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

From what I have been told, the ETS, can be the cause of issues when in the wet or on tarmac surfaces, this also brings about issues with the front diff. In simple terms better traction control is needed. It's always a mix of things that causes breakages. The big question is can I get a decent box fit 10k and I think I can, just. Maybe 750 torque is a better figure to aim for.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What will 10k buy you?


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Skint said:


> What will 10k buy you?


A reliable road box for upgraded tubs. @ 800 to 850 bhp


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What parts will you buy with the budget to handle 800/850 and torque Limited?


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## scoooby slayer (Jun 13, 2009)

UKPAISLEY said:


> A reliable road box for upgraded tubs. @ 800 to 850 bhp



Less than £10k if not launching, 928 whp, 740 lbft hubs, been reliable for me 
Stock gears cryo treated 👍
Comfortably 960 crank hp


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Are you building the box yourself?


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## krozna (Sep 1, 2019)

Skint said:


> Kronza when I find the thread regarding the gears I’ll let you know, it’s been a hectic 10 days and I can’t remember where it was .


Thanks this would be great 👍🏽 I didn’t find it googleing.


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Skint said:


> Are you building the box yourself?


I don't think I wouldbuild, but at the power level I am thinking it's possible,


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What spec have you chosen?


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## WarrenA (Jun 2, 2016)

I’m thinking 
gearset 1-6
billet baskets
16 plate xtreme Clutch
syncro rings
circlips and solenoid clips
this should be ideal for a 1000bhp


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What year is your car?


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## WarrenA (Jun 2, 2016)

Skint said:


> What year is your car?


2010 and booked into JM for a build and wi be running efr 6758s


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I think you’ve chosen pretty much what I would go for.


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

WarrenA said:


> 2010 and booked into JM for a build and wi be running efr 6758s


Thats the spec and turbos im looking for. 
Around the 10k mark ?


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

For the gearset i meant


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What brand is your preferred gearkit ppg?


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## WarrenA (Jun 2, 2016)

Skint said:


> What brand is your preferred gearkit ppg?


Ppg or linney hear good reports on both


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## WarrenA (Jun 2, 2016)

PaulcbaGtr said:


> Thats the spec and turbos im looking for.
> Around the 10k mark ?


Can possibly get a better deal


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

WarrenA said:


> Can possibly get a better deal


I think there is and will good to see the end result on your car. Want to get mine done early next year,sort of a winter project,but cant decide between JM imports or Litchfields. Both very good i know


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Where’s the deals on gearbox parts?


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## WarrenA (Jun 2, 2016)

Skint said:


> Where’s the deals on gearbox parts?


It’s just about being smart mate look around there will also be some deals from the traders on Black Friday in the groups.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Only offer I saw was the knight racer one. There’s not many companies manufacturing the
parts so they can command whatever they want to really.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What were the quotes for above spec gearbox?


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## WarrenA (Jun 2, 2016)

Skint said:


> What were the quotes for above spec gearbox?


Not been quoted yet mate but in the cartel tech group there is loads of tuners and they do some great deals and group buys. Last year they all done crazy prices on gearsets for Black Friday so I’m holding out.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Can you remember what the deal was?


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