will all kei trucks of the same vintage ( say 91-93) have the same top speed. 4spd vs 5 spd? a guy was trying to say the 4 spd and 5 spd both really are the same because the 5spd one just has extra low granny gear. anyone shed some light on this? deciding between daihatsu 4spd w hi n lo gears and subaru sambar w 5 spd..... i need to be able to 90-100 kmh and want to make the right choice. please help buying very soon!
Actually "a guy" was wrong. Sambar S/C has the best top end of any of the Kei class trucks, they are not all equal. If you look at this thread here --->>> http://www.minitrucktalk.com/showthread.php?t=2091 it will shed more light on this. The four speeds have a 1.00 ratio in 4th gear and the transfer case is 1:1 in Hi range so you will be limited to top speed by the rear end ratio. The 5 speeds have < 1.00 ratio in 5th [i.e. S/C is 0.810 5th gear ratio and the rear diff is 6.166 = 4.99 ratio in 5th and the reg Sambar has 0.861 5th gear ratio and the rear diff is 6.500 = 5.60 ratio in 5th] Compare this to the Mitisu 4wd [posted by Dan] with a 4spd and 7.1666 rear diff, at any given speed in 5th gear my Sambar S/C is turning 70% of the rpm of the rig listed by Dan in 4th gear. Which one would be nicer to drive on the highway in your opinion?
I do not feel the need to Google anything anymore-timetripper is the book of knowledge-thanks.He is the SC Sambar man
found our more about potential sambar purchase. it actually has 6 forward gears. even though the 1st one is extra low, would the 5 remaining gears take me faster hwy cruising then a 4 spd? i'm looking at non SC sambar
After I test drove the Sambar against other mini-trucks, I knew the truck to get for me. The others were in stock (the sambar I test drove wasn't), so I was willing to wait an extra month just to get the sambar. It has a higher top speed and even if you aren't going to drive fast, your highway cruising will be quieter with the engine in the far rear. (plus I like the idea of the 4-cylinder, larger interior, coil rear springs)
To answer your question - yes it should. As per my post above using a reg Sambar's 5th gear you would be 78% of the revs of the Mitsi 4spd example in 4th gear. i.e. If the Mitsi is turning 6000rpm at x speed in 4th gear then a reg Sambar would be turning 4680 rpm in 5th gear doing the same speed as the Mitsi in 4th. And you still have aways to go before the redline [7500 rpm in the S/C, not sure if N/A is the same but I would assume so]. I'm finding that out that starting out in 2nd gear works quite well on the flat - just to be clear because of the E Low. EL, 1, --->>2<<---- this gear. I find that Reg 1st is so short that it's almost a waste of time on the flat, so unless I've got extra weight or on a uphill slope that 2nd gear works better. It really suprised me how easy this truck moves off the line. Doing this does not bog the motor [no extra revs] nor do I have to slip the clutch. I was really suprised at how well these small engines will "lug" - I thought that with the small displacement that I would be keeping the revs maxed out all the time but not so. On the street even in 5th gear I can drop the speed down really low and acelerate without any bucking or misfires.
starting in second Thanks timetripper, I was gonna post a question on this. That first gear is pretty innefectual for starting on the flats.
If you really need top speed, find an S/C 2WD. Heck, even non-s/c'd 2WDs generally have 10KMH over a 4WD. From my experience, a 4 speed Suzuki and a 5 speed Suzuki have very similar top speeds. The problem is the lack of torque to spin the taller 5th gear. You "can" get higher speeds, but only rarely. If you run into any headwind or incline at all, the 5th gear can't supply the power to maintain the speed. So, unless you are travelling down hill both ways, I really wouldnt worry about it too much. I personally feel the condition of the truck is more important. (A well sorted 4 speed will outperform a beat 5 speed any day. )
my 2 cylinder late 80's sambar hits 105kmh.. and its beat to ****. I even loaded it down one day(about 1500 lbs worth) and still managed to hit 105.. until a hill came of course It may be a synchronized two cylinder but the pistons are twice that of a four cylinder. and it is a 4x4.
got a sambar! yep happy with it. 5 spd + extra low. drove from prince george to prince rupert after purchasing. then 4.5 hours home. Put 1300 kms on in my first wk!. crazy hey. i managed 100'kmh for most of my trip. top speed i got it too was 115kmh. it could have gone faster i think but that was as far as i'd go on my 1st run. Anyways...... I am now searching for a supercharged motor. up hills i managed 60kmh. still having a blast with this lil thing. not as good on gas as i thought but still great compared to my 8cyl. gas gauge goes just as quickly down to E but fill ups are only $40 instead of $150.
My '89 MiniCab must have come in before governors and limiters. Still the little guy kind of tops out about 90Kph. A buzzer goes of at 85. Is that an overrev warning? Rich
rip the buzzer out, it's a speed limit buzzer for in japan... keep the pedal on the floor and run for all it's worth. i hammer mine all the time and have made 100 mile trips at 130-140kmh
I'm thinking of mounting an electric motor and adding a pulley to the driveshaft in an effort to help the little 660cc. I have access to an electric motor from a Harley Davidson golf cart. I think it's Max RPM is around 3100. I'll probably hook it up via a centrifugal clutch as to not have any drag when it's not in use. Maybe mount a little trigger throttle on the stick shift. So if anybody knew the driveshaft RPM speed, I'd be much obliged.
The math is: Tire Diameter X Pi X gear ratio gives you drive shaft revolutions. There are quite a few calculators online to get you from tire diameter and speed to Tire rpm. Generally the drive shaft rpm, in fourth gear is the same as the engine rpm, because the transmission is 1:1 in fourth gear. So, if your spinning 5000-rpm at the engine, at 50-mph, the drive shaft would be also. If you have a five speed with say 17% overdrive in fifth, multiply the engine rpm, by 1.17 to get the drive shaft rpm.
on my 95 hijet i run rx7 rims and slightly taller then stock 120 downhill with engine wound out, 90 uphill 110 on the flats. any wind will slow it down and any load also.