Difficulty Rating of 5-Speed Upgrade?

[Ward Cleaver]

Hello! I'm finding some Festivas locally for sale, mostly 4-speeds. The 4-speeds seem to rev really high on the highway. How hard/expensive is it for the DIY person to get a junkyard tranny and upgrade to the 5 speed? Eventually I'd like to drop in a B6T. Any advice is appreciated! -Ward

[oxbrain]

Do that the same time as you do a b6 swap, then it would be a cakewalk.

[nonamekid]

The five speed tranny is the exact same as the four speed except it has overdrive. It is really easy to change out.

[Ward Cleaver]

Thanks for the input! Now if I find a good Festy with a 4-speed for sale, I don't have to walk away from it. -Ward

[oxbrain]

well, just remember that you are going to have to pay for the 5-spd. Make sure the price is lower for that cost.

[LeDevil]

What all is needed for this swap? Seeing as I have to replace the tranny in my car I might as well do this swap if it is fairly easy.

[nonamekid]

The only thing you would need is the tranny, because they are exactly the same except one has one more gear in the case than the other.

[LeDevil]

SWEET! Sounds like I'll be doing a 5 speed swap

[Gro Harlem]

The five speed tranny is the exact same as the four speed except it has overdrive. It is really easy to change out.

actually the 4spd has overdrive too.

the 5spd has TWO overdrive gears...which is why it makes your car so slow, even when swapped

[Safety Guy]

I would think for maximum stock transmission performance, one should stick with the 4 speed, since it would be a few pounds lighter.

If one wants more mechanical advantage in acceleration, go with the five speed from the Aspire, which has the lower final drive ratio.

Am I right?

What would be the difference in weight between the 4 and 5 speed trannies? I would guess maybe five to ten pounds. Not much anyway.

Going to the 5 speed will improve your mileage on long trips though, and is well worth it for that alone (plus maybe some noise reduction).

Karl