Keisler RS600

[NvrDun71]

Anyone planning on running the new RS600 by Keisler? Sounds like a pretty cool alternative for something in between the TKO 600 & the T56 Magnum being based on the T45RS platform and requiring zero floor mods. Below is a portion of the e-mail I got today from Jeff over at Keisler in response to a few questions I had......



"This is the new line of transmissions we have been developing since `07. We're approaching release soon and hope to have these ready to release by January. The RS600 is an upgraded and redesigned version of the T45RS that we sell now. It will not require any cutting, will shift at higher rpms and have the same smooth shift quality just like the T56. This trans is essentially a 5 speed version of the T56."

"This will use the same bell as a Muncie 4 speed and gearing will be: 2.80 1.99 1.33 1.00 .67 o/d. "

[carguy502]

Interesting. Did you get any work on pricing for the unit?

[NvrDun71]

Interesting. Did you get any work on pricing for the unit?

He said they haven't determined pricing yet, but it is in the works. Should definitely be less than the T56 Magnum just don't know by how much?

[KeislerJeff]

Full details will be announced here on the forum as they become available. Just a little fyi, this is not a Tremec box and is based on the Borg-Warner T45 platform which is a 5 speed version of the T56 6 speed.

[Taman]

I am saving to convert my TA to a 5 or 6 speed. I am also waiting on pricing and details. Will it handle 600hp?

[NvrDun71]

Full details will be announced here on the forum as they become available. Just a little fyi, this is not a Tremec box and is based on the Borg-Warner T45 platform which is a 5 speed version of the T56 6 speed.

Thanks for the additonal info Jeff, looking forward to more info

[68Formula]

I'd like to know the torque rating. The ratios look nice.

[KEISLER]

We have a couple members here that have already been hot dogging their RS600 test units since September - Albert Melchoir's Warpath "Lite" '73 Trans Am and Yancy John's "Project Fast Lap Fairlane" '70 Ford Torino. I will ask them to jump in here with their comments.

While price is not released yet, it will be comparable with the Tremec TKO-600 price. And it WILL FIT a LOT better. And it will SHIFT a LOT better - from the gate changes to the high rpm.

[Mr Nick]

At what RPM is shifting an issue with the TKO600? My SBO will likely have a shift point of 6,000 RPM. I was going to install a TKO600 this winter, but the RS600 might be another option to consider. Especially if floor modifications are less.

[opnwide]

I'll be watching this thread, too. I plan on blowing up my super T10 sometime after the big January car show

[HELLCAMINO]

Keep us updated.......I am ready to order a Tremec from Keisler's, but will wait now till 2011 to see if this trans is better and worth it.

[YancyJohns]

First off, I can't believe I have waited this long to go from a auto to a manual. What a Difference!! I know I picked up 10-20 hp. Bill Howell drove the Fairlane the other day and was very impressed and said, "Now this car is Fun." I can't wait to get the Fairlane on a road course and really see the changes. Since September, I have enjoyed the new RS600, shifting is great and torque has improved. After the 4th transmission, this is by far the best.

[tazzz25906112]

I unfortunately recently lost my dad and haven't had as much time as anticipated with the new RS600 as I'd would have liked too....

However, what I tell everyone from the board is I'm old school and like to run updated old large cubic inch motors in my cars... The WarPath Light TA runs a 400ci Pontiac that has been stroked to 462ci and has a host of trick internals..... Anyone that knows Pontiac motors know they produce gobs of torque and tend to be hard on drive-line components if they aren't built built proof. Now that little 462ci motor makes plenty and with the 3" mains it can spin up too,,,, which isn't so common in a Poncho environment usually...

My Tremec 600 in the Green 70 Formula last year was a good trans,,,, but if you tried to aggressively shift from 2 to 3rd at over 6,500RPM (not an un-common occurrence,,,of course in the right environment ;-) it would tend to be a real tough to shift,,, if not a miss shift in many cases above that 6,500RPM mark....

