I am planning on getting the ppg's for my 06 wrx trans but want the rear end to hold up too, so... what if i bought an r180 and put my 06 wrx ring and pinion in the r180? Would it work? Has anyone done it? Figured it'd be cheaper than a ppg rear diff.... I would prefer to stay with the 5 spd and ppg it but funds are coming as fast as i'd like so i've been looking into the 6 spd swap but the gear ratio and extra shift is not something i want. I know the axles are different and dealing with that is not a problem. Just stuck at the moment of which to do ppg'd 5spd :ugh: 6spd? Let me know on what rear end options others have gone with. The car will see plenty of HARD launches so it needs to survive them.
u just can't replace the 180 r&p with the 160 r&p just like that...u need to get the rear diff, rear axel shaft, etc... for the 6spd, u also need the drive shaft as well the rear sti axel, diff, etc...I don't operate with the ppg setting im sure some of the guys running 5spd tranny hex ppg...ask sogonerg aka ray not sure if he is running ppg....for the hard lunching, make sure u need the right clutch kits...depending how u abuse your tranny....that's about it in my opinion...
I love my PPG 5 speed but thats just me a lot of guys like the 6 speed. The 6 speed would require you to do a lot more work IMO
Like said, the R180 and R160 is totally different. The R180 is BIGGER than the R160 diff and also it requires the R180 axles; your R160 axles will not fit into the R180 diff unless you get the custom axles with R180 inner end and R160 outer end, which cost quite a bit. And if you DO wanna run the R180 diff and run OEM axles and such, you have to get the R180 axles, and STi knuckles, unless you wanna swap out the R160 hubs with STi hubs so you can run the STi axles. The 6spd isn't all that bad. Had out STi revved up to 8000rpms like the JDM model, the gearing is just PERFECT!! 4th gear would go up to 110mph at 8000rpms! But hey, the STi 6spd wasn't ment for DRAG RACING to start with. The STI wasn't ment for DRAG RACING to begin with. Therefore you have to get different gearing for your application. I have the JDM STi 6spd. I LOVE IT. It's ok if I have to shift into 5th at the end of the 1320, I actually gain some ground compared to a 04-06 STi because my 5th gear is shorter. But then I choose this transmission for road course/circuit use. The car is setup for road course use. Really IMO, the BEST transmission would be an '07 STi 6spd w/ Legacy Spec B's 5th and 6th gear. This would give you good gearing for your 7000rpm redline and also good highway fuel mileage. If you had A LOT OF power and 8000rpms, it'd be even better because the longer ratios helps with all that power.
if you do a 6 speed swap you can still do ppg's. imo its better to do ppg's in a 6 speed because you can run thicker even stronger gears as a 5speed in a 6 speed case. if you go with a 6 speed you can have fun with it and still make power tell you have the money to do the ppg's. plus all the parts need for the swap hold more power then the wrx stuff. and there are more parts out there to make the 6 speed dive line stronger if its not all ready.
^ AFAIK, nobody just "sells" hybrid axles. You you need a set of both to make hybrids out of. Any competant mechanic could do it, and I don't see why it would "cost quite a bit." The biggest outlay would be for the axles themselves. If/when I fry my VLSD, I'll swap in a R180 since it bolts into the 1G Legacy rear subframe. I'll take care of the hybrid axles myself. If you are going to use a PPGed WRX tranny with the 3.545 final you could use an '07 R180. Good luck finding one though. A six speed dog box is about $10k for the parts. I'm not sure what a 5 speed in the 6mt case will run. A four speed dog box can also be done in the 6mt case if you're really serious. Pretty unnecessary with a 40R and street tires though.
I know what's needed to run the r180 with the axles n all that... I was just curious if the r&p would fit or not. I'll look for a 07 r180. If I went 6mt I'm not going to ppg unless I fry it. Ppg 1-4 for the 5mt is $3880 n I'm about half way there at the moment. I just want it to hold. I already bought a clutch, pres plate, short shifter n all that for my 06 5mt swap I picked up and that came with EVERYTHING minus the pedal box.I could 1-2 ppg it for now and then 3-4 when I get the rest. Just so the car can come out of the garage and not on my trailer behind my truck.
