detailer Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Just got motor back today after Quaife gearbox installed. The difference is awesome. Not only that but the noise is fantastic (sounds like a BTCC! I did have reservations about having it done after being told the noise was "droning" and "annoying on runs". The cars in gear acceleration has been transformed with it pulling far better in the mid range where it had been lacking a bit previously. Anyone who has an ounce of petrol running through their veins who is considering a Quaife, don't hesitate. Put it to the top of your mods list. Quote
markcoopers Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 What a great idea, ...................no already on the list:D Quote
gadrego Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Got one in mine, the noise is great when you're in the mood. Earplugs do the trick the rest of the time. Quote
BLOGGY S7 Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Do you know what ratios are and what diff are you running? Quote
Blatman Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Quaife straight cut synchro box (called the Clubmans) come up at betwen 500 and 700 quid second hand. The gear set (that's a set of gears, not the whole 'box) *new* from Quaife is around 850 quid + VAT. Then you have to get it fitted... Quote
detailer Posted January 13, 2006 Author Posted January 13, 2006 I'm running a 3:5 (escort RS 2000 diff) with 4 speed clubman quaife ratios in bullet box. Anyone in the Merseyside area who want top mechanics for the job PM me & I'll pass you the garage's details who did the job. They were very reasonable too and had a massive knowledge with race engines. Tip: get your garage to order them from quaife direct and they will give 5% discount (provided you have a friendly garage! ) We have had a full engine rebuild as well (stage 3 head, fast road performance cam included) but the noise from the straight cut box is pure nivana If you own a westfield and want the car to feel proper special just do it!!!! If you do thousands of miles touring in your westfield then you may get tired of the noise. Quote
Eastern_Westie Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Got one in mine, but 4th is a direct drive, so is synchro. This helps reduce the droning - you can shift to 4th when going through town or something to reduce the noise. Quote
detailer Posted January 13, 2006 Author Posted January 13, 2006 Thats right. No droning in mine in fourth gear either. Mechanic was saying something about being "one to one" in the final gear. Only makes that awesome noise when you are accelerating up through 1st, 2nd and 3rd Found myself slowing down just so I could go through the gears again to hear it (I know very sad) Quote
Eastern_Westie Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Yes, as it's a direct drive (1:1) it has less stress on the gears so doesn't need to be straight-cut.... Quote
Blatman Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 4th is straight cut just like the rest, but because it drives the input shaft directly rather than via the layshaft, it doesn't whine. All the other gears whine like b*******s. Stress on the gears has nothing to do with it. If you want quiet running for touring, you can fit a helical 5th to a straight cut 'box, thus making both 4th and 5th silent, but giving you the advantage of straight cut gears where they are most beneficial in gears 1 to 4. Quote
lewey Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 If you want quiet running for touring, you can fit a helical 5th to a straight cut 'box, thus making both 4th and 5th silent, but giving you the advantage of straight cut gears where they are most beneficial in gears 1 to 4. This is very interesting. I have done a few sprints in my road legal, but shouldn't be Westie and have yet to use 5th. I would like to get a super-tall 5th gear (possibly helical now the idea has been put into my head) for use on the road, driving to events in cruise mode. My 5th is so near 4th it's almost not worth having. I have a very low diff and small wheels so do finish Shelsley in 4th @ 7000 RPM. This is perfect for sprinting, but rubbish on the road and it puts undue stress on the engine and my ears above 50MPH. With a tall 5th, I could have my cake and eat it in terms of sprinting AND mincing about on roads. Does anyone have suggestions on where to source such a gear: were there road cars with a silly high overdrive gear in their type 9's that I can rob? Can anybody suggest why this is a bad idea also of course?! It's a type 9 clubman with the tallest gears 1-4 and the shortest 5th Quaife do (or did 7 years ago). Quote
paulvdk Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 If you want quiet running for touring, you can fit a helical 5th to a straight cut 'box, thus making both 4th and 5th silent, but giving you the advantage of straight cut gears where they are most beneficial in gears 1 to 4. I am also very interested how to do this, bacause of the noise mainly the length. I have a standard VX redtop, 3.92 diff and a SC Quaife with .93 5th, 1-4 are perfect but 5th is unusable. People told me i could interchange it with a standard .82 halical set. A friend tried it with his box and he told me its impossible because of different splines on the layshaft. I contacted Quaife for a longer 5th. They told also me its impossible to put a standard set in and offered me a .87 SC 5th set, 132 pounds! excl 30 PP, so that wil be 250 euro for me, thats almost the price a paid for the box! Another point is that with a helical 5th the layshaft is still SC driven so will be noisy. But thats no problem for me. If I can get a (much) longer 5th it will be great. Anyone having details how to do this? Regards, Paul Quote
wacomuk Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 does the Quaife box give you a longer 1st gear? as 1st gear in my car is almost point less, a longer 1st would be good and shorter ratios in all the other gears (diff is 3.92) how loud is the droning? louder than the exhaust? Quote
lewey Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 There is a good choice of gear sets for Quaife boxes, they are listed on their website. The obvious choice is to have a longer 1st and this means you are going to have close ratios leading up to 1:1 in 4th as all the gear selections do. It's more of a screetch than a drone. It is the pitch that makes it quite easy to hear over anything else. I have a loud exhaust (just legal for sprinting) and the box is louder. This is partly because you are nearer it. My passenger says the exhaust is louder at high RPM as mine exits on their side. Quote
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