okay im sick of my auto trans. i would like to know wich is better the 5 or 6 speed. i do off road a ton! some where between 35-40k miles in 5 years. (yes i really spend that much time in the desert) Not to crazy most of the time but enough to say i go thru a set of shocks every 6-9 months.

benifits to the 6 speed?
does the 6 speed have a granny gear?
known problems?
do the engine rev lower in 6th?
i have read a bunch of posts on how to do a swap.
drag racing is not a hobby.
i wont ever hook to a sled!

i do mostly slow driving over rough terrain. i love shifting, meaning i miss my old truck!

just wanna know if its woth it.

thanks Q

 

The NV4500 is one of the most common tranny swaps out there for off roading, there is in those trucks that aren't good enough to come with one. I always wanted a 6 speed in my truck just for pullin heavy trailers with but that's the only thing I would want it for. Other then that it really has no advantages. It's like 3 times the weight, typically pretty slow and notchy shifting and high and low are the same gears. It just has less space between the other gears which is what makes it nice for pulling heavy. And now that they are out of production they are a pain to find parts for.

The only drawback to the 5 speed is that it needs a rebuild to change out the mainshaft to a full splined shaft.

This is just my biased opinion though. I like my 5 speed.

This site has some good info on both and all the parts you could ever need. Home

 

sounds like to me the 5 speed would suit yer needs just fine

I love my 6 speed but its specialty is for towing with the close gears

I know every time I hear a story of someone racing their 6 speed I just cringe

 

Wow, never really heard anyone getting sick of a Goerend transmission. I would think that you would want to keep an auto for offroading.

I have an Auto in my 12 V. The tranny is near stock - dont like it at all.

I have a 6 speed in my 01 24V. I dont like it either. Like Whitmore said, the NV5600 is built for towing, and thats about it. I would trade my 6 for a 5 speed in a heartbeat. The 5 speed is so much more fun to drive. Especially if you have a modded truck.

The biggest problem with the 6 speeds right now is the lack of replacement parts due to New Venture being sold (that may have changed in the last year I dont know for sure)

 

I love my 6 speed!! Been daily driving it for almost 3 years now through cincinnati rush hour traffic and everything else in between. I wouldnt trade it for anything.

 

If your going to get the NV4500 5 speed find one that came out of a chevy truck. They don't have the fifth gear nut problems like the Dodge ones did. Other than that I don't have much to add. The nv5600 is pretty much bullet proof as long as you don't get stupid. But the fact that they no longer makes parts for them makes them really espensive should you ever break one. Blumenthals bought the rights to the 4500 so parts for them will be plentiful for some time to come I would imagine. I've been thinking about swapping my 6 speed for a 5 speed or an auto but I haven't quite talked myself into yet.

 

X2

I would go for the NV4500.

 

Don't think I'm knocking goerand at all!

Just when I sit in stop and go traffic, ill stop. Then speed up just before it shifts, let off the throttle and it shifts hard! And just one of those things that after 30 minits drives me nuts. And some tiimes gets repeated 3 times a minit. I actullay feeel so sorry for my auto trans!

And I really miss shifting a manual.

 

How about a Z-Gate shifter, where you hold the auto in gear until your ready to shift to the next one, or for free, you could just throw it in 2nd while your stop and go...

I like my 5 spd, but if I could replace it again, I'd replace it with one from a 98+, because they have a MUCH tighter shift pattern, and you can even get a short shift kit for them.

 

Can you put a 6 spd from an '06 in there? I don't know anything about the numbers for manuals, so for all I know you might be talking about it already. I think the '06 is a G56?
I was thinking of doing a swap as well.