Upgrade or convert?

[Guilt-Toy]

Why did not anyone answer his question ?

However I also noted that the manual & auto skyline's diff ratio are different. The build plate says RC43 for auto (4.3 diff) and

manual got RC41 (4.1 diff).

I want to know if this is true and the benifits / disadvantages are.

[rs73]

hey, you warm up the thread again....

I have done my conversion.... it worked out this way:

Conversion: $5K incl full service, front caster rods & timing belt.

Result: I kept my sunroof, abs, my fav colour, and this car with the engine that I know I can trust.

Selling: The best "stupid" offer was $14K, so it means I loss $9K if I sell... that hurst. The decent S2 are around $22K cause if

I sell than buy again, no point getting the same S1, need to go at least S2... so with $14K optimistic on hand, need to come up with another $8K, and those may not come with abs, sunroof, and prob not my colour too. Believe me most replacement R33 that I found has no abs, no sunroof. Plus a few months without car until the car arrive... hopefully before the new law.

So the answer is: Conversion... which I did and I did not regret it.

I keep my auto diff with 4.3 ratio and not changing it, save me the $$$.

The theory is the bigger the ratio the shorter the gearing for better accel, but higher fuel consumption and lower top speed (unless the engine management's rev limit is raised). The smaller the ratio, the less it rev and less using fuel, but it feels making a bit less power but car can achieve higher top speed at the same rev.

It makes sense if auto R33 was given bigger ratio to give the feel of power, as the 1st gear ratio in the auto box is a bit lower than its manual siblings. So the bigger diff is to offset the lower 1st gear ratio in the auto - helps car accelerate from standing still.

The benefits since the gearing is a bit shorter, theoretically it helps in acceleration. But since my tyres & rims r still stock, they don't grip too well even in the dry, so until I get a wider rim and grippier tyres then I'll be able to accelerate much quicker than most other manual R33. Good for drag races I suppose? A grippy Daiken Exedy clutch also makes it very easy to spin my rear tyres.

The disadvantage is that compared to other manuals with 4.1 ratio, my car would run a higher rpm at the same cruise speed -> slightly increase fuel consumption and may have slightly less top speed, so may not be ideal for long straight track use...

But Trust made 4.3 diff, so I suppose many dedicated tuners in Japan change the 4.1 diff to 4.3 too, and get better acceleration.

The slight difference also very small, so it may be hard to notice or affect the car in anyway..... maybe just a couple tenths of a second difference only on the drags. It worked out that 4.3-4.1 = 0.2 --> 0.2/4.1 * 100% = 0.49% increase... so if a genuine manual cars rev 2500rpm @ 100km/h cruise, mine will be revving @ 2623rpm => 123rpm more....

Top speed on the track: if other cars made say around 195km/h @ 5000rpm in 5th, then at the same rev I would only get abt 185km/h, so I need to rev it to +/-5250rpm just to keep up with others...

Hope I'm right...

Rianto

[slip]

You can pick up turbo manuals for under 20k.

Sell it and buy a turbo manual with some mods.

[slip]

ps. Conversion is not hard (in an R31), IF you have all the parts.

The manual R33 GTST box can be a bit pricey, but i wouldnt expect 6k!!!!! Even with labour.

[rs73]

sell it? why?

The car has been converted now so it's manual. Too late to sell now and would be foolish to sell it now.

it's running very fine now and has got some extra mods on it since converted.

And no it's not $6K. The reason why it goes to $5K is because I did not do the conversion alone, but also do lots of other MAJOR service in one go. I think conversion parts & labour alone is around $3.5K which is about average for R33. The rest $1000 is for new timing belt, new suspension bushes, full engine oil change, manual speedo (some ppl still use auto speedo in conversion which is a dead giveaway), get my front disc brake machined & pad replaced, and finally the last $500 is for our PM John Howard.

That's why it's so expensive coz the 10% GST.

[king_kw13]

Congrats on a good decision. Well weighed-up.