Now Shafi, I know you said to go easy initially,,,, but Hell easy is for Grand-mothers buddy..... The good news is I have """ kicked the living daylights out of that tranny"""" and it is "GREAT"!!!!! You guys hit this one out of the park Shafi and I can say with the seat time I've had so far it does everything anyone could ask and more.... It's very smooth and provides for a great driving experience...

Now I'm going to be throwing a curve ball at you this Spring (all things equal),,,,, cause Rolando Presutto of RP Motor sport's is currently putting together a little 474ci pump gas Poncho Monster that should put out in excess of 700hp and a torque curve that will make every component of the drive-line scream for mercy....

[Flash68]

Nice reviews guys. Thanks for posting.

[Mr Nick]

Sounds good. Just need availability and price info. Will this be available in the 'kit' like the TKO500/TKO600/T56 are?

[Damn True]

Full details will be announced here on the forum as they become available. Just a little fyi, this is not a Tremec box and is based on the Borg-Warner T45 platform which is a 5 speed version of the T56 6 speed.

Same dimensions?

[KEISLER]

Hi Guys and Gals,

We will be launching the new Keisler RS PerfectFit 5-Speed officially next month. We debuted it at the Chicago Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals last weekend. Here is some info about it, compared with our previous offerings. As this product will prove itself in the months and years to come, it is a major advancement in the market, and is Keisler's new flagship product.

DESCRIPTION ... KEISLER Rallye Sport "RS" 5-speed
The evolution of the Keisler T45RS line started back in 2007, the Keisler RS 5-Speed product line takes our overdrive transmission systems to a higher level of quality, value and performance.

1) A Perfect Fit
Thanks to an all new feature rich extension housing case and a heavily revised shift system, we are able to package the RS as a PerfectFit for a no cutting, no compromise fit in most popular muscle cars and classic sports cars. PerfectFit with the RS is standard - not an upcharge (like our tremec tko perfectfit kits). More than 15 shifter handle mounting positions exist for all popular domestic cars, sport trucks and kit cars.
> GM A-body NO CUTTING - For the first time ever, owners of Chevelle, GTO, Skylark, 442 will be able to install a 5-Speed with NO CUTTING to the tunnel ... a major improvement over our tko perfectfit kits. The RS provides uncompromised driveline angle and assures your engine won't be tilted back with exhaust headers pointing down to the ground, and you won't have driveshaft vibration - typical problems found when a tko is installed.
> GM F-body NO CUTTING - owners of Camaro and Firebirds will no longer have to notch the shifter hole and use a compromised boot sealing arrangement (req'd by tko).
> Corvette NO CUTTING - the main advantage of RS for Corvette owners is that there is no compromise of the driveline angle, and there is MUCH more clearance between the transmission and floor tunnel.
> GM B-body, NO CUTTING - For the first time ever, owners of Bel Air, Impala, Biscayne and other apps will be able to install a 5-Speed without the major tunnel surgery typical of the tko.
> GM X-body and other apps like Cobra kit car having a shallow tunnel will greatly benefit by the RS PerfectFit design, allowing installation with little (gen 1) to no mod (gen 2) to the floor tunnel, while keeping perfect shifter position. Again, these

2) Unsurpassed Shift Quality, High RPM Shifts, NO 2-3 Misssed Shifts
Thanks to the Borg Warner designed carbon fiber lined Blocker Rings in all gears, and Double Friction Cone system in 1st and 2nd gears, the RS features the best shift quality of any aftermarket manual transmission (including tremec tko, 3550, 3650, t5, t56, Richmond). At Keisler, we redesigned the shift systems of reverse, added bearing support under the shift forks and other portions of the single rail system. While the BW T45 was designed several years after BW T56, and shares it's synchro system design, the shift quality is even better than T56 because the shifter rail/fork/interlock system has less mass and fewer joints. The result is a very nimble shifter feel. Additionally, the advanced carbon lined synchro system has a much higher coefficient of friction than paper lined blockers, or just plain brass blockers (like TKO). The result is far less shift effort at the handle. The shift quality right out of the box is clean and smooth with no break-in, and a world of difference better than the best highly modified, proshifted TKO; withouth the big price adder.

