MT82....to be or not to be..

[whatsup62]

Well i thought i would start this post since i just destroyed my first MT82.
I have been doing a lot of research on the MT82 and everything I get back is very confusing and a lot of contradictions. What to do...who to believe. Are some just luckier than others or is there more to it than that?
I'm not sure.
I think one of the biggest reasons my MT82 took a crap ( broke third gear) was because I changed fluid in it when I went FI.
I switched trans , rear, and motor to Amsoil all at the same time. i am confident the rear and engine are in good hands but the trans was not. I went with straight Amsoil Syncromesh...which Amsoil does not recommend in our cars...yes I was stupid. From my research the Amsoil is a 5/30 wt lubricant. Looking at the BG product everyone raves about it is a 75/90 product. Makes sense to me now after the fact that the Amsoil distributors and one of the best MT82 builders out there recommend a mixture of the Amsoil synchromesh with synthetic 75/90 wt gear lube. It thickens it up a bit. What I will be running from this point on.
That builder I referenced also told me to ditch my RXT and switch to a RST. Says the RXT destroys MT82's, especially with DR;s. The RST has some forgiveness to it and saves lives of our week MT82's.
Now here is one of those lucky or unlucky moments, and some contradictions. This person tears these down all the time, see's the damage done to them and ask the questions like what kind of tire and clutch you running. I also talked with the guys at Lethal. They highly recommend the RXT and run it in there 9 sec+ cars with the stock MT82 and have not busted one yet...whats up with that? One of the mysteries on this topic.
The other mystery I have run up against is can the MT82 hold the power of a FI car for a long period of time. Again the builder I referenced earlier has a couple of different options on providing a stronger, better MT82 which a lot of guys swear by. He described to me everything he does and it sounds wonderful. Then I talk to another well known builder and they tell me don't believe what you hear about making a MT82 strong enough. Went on to say that the syncros are to small and the gears are to small to hold big power for very long. Damage is imminent. Only way to fix it is to go with a different trans like the XL Magnum....:headbonk:
I know the saying well...gotta pay to play. Im tired of paying...
Maybe if I shift a little less violent that will cure all....or not.
This time around I plan on a combo of what I mentioned above. Im planning on a stage two rebuild, the Amsoil mixture, leaving in the RXT and see where that takes us.
Sorry for the long post but hopefully there is some good info others can take away and everyone else can discuss. Love to hear the feedback.

Sponsored

 

[mustang1]

do you have photos of the failed part(s) ?

 

[daltron]

I think it's just a toss up on when it breaks based on how you drive. A local guy broke 5th gear on the track. Seems lots of people supposedly break 3rd. The optimal solution would be to just get the Magnum XL, but of course that is not cheap compared to an MT-82 rebuild.

 

[whatsup62]

do you have photos of the failed part(s) ?

I will soon.

 

[F1scamp]

Drag radials are hard on a manual trans. A clutch like the rxt is hard on the trans. Slicks and a clutch that gives a little would be much easier on drivetrain, and probably a little quicker down the track.

 

[whatsup62]

Drag radials are hard on a manual trans. A clutch like the rxt is hard on the trans. Slicks and a clutch that gives a little would be much easier on drivetrain, and probably a little quicker down the track.

Agreed...the give and take of the initial question. Once a year to the track for myself with the changes you mentioned, or, the street version where DR's are a must with FI. More and more I look at it I am thinking a auto would have been the best for both applications. At least the less expensive route.

 

[F1scamp]

Auto no doubt is cheaper, quicker, better 60' potential, best setup for the dragstrip. But at the end of the day, it is an automatic. Dedicated race car, auto without question, If I have to drive it on the street, not even a thought, has to be a manual.

 

[doodguy]

Hit up Ben Calimer. I just did a 6060 swap with his built 6060. Pricing wasn't bad at all compared to Magnum XL and I plan to run 1000rwhp through it.

 

[daltron]

Hit up Ben Calimer. I just did a 6060 swap with his built 6060. Pricing wasn't bad at all compared to Magnum XL and I plan to run 1000rwhp through it.

Not including labor, what was the full cost?

 

[Dominant1]

I have a buddy who destroyed 3 mt-82's. they had an rxt in them, i finally convinced him to go with tremec magnum xl replacement as i had one in my last car. He has one on order. Lets face guys unless you leave your car stock the mt-82 is not meant to hold high power. Its to inconsistent and also has drivability issues associated with it. Get a magnum xl. and dont look back!

 

[mustang_guy]

The reason some mt82s hold decent power and others dont is a few reasons. Upgraded carbon driveshaft vs stock or aluminum types. Carbon like slicks are easier on your your drivetrain. Radials are harder on the drivetrain. Also driver technique/skill is quite possibly the biggest impacts on drivetrain health. For example not preloading the drivetrain before a launch is much harder on the entire drivetrain than one that was preloaded. Shockloading is a bitch. Some trans fluids aid against shockloads. Redline sells heavy gear shockproof. However i dont believe its safe for use in the mt82.

So as to why lethals is lasting and yours didnt is a combination of those thing. What that combination is i could say but i could bet a whole months income on it.

If youre going to swap trans do it right. Dont put in a standard (stock)magnum xl. Youll blow that up too. Built mt82s will not handle it either. Even the supposed 1000hp rated. Its a guess, its not a guarantee. It also will depend on skill/technique. A built tremec (transzilla) from RSG (rockland standard gear) is the only way to do this. It will cost nearly the same as a tremec swap. This is who the vipers and corvette guys turn to that still want a manual trans. Infact i myself was going to stay manual. However as my goals went up past 1100whp i aborted it. Im going th400.