Yeah it woulda taken a lot of heartache and waiting to 1. Sell your car and 2. Get another car with similar specs to the one you already have.

[rs73]

thx for the support.

remember even if I sell and got another S1 manual for $18-19K, still need to pay about 1000 for importer/broker fee, lucky if it includes GST.

Then on road cost which is another stamp duty + rego which is not in that purchase price. Then you need to do full service for peace of mind depending how many kms on the odo, say another $1000k to get it done like my service. I replace my timing belt at 46,000km just to be 100% safe. it doesn't come cheap either.

stamp duty, gst... they both hurts pocket a lot.

then I need to find another alarm

then window tint

reinstall my audio system which is a pain...

[Guilt-Toy]

Originally posted by rs73

sell it? why?

The car has been converted now so it's manual. Too late to sell now and would be foolish to sell it now.

it's running very fine now and has got some extra mods on it since converted.

And no it's not $6K. The reason why it goes to $5K is because I did not do the conversion alone, but also do lots of other MAJOR service in one go. I think conversion parts & labour alone is around $3.5K which is about average for R33. The rest $1000 is for new timing belt, new suspension bushes, full engine oil change, manual speedo (some ppl still use auto speedo in conversion which is a dead giveaway), get my front disc brake machined & pad replaced, and finally the last $500 is for our PM John Howard.  

That's why it's so expensive coz the 10% GST.

Hey mate

I did the same.. just got my car on the road yesterday... and I LOVE IT. best thing i ever done.. you can actually DRIVE the car now

Ive got the 4.3:1 ratio and it seems really zippy.. and i love it... I would not change it for the world.. at least i got a good advantage on other manual r33's

Mine cost me $2500 for the conversion kit and $360 for a replacement heavy duty clutch and a flywheel machine..

I have not got the labour bill yet but im thinkin only about $300 because i did alot and it was done at a friends shop.

You have the series 1.5 like me.. has ABS one air bag series 2 engine and sunroof.. MSPEC.

They are nice.. I think these were a special that were made in auto mostly...

Anyway nice ride and its good to see other people going through what i went through.. But i blew my auto because they are only good for 170rwkw.

Ive got a apexi speed meter and it measured a .5 of a second faster then the auto.. must be the good ratio's kicking in

[rs73]

Maybe we should all start mass buying auto GTS-T and convert them to manual....

Advantage:

- Majority of auto are less likely to have been trashed in Japan compared to manual ones.

- Buying auto are now cheaper than manual due to low demand, high overstock

- Buying bulk auto are much cheaper as we can all work out a deal, say let's do a 150 cars purchase at once.... at each car prices up to $8000 less than manual?

- Buying bulk for manual box, parts & clutches also could be cheaper, so around $2500 each for 150 sets all inclusive?

- Labour can be cheaper, worst case scenario no friend involved, so around $800 a car.... (normally could be about $1k mark)

- Just a bit hassle and waiting time around 2 weeks for each car.

But sourcing parts for 150 cars can be difficult tho... hehehe...

But if all went smooth, in the end we have -$8000+2500+800 = -$4300 (around $4k less a car than buying outright factory manual)

Not sure if my calculation is correct but would be very intriguing idea if it is.

[slip]

sorry i hadnt read your last post!

Bigger wheels and tyres to finish it off, and you should have a nice package. I kind of regret doing mine as its a hassle with insurance/cops.

[int21h]

Thanks for your info rs73.

I'm still tossing up wether to convert my R32 from auto to manwell.

I got a quote from JustJap $1200 for manual gearbox kit. But thats an RB20 box. The Rb25s are alot dearer.

I'm also tossing up whether to sell the car or do the conversion.

I'm happy with the looks of the car, just a few things pissing me off.

Eg, bubbles in the dash, vinyl coming away from passenger pillars, fuel consumption (20L/100) that should be fixed saturday. Hoping its the 02 Sensor causing the problem.

[Shrub32]

int21h do it, I did the conversion in my 32 its a great feeling the first drive!