Honestly how is the manual gearbox in comparison to the other options?

[atlbrz]

Originally Posted by humfrz

I feel the gearbox on my FR-S is good.

Not as smooth as a 5 speed NC Miata ..... about the same as a 6 speed NC Miata.


humfrz

I would concur with this. It is a bit notchy compare to my previous NC, but is still breaking in. The shifter does not compare with the gearbox on the new Miata ND. I think the ND is even better than the S2K.

[Tcoat]

I like it!
Old school direct shift with short linkage and no cables, rod extension, multiple couplings etc. Gets right to the point of shifting the gears.
I think this direct shift is what messes some people up when they think it is "notchy". FWD and AWD have a pile of stuff between the lever and the gears which sort of create an artificial slack which is perceived as smoothness. All it really means is there is more of a margin of error permitted when shifting since all those connections will make up the difference for you. If that is what you are used to then the more precise shift requirements of these cars makes it seem notchy.
These are more what all manuals used to feel like and I really enjoy that.

[Telzmomo]

I daily drive it and love the feel of it. I've owned 2012 Impreza, 2008 Miata and 2015 WRX all in manual and I can tell you that other than the one in Miata, I prefer BRZ.


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[JGalp]

here are the cars ive driven in comparison:

From worst to best:

WORST
2014 Hyundai Gensis 2.0T: absolutely horrendous. slushbox..didn't know what gear I was going into half the time..only drove it a couple times

2014 WRX: long throws, wasn't very smooth, wasn't horrible but ive been spoiled with the cars ive owned in terms of best gear box

2010 Honda Civic SI: Suprisingly I liked the feel of this gear box. wasn't GREAT but definitely better than the first two

2015 WRX: Definitely better than the 2014, I might actually put the Honda SI over this..toss up

2016 WRX STI: I don't know if im crazy, but felt like it was better than the 2015..do they use the same transmission? dunno too lazy to check but I feel biased towards this because STI

1987 Toyota Supra (5 speed turbo): My first love. I loved this shifter more than the previous cars. of course I could be biased because it was my first sports car..but from what I remember it was better

(my own car now) 2015 BRZ: Great shifter feel, especially when I switched over to the Flossy shorty shift knob, it lowered the knob and it feels great! clutch and gearbox combo are pretty smooth, first gear is tough when cold, second gear isn't necessarily smooth. little bit of a clunk but some people like that. other than that very smooth and satisfying feeling.

My last car before my BRZ.. 2002 S2000: The golden standard of all the gear box's. an absolute joy to row through these gears. Wish I could have this car back but just wasn't practical for me as a young man that doesn't have his own three car garage, maybe int he future s2000 with my 2004 Tacoma TRD would've been perfect, but for now the BRZ is the best compromise. I highly recommend anyone that is interested to test drive a s2000, I was shopping for a daily driver commuter car when they happened to have a 2001 s2000 stock 20,000 miles on the lot and asked if I wanted to test drive. I was smiling the entire time and I absolutely fell in love with that gear box. I bought my own s2000 3 weeks later... an absolute joy...now im thinking about selling my brz and getting another s2000...damnit

[Richyjc]

Originally Posted by JGalp

here are the cars ive driven in comparison:

From worst to best:

WORST
2014 Hyundai Gensis 2.0T: absolutely horrendous. slushbox..didn't know what gear I was going into half the time..only drove it a couple times

2014 WRX: long throws, wasn't very smooth, wasn't horrible but ive been spoiled with the cars ive owned in terms of best gear box

2010 Honda Civic SI: Suprisingly I liked the feel of this gear box. wasn't GREAT but definitely better than the first two

2015 WRX: Definitely better than the 2014, I might actually put the Honda SI over this..toss up

2016 WRX STI: I don't know if im crazy, but felt like it was better than the 2015..do they use the same transmission? dunno too lazy to check but I feel biased towards this because STI

1987 Toyota Supra (5 speed turbo): My first love. I loved this shifter more than the previous cars. of course I could be biased because it was my first sports car..but from what I remember it was better

(my own car now) 2015 BRZ: Great shifter feel, especially when I switched over to the Flossy shorty shift knob, it lowered the knob and it feels great! clutch and gearbox combo are pretty smooth, first gear is tough when cold, second gear isn't necessarily smooth. little bit of a clunk but some people like that. other than that very smooth and satisfying feeling.

My last car before my BRZ.. 2002 S2000: The golden standard of all the gear box's. an absolute joy to row through these gears. Wish I could have this car back but just wasn't practical for me as a young man that doesn't have his own three car garage, maybe int he future s2000 with my 2004 Tacoma TRD would've been perfect, but for now the BRZ is the best compromise. I highly recommend anyone that is interested to test drive a s2000, I was shopping for a daily driver commuter car when they happened to have a 2001 s2000 stock 20,000 miles on the lot and asked if I wanted to test drive. I was smiling the entire time and I absolutely fell in love with that gear box. I bought my own s2000 3 weeks later... an absolute joy...now im thinking about selling my brz and getting another s2000...damnit

i totally agree with you.

