[codingparadox]

MWR E153 Conversion Questions

I've been reading the few old threads about the MWR E153 conversion, with increasing trepidation. With this being the route I'm most likely to go with the autocross build, since I'll be at 350-400rwhp and doing several hundred drag starts per year, I'm wondering about a few things:
1. What are the various parts that people are having trouble making work? I keep seeing posts about things that required extensive modification or were straight up incorrectly made from MWR.
2. What's the deal with the mounts? People are saying they're so stiff as to be unusable? Is it just a durometer problem, a design problem, or what? It seems to be something drastic since every post I've seen has people ending up welding up their own mounts instead of using the kit ones, which is a little absurd.
3. It sounds like it requires moving the whole assembly over around an inch. Does this create clearance problems with either a clamhinge, the Rev400TVS kit, or any other common mods?

Thanks for any insight people can provide.

 

[darkSol]

Oh hell I have 360whp and have done at least a thousand hard launches on my stock transmission since I was first supercharged in August 2007. I have the ACT XT-SS clutch and Fidanza flywheel.

YMMV but shifting is as smooth as glass - with the one caveat that I'll get a grind trying to shift into 3rd before the car is warmed up. I think it did that stock though.

 

[codingparadox]

You seem to be a lucky one, then. Everyone else who launches these things blows up stock transmissions at prosolos every other year or so with stock power, much less with double that.

 

[lotus90]

My understanding is MWR E153 conversion is for race cars only and are not street friendly

 

[pro10is4life]

My understanding is MWR E153 conversion is for race cars only and are not street friendly

I'm not so sure what makes the E153 not street friendly? Perhaps you're thinking of a sequential transmission?

 

[Giantmcm]

I believe Innovative Mounts has made an E153 conversion kit (At least I heard this through another on the forum), so it may be worth a phone call as Innovative Mounts is an amazing company.

Good luck on the build!

 

[bri3d]

I'm not so sure what makes the E153 not street friendly? Perhaps you're thinking of a sequential transmission?

The MWR kit is not street friendly because the mounts are supposedly far too stiff.

From what I read in this thread:

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f25/questions-e153-users-130794/

If you're eating transmissions I'd definitely look into Innovative or just doing a sequential or just nuking the whole thing and doing a K-swap if those prices are accurate. 3k for an MWR transmission kit that will require additional mount fabrication *plus* the cost of an E153 with the gearset you want is damn steep!

 

[glagola1]

Perhaps a spare transmission is the easiest course of action.

I've been putting 270whp through mine for 1.5 seasons.... but only one pro. I also do the 1-2 shift pretty gently.

 

[pro10is4life]

The MWR kit is not street friendly because the mounts are supposedly far too stiff.

From what I read in this thread:

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f25/questions-e153-users-130794/

If you're eating transmissions I'd definitely look into Innovative or just doing a sequential or just nuking the whole thing and doing a K-swap if those prices are accurate. 3k for an MWR transmission kit that will require additional mount fabrication *plus* the cost of an E153 with the gearset you want is damn steep!

Right. Forgot about the whole stiffer motor mount thing :wallbang:

The transmission itself should be fine for street driving, the motor mounts just stiffen things up and cause vibration that some (or many) would deem unacceptable for a street driven vehicle.

 

[codingparadox]

I'd be interested in trying the Kaaz gearset in a stock box if I could get a better final drive and upgraded axles, since people seem to be having good luck with that, at the <=400hp level. I know people pop axles in these things at the splines into the trans, which is the last thing I need after towing 2000 miles to nationals. The final drive is way too short for an SSM car. I need more like a 3.9 than the 4.5.

 

[codingparadox]

Oh look at that. MWR sells OEM FDs...

3.9 - Toyota OEM Final Drive Gears - C6X - 3.9:1 - TOY-430539 van Toyota OEM - Monkeywrench Racing -
4.3 also.

Updated the wiki...

That gives me better options... With the kaaz gearset, 3.9 FD, and 275/40/17 tire, that's 56 in first and 75 in second, which is just about perfect. The question is if the FD will hold the repeated launches.

 

[codingparadox]

Reading a lot of things about the final drive being the point of failure in C6x boxes. Making me scared about that route, since the Kaaz set doesn't address that at all. =|

 

[fzust]

David,

The final drive will fail, but sometimes you can get lucky and 2nd will blow its cookies..... I would think the e153 could be made workable on the motormount front.....

As far as the stock box goes, with sticky tires, you will time out the FD. Perhaps a spare stock box or 2 (I have my 5 speeds which are plug and play) we can work a deal on if you like.

 

[codingparadox]

My concern is that I really don't want to go down the "wear item" route. When I tow out to nationals, that trip costs me 5000$. If I blow up a box, that's probably all wasted money, in that instance. So, I'd rather do the right thing once that's supposed to work for nearly ever, not something that's likely to explode once a year, and probably at the worst possible time.

Leaning back toward the E153 front and just figuring out how to make it work well. With lots of welders around here, I'm sure we can do something to make it work.

 

[Ziker]

has anyone done this conversion with the boe rev kit?

 

[bigbump]

For all you E153 guys out there:

You can get the lower final drive out of a camry E153 as well. Much cheaper than paying the middleman route through a MWR.

There are a ton of gearsets/trans upgrades you can get through the Asian aftermarket MR2 crowd. Kaaz, Phoenix Power, OS giken without the lotus markup.

If you are so inclined, there is also a 6speed trans that has the same dimensions as the E153 that is much stronger than the C trans in the elige cars. It comes off of a scion and the 6speed camrys. It is the EB62. If you are a really enterprising sort, you can get the EA61 trannies (the 6speed evoras) from diesel corollas in oceanic markets (AUS,NZ) without all the lotus markup.

If I could only get ahold of one of these cars at 2009 prices now...

 

[RichardNHCooper]

has anyone done this conversion with the boe rev kit?

I have had this in for about 30,000 km. Apart from not using their impossibly firm mounts it has been great.i did a bit of welding and used my original mounts with a FF engine damper and it is perfect, even on the strip.
I did this to make much better ratios at very little cost.
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/better-e153-gearbox-181698/

 

[glagola1]

I blew my C64 final drive about 1.5 months ago at the Atlanta Match Tour. I just finished installing an E153 with a Kaaz 1.5 way diff.

I'm going to do an install write up. Stay tuned.

 

[Monkeywrench]

Streetability: This is an OEM Toyota gearbox so synchros, shifting, noise and ratios are all extremely street friendly. It's a great gearbox for driving around town; ratios aren't quite as tight as the stock 6-speed so with a powerful car you don't spend all of your time shifting. I've heard of no issues with clearance, clam hinge, etc. The engine does move over a little (necessary for clearance) so with a long tube header or a custom turbo system you may need to make some adjustments.

The urethane mounts do transmit a bit more vibration but generally any car that is powerful enough to need the E153 swap is going to benefit from urethane mounts (with stock transmission or e153) to improve on-off throttle feel and prevent wheel hop.

Most of the other stronger gear options out there are made for road racing and don't work well on the street. We carry the Kaaz close ratio gears, Quaife dog gears, etc but don't recommend those for customers that still have a license plate on the car.

 

[widebodyelise]

I blew my C64 final drive about 1.5 months ago at the Atlanta Match Tour. I just finished installing an E153 with a Kaaz 1.5 way diff.

I'm going to do an install write up. Stay tuned.

Please do!! I'm in the middle of doing it and the instructions don't have enough pictures ?