Front Wheel Drive Transmissions

I'm trying to determine how to configure a driveline on an idea for a car but in order to make it work the way I want I need to locate any type of Trans-axle Transmission that can take 800hp and about 900-1100ft. lbs. of torque. Does any body have any ideas.If so you can e-mail me Thanks. :1zhelp:

I can't imagine any domestic FWD transmissions/transaxles able to take that amount of torque. Getrag 282 transaxles that came in 86-88 5 speed fieros are factory rated for 250ft/lb but accept 400-500 w/o constant abuse. Anything stronger, I would look for some porsche transaxles/transmissions off of a 911 or sort, but you're going to pay a pretty penny... hope this helps...

i have seen the GM Ecotec engine get up to about 800 HP, but i can't find a thing about what transmission they used.

http://www.year2032.com/ecotec.htm

the only other trans i am knowagible about is the saturn MP3 (for the 1.9L) which can handle 300+ HP without problem yet(stock is 124 HP)

The GM TH425 was the transverse version of the TH400. If built to the nines, the 400 will take some abuse at this level, and some of the TH425 upgrades crossover from the 400.

By design the 425's case is a touch weaker, but with about $2000 and some billet guts, it should take some abuse.

By transaxle type do you mean the enigne is mounted transversly (like most small 4cyl FWDs) or longditudionaly, like most mid mounts performance cars, e.g. Ferrari, Porsche etc.

There are a variety of aftermarket race type gear boxs that will fit a longditudionaly mounted engine.
If you have access to the sort of resources required to build a 1,000hp engine, then aquiring the right gearbox should be easy.

If you need a transverse mount, then its gets much much harder. Altough race spec gearboxs are made, they are build in much much smaller numbers, and are generaly designed to work with small 4cyl engines only putting out up to 600hp.
Because of the limited production numbers built, and the often specialised aplication (e.g. WRC Rally Car) they are very expensive and very hard to optain.


Can you share anymore information about what the egine gearbox set is going into?

Yes I'm attempting to make an "all-wheel drive" (similar to the audi rs 6) in order to make a mid-engine hot-rod using and engine out of an outlaw car

:410 CI fuel injected averages 700-850 BHP and 900-1100 ft lbs of torque:

The reason I'm not wanting to use the traditional four-wheel drive or allwheel drive designes is Money and Practicality for this aplication.

I posted this ? to get some knowledge about transmissions and some types of transmissions so I can start looking at each of there designs and determine which will work better for what I need.

If its mid engine, you don't need a front trans axle... you probably don't need any trans axles. If I were you, I'd have the engine mounted longitudally, like your normal mid-engine v8, with a normal transmission attached to it, facing foward. The mirror of a front engine/rear drive setup. Then have the AWD box on the end of the trans send one driveshaft back to a normal rear axle and front to some kind of 4wd axle. Plenty of 4x4 truck axles that'll take that kind of abuse. Unfortunately they're all big and heavy. Look into the Ford TTB that comes on explorers, at least that is independant. Although I must say, AWD on a 900+hp monster is pretty pointless. At that point you just want tall rear tires, since the front wheels won't be anywhere near the ground when that launches. Especially with no significant weight up front...
If you just make it mid engine - rwd, the ZF transaxle is probably your best bet. Not cheap, but damn strong.
http://www.panteraplace.com/images/pantera%20tansaxles%20center.jpg
That is a ZF transaxle, mated to a 351c in a DeTomaso Pantera.

Your not following my idea. I'm allready mounting longitudially however the reason for the transaxle is to duplicate the Audi RS 6 all-wheel drive train without the expence or computer. You are right on track if I were going to do something "normal". Now the reason for the all-wheel drive set-up is the vehicle has equal weight distribution (front-rear, and left-right) or least really freaken close so this set up is the most fuctional and most efficiant way to distribute the power because no matter what transmission I use I will have to beef it up. However if you know of any trans-axle transmission (at least a manual 4speed) that with a little modification can handle the power and torque please let me know

You're not following. A trans axle is a Transmission built INTO the Axle. I don't know of any transaxles that have a built in AWD transfer box. All AWD/4WD I know of are front engine with a completely separate transmission hooked to the back of it - the engine is in front the trans, the trans goes under the floor between the driver and passenger seat in the transmission tunnel. Then to the output end of the transmission(which points towards the rear of the car) is a 4WD/AWD transfer box... merely a set of gears that splits the drive into two outputs - one pointing towards the rear, which is connected to the rear axle via a driveshaft, and one that points foward and connects to the front axle with a driveshaft. Zero transaxles in this setup. The only cars that have transaxles are FWD cars and mid-engine, rwd cars. Maybe the mid engine, AWD exotics have a rear transaxle with a built in transfer case, but I doubt you'll ever find one of those setups, let alone for under $20k.
Basically, you need to find a car with AWD that can be built to take 900+hp. Lets see, what comes with AWD stock and cheap... Audis, Subarus, Mitsubishis and trucks, and a sprinkling of other random ones. For dirt cheap, trucks would be the best answer. You could get a full AWD setup out of a truck for a few hundred bucks, and there are gobs of aftermarket parts for the popular ones.
The mitsubishi might be an alternative, I don't know about 900hp/1200ft-lbs though.

Honestly, if I were to recommend something, I'd take a standard Tremec 5 speed or Toploader 4 speed, get a good AWD transfer box(ford mp206s take a bunch of power), and use a 9" rear axle and build a front axle.

A car with a 50/50 static ratio will not be 50/50 during acceleration. The faster you accelerate the more weight transfers to the rear to the point where the front tires will come completely off the ground without wheely bars. Give me your guestamates for the center of gravity height, wheel base and the 60' time you expect to achieve and I will calculate for you the dynamic weight distribution. A Mustang with a center of gravity height of 22", a wheelbase of 101" and a static 58/42 distribution has a 35/65 dynamic distribution when cutting a 1.5 60' (not so hot a 60' for a 1000Hp car). Faster acceleration, better static distribution, and shoter wheelbase will all take more weight off the front wheels. You don't want the added weight and drag and most of all headache of all wheel drive without a significant benefit. Either drop the all wheel requirement or put the engine in the front to start off with more static front bias for maximum straite line performance. This may not be what you are shooting for but we have to guess with the little info you provided.

You're not following. A trans axle is a Transmission built INTO the Axle. I don't know of any transaxles that have a built in AWD transfer box.


AWD Subarus, Mitsubishis, Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas Audis all use AWD transaxles.
They each an output for each driving wheel at the front, and an output for a drivingshaft to the back.

But none of them will hold anything close to 900hp with the torque your talking about.

the only awd transaxle i can think of is maybe awd eclipse/talon or lancer evolution and i might be wrong. but that transverse mounted and front egnine.
your best bet would be from an awd porshe because they had/have awd mid engine cars.
but wiht that you car will haev a pretty high CG cause the porshes use flat engines.

sorry if this post is a fragmented mess.