All I can say is...wow. Did I mention wow? Over $100,000 foreach Subaru WRC transmission.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1383856
I found this at VWVortex, but there's a ton of cool tech stuff at swrt.com (Subaru World Rally Team).
Do you think one of these would fit in my S13?
Longtime WRC co-driver and SPEED channel analyst Nicky Grist was once quoted as saying the ecu in the wrc focus costs as much as a road going Ford Focus. Wow for expensive computers.
Transmission comparison:
Subaru WRC:"The transmission system allows the WRC driver to change gear in 40 milliseconds"-swrt.com
Ferrari Enzo:"In Race Mode, the F1 transmission will swap gears in as little as 150 milliseconds."-Road&Track Ferrari Enzo 7/03
wow
Transmission comparison:
Subaru WRC:"The transmission system allows the WRC driver to change gear in 40 milliseconds"-swrt.com
Ferrari Enzo:"In Race Mode, the F1 transmission will swap gears in as little as 150 milliseconds."-Road&Track Ferrari Enzo 7/03
wow
Cold_Zero wrote:BTW I need to order me one of those transmissions. lol
I think you should walk up to your local Subaru parts counter, present a picture of the above mentioned insanely expensive piece of automotive equipment, and then casually ask them if they could look up the part # for you.
What's really amazing to me is how often they break those things in the course of a rally. It also really makes you appreciate the skill the drivers display when the semi-auto gearboxes go out and they are still driving like maniacs, shifting the "old fashioned way". I thought it was particularly cool how the Focus WRC hand brake doubles as a gear shift in a pinch...not too handy on those tight turns though.
Man...I love rally. There's just something special about a guy driving on public roads on the way to service with only three wheels.
That's a shame, though not surprising. I wonder how saavy my local Subie dealer is. I've got a friend with a WRX whose dealer not only knows about performance parts, they install 'em all for him.Cold_Zero wrote:Im sure most of the people in the parts department have never heard of Prodrive. Though, that is a good idea.
FWIW, I got a blank stare the first time I mentioned Nismo at my local Nissan parts counter. Just 'cause you work at a dealership doesn't mean you actually are interested in cars, I suppose.
yes but you have to remember that those cars are completely torn down, reserviced, and rebuilt after each race. Each team keeps several cars ready to go, and they are shipped all over the world. a car is normally "down" for repairs for several rallys, which means that assuming there is no irrepairable damage, an individual car only races every third or fourth rally.So what may not be acceptable wear and tear on a ferrari transmission, which has to keep 600 hp at bay for at least 75,000 miles or so, is thrown out the door for keeping 300 hp on boil for a few days.
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Cold_Zero
- Posts: 6714
- Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2002 4:15 pm
- Car: 2003 Nissan Altima SE 3.5
2005 Nissan Pathfinder
Rally drivers go through an average of 3,500 gear changes in one rally.
Here is some more information about the transmissons:
"A team of five specialist technicians build, on average, 10 completely new gearboxes a year to maintain an operating stock of 16 units. These are used in the team's two rally cars on a rotation basis, with a complete re-build after each event (typically 500km). As Paul Roberts, transmission supervisor told us "Assembling a Subaru WRC gearbox is a highly skilled job that will take a technician approximately 80 hours to complete. There are 350 individual components in each gearbox, but many more in the whole transmission system. Taking parts and labour into account, each unit costs us around £75,000." On event the team take two gearboxes per car and around £10,000 worth of spare parts for each unit. With no spare time to investigate any gearbox faults during a rally, at the first sign of trouble technicians will switch to the spare unit. WRC regulations permit unlimited gearbox swaps during each event, but as the units are sealed by scrutineers, repairs to the spare unit are limited to external components. For this reason many of the electronic and hydraulic components are externally mounted, to allow swift access. With an average of four highly skilled technicians involved in the process, it takes just 15 minutes to change the gearbox. "
Here is some more information about the transmissons:
"A team of five specialist technicians build, on average, 10 completely new gearboxes a year to maintain an operating stock of 16 units. These are used in the team's two rally cars on a rotation basis, with a complete re-build after each event (typically 500km). As Paul Roberts, transmission supervisor told us "Assembling a Subaru WRC gearbox is a highly skilled job that will take a technician approximately 80 hours to complete. There are 350 individual components in each gearbox, but many more in the whole transmission system. Taking parts and labour into account, each unit costs us around £75,000." On event the team take two gearboxes per car and around £10,000 worth of spare parts for each unit. With no spare time to investigate any gearbox faults during a rally, at the first sign of trouble technicians will switch to the spare unit. WRC regulations permit unlimited gearbox swaps during each event, but as the units are sealed by scrutineers, repairs to the spare unit are limited to external components. For this reason many of the electronic and hydraulic components are externally mounted, to allow swift access. With an average of four highly skilled technicians involved in the process, it takes just 15 minutes to change the gearbox. "