AW4 RPM handling

[micaheli]

So, I have been looking at getting another car/truck now for a while... In my search, I was thinking of getting another RX7.. I had one a while back and loved it as a fun commuter car. Horrible gas mileage, but... the fun part is worth it I think... I found an automatic one that I was thinking of buying, but RX7 auto's are notoriously weak. I'm assuming, however, that this is due to the high-rpm's that rotaries run at. 5500rpm is where the power STARTS. :) So, if I say... shifted it (it has a manual/auto sport shift mode) at 6k the tranny would die quite rapidly... losing certain gears first.... others later...

My question is.. could an AW4 be adapted to a mazda/ford bolt pattern and could the aw4 handle the high-rpm output of the rotary engine (up to around 9000 rpms).

My concerns were balance, torque converter, and the friction surfaces inside the auto getting burned to hell.

Any advice is appreciated, but this post is mostly out of curiosity.

--Micah

[Steve]

It is my understanding that the AW4 was used in some Toyota Supras...

might want to check some Supra forums to see what they have to say

[micaheli]

Yes.. but a supra doesn't reach 9000 rpms.. :) Not without either a LOT of balancing and/or exploding after it does... Hehe..

[Steve]

supra pulls aroudn 6,500 doesnt it?

jeep I-6 pulls 5,000... at least they're closer

[micaheli]

Yeah yeah yeah. :) I know... But... if I can't shift at 7500-8k... whats the point. :) Then again, with the AW4 I wouldn't be able to control the shifting of it. (well, not REALLY)... but, its an interesting idea... makes me wanna try it. :) The AW4 is a great tranny, would like to see what it can do in a sports car.

[Ryan, aka: CheapXJ.com]

considering how efficient the AW4 is at putting power to the ground, I'd definitely go for it.

[micaheli]

Easy there Ryan... Car first... tranny second.. :) However I am looking at doing an AW4 swap into my YJ first... Just gotta find the right tranny and TCU. Atleast I THINK thats all I need. :)

[Steve]

if I can't shift at 7500-8k... whats the point. :)
well... my point is that the jeep crowd doesnt generally care about high RPMs, but the supra crowd would, and would likely be a better source of info

Then again, with the AW4 I wouldn't be able to control the shifting of it.

:bs:

[MBood82]

why not just look a little while longer and find the manual?

[wrath]

You either need an automatic transmission with many gears with close ratios or a lot of frictional area in order to survive high RPM high power shifts.

The AW4 is a heat monger... and was never even put behind a real motor (say, a V8) to my knowledge. It'd probably burn up the first time you shifted through the gears if the sprags survived the shifts at all.

[XJ Fanatic]

You either need an automatic transmission with many gears with close ratios or a lot of frictional area in order to survive high RPM high power shifts.

The AW4 is a heat monger... and was never even put behind a real motor (say, a V8) to my knowledge. It'd probably burn up the first time you shifted through the gears if the sprags survived the shifts at all.
:roflmao: :roflmao:

Dude they came behind turbo supras putting out alot of power.

There are a few companies out there that build bomb proof aw4s, They are heat mongers but I've yet to see one actually fail from heat.

[wrath]

As far as I know, they have different guts in them. With the way they always **** out in 3200lb XJs making 200hp at the crank on a good day... I can't see the same transmission surviving 270rwhp bone stock.

There are a lot of people that run AW4s but I think it's more out of habit/run what you got/run what you know. A lot of Supra people with slushboxes trade them in for 700R4s.

[MBood82]

:roflmao: :roflmao:

Dude they came behind turbo supras putting out alot of power.

There are a few companies out there that build bomb proof aw4s, They are heat mongers but I've yet to see one actually fail from heat.

What year Supras? The pre-93 ones only made like 215 hp stock or something relatively low output like that. Only ran 6ish lbs of boost.

[HotSEXJ]

I've yet to see one actually fail from heat.


http://smiliesftw.com/x/eek5wave.gif

[bbaCJ8]

As far as I know, they have different guts in them. With the way they always **** out in 3200lb XJs making 200hp at the crank on a good day... I can't see the same transmission surviving 270rwhp bone stock.

There are a lot of people that run AW4s but I think it's more out of habit/run what you got/run what you know. A lot of Supra people with slushboxes trade them in for 700R4s.
Sine when do they always sh1t out on XJs? I can't think of one that I've seen die, even with all the nasty sh1t we put them through up at school. Feel free to enlighten me, but this just looks like the typical Wrathtalk to me.

[Steve]

yeah same here

I've abused the CRAP!!!!! out of my AW4 and it still works wonderfully

[NickDCJ7]

As far as I know, they have different guts in them. With the way they always **** out in 3200lb XJs making 200hp at the crank on a good day... I can't see the same transmission surviving 270rwhp bone stock.

There are a lot of people that run AW4s but I think it's more out of habit/run what you got/run what you know. A lot of Supra people with slushboxes trade them in for 700R4s.

blah blah blah chevy blah blah.
you need a new line, bud.

[micaheli]

From what I hear, AW4's are nearly indestructable under normal/moderate use. So.. yeah. that was a little weird to hear as well.

[Aidan]

If the AW4 is such crap why do ZJ guys swap it in instead of the 42re all the time?

[nblehm]

If the AW4 is such crap why do ZJ guys swap it in instead of the 42re all the time?
because its probably better then the 42re and still "bolt up"

[HotSEXJ]

I can't think of one that I've seen die

http://smiliesftw.com/x/eek5wave.gif

[Aidan]

because its probably better then the 42re and still "bolt up"
Its still better than something then

[Shane]

http://smiliesftw.com/x/eek5wave.gif
You don't count.

[XJ Thule 2000]

You don't count.

Agreed. You're just bad luck all around.

[wrath]

Sine when do they always sh1t out on XJs? I can't think of one that I've seen die, even with all the nasty sh1t we put them through up at school. Feel free to enlighten me, but this just looks like the typical Wrathtalk to me.

They **** out just like 700R4s in GM pickups. They get hot, they die.

I've been in the vehicle when an AW4 died. It sucked walking three miles to get cellular phone service because an XJ died towing an empty garden tractor trailer.

I've watched two die on the trail. One made it home and one didn't. One died due to pure heat problems (hot outside) the other one died due to being run on steep terrain in high range.

An AW4 is never going to die in a 3200lb vehicle with 225 rubber that never tows anything.

I have a 700R4 with 115,000 miles on it. 50,000 of those is with me driving it, shifting it at 6k, with larger than stock tires with ****ty gearing (2.73s for quite some time), towing with it, and it only being serviced once by me. The previous 60k was plow duty. We all know 700R4s like to keel over but if taken care of and not abused they'll last a long time.

[NickDCJ7]

well, if we're gonna play that game, the 46rh in my old dodge 1500 lasted 150k miles, 80k of them mine. that's double what I'm told is "normal" for them, and I was always racing, towing, or off-roading it.
there's good and bad stories about everything out there. there are more good stories about aw4's than bad, however.

and of course, as usual, noone managed to answer the initial question with any certainty...

[Aidan]

Well, there was no certainty cause no one has done it. Before wrath started and argument though I think the consensus was to just go for it cause its an awesome idea.

[NickDCJ7]

somewhere there has to be a max rpm rating given by aisin warner. every mfr. builds stuff to certain specs, and tests accordingly. im sure one of the mechanical enginerds on here knows someone who knows someone who has a friend that can get the specs...