To end or possibly add to the confusion
we decided to rename the STAGE 2.5 transmission as a STAGE 3.
The reason behind this
change is that this rebuild features all new gears 1st through 4th and a
new input shaft and intermediate shaft. These are the main components
that get worn out inside the transmission, especially if the transmission
has had a hard life. Once upon a time 16g turbos and ACT 2600
clutches were as far as people went and they weren't making crazy power.
In those days these transmissions were only a few years old the input shaft
and intermediate would be in good condition and could often be used again.
A lot has changed since those days.
Most people have been kicking
the shit out of their transmission for years and at higher power levels
than ever before. This is why we started offering the STAGE 2.5
REBUILD. It's similar to the STAGE 2 but it's a bundled package
featuring: All new gears 1st-4th and a new input shaft & intermediate
shaft. All this is offered at a good price because it was something
that we wanted to offer to the community and it made for a better
transmission rebuild because all the parts were brand new. It just
makes better sense to build a transmission intended for high power
applications with new gears and shafts that haven't had their asses kicked
for 100,000 miles.
The problem is that we kept
getting questions about the STAGE 2.5 and what power level it was intended
for and how it differed from the STAGE 3. Simply put, the STAGE 2.5
and STAGE 3 rebuilds both use new 1st-4th gears and new shafts but the
STAGE 3 has EVO-III gearing on 1st-4th with double synchros on 2nd, 3rd &
4th gears while the STAGE 2.5 uses the 1999 gearing with a double synchro
on 2nd gear and the larger synchro'd gears for 3rd & 4th.
Now before you go along with
this bullshit that the 1999 3rd & 4th gearset is weak and that the 3rd/4th
sleeve likes to shatter we want you to understand something. IT'S NOT
WEAK! The 3rd & 4th gears are the exact same gears as the magical
91/92 gears that are being touted as HD 3rd & 4th gears. Both 3rd/4th
gearsets are cast gears with identical tooth profiles and dimensions.
Only the synchro cone and engagement ring that is beam welded to the gear
is larger on the later model gears. The larger cone allows for a larger
synchro and better shifting at high rpms. Another fact is that all the
3rd/4th gears that Mitsubishi produced for the 89-99 transmissions used
gears that were cast from a steel alloy that closely resembles a 4135H
grade of steel. We know this because we've sent several gears out to
have burn-offs done so we could see of there was any difference between
them. 4135H is a good choice of gear steel for a mass production
transmission.
As for the urban legend that
the larger 3rd/4th sleeve is weak, this is nonsense. Consider this
fact: The 1st/2nd sleeve shares the exact same cross-section on the 2nd
gear side of the sleeve as the larger 3rd/4th sleeve that we commonly use.
You never here about a 1st/2nd gear sleeve shattering even with all the
mean tire barking slams into 2nd gear or all the wild getting it sideways
through 2nd gear or all the mechanical bull ride action that a 2nd Gen FWD
can muster...you never hear about that sleeve breaking. Another
important fact is that it doesn't break even through 2nd gear has a 1.684
gear ratio; meaning that for every 100ft.lbs of torque that is on the input
shaft there is 168.4ft.lbs of torque on the sleeve when you are in 2nd
gear. Got a 500ft.lbs of torque stroker motor? When you're in
2nd gear the 1st/2nd sleeve would see it as 842ft.lbs of torque! As
for 3rd & 4th it's on the input shaft and the torque is only what the
engine makes. If you're having a hard time understanding that just
remember that the sleeve is not weak.
So the 2.5 is now called a
3. To answer the
question of how much power it can handle, it is intended for 600HP.
What happened to the old STAGE 3? It got bumped out and is now called
a STAGE 4
and it's intended for those who are wanting to run the EVO-III gears.
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