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ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: Jookycola on December 24, 2009, 06:39:03 PM

Title: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Jookycola on December 24, 2009, 06:39:03 PM

It's official.
I can no longer stand my transmission on my kick.  I have a 1995 16v sidekick and it's bolted up to a 1990 Geo 5-speed.  My original transmission was destroyed last year so i went to several wrecking yards to find another and this 1990 tranny was all i could find.  But the super low 5th gear in the early transmissions are just horrid on the highway.  And sadly i do a TON of highway travel.

Would it be better to try and find a later model 5-speed tranny and do a swap, or would it be more cost effective and smart to just swap out the one short 5th gear for a taller one out of a newer tranny.

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: gearjam on December 24, 2009, 09:16:58 PM

Why not go to bigger tires? You know you want too and then that shorter 5th gear will be about right on the highway!

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Jookycola on December 25, 2009, 07:24:17 AM

Already had bigger tires.  I do too much highway driving in it so i went back down.  So no I don't want to do that again till i maybe get another vehicle.  For now this is my one and only DD so i need to do something soon, my fuel expense is outrageous.

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Jookycola on December 28, 2009, 09:27:40 AM

Bump.
I know someone has to have a better answer.

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Drone637 on December 28, 2009, 10:15:41 PM

Your going to need another transmission to get the higher gear anyway.  I would pick up a 95+ transmission and rebuild it.  Then drop it into your existing car and sell the old transmission off to pay for the rebuild parts.

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: wildgoody on December 28, 2009, 10:36:47 PM

Is there really that big of a difference in the 2 trannys final drive ratio?

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Drone637 on December 29, 2009, 11:14:12 AM

I believe it is 795 vs 865, so good for 500 rpm's or so when on the freeway.

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Jookycola on December 30, 2009, 09:14:57 AM

500 noticeable rpms though, and actually it's probably more than that.

It used to be on my original tranny i could cruise the highway at a comfortable 3200 to 3300 rpm at 70 to 75 mph.  Now it's like 4100 to 4300rpm at 70 to 75mph.  It's loud, and just drinks gas like a full sized SUV.  I go through as much or more gas in a week as my co-workers do in their Full sized 2003 Chevy Tahoe and Hummer H3.  It never used to be that way until i changed to this transmission.

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: Drone637 on December 30, 2009, 04:11:56 PM

Here is a fun transmission calculator built by a friend of mine on another forum.

http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/ (http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/)

There is a beta of his new setup at http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/beta.cgi (http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/beta.cgi) but I haven't gotten him to add Suzuki gear on there yet.  :D

Title: Re: Better to swap tranny or gears?
Post by: NYSIDEKICKER on December 31, 2009, 07:09:01 AM

I HAVE THE 95 4 DOOR KICK ON 31'S  I  AVERAGE ABOUT 17-20 MPGS WITH MINE BUT I DRIVE IT TO THE REDLINE THROUGHT THE FIRST 3 GEARS  ;D ...  MINE HAS 155000 MILES AND GOING STRONG... EXCEPT FOR THE BODY :-\ MAYBE 95 AND UP IS THE ANSWER...