Quote:
Originally Posted by ksa8907
Here's another question: What is the priority split between efficiency/livability/fun?
I ask because if you have a lot of power in a fwd, very light car... any thoughts about awd from a cr-v?
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Hard to say exactly. I'm mostly making it up as I go.
I was able to justify this in my head when comparing the price of fixing the 2nd gear grind AND eventually replacing the hybrid battery in my car, against a swap. I could probably continue driving my transmission until I tore the gears up, but to fix the synchro issue would involve an $800 refurbished transmission, $300 round trip shipping, and I'd probably want a new flywheel ($200) and clutch ($250) while I was at it. Add in a rear main seal to the engine, and labor to have this all done (I can't where I live), and it's a roughly $2,000 repair bill I'd need at some point. Eventually my battery will go, and that will be $1400 + shipping, for a grand total of around $3700. The replacement batteries don't tend to last more than ~5 years, so I could go with Balto's small turbo instead for ~$2000 give or take (just guessing here) but I'd still need to fix the transmission. That's a hard sell for a drivetrain approaching 250k miles.
I just sold my used hybrid battery for $800. Once I pull engine and transmission, I'll do the synchro fix in the tranny myself and probably sell it for $5-600. I imagine I'll be able to get $100-250 for a good working catalyst. Maybe $2-300 for the engine, another $100 for a set of good engine mounts, and probably no less than $200 for other miscellaneous bits I pull out of the back of the car. That comes out to around ~$2000 from selling the guts of the car. If I kept the K swap under $6,000-$6,500, I'd actually be coming out
ahead - and I easily could with the right selection of bargain bin parts.
That said, I'm up for spending a little more.
I've set aside 10k, though I'm hoping to keep it under 8, so I'm thinking about this as a $2,000 "upgrade". As far as livability/economy/fun:
I'm putting a 200HP motor in a <2000lb car. It's going to be fun regardless.
I'm spending more than the cost of the engine on a gear, to improve fuel economy and livability. With any luck (and a bit of tuning) I can keep my summer tank averages above 60mpg. We'll see though.
I've opted for a transmission with a magnesium case, to save 7lbs. I'm also purchasing a limited slip differential to improve winter driving, and reduce how much I shred my tires.
I'm sorely tempted to spend another $200 to make my 6th gear 1.8% taller. Might still do it, if I decide to replace the synchros in the transmission preemptively since a new gear includes synchros.
I'm going to stick with LRR tires. I may go a little bigger, but I'm not going to be fitting sticky tires on this car, ever.
By removing the hybrid system, I can gut the entire back of the car, reupholster it, and roughly double my cargo space. Might even be able to sleep in the back on road trips.
I'm holding off on any suspension upgrades. I'll see how low the front sits after the swap and decide then if I need new springs.