does anyone know if i can put a 5 speed transmisson on a L16 engine from a 510

[Bobito510]

does anyone know if i can put a 5 speed transmisson on a L16 engine from a 510

Because i want 2 make my 510 faster ! :)

[72240z]

You can but it prob wont make the car any faster, depends what trans you have in there already. def wont make it any quicker.

[datzenmike]

There are at least 4 L 5 speeds I can think of that will bolt to your L16. The most common are the 200sx dogleg and the 71B. Both have an overdrive 5th gear which is intended to reduce RPMs on the highway to improve mileage and not to go faster.

 

Your top speed is limited by wind resistance and engine power. If you drive at 40MPH and want to go 80MPH you will need 4 times as much horse power to do this ... not twice. Going fast eats up power very fast.

 

Lets say that you are going 100MPH and your motor is maxed out at 5K RPMs and making full power. You shift into 5th on your zx transmission and the RPMs drop about 25% or down to 3,750 RPMs. At the new RPMs the motor is not making as much power as it did at 5K, the car can't push the air out of the way and begins slowing down. This is called being power limited.

 

 

 

 

You want to go faster make more power.

[ggzilla]

Yep, a 5-speed won't make your car any faster.

[DanielC]

Actually, it is possible to make a 510 go faster with a 5 speed, but it probably will require a change of the rear axle gearing, but you have to do some careful planning.

Here is what you do. get a rear axle with a numerically higher gear ratio. than you have now. if you currently have a 3.90, get a 4.10, or a 4.35. Your engine RPM will go up, at any given speed, in the same gear. Now, put the five speed. Ideally, the gear ratio in fifth gear combined with the new lower rear axle ratio will be just slightly higher (lower RPM) than what you had with a four speed.

If you get the right five speed, with proper gear ratios, first through fourth gear will end up lower, with the new rear axle, than what you had before. You may even luck out with the gears being closer together, with less RPM drop when you shift.

 

So, you need to do some research. What is your current rear axle ratio? What is available?

There are many different five speeds, with different ratios in all the gears.

You start multiplying the gear ratio in the transmission by the rear axle ratio, and that gives you an overall ratio.

Do the math, plan well, and you can get the results you want. But just grab the first five speed that comes along, and most likely, you will not get the results you want.

[ggzilla]

If 96 HP will only push a 510 to 100 MPH, changing the gearing wont make it go any faster. But a larger engine will do it. You could go 105. Or 110 with a more horsepower. How fast do you want to go?

[72240z]

gg is right, the math you need to do involves the engine power not just gear ratios. There is no magic.

 

How fast do you want to spend? ;-)

[DanielC]

There are two things that can limit the top speed of a car. One has already been mentioned, power limited. This happens when the engine cannot reach maximum RPM (redline) in top gear.

The other thing that can limit the top speed of a car is being RPM limited. This happen when the engine will reach redline, in top gear and you actually have to back off the throttle to prevent overrevving.

 

If you are setting up a car for a 1/4 mile drag race, you may actually set the car up to be RPM limited. It will be quicker that way.

On the other hand most cars are power limited. This is done, because setting a car up this way can increase the fuel mileage.

 

My point is, if you are trying to go faster, you will be leaving a lot of potential behind if you do not do some work on figuring out the optimum gear ration in the rear axle, and choosing a transmission to compliment that. Swapping a five speed for a four speed you could possibly get a lower first gear, closer rations with every shift, and a higher fifth gear. In this case, the car may actually go faster in fourth (1 to 1 in the tranny) than in fifth.

 

Yes, you are limited to a potential top speed by the amount of horsepower you have. But if you are not geared right, you are limited even more. A five speed may give you the ability to run a lower rear axle ratio, and allow you to live with it on a freeway.

[Suspect]

I have a v8 s-10, ruffly about 325hp. the original body style s-10 is boxy. So far the fastest I can get it to go is 148mph and with the rear end gear I have, I still have another gear. So 3200lbs, 325hp pushing a box down the road is way different than same hp in a lighter and more aerodynamic vehicle.

[Z chopper]

I have a v8 s-10, ruffly about 325hp. the original body style s-10 is boxy. So far the fastest I can get it to go is 148mph and with the rear end gear I have, I still have another gear. So 3200lbs, 325hp pushing a box down the road is way different than same hp in a lighter and more aerodynamic vehicle.

 

hate to burst the power bubble but I did that in my old S10 with a 2.8 V6 and 5 spd, well 140mph.

[Suspect]

1985-1993 with a 2.8L TBI is 125hp / 150 lb-ft torque... curb weight for ex cab s-10 is 3024lbs, 2773lbs reg cab long bed, and 2635lbs for reg cab short bed.

 

I would imagine that a stock 2.8L in any s-10 would have no chance at anything over 120mph if that. It has hardly any more power than a stock L20b but quite a bit more torque. I'm not saying you are lying, just saying it don't look possible to go 140 with a 2.8L s-10.

[ggzilla]

You are correct. But the speedometer could read 140 when you are going 120.

[Suspect]

most s-10 speedometers read 85mph, some blazers had the 110mph speedometer which is what I have in my truck. They also have digital speedometers but I don't know a thing about them other than they are slow. I went by a gps for my speed, plus I was messing with some crotch rockets at the time and they claimed I was going over 145.

 

my s-10 may not be all what it could be or should be. I do know going that fast was scary, the doors were squealing, I could hear creaks and cracks, I thought the windshield would blow in which would suck an unexplainable amount.

[Guest kamakazi620]

If 96 HP will only push a 510 to 100 MPH, changing the gearing wont make it go any faster. But a larger engine will do it. You could go 105. Or 110 with a more horsepower. How fast do you want to go?

Unless you bump the compression bigger valves/ports and cam and a carb to match this i've done over a hundo with a L16 Not that hard just got to build it right........

[ggzilla]

When 510s were new, magazines reported a top speed of 100 mph. The little 69 hp B110s could do 90 mph.

[Guest kamakazi620]

When 510s were new, magazines reported a top speed of 100 mph. The little 69 hp B110s could do 90 mph.

and ive gone over 100 in a 620 with L16....

When 510s were new, magazines reported a top speed of 100 mph. The little 69 hp B110s could do 90 mph.

and i'm reporting over 100 like 110-120 in a 620 with mild built L16.............

[Z chopper]

1985-1993 with a 2.8L TBI is 125hp / 150 lb-ft torque... curb weight for ex cab s-10 is 3024lbs, 2773lbs reg cab long bed, and 2635lbs for reg cab short bed.

 

I would imagine that a stock 2.8L in any s-10 would have no chance at anything over 120mph if that. It has hardly any more power than a stock L20b but quite a bit more torque. I'm not saying you are lying, just saying it don't look possible to go 140 with a 2.8L s-10.

 

well I do live by the saying " friends don't let friends drive stock" so I figure why should I drive stock there was a port job, better cam etc..but it was still a 2.8

[nismo dr]

hate to burst the power bubble but I did that in my old S10 with a 2.8 V6 and 5 spd, well 140mph.

 

I think you mean kph :rofl:

[datzenmike]

:mad:

I think you mean kph :rofl:

 

That's almost 85....

[q-tip]

the 510 has the aerodynamic characteristics of toast. To peg the speedo on a 510 you need close to 150hp, i know this because my twin cam ka powered 510 will max out at 130mph, and trust me going that fast is a lowered 510 without fully adjustable rear suspension has a good pucker factor.