Which transmission is best (Page 4/6)
ZaraSpOOk JUL 15, 05:10 PM

quote
Originally posted by dobey:
Getrags aren't exactly rare. I don't know where you get the idea that they are. Various versions of the 282 were available in many FWD GM cars from the 80s and through the 90s.



I didn't say Getrags are rare, I said a Fiero Getrag for sale is expensive and hard to find compared to the Izusu, as are replacement parts

my seat of the pants guesstimate is that for every Getrag that comes up for sale there are about a dozen Izusu's, and the price is four to 10 times more.

the OP has an Izusu, if the thing works, doesn't leak, that's a lot more than he can say for whatever Getrag he finds. But it's his money & time.
masospaghetti JUL 16, 11:29 AM
The Muncie 4-speed has a reputation for being strong, and they seem to sell for almost nothing.

FWIW I would have sold mine for about $50-75 including the shifter and cables, but ended up including it with my engine sale.
dobey JUL 16, 11:51 AM

quote
Originally posted by ZaraSpOOk:
I didn't say Getrags are rare, I said a Fiero Getrag for sale is expensive and hard to find compared to the Izusu, as are replacement parts

my seat of the pants guesstimate is that for every Getrag that comes up for sale there are about a dozen Izusu's, and the price is four to 10 times more.

the OP has an Izusu, if the thing works, doesn't leak, that's a lot more than he can say for whatever Getrag he finds. But it's his money & time.



Why would you use a Fiero Getrag? Getrags are cheap. They're less than $300 anywhere you find them, except maybe newly rebuilt ones. The HTOB Getrag is a much better option than the original Fiero Getrag, and a direct bolt-in. The only extra thing you need are a few small pieces to adapt the Fiero shifter cables, and the hydraulic line, to the newer trans. Only slightly more work than that, to convert from the Isuzu to the Getrag. It is the absolute cheapest way to get any trans stronger than an Isuzu, into a Fiero.

If you want something stronger than that, then F23 or F40 all the way, or just convert to automatic.

If the Isuzu is fine, I'd run with it until it breaks, but it may not last very long, if he plans to launch hard or shift hard.

EDIT: Oh, and there is a Getrag in my Fiero that works fine, which I'll be selling as soon as I get it out.

[This message has been edited by dobey (edited 07-16-2013).]

uhlanstan JUL 16, 10:34 PM
the best most reliable fiero transmission is the stock 3 speed automatic,, the 4speed auto is a POS
the 4 speed auto is OK if you have it performance rebuilt,, the 4 speed G.M auto transmission
kept 1000s of auto transmission Rebuilders in business untill the late 90s,,early 2000
the 4 speed manual transmission is O.K. but it is low geared & gas milage will suck (i have one)

if you go with any fiero manual get the double seal slave plunger from Rodney
the V6 5 speed available from late 86 till 88 is the way to go ,, the 4 speed manual is stronger, but the low gearing
ruins MPG,,but if you want to blow off Camaros around town & do not care about Gas MPG,,go with the 4 speed,, the 4 speed comes out of the hole strong..
if you go with any of the the manuals install NEW Rodney Dickman shift cables ,new seals & synthetic gear oil for long life ,,lube the shifters mechanism under the console & use a light grease on the shift lever,where it mounts on the stud,,,like lubriplate.wheel bearing grease is O.K.
do not oil or lube rodneys cables
Corpsmen Ed JUL 23, 03:03 PM
So it sounds like:

The F40 is expensive and geared wrong.
The F23 is a POS.
The Getrag 4 speed is tough, but crap on gas.
The Isuzu 5 speed is good on gas, but a weak transmission.

The 4 speed auto is suspect.
The 4-speed HD auto sounds decent.

Is that about right? Is there a good transmission?