This is who nelson racing uses in his big block twin turbo manual cars. Thats a huge endorsement in itself. If you want to not do this twice go with a tranzilla. George at Rsg assured me no one has killed a tranzilla at 1100whp. Not even Mr Nelson himself. George has been selling them for over a decade. He said dont put a xl or 6060 in a decently powered car if you want it to last. George said its a decent bit stronger but not enough to justify a stock trans with the cost that comes along with the swap. Everything needed was about 7000g all in, carbon driveshaft, braces, hardware etc from him. Know this though you will not have a working cruise control with any Tremec swap. There is no known way to save it. At least that was true when i explored this avenue. Pm me with any questions.



http://www.rsgear.com/products/transmissions/tremec-t56.aspx

 

[whatsup62]

The reason some mt82s hold decent power and others dont is a few reasons. Upgraded carbon driveshaft vs stock or aluminum types. Carbon like slicks are easier on your your drivetrain. Radials are harder on the drivetrain. Also driver technique/skill is quiet possibly the biggest impacts on drivetrain health. For example not preloading the drivetrain before a launch is much harder on the entire drivetrain than one that was preloaded. Shockloading is a bitch. Some trans fluids aid against shockloads. Redline sells heavy gear shockproof. However i dont believe its safe for use in the mt82.

So as to why lethals is lasting and yours didnt is a combination of those thing. What that combination is i could say but i could bet a whole months income on it.

If youre going to swap trans do it right. Dont put in a standard (stock)magnum xl. Youll blow that up too. Built mt82s will not handle it either. Even the supposed 1000hp rated. Its a guess, its not a guarantee. It also will depend on skill/technique. A built tremec (transzilla) from RSG (rockland standard gear) is the only way to do this. It will cost nearly the same as a tremec swap. This is who the vipers and corvette guys turn to that still want a manual trans. Infact i myself was going to stay manual. However as my goals went up past 1100whp i aborted it. Im going th400.

This is who nelson racing uses in his big block twin turbo manual cars. Thats a huge endorsement in itself. If you want to not do this twice go with a tranzilla. George at Rsg assured me no one has killed a tranzilla at 1100whp. Not even Mr Nelson himself. George has been selling them for over a decade. He said dont put a xl or 6060 in a decently powered car if you want it to last. George said its a decent bit stronger but not enough to justify a stock trans with the cost that comes along with the swap. Everything needed was about 7000g all in, carbon driveshaft, braces, hardware etc from him. Know this though you will not have a working cruise control with any Tremec swap. There is no known way to save it. At least that was true when i explored this avenue. Pm me with any questions.



http://www.rsgear.com/products/transmissions/tremec-t56.aspx

Yes, George is the "other" builder I was referring to in my first post. The main issue is it sounds like there is more than just the cruise control that wont work. He noted that they are further along than other companies but still have some programing issues to figure out.

Hit up Ben Calimer. I just did a 6060 swap with his built 6060. Pricing wasn't bad at all compared to Magnum XL and I plan to run 1000rwhp through it.

I did talk to Ben. He is the one that suggest I ditch the RXT. I priced out his stage two MT82 rebuild as well and was leaning that direction. I have a grand in clutch, a grand in driveshaft, 500 in a shifter which all would need replaced, plus sensors and programming if I switched to something different than the MT82. I don't see myself surpassing 700rwhp but I don't want to be putting in a trans every 5000 miles either. Decisions, decisions!

 

[mustang_guy]

The guys in the s197 coyotes that swaped needed no farther programing. What on earth is needed? The programming from when i talked to him was in reference to cruise.

If you go with ben get his beefiest model. Never just go with the bare minimum to handle your power because it wont hold long term. Dont learn that lesson the hardway like many have before you with engines and drivetrain.
You say all you want is 700...but when you get tired of that (and you will) youll want more. Over building is far smarter than underbuilding and having to redo it all. Sell your mt82 parts at 70-60% of what you paid and cut your loses. Youll be out much more if you blow up another trans.

 

[doodguy]

Yes, George is the "other" builder I was referring to in my first post. The main issue is it sounds like there is more than just the cruise control that wont work. He noted that they are further along than other companies but still have some programing issues to figure out.




I did talk to Ben. He is the one that suggest I ditch the RXT. I priced out his stage two MT82 rebuild as well and was leaning that direction. I have a grand in clutch, a grand in driveshaft, 500 in a shifter which all would need replaced, plus sensors and programming if I switched to something different than the MT82. I don't see myself surpassing 700rwhp but I don't want to be putting in a trans every 5000 miles either. Decisions, decisions!

So having just completed my 6060 swap, you would not have to "ditch" the clutch. Mcleod will drill/respline your discs for $100 shipped.

You will have to buy a shifter but the gt500 shifters are cheaper than the 15+MT82 shifters by a few hundred. Programming should be included if you have Lund or Ken Bjonnes or someone. Driveshaft if you have DSS will re-cut yours pretty reasonably. SURPRISINGLY reasonable.

I can't talk about cruise just yet as I'm finishing my new motor install. I should know by this weekend. But I bought an Abbott Box to tie the VSS in with factory harness. I do know my backup lights/camera work so far.

Sponsored