4 Spd or 5 Spd? on my 82 brat

[lepetitprince]

i dont know which transmission to put into my new 82 brat

right now im keeping 4 spd but for later i dont know if 4 spd is

good on the road. i needs some pros and cons for both 4 spd and 5 spd

thanks

dan

[edrach]

Dan, get ahold of Jerry's (bratsarus1) upgrade kit and a good 5 speed dual range tranny. You'll never be sorry. The 4 speed is too wide between third and fourth; you wind up either running high rpms in third or too low in fourth. Also highway speeds in fourth are up in the 3500 rpm range. With the 5 speed, you'll always have a gear which will allow the engine to run at it's happiest between 2000 and 3500 rpm. With my 5 speed, 3500 rpm is over 75 mph.

[GeneralDisorder]

If your keeping it stock height, then the 5 speed is what you want for street use. In your specific case, if you have the original tranny, then the gear ratios of 3rd and 4th are different than later years. But for an off-road rig, this is OK, since the bigger tires go better with the 81/82 4 speed than the other years. A 5 speed is ok for a lifted rig too, but you won't use 5th gear much. Later 4 speeds are exceptionally bad since you can't use 4th gear hardly at all, which means you have to wind out in 3rd all the time.

 

The fourth gear on 82's is a blast on the freeway in a stock rig - it cruises real nice - 80 MPH at 4000 RPM's. hehehe

 

GD

[lepetitprince]

Thanks for your replies

right now im keeping it stock but later once i have enough money

i would like to lift couple of inches and put fat wheels.

sounds like i should keep my brat as 4 spd for later lift