If I get the transmission that comes with the 3800SC from the donor car, it sounds like that is the most reliable scenerio. BUT, is that geared for more Granny-mobile driving? Like, if I soup the motor up a little, will it be wasted by the lazy tranny?
FFIEROFRED JUL 23, 07:36 PM
NOPE. The 3800SC engine will over power the rear tires with ANY gearing. The fiero use's a shorter tire than the bigger cars that engine come in. The fiero is lighter than any car that engine came in. The drive line should come with the 3.29 rear gear. But it may have the 3.08 rear. My son's 3800SC 85 GT ( with pully and ecm up grades by ZZP ) has the 3.29 / stock converter / SS headers. it ran, on a hot after noon ( in mississippi ) 13.45 @ 98 mph. on that run it didn't up shift out of 2nd. How fast do you need to go?
dobey JUL 23, 09:52 PM

quote
Originally posted by Corpsmen Ed:
So it sounds like:

The F40 is expensive and geared wrong.
The F23 is a POS.
The Getrag 4 speed is tough, but crap on gas.
The Isuzu 5 speed is good on gas, but a weak transmission.

The 4 speed auto is suspect.
The 4-speed HD auto sounds decent.

Is that about right? Is there a good transmission?

If I get the transmission that comes with the 3800SC from the donor car, it sounds like that is the most reliable scenerio. BUT, is that geared for more Granny-mobile driving? Like, if I soup the motor up a little, will it be wasted by the lazy tranny?



You don't want to listen to what ulahnstan just said. It's nonsense.

The F40 is expensive. I wouldn't say it's geared wrong. The gearing in it isn't significantly different from any of the 5 speed options. All of the FWD manual transmissions are mostly all geared for motors that make less torque than engines which people typically choose to swap into a Fiero. So, if you put in an engine which makes more torque, and doesn't rev to 8000+ RPM, it will certainly seem like the gearing sucks. But that's going to be true regardless of the manual trans you choose. And there are 3 different 4 speed manual transmissions you could choose from, to throw in the Fiero. They shouldn't all be considered the same. And 2 of those are geared for the 96 HP 2.5L, not a 300 HP 3.8. The other is geared for the 2.8, to have an ok balance of performance and economy.

The F23 is far from a POS. But it's not the cheapest option, either. It's not a direct bolt-in, so will require a bit more work. There is no Getrag 4 speed. As I said, there are 3 different 4 speeds, and are Muncie transmissions. The Getrag 5 speed is OK, and a direct bolt-in.

The 3-speed auto is crap. If you want to burn it up fast, throw a 3800 on one. If you're even thinking of going for an automatic with the 3800, you should use the 4t65-hd auto that it comes mounted to. There are also a lot of 4 speed automatic transmissions available, so one should be specific about which one is being discussed, when talking about them.
The 4t60 (440-t4) might be what was referred to as "crap" in that post. It was the first gen of 4 speed auto FWD trans, and used the same case as the TH-125c 3 speed, so I could see it being a bit more prone to failure than later 4 speeds might be. But then again, any transmission is going to eventually have problems, if you are constantly exceeding it's designed limits.

The best options for using a 3800 are, if you want a manual, the F40 or F23, and if you want an auto, the 4t65 that's mated to it factory. If you want to abuse it, or add a turbo or anything, then the auto should definitely be built up to handle it. For the manuals, you can cryo them and such, but you probably won't need to. Instead, you'll just need a good clutch that can handle things.
carbon JUL 24, 09:14 AM

quote
Originally posted by Corpsmen Ed:
The F23 is a POS.



And the cycle continues...
NetCam JUL 24, 10:16 AM
I'm going with the F23. It seems a good balance of strength and gearing. I'm not going to be really hard on it, but will open it up on occasion, and want half decent gearing so I can still get a few MPG instead of GPM.
Corpsmen Ed JUL 24, 01:49 PM
I wasn't pronouncing judgement on any of the transmissions with my last post. I was trying to summerize what others had posted on this thread to see if I could get a concensus. I obviously don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to calling something a POS, cause I have no experience with any of them. My car currently has the 2.5L 5-Isuzu with 90,000 miles. Of which, I have contributed zero. I have not driven the car yet. My only experience driving a Fiero was the 86 2.5L Auto I had in the Navy, and that was almost 20 years ago. I will be swapping in the 3800sc, which will remain mostly stock. I only plan to clean it up, change the gaskets, reduce the SC pulley size, custom exhaust.

I am just looking for the straight dope on transmission, so I can make an educated purchase for the swap.

I would love a manual, but worry about stregth and gearing issues I have heard about from other forum members.

The Auto would be good, but less fun.

I don't plan to use it for racing or autocross. Mostly just a fun cruiser. It would be nice to have the option of getting on it, if the need arrises.

Any additional suggestions?