-I don't want an auto, never enjoyed it and never will. The SVX is my weekend car, I commute on a motorcycle so it needs a manual. "
Well... At the end of the day, that's the only line in this thread that matters!!
98 rs 2.5 trans, get the necessary pieces and have at it! . Get a stage 1 clutch, roll the clutch up enough to pre load the drive train, launch it, but don't dump it, or side step it
.. and enjoy the ride.
Your buddies broke teeth off their transmissions.. Look at the history of my WRX... 250,000 KM.. and .. not to put too fine a point on it.. well over 300 HP. towed my boat with it.. drive it like I stole it.. beat the living ***t out of it.. other than some warranty work ( syncros and shudder recall on the clutch), no issues.I change the lube every 100,000 KM... whether it needs it or not. But, I understand the difference between use and abuse. A Subaru manual transmission, will NOT, in my opinion, in it's stock configuration, tolerate "speed shifting", or, side stepping the clutch if the clutch is aftermarket. I've seen the inside of mine, when it was being serviced, just the way the teeth mesh, I could see rounding off a gear with extreme power, but one tooth missing would, seem to me to be a missed shift (s). '01 was the last year of the single cone 1st gear synchro.. '02 was the first year of the double cone first gear synchro, but they definitely didn't get it right. Subaru used what would be considered an old design, and it .. well... it wasn't ready for prime time. If you check the Subaru forums , you'll see the horror stories about them... but they all usually have one thing in common.. failure from shifting abuse, failure and poor function from the design, ( synchros) not failure from just the application of power. Basically, you can't destroy a synchro from power, but you can yank the shifter hard enough to get past the synchro and damage the gears. Mine (the WRX) has the power to self destruct, but, obviously, I seem to know where the line is between the two.
You really, really want to keep the AWD.. most performance contests are won or lost in the first thirty feet. Especially Ummm.. not that I would have any personal experience with this concept
.. light to light.. If I take you to the cleaners off the line, even if I back off and you've started to catch up.. Well.. I won!! lol.. Even if you don't take the drive train to the point that you can turn all 4 off the line, you can still launch way harder than a FWD ricer. Go with 2 WD, front or rear, and, not only are you losing part of what makes an SVX a hoot to drive, you've traded away the "yee haw Billy" off the line launch of AWD for spinning the tires while you're trying to get a 3,500 pound car to kick something with a significantly better power to weight ratio... Not dissin the genre, but it's seldom that a FWD tuner puts the time, money and thought into setting up the suspension so that it launches to it's potential. I've kicked butt with my WRX against civics that would've eaten me if we'd rolled from 60 MPH to 100 MPH.. I put it on the ground and left, while they were trying to deal with a drive train that inherently shifts the weight off the wheels that are trying to move the vehicle. RWD launching is it's own dog also. You need to have the right suspension and launch technique to "squat" and get the weight transfer to the rear, or the tires just spin, because the weight didn't transfer to make them stick. That set up doesn't necessarily lend itself to the best ride or handling either ( you're probably not old enough to know what a "90 / 10 " shock does to the way a car launches or rides.. but I am
) .. And a properly set up SVX is one of the best handling vehicles money can buy. Ever. Other vehicles may have a higher lateral traction rating, but that rating is from what the SVX pulled with the stock tires from the '90s', not with what's available in tires and rims and performance compounds today. ( yeah.. I love my Hankook 245 X 40 X 18 summer tires
). And the few cars ( from it's production date ), that could out skid pan it, didn't necessarily win when it came to the slalom figures ..they were usually slower.
You're going to land up with a stick in her... sooner or later.. If for no other reason than that's what you want. How about this.. change the fluid in the auto ... replace the filter ( if it has one ) Set the "Brake band" ... stop worrying about the trans cooler. Why?.. because it's over capacity for what you're doing anyways.. run the trans cooler lines straight into it and by pass the rad. You didn't mention if it's thermostatically controlled or not, but the trans being too cold ( which at worst, would make torque converter lock up unavailable after November ), wouldn't be the end of the world. Personally, I wouldn't take out the AC.. When it's on, the electric fans spin faster than if the sensor just made them go on. AC on will actually give the highest airflow from the fans, which means the maximum cooling for the trans cooler.
Want to increase the line pressure to reduce slippage during shifts? Go to the local electronics geek store and get a 25 ohm 25 watt resistor.. It's all of about $3.00.. get a 40 OHM one too. Get a couple of connectors too, so you can just change them without soldering... Swap out the factory "dropping resistor" behind the battery, which is about 12 OHMs', and see what you think of the way it shifts. All that does, is raise the duty cycle of the "A" solenoid, which controls the line pressure for shifting. If you like it.. fine!.. or try the 40 OHM one and see what you think of the difference.
If it goes "BANG".. well.... I guess that means you're putting in the stick sooner rather than later.
Don't misunderstand.. I'm not saying don't do what you want with her, or, don't do what you want , how you want, but I think you'd be happiest with keeping the best aspects of what makes an SVX an SVX, and "personalizing" your drive train choices.