Gearbox: Cable Link or Mechanical Link?
 

Now that the cars are out in the hands of retail buyers, do we now know for certain whether the gearbox has a cable linkage or a mechanical linkage or something else?

I haven't seen anyone post on this. In fact, I haven't noticed a lot of comments regarding the MT gearbox.


Thanks. :happy0180:

it's mechanical

@JP: Did you drive one? How does it feel?

Very notchy. When you get it into gear, you definitely feel it.

Mechanical link > cable link.

Though a lot of people used to cable linkages in their economy cars will probably complain about feeling the synchros mesh and the engine vibration through the stick. *sigh*

I keep hearing that the gearbox is notchy. Even the magazines report this. Hmm. I wonder how this will go. Will Toyota-Subaru make improvements as the car evolves from one model year to the next . . . ?

Don't see why they should. It doesn't interfere with shifting. As it is, it's only notchy when cold, and even then its only a slight roughness between gears. *shrug* I don't have an issue with it. I'd rather feel more from the transmission than less.

I think it's mechanical. I hear every gear switching. And yes, like everyone says, it is notchy. Sometimes it scares me when I hear these sounds but I suppose it's for a purpose.

I like it. Huge difference when I drive my Legacy 2.5gt.

You make it sound as though, when people like magazine writers note a notchiness in the shifting that they are noting it because it's no big deal. If it were not an negative issue, they would not note it.

Do I sense that there is some resistance on your part to see the car as anything other than perfect? Intolerant of critique, perhaps?

How does one feel the synchro mesh? Is it by a noise or by a vibration or by an impact?

You seem to think I'm taking this personally.

The problem is that when people complain to the manufacturers, they try to fix things. Which is great for big issues (i.e. tail light condensation). But when it's a non-issue like a little roughness in the shifter, there's a potential for the "fix" to go too far. I'd rather a little roughness in the shifter than having a shifter with no feeling at all. This isn't a luxury car where the driver is to be shielded from the mechanics of the car. This is a sportscar where the driver should be a part of the process.

This type of "softening" is what has progressed the STI from the raw 04 to the current one which is heavier, softer, and lacks a lot of the feel of the original.

As far as the severity of "notchiness" I don't see what the big deal is. When the gear oil is cold, yes it's got a little rough spot between gears. But when the transmission is warmed up the shifter moves smoothly from gear to gear. So it's only a temporary condition with minimal impact on feel. I can shift this car with my fingertips. It's a non-issue.

I'm not anti-improvement, I'm anti-softening. I like having Nav and heated seats in my car. I like A/C and power windows and locks. The keyless entry and start system is really cool and fun to use. But what I don't like is stuff that gets between me and the car's controls.

I miss cable throttle. Not because I think it can do the job better than Drive-By-Wire (DBW), but because I miss being able to feel the engine's vibrations through my foot. I could tell when it was running rough, or even when it came up to temperature. That layer of communication is gone from today's cars, and I think the driving experience is lessened by that.

The feel through the shifter starts as an almost rubbery feel as the synchros come in contact and the friction material matches revs. Then there's a slight click as the teeth align followed by the shifter slipping into gear very easily. I can tell by the feel when I've engaged only the first synchro and lost the rev match with the second which causes a grind.

Don't pistol-grip your shifter. Just use your fingers and feel what the transmission is doing. The more in-tune you are with the workings of the car, the better you can utilize it.

@Draco: Points well-taken. I'll just have to drive it myself.

Most of the people here don't know what their talking about, but when the magazines all note notchiness, then I pay a little attention. Not much, but a little.

All the magazines universally praised the S2000 gearbox. That was a gearbox that some people here might describe as notchy (especially when cold). It was very short and very direct. But I loved it.

Do you consider isolation from the mechanics of the car an improvement?

I consider it a problem. It's already more isolated/vague than the S2K trans, it certainly doesn't need to get worse!

That's not what I'm saying. I am taking the word "notchy," when people use it about the FR-S/BRZ gearbox, as a negative critique. A direct linkage that feels direct need not be "notchy."

Why is this so complicated?

If I said that the car slipped out of gear and into neutral under load, you would say that that is a problem. You would not respond by saying, "Do you want a car that stays in gear or do you want a car that is involving to drive?"



:happy0180: