Please convince me not to go to 4.88s
- Thread starter RoadRanger
- Start date
Are you positive about this? If you can adapt a AX-15 to a 2.5 why couldn't you do the same with a NSG370?
Typically an AX15 is adapted to the 2.5L by using an adapter on the transmission that allows a 4.0L bell housing to bolt on. The NSG has the bell housing built into the gear case which means you can’t change it. So you would need something at the engine side to be the adapter and I don’t think that exists.
OK I'd thought the bellhousing unbolted off the NSG370... But not that familiar with it...
And yes you either used a AA bellhousing or the Dakota V-6 bellhousing to adapt the AX15 to the 2.5.
I had a 2.4 (very different engine, DOHC) with 31's. If I wasn't around 3k, I couldn't even consider keeping up on the highway. 2800 is about where you'd need to be. I can live with overgearing a lot more than going through the cost/effort of being undergeared.
I had the stock exhaust and a soft top. It wasn't the quietest, but if you're not rolling around without a muffler, you'll be okay as long as you set your expectations accordingly.
The 2.5 likes to live around 3K RPM's also. I could cruise between 2300-2800 but if you wanted ay passing power you needed to be above 3K RPM's. And I'd run mine up above 5K RPM's climbing the pass. For me it was a great little engine and my only reason for swapping it out for the V-8 was I was planning on towing a trailer.
If you literally never go on the freeway, a 2.5/2.4 is awesome. Plenty of space to work on it too.
I drove mine on the freeway all the time... And could keep up with the Seattle traffic 90% of the time too. But I was coming from owning a Suzuki Samurai prior to this.. Even with a built 1.3 that was hot rodded the 2.5 in my Jeep was a powerhouse in comparison. No it wasn't fast but I got where I was going & took a few multiday trips in it.
I couldn't do it in mine. Wouldn't do hills at all unless I dropped it down to 5k.
Just FYI my "other" 4WD has 6.33 gears and 23.5's - 0.66L and 42HP 
My AX-5 does shift nicely even at 204K miles. I'm surprised that the 6 is so hated?
Does driving a 15-speed unsynchronised 500HP road tractor count?
My AX-5 does shift nicely even at 204K miles. I'm surprised that the 6 is so hated?
Does driving a 15-speed unsynchronised 500HP road tractor count?
If it's been on stockish size tires all it's life it's OK but anytime you run larger tires they have been known to fail. The 6 speed has it's own list if failures.
There are a few of us who were OTR drivers...
My AX-5 does shift nicely even at 204K miles. I'm surprised that the 6 is so hated?
Does driving a 15-speed unsynchronised 500HP road tractor count?
It has nothing to do with the quantity of gears. One of the irritating aspects of the nsg370 is that there is no feedback at the lever indicating that you are in gear. You slide the shift lever where it is supposed to be and trust that the transmission is in gear.
As a 4cyl with 4.56 and 33s who want 35s I wish I had deeper gears. 33s and 456 do well on the east coast tho. I can get up to 75 pretty easy which is far more than any speed limit around here anyways. When I was living in the west with 5k feet altitude it was barely holding 75 and any hill or wind either helped or really hurt.
On the eastcoast I love the 4cyl. It’s not fast but I can pass people if I need and getting 17-22 mpg on 33s is always nice. Off-roading I’m dying for a lower crawl ratio. Long term I plan on finding a used terra low case or an atlas.
On the eastcoast I love the 4cyl. It’s not fast but I can pass people if I need and getting 17-22 mpg on 33s is always nice. Off-roading I’m dying for a lower crawl ratio. Long term I plan on finding a used terra low case or an atlas.
My AX-5 does shift nicely even at 204K miles. I'm surprised that the 6 is so hated?
Does driving a 15-speed unsynchronised 500HP road tractor count?
No because you’re not normally shifting tractor gears on the fly.
That description doesn't fit my NSG370 whatsoever. I currently have a High Impact rebuilt. It is not Honda-slick as far as shifting goes but I never have to guess about it being in gear. If you're talking about the design defect with reverse, I agree that was bad but totally fixable and totally fixed in my current example. It's not noisy, shifts fine, good ratios. The only gear I ever had a question about being engaged was reverse.
My original NSG370 had the reverse defect and it grew ever more difficult to know if it was actually in reverse or not. That was totally resolved with the rebuilt from High Impact. Now, I always know with confidence that it's in gear and have no problem shifting into any gear appropriate for the situation. My rebuilt works as you would want and expect.
It will never be as pleasant to operate as some other manual transmissions but as someone who has driven manual transmissions since around 1970, I find it perfectly acceptable for this application. I really don't get the level of hate directed at it. Seems a bit irrational. I understand hating the defective ones that don't go into reverse reliably but that was fixed on later examples and fixable on the early ones.
I have to wonder how many of these were sold to people with little or no experience driving a manual and maybe the NSG370 is more susceptible to damage inflicted by poor driving skills.
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