Im thinking of uprating my gearbox again to a full straightcut and was thinking of a mullet box, but have been offered a R&D for a good price from someone local to me. Basicaly it was his spare for his rally car so did nothing since rebild but he has sold his escort and now uses an evo so is selling off his spares.
Im planning on running around 460 bhp but block and head are speced for 600, so idealy want something that could take 500+.Car will be mainly used on the road but do live half hour from crail and knockhill so you never know.

 

Neil, check the box ratio's of the R & D first to make sure your happy with it - if you do decide to go that route.

i came across a few a couple of months back but sixth gear was a ratio of 1:1, which is the same as your standard 4th!!

there are a few other reasons aswell with the R & D box which has made me go for the Mullet/Reyland/Barra box.

 

If its mainly a road car, that is NOT the box for you regardless of whether it will take the power (in my opinion it won't for long either, although some people have been lucky)

If it was out of a Rally car the ratios are probably going to be to short for you as well FYI

 

ooops I took too long to type my reply

Actually, one more thing. Is this a R+D 6 speed Dog box... as they do a 5 speed syncro kit as well which if its cheap enough and the right ratios could be ok.

If not, Bara or Fixit are your options

 

The bara (aka mullet) box seems to be the best option in terms of cost and availability of parts.


Not really proven long term in anything yet though, but certainly seems to be doing ok in all the cars I know of with one.

Easy to live with too, no dog change etc, just like a normal box (other than being a bit noisier)

 

It was a long ratio box for 3k but i think i will go for the mullet box when the time comes. I know a few of the scottish boys were running R&D boxes in the ford saloon championship with 600bhp without hassle but then you hear people saying 450-500 max.

 

I would go for the Barra box mate, porkies seems to go ok, and I remember Sean Bicknell was less than impressed with R&D's performance and thier shoddy customer service.

 

hi peeps


35 boxes sold no come backs with any broken gears yet ,

thats got to say something


marco

 

Marco what sort of condition does the doner box need to be in, i know of a box i can get cheap but it does make some noises.

 

i would dream of using the r&d at your power

just give you money to marco or martin

 

it doesn't matter if the gears are all broken except for 1st the mainshaft would have to be in good nick

thats why i always said the better box you send the better it will be

if we have to change selector forks ect then it more money

that price i gave you was fully built up in a box providing we done have to change anything else

new syncros/bearings /seals /rebuild/ dyno ect thats all in the price

marco

 

hi chip
just t to let you know that 1box is in a rally car for last 9 months with 340bhp /460ftlbs of torque ,

hasn't broke yet it's still fyling, it will be coming back in 2months time for check over we going to strip it and have alook at it

if it lasts in a rally car, then it will centinaly last in a road or track car P.O.Pi55

 

Cant beat a dog box for the gear change. for sprints or Track use, and also transforms a car just by keeping on song better.


R+D are fine for the power. Matters on the age, as the earlier one's had failures due to manufacture quality.


i run (sean B's old box) a 6 speed with a over drive 6th (same as std 5th), on a 3.6 final, abit talled geared in 1st.
i've had a failure, due to my error of hitting 2nd abit to fast.
But other than that, it done 6k hard miles, inc hundreds of launching, trackdays and testing. thats on a 440+ bhp/lbft engine (Dyno'd at 505bhp and 447lbft on a slightly smaller turbo) And car wiegh's 1365kg with driver on the road, 1305 kg with driver for sprints and track.

Other people known to test the box hard,
Martin H, Steve Scott with both mid 10's for the 1/4 mile.

Its not as good as a FFD box, but hay it turns my wheels.

 

marco you need to check your figures your quoting,no cosworth rally car will make over 308 bhp with a 34mm restrictor,and my old ex boreham works car only made a GENUINE 356lb/ft of torque,thats a genuine dyno figure not doing what the tunners do and bring it on to boost at part throttle then floor the throttle to give a false boost spike.
the world rally car we did a back to back test with made 29lb/ft more on the same rollers.

whos car is it in?cannot be much of a driver if he is rallying without a dogbox, as for the 9 months statement that means nothing in terms of rallying,ive a car here hasnt brocken a gearbox in over 3 years,but it hasnt turned a wheel in 3 years either!!

why are you all comparing a dog gearbox with a syncro gearbox anyway?
syncro boxes will be fine for fast road and track days but no way suitable for a rally car!!!!

