Best manual transmission

[laserjock]

Seen a lot of questions about transmissions lately and it got me thinking. Neglecting fab work and ease of install, what would be your top 3 choices of manual transmission. Not limiting to ford availability either.

I think reasonable criteria would be:

Durability

Favorable gear ratios

Overdrive a plus but not required

Needs to handle reasonable power, no light duty units.


This is a philosophical question as much as anything else.

Discuss.

 

[Leroy]

+1 vote for the T-19 ..

Durability 10/10

/ syncros still perfect 31 years later .. just works .. never have had a single problem ..
5+ years on an inexpensive 'perfection clutch' .. not one slip or problem /

Favorable gear ratios 7 /10

not exactly a wide ratio box .. it's all around OK .. except NO OD

Overdrive a plus but not required 0/10

this box would be the hottest thing since sliced bananna nut bread .. if there was a 5th gear

Needs to handle reasonable power, no light duty units.

behind my idi .. that's tough enough ..

 

[Greg5OH]

eaton 10 spd!

 

[Dieselcrawler]

+1 vote for the T-19 ..

Durability 10/10

/ syncros still perfect 31 years later .. just works .. never have had a single problem ..
5+ years on an inexpensive 'perfection clutch' .. not one slip or problem /

Favorable gear ratios 7 /10

not exactly a wide ratio box .. it's all around OK .. except NO OD

Overdrive a plus but not required 0/10

this box would be the hottest thing since sliced bananna nut bread .. if there was a 5th gear

Needs to handle reasonable power, no light duty units.

behind my idi .. that's tough enough ..

I have destroyed two of them. Both snapped output shafts. One with a stock na idi, one with stock 460. Not as strong as you think. I prefer a np435 over a t18/19

 

[Hydro-idi]

I would say hands down the T-19 because of its durability. The ratios aren't very wide as mentioned and there's no OD gear, but they are solid transmissions just like the C6 auto.
ZF5's are good but thy don't have the durability reputation backing them it seems.

 

[68f2506.9]

I would say np435 for durability, nv4500 would be at the top except for sinchro problems and 5th gear issues. Zf5 after because it sounds like it is going to rattle apart but it has OD.

 

[Greg5OH]

^ so im not the only one that feels the ZF will rattle apart....in 4th over 2200 rpm sounds friggin terrible...no other gears do this..


what about NV5600?

 

[79jasper]

Extra noise in 4th gear is bearings going.
Personally I don't like the zf's.
I did like my old sm465. Nv5600 is okay too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[68f2506.9]

nv 5600 what did those com in? new diesels?

 

[riotwarrior]

IIRC I read long ago and saw pics of an Aussie ZF tsp cast irion case a d removea le bellhousing for IDI....but it was pre stroke and I just dont recall....think was on here too ....


But zf 6sp be nice...

 

[79jasper]

nv 5600 what did those com in? new diesels?

It's the 6 speed on the Dodge cummins. Lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[nj_m715]

I beat the snot out of my sm465 back in my jeep days. it was between a mildly worked small bock and a set of 42's. on a few occasions I swamped it and filled it with water. a quick after a quick drain and refill it just rocked on. I broke just about every other part of the drive train

 

[rustygold]

Dodge uses on the 6.7l G56 it's a pos I would go with eaton 6+1 it's a good high toqure, transmission unlike the g56 nv4500 and nv5600.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[austin92]

Sm420, sm465, tremic t56. I've heard of counter shaft bearing failure on the nv4500 but there's guys pushing 1500ft lbs sled pulling on those. Never owned any of those transmissions but I would really like a nv4500 or sm465 swapped into my wrangler and that t56 would sit nicely in my 2nd gen camaro. Camaro has a Saginaw 4 speed, never broken. Wrangler has an ax15, syncros in 2nd, 3rd, and 5th are toast, but never broken, my old Comanche had a pugot ba-10 that took a beating and kept chugging along. My 6.9/zf is in great shape. Hard to choose a best though!


1983 f350 6.9 zf5 2wd srw single cab long bed. Facet duralift, optima red tops, bfg all terrains, 4" exhaust from y pipe back, autometer z series pyro, pump turned up 2 flats

 

[MTKirk]

My dream setup would be a T-19 behind a Ranger torque splitter. Seems like a more reliable set-up than a conventional over drive, and it gives you any ratio you could need. It doesn't help the high reverse ratio, but with 4 wheel drive you can slip the T-case into low for backing up a big trailer.