I had an S2000, 2011 STI and now the BRZ.

S2000 is my all time fav, the BRZ is a close 2nd,

[B-R-Z]

Originally Posted by Richyjc

i totally agree with you.

I had an S2000, 2011 STI and now the BRZ.

S2000 is my all time fav, the BRZ is a close 2nd,

Agree 100%. I DD'd an S2000 for 7 years and the trans is/was awesome. Though, I have 0 complaints with the BRZ gearbox, I actually love it.

I sold my S2000 during a nasty winter in the northeast, pretty much out of frustration since it was my DD. Such a dumb move, I bought the thing with 15k miles and it was babied by its original owner--it was mint; I racked up 110k miles, holes in the soft top, and a few minor dings. I regretted it shortly after and tried to hunt down a replacement. Anything attractive was still at the $20k+ mark which I was not willing to spend. I then test drove a BRZ and it sold me. A few things I hated about the S2000 are the canvas top and the lack of space; the BRZ solves both of these issues and IMO is an awesome replacement. Once I got the OFT stage 2 tune loaded, it feels just as powerful as the S2000. I still see S2000's on the road and yes I'll admit I do miss it, but at the same time I am content in my BRZ.

From a transmission perspective, my conclusion is S2000 >= BRZ.

[ToySub1946]

In addition to my 2015 FRS with manual trans, I also have a 2005 Mustang GT with this (5 speed) manual transmission:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremec...0_transmission

Though I'm happy with the Subaru trans, the Tremec is the best I've ever had in any car.
The newer Mustang GTs have a Getrag 6 speed, designed in Germany built in China. Lots of problems with that trans, which Ford began using in 2011 models. I'm not sure if they've fixed the problem yet...but most likely they have...yet certainly not as good as a Tremec.

http://jalopnik.com/5792482/faulty-c...w-ford-mustang


The almost new, Ford Shelby GT350 and GT350R have a Tremec trans. Guess they didn't want to fuck around with their most expensive model.

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/in...-transmission/


Edit 4-10-16 10pm...

Oh shit, here's the car with a real trans: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkHIfYDq5qE&nohtml5=False"]2016 Ford Shelby GT350R - One Take - YouTube[/ame]

Sorry the reviewer is a douche.

[Muaddib]

Very notchy and it is only smooth when it is fully warmed up. Not to mention the 2nd and the 5th are grinding even when the car was brand new. The tranny is inferior to all other RWD cars i have own and driven.

[Richyjc]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

Agree 100%. I DD'd an S2000 for 7 years and the trans is/was awesome. Though, I have 0 complaints with the BRZ gearbox, I actually love it.

I sold my S2000 during a nasty winter in the northeast, pretty much out of frustration since it was my DD. Such a dumb move, I bought the thing with 15k miles and it was babied by its original owner--it was mint; I racked up 110k miles, holes in the soft top, and a few minor dings. I regretted it shortly after and tried to hunt down a replacement. Anything attractive was still at the $20k+ mark which I was not willing to spend. I then test drove a BRZ and it sold me. A few things I hated about the S2000 are the canvas top and the lack of space; the BRZ solves both of these issues and IMO is an awesome replacement. Once I got the OFT stage 2 tune loaded, it feels just as powerful as the S2000. I still see S2000's on the road and yes I'll admit I do miss it, but at the same time I am content in my BRZ.

From a transmission perspective, my conclusion is S2000 >= BRZ.

well said! however, i do miss my 4.77 final drive and 9k rpm.

Definitely need to look more into power mods, only thing done so far is intake filter lol!

[Drakezadrift]

Originally Posted by Veloist

Every shift has feedback. Feedback is the key word. When you put it into gear you are rewarded with a clunk that represents the rawness and precision of the shifter. I shift at 3000 RPM on my commutes and it's fantastic.

In higher revs at about 5000 RPM+ you get less feedback but in return you get buttery smooth shifts. It's smoothness is progressive relative to the engine speed. This is what makes daily driving the manual so much fun. The clicking into gear at low speeds/RPM is so rewarding and satisfying, and the confidence you have knowing the shift lever has clicked in gear makes you as the driver so much more involved which in turn makes it so much fun.

Wow, this sounds almost exactly like my NC3 MX-5's gearbox. It's easily one of my favorite aspects of the car. However, I can't say the same for my DD, '04 Matrix XRS. Pretty sloppy and worn, but I'll mostly blame it on neglect, wear, and tear from the previous owner.


I'm so accustomed to picking up older cars with beat up gear-boxes, so it's always refreshing to drive around something that's newer and more polished. It really sucks to inherit a neglected gearbox.


I've driven a variety of manuals, but Subaru STIs are a close 2nd for me. It's been years that I have driven a S2000, so I can't quite recall what it was like.

[Ultramaroon]

Having driven many of the local 86s, I feel distinct differences from one gearbox to another. I attribute it to build quality. I have a spare transmission now. I intend to fully inspect my original and re-shim every stack that isn't perfect.

I had a late 70s 5-speed in my 240z. That thing was really nice and solid.

Come to think of it, my B210 also had a nice one. I killed it, tho.