 

i run the RnD last year and this year and its never let me down on a race yet its all about how you use it .
its lighter than FFD and better ratios than FFD for big power cars.the FFd is closer ratio and suits the restricted rally cars that have torque and short power band. [/b]

 

why consider fixit OVER an r&d box?
everything is stronger on the r&d box.
Most fixit wrecks are due to 3rd gear separating creating a mess, r&d has a spacer plate and own mainshaft which is stronger than standard.

Has anyone here had problems with their r&d box?
what happened? and when?

keep in mind the ratios as mentioned in this thread, cause if its a direct top gearbox 6th gear will be like 4th on a standard gearbox.

 

R+D isnt very nice for a mainly road car( very harsh gearchange, hates pootling around town) But when you start pushing on and on track ect its an excellent box

Not sure what power they can take but the R+D that was in mine and Martins old car did ok

 

I run Sean B's old R+D box.

-Sean had a failure with 5th gear, were the weld broke, (bad batch)
then he chewed 2nd gear, which could of been a notchy gear change previous.

-Martin H, only knocked a dog off once from road driving,

-I've chewed 2nd gear once, due to gear change, where i put the power on slightly to early. But car done 6k road, track and sprint miles.
i rebuilt it, but cost Ł1100 in parts.



I think the main issue is, when R+D 1st brought the box out, it was NOT developed fully, and Roger used his paying customers as the development, and charge them each time it failed.
as well as R+D hasn't got the best customer service.

 

i agree there the customer service is terrible

 

what customer serivce

 

Hi tim

ill find out and defo come back to you , i think it's a good test base to have it in a rally car why not as test only ? i know it's going to be a hell of a lot slower gearchanging compaired to a dog box

it will have alot of abuse in a rally car compaired to a road car



marco

 

BUT seriusly, is an R&D better then an fixit? strength wise?

Am SERIUSLY thinking about buying one

 

to be fair it depends on aplication,for rallying an r+d shopuld be better,but for road use would be harder to live with day to day,

 

what he is asking is if r&d is better than fixit strenght wise, which it definitly is.

 

To clarifi it it will be used for some street but mostly quartermile racing with about 600-650bhp
Is there any gearing that is more preferely then other?

 

if quarter mileing then a dog box is faster than a synchro,

gearing is controled more by diff ratios though.

 

I´m aware of this

BUT was thinking of the gearbox itself?

 

well it may not be an advantage in having to many gears, as you are loosing time when shifting.
But if you have a short torque band on your engine it may benefit you.

but there are so many considerations to make when you are hunting so low quartermile times, but i doubt fixit will handle dragracing.
Third gear is the main weakness on these.

 

hi mate


sean bicknell had an r+d dog box on a 500+bhp escort he used it on the 1/4 and it blew up on the launch he left 1/2 the box on the start line

steve scott from A1 rallysport had a brand new one aswell he races in the ford salloon championships he did broke his aswell on the launch

saying that tho ,some of them have lasted and have took the power

if you ever break one your fooked because their customer care is a fooking waste of time


marco

 

Matters why they broke?? as might not of beem a gearbox fault.


Customer service isn't great, but parts are available.

 

Looks like i will be going with my original choice of a mullit box, might be a bit slower over the 1/4 but its the customer service that is putting me off R&D

 

Your'll get good service off Marco.

 

but again,your comparing two totally different things,ones a dogbox,ones a syncro box,

is the weak point not the use of the standard main shafts?

 

hi neil

it's true what tim has just said


marco

 

Marco: this does make me a bit

I know the fixit/mullit box is endeed WERY good, but i want a box that can take a full launch, i can accept that it wont be on drag slics, but still.?

Do i need something like an ffd or?

 

hi mate

if you want i can get you uprated mainshaft and uprated 1st gear for the muillit box made in the same material as the big tooth gears

mainshaft is not cheap

saying that porkie has not broke it yet and runs a gen 500+ he has only got standard 1st gear /standard mainshaft with just the big tooth kit which is 2nd/3rd/4th/5th

he has done alot of trackdays 1/4 mile ect

saying that , i can get you an FFD h pattern dog box(handbrake release) if you want but you will need props /and other bits to fit it

can also get hold of a x-trac box if you need one all depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to do with the car

marco

 

I used one for over 12 months and in that time only changed 2nd gear... Which was in stock and fixed within a couple of days.

 

for real drivers,use FFD, its as good as it gets,use the 7 speed with 1st in 3rd and launches are amazing and indestructable.

 

what about X-trac?

 

what do you mean use 1st in 3rd ??


oops just realised





cheers superaly