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I finally have some time to write my impressions on 2 recent upgrades that I made to my car. 4.77 gears and Competition Clutch package. I'm not an expert so please don't expect this to be a technical review. If you have a specific technical question, I'll do my best to answer them (or find someone who can answer them for me)
4.77 Gears.
For many years, I have heard that gears are the best bang for the buck mod you can make on an s2000. I didn't understand how gears could make the car faster, so I was always interested, but skeptical. Recently, I received an offer to purchase a set of 4.77 gears from Joe at Ganley Honda and see firsthand what sort of difference they make.
I dropped off my car last Wednesday and had Jim install them for me. Jim has worked on many s2000s and has probably installed the majority of the final drive gears that are out there.
First off impression: Wow.....
The car feels like it pulls much stronger, and the power is instant....highway passing doesn't require downshifting either. It's almost as if the motor was restricted and the gears opened up its potential. I am not an engineer or a car expert so I still don't completely understand how the car is so much quicker, but the difference is definitely noticeable.
Two concerns that I had.
Many people mentioned to me about gear whine. I'm not quite sure what it sounds like but I haven't heard anything different with my car since putting the gears in. I have put 500+ miles on the car since Thursday and have noticed no audible difference.
I was also told that the revs are too high for highway cruising. At 80~85mph, it's in the neighborhood of 4700 rpms...So it's around 800 rpms higher than with regular gears. I'm going down to Columbus (2 hour drive) this week, and Deal's Gap for Wake the Dragon (9 hour drive) so I'll see if it's something that will bother me. So far, it hasn't.. just all smiles!
Competition Clutch, pressure plate, clutch and flywheel package.
First impression: I stalled
The thing that appealed to me was the promise that it would have the same pedal feel as an oem clutch. I've driven other cars with upgraded clutch package and felt like I just had a workout. This package is definitely more firm than the AP2 pedal (which I'm not a fan of), and around the same as the AP1 feel (which I like). The engagement point is a little earlier than stock and once it grabs you can definitely tell that you have something with more meat. It is a firm solid feeling. The flywheel (with the gears), makes the car get up to redline very quickly and just feels awesome.
The one thing I did notice was the clutch buzz as I decelerate... it's minor, but it definitely is there.. I think it's a small price to pay for what I got out of it, but I did wonder what it was when I first heard it.
Overall, these are two solid modifications that I am very pleased with. It feels like a totally different beast and would definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking to open up the potential of their car. Special thanks to Joe and the crew at Ganley Honda for putting this all together for me (and having me blow up their computer with PMs about the progress).
Originally Posted by dnelson1627' date='Mar 27 2007, 07:47 AM
awesome!!! how much did u spend parts and labor if you dont mind?
you can get 4.77's from motorklasse for $330 shipped.. but there outta stock... if you drop your diff. yourself most places will install gears for around $250...
03-27-2007, 07:41 AM
4.77 Gears and Competition Clutch Impressions
