Project Nirvana Update - Transmission Upgrades

Steve & Rick have just complete our various transmission upgrades on our Project Nirvana '05 Elise. The transmission itself received our 3rd & 4th Gear + 5.0 Final Drive kit. Steve worked with Bruce Nogrady, our engine builder, to build this transmission. This setup will give us shorter and tighter gear ratios that suits this engine. We'll be testing this setup at our Track Day on the Streets of Willow on April 15th. We believe our car will benefit tremendously on this tight track with this new shorter ratio box.

We also installed a few new tasty bits from OS Giken. Their STR clutch & flywheel combo & OS Super Lock LSD were both added to Nirvana's drive train to deliver more strength & grip. The STR clutch & flywheel have been balanced together & offer a much higher strength solution than stock. Thanks to a larger throw-out bearing, this setup maintains the same pedal feel & engagement point as stock making it the perfect solution for cars driven on the street & track. The clutch now has a cool Ducati-like sound...

OS Giken's OS Super Lock LSD has been a favorite amongst the LCS's fastest drivers. Its patented pressure ring design allows it to lock 100% & it does it progressively. There's no "on-off" locking like some LSDs. The OS Super Lock's innovative & compact design allows it to house a greater number of friction plates (12 total). Jack & Brent have both commented that they are able to get on the power sooner with this LSD.

This weekend we will be putting on the 500 break-in miles required for the clutch & flywheel so the car will be ready for heavy track duty on April 15th at our Track Day.

Transmission & LSD Install

We are installing the Jubu 3rd, 4th & Final Drives into Project Nirvana along with an OS Giken LSD & STR Clutch & Flywheel. We want to run this config at our upcoming track day at Streets

Initial disassembly has begun which includes, the left rear suspension, exhaust system including cat and removal of both CV shafts. 3 out of 4 engine mounts have to be removed as well. In order to disconnect the transmission from the engine, the starter, clutch slave cylinder and the shifter cables must be removed. We are anticipating this job will take a full 10hrs to complete from start to finish - excluding gears/LSD assembly within the transmission. Be sure to drain the transmission before removing the CVs. Don't ask us how we know. Thanks go out to Ralph@V2 for tips.


Note the 85a durometer trackMOUNTs that we have installed. We tested these nounts at the last LCS race at Buttonwillow. The car shifts fantastically. Performance was exceptional. The street driving does suffer from increased noise vibration & harshness (NVH). I suspect any OE engineers who work on NVH might faint if given a ride in Nirvana - but the race drivers will clearly be in heaven...