DId MGV8s come out with them too?

Yep the V8s had them but due to the torque, 3rd gear overdrive was disabled. I used to race a B V8 and it was and still is a great car, converting a 4 cylinder is straight forward enough, in fact there is even a book out there explaining exactly how to do it...

I dont think an a series motor would have the torque to move a 6 speed. If you want a 1:1 gear and an over-drive wouldn't it be cheeper to get a 5speed sunny box with an overdrive 0.8:1 5th and machine the rest of the gears to what ever ratio you needed. Like the bullit-box my girlfriend has in her escort - 4 speed with the same 4th gear ratio but a long 1st and shorter 2nd and 3rd. made 2 seconds difference to her times around puki. worth every penny.
Quinn

Honda S2000 doesn't have much torque either ...

Many automotive experts say that an engine with lots of torque doesn't need extra gears, but an engine with less torque needs more gears to keep in its peaky power band. I think it's a bunch of hooey because that argument leads to the conclusion that 3-speed oughta be 'good enough' for any V8.

Would any of you guys with 56a 5-speeds trade it for a close or mid-close ratio 4-speed? I'd be surprised ...

If a 1:1-fifth 5-speed is good with an A12, and an overdrive works fine with an A12 (I can vouch for the overdrive), then why wouldn't 5 regular gears + overdrive work?

It would be easier to put the ca18de engine and use the sr20 6speed as they would have the same bellhousing. Then you will have the same cost of converting one to fit an a series if not probably cheaper in the end. As for the extra gears they dont require extra torque no way after all why do trucks have 10 speed or more gearboxes..? thats to get the heavy weights moving otherwise they would need 50 litre turbo engines instead of 13 litre turbo ones.
Nothing wrong with an a12 and 6 speed if thats what you ultimately want.

What I was saying is overdrives are fine (Ive got one) but you couldn't go much more with an a series. I think people worry about the number of gears way to much, its not how many you have but rather the ratio that affects the car. the reason trucks have so many gears is so they can keep in their torque range all the time and i believe youll find their top gear is much higher that 0.8:1 because they have the torque to pull it, sorry but you are completely wrong. As far as cars in some cases to many is to many, my girlfriends father had a wrx and his wife a honda s2000 and he told me the honda would have been as quick as the wrx if it only had 5 gears because you loose time continuously changing, i drove both and agree with him. As far as crusing goes its all good to have 6 gears if top is an over drive but if the 5 speed has an overdrive its all the same in the end. I still believe it is better to get the ratios right rather than go surching for an extra gear.
Quinn

Quote:Agreed.

Most 5-speeds have somewhere around 0.85 overdrive. The 60a is 0.821 which is fine for an A14 on the highway. This might be too much for the A12? The 63a has a closer overdrive, and closer-ratios too (see the table in 5-speed overview).

For my street car, I would want a wide-ratio transmission. That's how 5-liter mustangs have such quick acceleration. With a super-steep 1st gear (3.95:1) it's like having drag-strip gears (even though the rear is only 3.08:1), and with a wide torque band, the wide ratio is OK. I think the stock A12 also has a relatively wide torque band (3000-5000 rpm).