When your engine produces a lot of torque, and you haven’t upgraded your transmission, shafts will start to break, and forks will start to bend. With these ways to upgrade your transmission for performance, you’ll be able to handle the additional power and optimize your gear ratios.

Close-Ratio and Wide-Ratio

Intuitively, close-ratio and wide-ratio refer to transmissions that have closer or wider gear ratios. A car with gears one through five being 2.6:1, 2.2:1, 1.8:1, 1.4:1, and 1:1 is a closer ratio (of 0.4:1) than a vehicle that has 3:1, 2.5:1, 2:1, 1.5:1, and 1:1, which is a 0.5:1 ratio. The closer your gear ratio, the less RPM you’ll lose in between gear shifts.

Helical and Straight-Cut Gears

Transmission gears either have helical or straight-cut tooth cuts. Helical gears are much quieter due to the gradual application of contact between gears, but thrust forces cause premature wear because of the angle at which the forces are applied. Straight-cut gears are thicker and last longer but come with a significant increase in noise.

Synchronizers and Dogs

For smooth gear changes, transmissions can use a synchronizer system. If, however, you are planning on high-intensity driving, your synchronizer system will quickly wear down. Dog engagement is clunkier and rougher but will last much longer than synchronizers under intense stress.

H-Pattern and Sequential Gearshift

Manual gearshift mechanisms are primarily H-pattern or sequential pattern, and each attempt to facilitate quick and easy gear changes. H-pattern gearshifts give the driver the option of skipping gears, making it great for experts and racers, but with the potential for missed shifts.

The sequential pattern gearshift only shifts in ascending or descending order, which leads to an extremely low possibility of missed shifts.

For transmission upgrades and any other improvements you can think of, Private Label MFG offers a wide selection of high-performance aftermarket car parts. Speed up your gear shifting and close down your ratio with these ways to upgrade your transmission for performance.