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STI RA's.... What exactly is 'short gearing'?

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Old 11 February 2002, 07:04 PM
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Spudgun GTR
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i'm probably gonna feel a t1t for asking, but what is short gearing? with regards to an sti RA ?

can someone please explain it in LAYMANS terms to me. for example, in my gtr i can go for ever in 2nd gear, whereas when i tried the same thing in an evo6 i hit the limiter very quickly.

if i wanted to get to 0-60 or 0-100, would i change gear more often in an sti ra or less?
ive never driven one, but i'm curious to find out.can anyone here with an sti ra give their views on the car compared to a 'normal' sti? particularly sti ra's say with an n reg model year?

ahem, just curious for now

thanks
Old 11 February 2002, 07:09 PM
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logiclee
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Spud,

You would change more often, ie. less speed per gear.

Lee

Old 11 February 2002, 07:10 PM
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Dave T-S
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OK, in laymans terms it will be like the Evo not the GTR

Short gearing means lower final drive ratio, for any given speed you will be doing more revs.

Good for acceleration, bad for consumption (but who cares), noise, and ultimately more mechanical wear.
Old 11 February 2002, 07:12 PM
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Spudgun GTR
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cheers mate.

then what is the advantage of an RA over a normal STI?


just making plans for this year...i feel the need to strap a feckin huge turbo to something very light
Old 11 February 2002, 07:16 PM
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logiclee
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Just watch a WRC on a twisty tarmac stage.

Bang, bang, bang through the gears. Awesome speed out the bends etc.

Downside is that at motorway speeds the noise levels will be high.
The new sti 6 speed box has the first 5 ratio's similar to a RA with a sixth gear for high speeds.

Lee
Old 11 February 2002, 07:20 PM
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dosenöffner
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About 19mph @ 1000rpm in 5th for the RA.
Essentially:
1st
1st and a half
2nd
3rd
4th

Based on normal Scoob is the best way of looking at it.

STi is about 21mph @ 1000rpm in 5th.
Old 11 February 2002, 07:20 PM
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hmmmm. i dont do motorway journeys...but i like rapid acceleration.
i have a little runabout for day to day stuff. the ibiza i got 4 1/2 weeks ago still has 1/4 tank of 95 ron in it i love it!

but an RA could be the basis of another spudgun bonkers mobile?
whats this closed deck block people talk about?
Old 11 February 2002, 07:26 PM
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dosenöffner
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Closed deck means there is more alloy left between the cylinders and the engine outer. Open deck has the water galleries openned out.

Closed deck is the way to go for higher boost / power. Less distortion and more strength.

RAs are fun but you will be left somedays wanting longer legs.

4.2 seconds to 60mph is achievable easily enough. The boxes and diffs are shotpenned so they don't wear too badly.
Old 11 February 2002, 07:29 PM
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cheers dosenoffer

can the bits be taken out of a standard sti to give it higher gearing if it proves tiresome...or is that defeating the object?
i'm after something insanely rapid to about 110mph, after that i dont care. i want a bombproof (within reason) engine, that can take some crazy mods.
is the ra the one to get?
Old 11 February 2002, 07:32 PM
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dosenöffner
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Sure is. Final answer
Old 12 February 2002, 11:51 AM
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Bonkers to 110mph minimal weight.

Spudgun you need a Westfield Megabusa.
Or if you want one with a big turbo on make Mr Felstead an offer. If he is still selling.
Old 12 February 2002, 12:25 PM
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Dosenoffer is right abt the gearing - mine also has the same gearing (abt 19mph per 1000rpm in 5th), although earlier cars (mine is ver 4/my98) have even shorter gearing. My theoretical top speed is 158 mph but they used to be 127 mph on some cars.

I find the gearing great for acceleration obviously and upto 80/90 mph very little can touch it. The only downside is the noisy motorway drive, but it really isnt that bad and nothing to get concerned about. The fuel economy I thought was going to be dreadful. But it does 20 mpg regularly on medium length journeys which is no worse that the uk car I had. I dont hang around either.

The Type Ra has a completely different drive to the standard Sti. The rear diff is much more agressive (similar to the 22b) and leads it to being much more rear drive. But then you have the variable centre diff to change this, eventhough i have never quite got to grips with that. The steering rack is quicker, the car is lighter (no Abs, central locking, elc windows etc).

It is the best fun Sti version in my opinion - but I am biased.
Old 12 February 2002, 01:12 PM
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I'm selling my ballistic RA
Old 12 February 2002, 01:14 PM
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davecoombs
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http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/thread.asp?threadid=70973
Heres some info
Old 12 February 2002, 02:08 PM
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Basically 90mph = 5000 rpm. Good Ratio's for accelerating bad for fuel economy.
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