Paolo Castellano
Enthusiast
Hello all, This is my first post on the new Viper board! The toughest part was finding the posting icon. Anyway, I am jumping for joy because SVS just finished the installation of my Jerico 5-speed road race transmission. Ron Sr took me for a ride and the first thing I noticed is how quick the shift occurs and that the front end seemed to come up off the ground 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd. I know it did not really lift, but it felt like it did! Being a passenger is one thing, being a driver is quite another. All I can say here is that I have for the last few months since I have been contemplating the switch, my wildest imagination could not have prepared me for what I was about to experience: My brain still can not comprehend how INSTANTANEOUS is the nature of the shift. I have practiced in my mind how I thought it would be=> I was way off! With the stock trans, you accelerate, take your foot off the gas, clutch in, shift, clutch out, accelerate, right? With this Jerico, all you have to do is slightly lift your foot off the gas, start to move the shifter and before you can even comprehend you have to put the gas pedal back down the 1/8 inch you lifted, your head is being slammed into the seat back! It is incredible! The throw is much shorter than that of the SVS shifter for the stock trans that most of the people on this board including myself thinks is the best. This Jerico transmission is used in just about all of the Nascar and Winston Cup Race cars. It has straight cut gears with Dog Ring sleeves that accomplish the shifting. The stock T-56 has helical shaped gears whose intrinsic shape leads to more drag as the power goes from the engine through the transmission. According to Jerico, the Jerico 5-speed road race transmission loses only .5 horsepower from the engine to the wheels compared to the stock one that loses 25 horsepower to the wheels. I have dynoed the car before the swap and will let you all know what it actually turns out to be when I dyno the new setup. If there are any other guys out there who have gone through 5 stock transmissions like I have or who will get their warranties and/or service contracts cancelled like what recently happened to me, Upgrade these parts and then you will not have to worry about transmissions anymore! SVS has done all the developmental work. Anybody interested in this should come to Chicago for a ride with me, If you like it, then have SVS do another flawless job for you as they have done for me time and time again. Paolo
P.S. The whine of the straight cut gears Sounds Awesome!
P.S. The whine of the straight cut gears Sounds Awesome!