That’s the Tesla Model X, Gordon. That’s for the technogeeks.
The “car guys” go for the Gonzo-Insane, Plaid Double Stripe, Limited Edition, Tighty-Whitey, Two-Pump, Double-Caff Type-S.
Suddenly, my Speedster seems so mundane.
Until I park it near pretty much anything else at a Cruise in or car show, everyone eventually gravitates to it, the ladies love it and kids want to sit in it, all while ignoring other cars around it.
Tesla Gonzo Insane, Hootchy-Cootchy Wiz-Bang car?
Meh......
"Wizards in Winter" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For a long time a local guy "entertained" us with that incessantly at Cars and Coffee. I like the song, but it got tiresome quickly.
@Sacto Mitch posted:.Not to mention what a burnout would do to his carbon footprint.
Well, he certainly would be leaving a carbon footprint, right there on the blacktop.
(Don't try this at home, kids- Mitch is a trained professional on a closed course)
@Lane Anderson posted:"Wizards in Winter" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For a long time a local guy "entertained" us with that incessantly at Cars and Coffee. I like the song, but it got tiresome quickly.
I'm curious if royalties are paid on the music.
"Re the electric speedster: What's the exhaust sound like when you do a nice rev matching downshift as you're approaching a corner? Just wondering..." - @Bob: IM S6
I've previously posted this video several times. Maybe this can be modified for use in an electric Speedster? - 
can you order a 4cam Carrera soundtrack for your EV Speedster ?
Alpine stereo can have a new niche !
@MusbJim posted:"Re the electric speedster: What's the exhaust sound like when you do a nice rev matching downshift as you're approaching a corner? Just wondering..." - @Bob: IM S6
I've previously posted this video several times. Maybe this can be modified for use in an electric Speedster? -
Good one Jim !! Wonder if it works on a Tesla ........
Asking for a friend ..
@MusbJim, I have a Soundracer for my Speedster.
Reversaru.com does automatic subaru transaxles. It would probably take some serious surgery to the vw chassis, but Jeff Robenolt of AV Subaru Conversions is testing one out in the southwest right now.
@Jeff Hicks posted:Reversaru.com does automatic subaru transaxles. It would probably take some serious surgery to the vw chassis, but Jeff Robenolt of AV Subaru Conversions is testing one out in the southwest right now.
I had high hopes for the Reversaru solution, but it is back to the drawing board as I understand it. I don't know how much is public knowledge, but Robenolt may share his experience with you if you ask.
My only experience with the Australian flipped ring and pinion was in the rear engined 356 coupe that Tom Marantz bought from John Steele (Tom brought it to Carlisle in 2018). It was a 4-speed (edit) 5-Speed Subaru manual and seemed to shift OK (although Tom only had the car for a year or two) but it was quite noisy. I realize that a coupe will have more interior noise than a convertible, but there was a considerable gear whine coming from the transmission, in all gears, that matched the final drive. Usually, interior noise in a coupe is more than a convertible, but the passengers had to speak up to be heard over the engine and transaxle noise.
Just my 2¢
Just looked at their site and not only is it still for sale, it has a current Black Friday sale happening, so I'm not sure what to think... Regardless I think we'll hold off until there is some more real world testing under their belts.
I saw a FB post yesterday where Subarugears is also in redevelopment/improvement of their version as well.
@Gordon Nichols posted:My only experience with the Australian flipped ring and pinion was in the rear engined 356 coupe that Tom Marantz bought from John Steele (Tom brought it to Carlisle in 2018). It was a 4-speed manual and seemed to shift OK (although Tom only had the car for a year or two) but it was quite noisy.
Are you sure that car had a Subaru transaxle?
I can't see John Steele doing anything but getting a Kennedy adapter for a Subaru engine/VW transaxle.
Additionally, I can't imagine anybody going to the trouble to do a Subaru transaxle conversion, then sourcing a Subaru 4-speed (do they even exist?) for the conversion. Everybody is going to do a 5-speed -- that's the entire point of doing one.
The Subaru 5-speed conversion is involved. John Steele ALWAYS pushes the Easy Button.
Totally agreed. What would the point be?
I think Subaru have been 5 speeds since the Brat or earlier, so late 70s?
We know that a type1 trans with aftermarket gears(most probably Weddle) certainly isn't quiet. Sometimes they are, but not mostly.
I can't remember the guy, but I did drive a JPS coupe at Carlisle once year. It wasn't Alan's friend who passed away. It was someone else. It whined like crazy and he never came back to Carlisle.
Tom Marantz had a really nice car. It probably needed some better rubber mounts and some sound deadening. And maybe a quieter trans gearset.
Subaru did make a manual 4 speed in both 2wd and 4wd form from 1971 or so. However they stopped in 1989. And I seriously doubt they could handle even a stock EJ25.
Nobody wants a 4 speed unless they are forced to use one. I cannot see any reason anyone would put a reversed ring and pinion in one. Ever.
