a_integra_87

I currently have a civic with a b18b and gsr trans. I like it quite a bit, but highway driving totally freaks me out. I guess its better than a complete ls swap because my buddy with a ls integra always complains of lack of power until the higher RPM, well since my car is always in the higher RPM it really dosent matter.

The reasons I dont want the GSR trans anymore is even driving around town im usually in 4th gear. Today I had to drive 1.5 hrs each way on the highway and averaged about 70-80mph in certian spots. With my gsr this didnt really bother me revving to 4k crusing, but I really dont feel comfortable with my motor screaming at what appears to be 4200 at 80mph. Now I also believe either my speedo or my RPM gauge are off, because i was pretty sure my gsr hit 90 right at 4400, but now my car is deffinatly at about 4150-4200 at 80mph.

My question is with switching to the ls trans, exactly how much longer is each gear? I remember in a post I saw someone post a calculator that would show your speed in each gear and RPM with the certian trans.

I had a 240sx that I was going to turbo but lost that project due to finding way too many rust holes in the chassis. So im about a wastegate and tune away from having the b18b turbo. So im not really worried that much about lack of acceleration from the ls trans. Now everyday driving on boost will the ls be better taking into consideration Im going to a college 3hrs away in august and may come home on weekends so alot of highway boosted driving.

tegbooster

cliffs?

im pretty sure the basic is you don't like the GSR final drive gear... you could either

-rebuid your gsr trans with an LS final drive
-buy an LS trans

trust me you will dissapointed with your long gears if you were to get an LS tranny... either hate the final drive on the geezer or do the swap

swapping a Gsr trans for a LS one is just pointless and a step down IMO

TheOtherDave™

Turbo or not, the shorter gearing of the GSR gearset will translate into faster acceleration.

Before purchasing his IS300, Josh (aka westcoaststyle) had a wicked boosted B20 Civic Ferio with the GSR transmission. To this day, he remains a stanch advocate of the GSR gearing, even when combined with a relatively low redline (as on the B18B1 and B20B/Z motors). Drop him a PM on the subject.

Frankly, I wouldn't go to the expense.

For the breakdown on specific gear ratios, consult the Integra FAQ. It's stickied near the top of the forum listings.

With the ratios in hand, determine your rolling circumference and work backwards from a given wheel RPM, dividing first by the final drive, then the specific gear ratio to get your crank RPM. Of course, you can't go 100 mph in first gear; so be mindful of your rev-limit as well.

a_integra_87

So its not putting any extra stress driving at 80 at about 4+k constant for a couple hundred miles? I guess i gotta give a little to get a little.

I may "try" out the ls trans, I can snag a ls trans for $150 and have access to a lift. I just wasnt sure if its a total waste of time or not.


Another option I considered was replacing the gsr 5th gear with the ls 5th gear, but to go through all that work just to drop a few hundred rpm if even wasnt really worth it IMO.

TheOtherDave™

The extended rpm level is hardly a worry at all. Bear in mind that the bulk of the B18B1's power is from 3800 to 6100 rpm. It's not like you're 500 rpm away from redline for hours on end. With routine oil changes and the use of a quality oil filter, you'll be fine.

On my extended runs between LA and SF, I'm at around 3800 rpm at 85 in fifth gear.
Sure, it's a tad noisy.. but OTOH we aren't exactly driving a Jaguar XJ6, are we?

a_integra_87

a ls is at 3800 at 85mph? I think at 85mph my gauge reads about 4400 which i think is a little off. Huh, so its really not worth it then. Maybe before I go purchase anything I should let my buddy drive my car with the gsr trans and me drive his LS and take it from there.

TheOtherDave™

Car-swapping is a very good idea, frankly.
Since the 2 cars weigh nearly the same, it'll be a quick-n-easy way to get a feel for the difference in acceleration.

tegbooster

^^ exactly... that's probably the best idea you can do to be 100% sure that you wanna go through with such a stupid modification. To be honest, i am planning on swapping for a GSR trans... so if you really want... we can do a direct trade lol... i'll even toss you a few bucks for it

a_integra_87

Thats the other problem seeing as how i spent numerous months looking and spent $995 for this trans