y t56
 

newbie ? ive been readin a lot so heres my ? t56... looked at lots of them for sale most have issues or been repaired and start at $1500 to $2500 .. they dont sound reliable for the money ? t5 are cheep the bell housing is $400-$500 and i can get 3 v8 t5 for the price of a questionable t56 so y arnt guys using them ?...im planing on a LS 5.3 no mods maybe just a cam.. street driven just a car to have fun with... burnouts sliding around.... any advice would be helpfull

Fast. Reliable. Cheap. Pick two. That's the conundrum we all wrestle with trying to outfit our cars without squandering quite all of our kid's inheritance.

Transmissions are one of those things I hate to buy used unless I know the car it's coming from, its history, etc. They aren't cheap used, they are expensive to rebuild, and a pain to pull and replace.

A stock T-5 could survive either a long time or a short time in your planned set-up, depending on a few factors. Since no one expects you to drive your performance machine like great-grandpa on the way to church, I would argue the single biggest mitigating factor is how much traction you have.

The light weight of the Miata V8 conversion combined with the limited traction of "normal" street tires tends to act as a "fuse" against severe driveline shock. If you have really sticky tires that hook when you dump the clutch, the LS definitely has the torque to eventually hurt a T-5.

If you use all the power the engine makes but are judicious about avoiding clutch dump, drag strip style starts on a regular basis, and you can resist the urge for wide open, high rpm, hard shifts (especially into third), a T-5 may last you quite a while.

You are probably aware that the T-5 has been built with a fairly wide range of torque handling ability. There are several, good performance shops that can build stronger T-5 boxes. I think you could get a reasonably-upgraded T-5 from one of these shops, completely rebuilt and perhaps rated around 350 ft./lb. torque, for around $2000. A new TKO-600 will run about $2400 (and might need some synchronizer tweaking if you are shifting above 6000 rpm), or a new T-56 Magnum which will run about $3000. None of those options are cheap, but there is enough spread for considering the pros and cons of each.

+1 ^^. A bone yard T5 even the newer world class ones were only built for 300 ftlbs of tq and probably would not take a ton of punishment from an LS. I've seen people break T5s with a stock 5.0 HO and I've seen them live behind 408ci monsters. It has a lot to do with the driver and some people are just good at killing manual transmissions.

You are also right about the T56 Chris. They do have a few weak links in them and tend to have problems in their stock form. It's rare to find one for sale that doesn't have a bent shift fork or toasted 2/3 blockers. The reason guys like the T56 is that is what is suppose to go behind the engine and I for one feel the 6th gear is worth quite a lot.

Really all you can do is add up the costs and go with what looks best to you. The cost to adapt a T5 to the LS is significant and so is the cost of the T56 and any part used is a crap shoot. Have you considered using a 4L60e?

hmmmm no automatics everthing i own has a stick.... only in the drag cara automatic.. the t5 thing is out i guess so ill keep searching for a ls t 56 found lots of lt tranys ...it will come ...not going to start till next fall.. its still cold its 6 out this morning so no junk searching today lol

Yeah I hear you the stick is more fun. The reason I brought it up is I'm looking at another build and if I was to do an all out budget brawler I think I'd use an auto. You'll never miss a shift and they are a dime a dozen. We'll that and paddle shift in a $2015 Miata would be epic!

hmmm you may be on to somthing ...im thimking old trany... i foget these new tranys are way diffrent wonder how it would fit im gona do some research.....may have just hijacked your idea jim !!!

Great! My thought is a wrecked 2 wheel drive pick up or van would have every thing needed except the diff. An ASA cam and simple bench tune with either a floor shifter from a Camaro or if possible no shifter and just do it with paddles.

I think it could be just as fun as a T56 and good 4L60s are 500 bucks a pop all day long.

What would you do for park and reverse? Are the new transmissions completely electronic controlled so a toggle or other switch could be used?

I have not looked into it at all but I'm pretty sure 07 and up has no cables or linkage to the trans, just electrical connections.

In the old days an automatic meant a lot of inefficiency in the torque converter and three widely-spaced ratios, not conducive to performance.

Current automatic technology has really surpassed manual boxes. I think a six-speed auto with paddle shifters would be great. When I was considering a built 3.4 liter 60 degree GM V-6 as a Miata transplant, I was thinking auto trans with a B&M rachet shifter built into the console. Different can be fun.

not going with a 6 speed 4 speed auto ill check with my trany guy see which one to get and a good stall converter..so going to try a automatic... six speed auto you would have to get the whole car for the electronics ... keep it simple stupid i allways say

The new GM V6 with the caddy 8 speed auto with paddle shifters would be the ticket!!

My arthritic thumbs are throbbing just thinking about it. Pass the Motrin and push the power pedal!

Oh yeah I like the sound of that!!! Oh wait that budget thing again...