Transmission Solutions Preview

Transmission failures have become a more common issue on track driven cars. Much of the failure has bee attributed to torque generated by supercharged cars but some of the blame may be coming from transmission fluid that is getting destroyed by high temperatures. We have been working on solutions that will save the tranny and want to preview them here.

One of our first projects was a transmission cooler. Last year after seeing data of transmission fluid temps that were exceeding their recommended operating ranges we sorted this cooler. After confirming fitment and

operation on our Nirvana Elise we sent it to Eric, the owner of Suspension Performance. He installed it on a client's 211 and initiated track testing on tracks like Laguna Seca and Infineon. Eric found a drop of 40deg F with the cooler and was especially pleased with the constant temperature that was maintained by the system even when it was sitting in the pit after a session. Our solution features a radiator and pump that keeps the fluid in continuous circulation. The kit also adds additional fluid volume that clearly helps keep the temps in check. We are working on a novel approach to mounting it under the car.

New gears that are stronger have been developed by a partner of ours in Austria, Jubu Racing. Martin from Jubu has sorted several great solutions, including new 3rd, 4th gears, Final Drive and a 6spd Dogbox. We received the 3rd & 4th gears and will begin our testing. These crowned, straight cut gears are larger and stronger than the OE helical gears as shown below. Ratios that have been chosen have been great in track use in Europe. We expect them to work well for our application as well.

The work continues to keep sorting these Lotus for more and more track focused fun!