Replacing drivshafts, worth fitting 1.1 box too?

2nd March 2010, 18:44

Hello

Been following sax-p since i bought my first saxo VTR mk1. whoop whoop

Im a confident DIY mechanic so most jobs in the haynes i can do, its a question of whether the setup will work really.

I did my lower arm the other day and noticed plenty of oil/grease around the lefthand inner cv joint. It makes sense as there is a nasty whine when letting off the gas at 40+ and also at slow speeds i can here grinding when going around lefthand bends.

So driveshafts are in order.

what id like to know is if i want to put a 1.1 box in, would i need 1.1 shafts or can i use my good right VTR shaft and buy a new one for the left.

Also opinions on 1.1 box conversion welcome

Thanks

2nd March 2010, 18:45

don't fit a 1.1 box to a vtr is my advice.

If you have to stick a shorter box on go for a vts box.

2nd March 2010, 18:47

Cheers for rapid response

I just bought my own place and am therefore on a budget..

1.1 box is about £30 so i hear. How much is a VTS box?

2nd March 2010, 18:53

Maybe around £100?

2nd March 2010, 18:56

So why not a 1.1 box? heard that apart from loosing a little top speed there pretty sweet to use on a vtr

2nd March 2010, 18:59

I know the diffs dont match which could potentially lead to failure.

But im not out for track use, the car is my daily drive so im after a cheap boost in acceleration through the rev range.

So does anyone know if the VTR shafts fit the 1.1 box?

2nd March 2010, 18:59

Got my 1.1 box the other day, hoping to fit it asap, i say do it, people say its good as long as you dont wheelspin much, will shred the diff that way, will be sweet - good luck with what you choose to do mate

2nd March 2010, 19:01

smaller diff, non-sport ratio's.

A lot of people swear by fitting them, but going from a non-sports box to a sports box on my 16v I can say the difference is massive (although it was from a 1.4 box to an S2 box - shifting just drops you back in the power)

I know what I'd do but often it's hard to convince people - Citroen mad the diff bigger for a reason IMO especially with how Saxo's are generally driven (I know Im stereotyping here but got to be real when trying to spec up a car to be reliable)

2nd March 2010, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by raunchz

smaller diff, non-sport ratio's.

A lot of people swear by fitting them, but going from a non-sports box to a sports box on my 16v I can say the difference is massive (although it was from a 1.4 box to an S2 box - shifting just drops you back in the power)

I know what I'd do but often it's hard to convince people - Citroen mad the diff bigger for a reason IMO especially with how Saxo's are generally driven (I know Im stereotyping here but got to be real when trying to spec up a car to be reliable)

Its a fair point,

The vtr box exactly have short throws which can be said for the 1.1 (having driven both)

So the sports feel isnt really there with the vtr box.

Buying a vts box would definatley upgrade the feel of the car and the closer ratios would increase acceleration in the same way as the 1.1, add to this the strenght of the diffs and the VTS box would win in all catagories.

But,

as a cheap mod and a straight swap (from what i can tell) the 1.1 box does have somthing going for it.

Cost could be the decider however.

Do you use the gear linkages from the original box or the one your swapping into the car?

2nd March 2010, 19:31

Yeh, use the same linkages.

You have to weigh it up though - If I was going to the hassle of changing over the gearbox I'd rather fit a good one instead of 'taking the cheap option' (regardless of ratios etc.)

Say it's £20-£25 for gearbox fluid when you change the gearbox. You only have to change the 1.1 gearbox once to pretty much have the cost of going to a 1.1 box twice to the cost of a vts box.

One thing I've learnt from owning the Saxo for 5 years, and that is not to do things on the cheap within reason, ie buying cheap headgasket kits instead of Citroen ones, or buying a non-oem thermostat over a oem one etc.

This is just my experience, but if I was to give anyone advice on changing parts it'll always be to go oem - I don't want to give out the wrong advice based on my experiences, obviously other peoples experiences of non-oem parts will be different.