I've only owned this car while it's been pretty cold out. I can't wait to drive it in warm weather.

This car will never shift like the transmissions on big lazy V8's or other cars with transversely mounted engines, or other cars that are meant to cruise around.

I'm inclined to believe that this box is really meant to be hot or 'really' hot to get the best performance. Gears 1-3 really suck for me when it's cold, and incidentally are also the gears that engineers know that drivers will be beating up, and are also on triple cone synchros.

I've accepted the fact that when it's below 5degC I'm going to be pulling away in 2nd gear for the first 5-6km, and my shift to 3rd has to be really ginger, and shift into 5 has to be well executed (firm but smooth shift, immediately after pushing in the clutch).

I'm inclined to throw on my OBD bluetooth adapter and finding out at what temperature shifting improves.

Like others have said, this transmission could have been made better, but at what cost. It could be $$$, weight, dimensions, feel, durability.

Lots of people complain of crunchiness, but I have not read of anybody saying that they actually mangled the 2nd gear synchros, or worn out the teeth, or smashed dogs. Nothing. Maybe it just feels really bad, but it's perfectly fine? :iono:

Just wait till she warm/hot and then :burnrubber:. If you are truly having issues even once the box is warm, definitely go speak to your service writer.

There's a lot of conflicting information in this thread. You're both saying you don't drive it hard and beat on it but you're also saying you're doing parking lot donuts and driving it hard.

Beating on a car before breaking it in will certainly exacerbate issues like the "crunchiness" of this transmission.

Just to clear the air for you, cuz I can tell you take shit very literally.

City/highway driving: I drive nice nice, speed limit, short shifts, easy on my girl.

Driving/canyon running/ drifting: I smash pretty good but I don't smash on it and do anything to hard on the car or that I feel it can't do.

Break In: I broke it in till 1500 miles then changed the engine and mt trans fluid.

What does this mean? I don't get it. I read it five times and still didn't get it. No offense.

Yeah I feel you on the v8s the new Vettes and camaros I've driven shift pretty easy. Easier then the FRS. Granted I don't smash them at all cuz they are usually customers cars or moving Cars on a dealerships lot. But I feel ya.

Yeah the hotter the box gets the smoother it gets FORSURE.

The obd2 readers for your phone is cool, that was the first thing I bought. It's really neat, only thing is the apps for the iPhone are kinda ehhh, they're hard to customize the gauge display to display exactly what you want to see in the correct range of temperatures or number range. But still for 30$ I think it was on amazon the "elm wifi obd2" is pretty cool. I've heard droids have better apps to work with an obd2 reader. Also an apple product will only connect with a wifi reader. Not Bluetooth.

Thanks again. I hope more people will chime in with good info like this!

Thanks guys.

Idk it's hard to describe ones driving style. I've never done burn outs or like just revved the shit out of first gear.
But like I said, I drift it with nice smooth throttle control, drive canyons Reving up a bit but not redline or WOT. Idk man. Idk how to describe it. I know how to drive that's for dam sure. Cuz I read about these dorks on here drifting into curbs and shit with a stock car and just laugh haha
I've raced sprint cars so yeah like I said. I know how to drive. Raced motocross since I was 7 till age 20. I feel like mx makes you better at every motor sport.

And then I read about these guys that are like, babied my frs for 10k miles and I just laugh about that too haha

I don't know who you're referring to when you say: "You're both saying you don't drive it hard blah, blah blah,..." But know this: regardless of driving habits, there is a problem with the AISIN gearbox in these cars. Obviously your gearbox is providing acceptable performance, which is great; I envy you. But my gearbox and thousands of others are simply unacceptable, and Subaru needs to make it right.

When I went to test drive the demo brz I grinded the hell out of 2nd gear. Not because I can't drive a manual but because it hadn't warmed up.I'm sure I wasn't the only one or the last time that happened

Yeah I drove a brand new one a few months back and it didn't feel very good. Similar to mine.

I'm just gunna have these problems documented by the dealer and hope that if it shits out the bottom of my car that the dealer will own up and cover it.

Mine has been fine.

The sooner the 86 community accepts that the Aisin is a junk box built for an economy sports car, the sooner you can save up for your TKO or V160 $10k conversion. Or trade the car in..

adjust the clutch master pushrod by 1/2 to 1 turn to lengthen it. That should solve your shift problems. Add a texta mark to the pushrod lengthways so you can visually see how far you have adjusted it.


It's a complete bitch to get at the pushrod to adjust it, but that tiny adjustment gives the additional hydraulic throw required at the slave cylinder so the pressure plate can full disengage from the clutch plate and allow the synchro's to do their job.