The Keisler RS cleanly shifts at 7000rpm - more than 1000rpm higher than TKO's 6000rpm cutoff.

The RS has a guide plate shifter system unique to any manual 5-speed on the market. This guide plate mechanism cleanly guides the shifter in/out of gates 1-5 & R. A 2-3 miss shift so common to TKO - as many of you already know - is nearly impossible with the RS. I haven't been able to miss a 2-3 shift with the RS.

4) Close Ratio & Standard Ratio Gearsets
Standard Ratio Gearset - 3.37, 1.99, 1.34, 1.0, .67 (1.38 step change in 1st, 33% RPM drop in overdrive)
RS400 (400 torque): 1-1/16 x 10 spline input shaft, SAE 8620 nickel-moly steel alloy
RS500 (500 torque): 1-1/8 x 26 spline input shaft, SAE 9310 chrome-nickel-moly high strength steel alloy, CNC ground gears

Close Ratio Gearset (new)- 2.80, 1.99, 1.34, 1.0, .67 (.81 step change in 1st, 33% drop in overdrive)
RS600 (600 torque): 1-1/8 x 26 spline input shaft, SAE 9310 chrome-nickel-moly high strength steel alloy, CNC ground gears

3) Lower Cost and Better Value than previous offerings
Keisler Engineering created the business of retrofitting Tremecs and have sold more than 13,000 of those units since 1999.
The Keisler RS 5-Speed now sets the new benchmark of the flagship overdrive transmission system. And, we've managed to do it for hundreds of dollars less than the tko. And we're going here in the USA - gears, cases, shifter components

[razor66]

Hi Guys and Gals,

We will be launching the new Keisler RS PerfectFit 5-Speed officially next month. [/B]

This is fantastic news. I am glad to hear about this new transmission design as I'm sure a lot of others will be as well. It also sounds like you have your ducks in a row on the development in addition to to using components made here in the USA - fantastic! I know you mentioned how the transmission will be a direct fit in many of the GM models, but what about for us Ford guys? I am definitely interested in one of the transmissions as a replacement for the Top Loader 4-speed in my 66 Mustang Fastback, but curious how it will fit this type of application.

[Mr Nick]

Hi Guys and Gals,

We will be launching the new Keisler RS PerfectFit 5-Speed officially next month. [/B]

Fantastic news, thanks for the update! Better transmission for less money, glad I didn't swap a TKO in last year.

[KEISLER]

This is fantastic news. I am glad to hear about this new transmission design as I'm sure a lot of others will be as well. It also sounds like you have your ducks in a row on the development in addition to to using components made here in the USA - fantastic! I know you mentioned how the transmission will be a direct fit in many of the GM models, but what about for us Ford guys? I am definitely interested in one of the transmissions as a replacement for the Top Loader 4-speed in my 66 Mustang Fastback, but curious how it will fit this type of application.

Hi razor66,

Yes, Ford apps will benefit as well:
> Direct replacement for Top Loader (all models)
> Direct replacement for T5 in Fox Body Mustang (requires bell)
> Direct replacement for T45 in SN95 (1996-2001) (choice of integral bell or SFI bell)
> Direct replacement for TR3650 (2002-2004)

Engine apps: 289/302/5.0L, 351Windsor, 351Cleveland, 390/428FE, 429/460, 4.6L/5.0L/5.4L mod motors

> Mustang all years thru 2004
> Fairlane, Galaxy, Torino, Cougar, Comet, Falcon
> Cobra kit cars - about this app, we have a super slim tailhousing so you don't have to build your car around the transmission.
> Ford truck - 2wheel drive
> Street Rod

We have PerfectFit No Cutting solutions with the Keisler RS 5-speed for many of the above apps. And when modification is required, the amount of modification will be far less than TKO or T56.

Shafi Keisler