This is what wheel hop does to your M5R2 (pics)

92bird

Registered User
Finally pulled the busted 5 speed out. I got into some wheel hop in 2nd gear and then it suddenly sounded like marbles bouncing around in the case. Then it siezed.

You can't see it in the pics, but the shaft actually is bowed slightly, and the case is cracked where old pieces of gear got wedged between the gears. So basically, its trash. Shame, since is has less than 18k miles on a new 3rd gear, two new sliders, and all newer OEM fiber synchros.

This was the main reason for my automatic conversion..

Jeramie
 

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Wow.
It's a shame manual cars are so much fun to drive. Im going broke with an automatic, I'd hate to see what debt I could acquire trying to keep a 5-speed SC running :rolleyes:
 
I've got a similar looking cluster gear out of one of the XR7's I bought, but I was convinced it was caused by a missed 1-2 shift while under nitrous.
 
WOW!! I guess the limits of the M5R2 were met.

not even close. the forces that the drive train sees when wheel hop is occurring is tremendous and well beyond the normal force if your tires hooked, and you launched. Shock loads are not handled well with solid shafts designed to be rigid. They simply are not elastic enough.

If you feel wheel hop, back off the throttle immediately. If you know your car is prone to wheel hop, then don't press the throttle down so much that it happens.
 
This is why you upgrade.....:D

That sucks. I'm just glad that my M5R2 just needs shift forks.

Speaking of that Jeramie, how do the shift forks look on that M5R2? Wanna sell them if they are good?
 
My condolences on your hosed transmission :(

I hope you have a big baseball bat to fend away all of the vulchers!
 
Next time you are hopping...just don't grab second!!!! BTW, I officially call first dibs on your minty OEM parts that didn't die.
 
wow thats pretty bad. With the horrible tires I have, I have gotten into wheel hopping once in second and that was when I had 4 people in the car. Otherwise, mine usually just fries them off through second. I kept in it for a couple seconds when wheel-hopping, lucky that didn't happen to me.

Chris
 
The shift forks are MINE Micah.....I called them first....

Haha, you can have the shift forks. Hell, I'll send you the whole cover with them installed so all you have to do is bolt it on. They are in very good shape and were not damaged at all from the incident. I'll pm you with where to send the $$.

The other parts I'm going to try to salvage to rebuild a junkyard '93 M5R2 that I bought out of the junkyard for $100. The junkyard trans is good, but needs synchros. There is a local guy who is buying all my 5 speed parts to convert his car, including the junkyard trans after I rebuilt it.

Micah, if the gears and sliders are acceptable in the junkyard trans, I'll use those and send you the sliders and 3rd gear out of my busted trans. The synchros will have to go in the junkyard trans though..

The sliders and 3rd gear should be primo perfecto.. About 18k miles since they were installed, and never once grinded 3rd or 4th, never grinded 1st, and second only grinded a couple times at the track.

The trans shifted very good for an M5R2, I was using GM synchromesh fluid.

I didn't expect it to wheel hop in 2nd gear, but it did. I got out of the throttle right away but it was too late. It all happend so quick.. Literally: BAM BAM BAM ~explode~ It only hopped like 3 times. :confused:

I still think the M5R2 is a beefy transmission, under normal conditions.

Jeramie
 
...
Literally: BAM BAM BAM ~explode~ It only hopped like 3 times. :confused:

Unless you are simply overpowering it, chances are the gear had a stress fracture already from prior issues. This time just happened to be the straw that broke the camels back. Not in and of itself enough to fail a good part, but enough to push a degraded part past the breaking point.

That is the most common failure mode of hard parts like that. Rarely do you experience a clean break. usually you get the results of a prior stress crack.
 
This was the first year I raced it on drag radials.. Hopped like a bastard. Listen to what Dave Dalke said about using drag radials on 5 speed cars. I think my track adventures earlier this year led to this.
 
This was the first year I raced it on drag radials.. Hopped like a bastard. Listen to what Dave Dalke said about using drag radials on 5 speed cars. I think my track adventures earlier this year led to this.

you think?
I don't, I quess its all in your launch & if you slip the clutch as well as tire pressure. The slicks or soft side walls are deffinately easier on the parts, I just don't blame DRs all together.
Ask the guy your doing the trans for.
YOU KNOW HOW HE LAUNCHES on DRs!
Tail pipes dragging on the ground.....each shift!
 
Todd,

David Rowe has good luck with the drag radials, but his clutch also slips a little and I think that is what saves him. We'll see how he does with the aluminum flywheel and a fresh clutch.

He's getting all my "sacred" '95 5 speed parts, and boxes of new old stock synchros, etc.. When we are done with his car, he'll have the best shifting M5R2 that I know of.

Part of me is sad that I ditched the 5 speed, but I'm hoping that goes away starting tomorrow when I drive the SC for the first time with the electronically controlled automatic.

We need to get together again. I need to put some miles on this new transmission.. If we get a clear weekend (no snow) and you're not busy maybe I can grab David and come visit you guys.

Jeramie
 
Let us know exactly what gear broke. I'm curious to know which one was stressed enough that it broke. If I do something to strengthen the tail shaft I'd like to know what is the next piece down the line that is getting hurt.
 
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