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| Joined: | 03-17-2005 |
| Location: | Warmond, Netherlands |
| Posts: | 216 |
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the Lotus Excel was equipped with the W58, not the W57. My W58 came from a Lotus excel including bellhousing and all. Mitch's URL and its data is correct.
I have no experience in driving with it as yet, so can't say how the 5sp actually is, but i believe indeed the 5th gear is pretty useless around or under 60mph (100 km/hr), but hey..i normally had NO 5th gear at all and had to drive in 4th all the time :)
Driving in 4th (with the original 4sp gbox) around 70mph (120 km/hr) results in about 4000rpm. If i can shift to 5th around 65mph and 70mph then i'd VERY happy as rpm will drop to around 3000rpm or even below.
may be the W57's 5th gear ratio is more ideal, but i think it depends on high way speed limits. Over here the high way speed limit is 70mph (=120 km/hr) and you don't want to drive slower then that. At this speed the 5th gear of the W58 is ideal.
I think if your speed limit is 60 or 65 mph which i think it is in the US then the W57 5th gear would be more ideal, cause the W58 5th will drop around 2500 rpm or even lower correct?