MR.C Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Chris the reason i have the type 9 . Changing gear is about as slick as a 70 s Atkinson eight wheeler. I want something you can change gear a bit sharper like🙂 Especially 1st to 2nd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptune Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 What gearbox do you currently have fitted ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.C Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Type 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptune Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 I have a type 9 which is pretty smooth. So perhaps yours can be improved. Do you have the extension on to the gearbox to move your lever further backwards ? There is a bush in this that is simple to replace but can cause shifting issues if it is worn . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.C Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 No mate , its just standard. I'm just thinking its a 70's gearbox made to take 70 - 80 hp. 3rd to 4th back to 3rd is smooth enough🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 If you can afford it, get an uprated type 9 from the likes of BGH or SPC. The difference is night and day and the gearing is soooooo much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 I swapped my standard type 9 for a BGH box with a long first gear- what a difference it makes. No more crunching the gears and up to 40mph in 1st. definitely recommend BGH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 The BGH is a great upgrade. I'm not sure if they still offer their bespoke Westfield gear lever extension, but that combination is very, very good. To put it in perspective, I also have an Elan and MX-5, two cars known for their gear change. For me, the BGH is a very close second to the Elan, with the MX-5 coming in third. -John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.C Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 I can see how you can upgrade a gearbox to take more power. But how do you make a gearbox slicker? If the workings are fundemetaly the same. So the BGH type 9 (40 year old design) is as slick as a modern mx5 (20 year old design)? Surely £1500 would be better spent on a mx5 gearbox and conversion no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 No. The BGH or SPC will be slicker than std. mine certainly is. But more importantly they will have ratios suited to our type of car. The mx5 box is certainly a nice one but the ratios aren’t actually that good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 37 minutes ago, MR.C said: So the BGH type 9 (40 year old design) is as slick as a modern mx5 (20 year old design)? I'm sure there are a number of things that contribute to shift quality, including weight of the internals that must move to execute a gear change. Another important aspect is the shift linkage. As mentioned, my BGH uses a very different setup than the stock Westfield extension and is more precise. I'm sure this helps. The throws between the two boxes in my cars are virtually identical, and although the MX-5's throws are a touch lighter, the BGH feels more mechanical, which I prefer. The Elan's gearbox -- which is closer to a 60 year old design -- is the slickest of the three. Chris is also spot on regarding ratios. There is nothing wrong with the MX-5 box, the point here is that a BGH Type-9 is great in its own right. -John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizzer Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 25 minutes ago, JohnCh said: BGH uses a very different setup than the stock Westfield extension and is more precise. What is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 They take the rear portion of a sacrificial Type-9 case, attach the shift rod sections with a coupler and roll pins, then attach the two cases with a thick U-shaped aluminium bracket (~6mm thick). Here are photos taken before installing mine back in 2007. -John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 1 hour ago, JohnCh said: As mentioned, my BGH uses a very different setup than the stock Westfield extension Mine has no extension and still was way better than the original 1980’s type 9 I originally fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.C Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 Chris , in what way would you say it was better? Apart from of course being able to take more Power safely. Can you change from first to second swiftly if giving it the beans so to speak? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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