I was fortunate in my 2004/09 with a 344 ring and pinion that transmission was pretty quiet. But a lot of vw are not so quiet
I just want to say that my Subaru five speed is not a extremely noisy transmission or whiny but it’s not like a new Volkswagen six speed tranny for sure
@chines1 posted:I had high hopes for the Reversaru solution, but it is back to the drawing board as I understand it. I don't know how much is public knowledge, but Robenolt may share his experience with you if you ask.
Jeff just posted that he and a friend are doing a cross country drive with a updated/ beefier main bearing. No problems so far.
Sorry, you sharp-eyed guys, My error and a typo which I've corrected. I really meant a manual gearbox and my fingers just typed the wrong number of gears (it was still early in my day).
Tom's JPS coupe had a Subaru 5-speed manual and the Australian R&P conversion. Tom is of a similar height to Lane Anderson and decided that having the engine in the middle cramped the cockpit too much for him to fit, hence the engine in the rear. But he wanted the 5-speed, too, so that is how I believe his build evolved. And then John had a heart attack in the middle of the build, so Tom, a retired Cardiac surgeon, gave him lots of support. Last I knew, I think his coupe ended up in Arizona and he built an original Fiat 500 EV conversion for his wife.
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No experience here with Suby stuff, but some with Weddle gears and noise.
My Berg 5 keeps VW gears for 1, 3, and 5, but uses Weddle gears for 3 and 4. The Weddle gears have slightly more whine than the VW gears, but the difference is hardly noticeable.
But this gearbox is significantly noisier in all gears than the stock VW box it replaced. The difference is mostly in the mid mount, where the rubber blocks were replaced with solid mounts. And it's still not too noticeable until you get on trailing throttle at higher engine speeds. Then, there's quite a roar compared to a stock box.
If I'm coming down a long hill off the gas and the situation won't require riding the brakes all the way down, I'll often slip it into Georgia overdrive.
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With the top down you can’t hear much at our age 
@Jeff Hicks posted:Jeff just posted that he and a friend are doing a cross country drive with an updated/ beefier main bearing. No problems so far.
That’s good to hear, I talked to him when he got back from his first trip and he chewed through 4 or 5 bearings, some as quickly as a few hundred miles once he hit some elevation, and was skeptical that there was enough room to beef the bearing up anymore than it was.
@chines1 posted:That’s good to hear, I talked to him when he got back from his first trip and he chewed through 4 or 5 bearings, some as quickly as a few hundred miles once he hit some elevation, and was skeptical that there was enough room to beef the bearing up anymore than it was.
Yeah, he's been talking about it on his Facebook page.
Now as soon as they figure out how to keep the AWD, I'm throwing one in a baja bug for some fireroad fun!
@Sacto Mitch posted:.
No experience here with Suby stuff, but some with Weddle gears and noise.
My Berg 5 keeps VW gears for 1, 3, and 5, but uses Weddle gears for 3 and 4. The Weddle gears have slightly more whine than the VW gears, but the difference is hardly noticeable.
But this gearbox is significantly noisier in all gears than the stock VW box it replaced. The difference is mostly in the mid mount, where the rubber blocks were replaced with solid mounts. And it's still not too noticeable until you get on trailing throttle at higher engine speeds. Then, there's quite a roar compared to a stock box.
If I'm coming down a long hill off the gas and the situation won't require riding the brakes all the way down, I'll often slip it into Georgia overdrive.
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Two 3rd gears must play havoc with your synchros. Also, what's the shift pattern?
@edsnova posted:Two 3rd gears must play havoc with your synchros. Also, what's the shift pattern?
The shift pattern is what everyone has plus one, to the right and forward. I think he meant 1,2,3 are VW. I'm sure 1-2 are, since they're a permanent part of the mainshaft. Yes, even on a Berg 5.
Our resident author(one of them anyway) made a typo.
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Danny is right.
I mistyped.
I don't have two third gears, I have two fourth gears.
The first fourth gear is exactly the same as it has always been but is now called fifth gear because in a five-speed gearbox, one of the gears has to be fifth gear. There are two new gears. The second of the two new gears is the new fourth gear and the first of the two new gears is the new third gear. We had to throw out the old third gear because, if we had kept it, that would have made six gears and in a five-speed gearbox, you can't have more than five gears.
I hope this clears things up.
@Sacto Mitch posted:.But this gearbox is significantly noisier in all gears than the stock VW box it replaced. The difference is mostly in the mid mount, where the rubber blocks were replaced with solid mounts. And it's still not too noticeable until you get on trailing throttle at higher engine speeds. Then, there's quite a roar compared to a stock box.
If I'm coming down a long hill off the gas and the situation won't require riding the brakes all the way down, I'll often slip it into Georgia overdrive.
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It's noisier on deceleration/trailing throttle because the VW engineers never envisioned the power/thrust loads we subject these things to. It's my understanding that there's no way (short of a complete re-design) of eliminating it.
Exactly, Al. I'm running near 200hp through a box designed for 60(although it has been said MANY times that they'll easily hold 125hp in stock form).
Main shaft bearings aren't very robust and most rebuilt boxes get a $16 Chinese bearing. German bearings are NLA. The best you can find is from Brazil for about $30. That bearing gets replaced on ALL rebuilds I've done. Throwout bearings are junk today, Sachs only for me.