i have 41k miles and haven;t had a problem with the tranny, had to replace the clutch but thats it. i have a stock engine and don't drag race, but i do drive it hard and auto-x and do a lot of off-roading and stuff

you always hear the problems, but if you look at the percentage of how many have problems and how many don't. its not as bad as most people probably think

 

I've destroyed the 1st gear in WRX 5spds, although that still doesn't address your question. The case flex, from what I understand, isn't going to damage the case. When the entire transmission tries to twist, then that will add further strain on your gearset.

I don't know about the JDM 5spd, but judging by the hulk of a 6spd I bought, my guess would be that Subaru has gained some wisdom and I'd guess they did before the version 6 5spd.

 

i think if u dont abuse it, it wont be a problem, afterall it was designed to be in a awd turbo car. But it wasn't designed to be abused and dumped.

 

I've run 260ishHP at the wheels for about 30K miles. The trans had been super...Until the Evil EGO krept in. A huge Exedy hypersingle clutch drop Four wheels spinn'n, rev limiter poping ... grab second .... POW!!!! no more teeth on gear 2 ...
i have used the car for auto-x very spirited group drives even off road rally stuff. Never a hickup. One Ego based muscle car ... just don't do that & all will be okay.

 

This is an assumption/rumor that slowly has began to gain momentum on various forums. I have yet to see any convincing evidence that this is an issue or that there is any "widespread" defect with the 5MT design/components. I agree that the Subaru 5MT has some idiosyncrasies and that there are other designs that have a better overall feel. Do I think Subaru could have done a better job designing the 5MT.........yes. Do I think there's a design flaw in their 5MT that's causing widespread failure among WRX owners (without abuse)......no. Do I believe that some folks have legitimate claims regarding failures on their particular 5MT......yes.

Just make sure you look at this issue objectively. I've confronted individuals on Subaru sites who claimed to have failures "out of the blue" and try to gain support of others. My research of their previous posts uncovered mods, hints of abusive driving habits, etc. that they were not mentioning in their complaint. I'm not saying all claims are false or that there are no valid issues. I'm merely suggesting that folks look at the situation with objectivity and not give into subjective rhetoric. From personal experience, have 23,000 miles on mine without any failures. I drive my car "spiritedly" quite frequently but I don't abuse it. Clutch dumps and speed shifting is not the way to prolong your 5MT's life.

- Kean

 

Quote:
Suafast:
I've run 260ishHP at the wheels for about 30K miles. The trans had been super...Until the Evil EGO krept in. A huge Exedy hypersingle clutch drop Four wheels spinn'n, rev limiter poping ... grab second .... POW!!!! no more teeth on gear 2 ...

If something like that happens that means your gearbox/synchros failed, am I right in assuming that? So wouldn't hopefully upgrading to the 5 speed Sti Ver 6 close ratio gearset prevent that from happening in the future? So that would mean your tranny itself did not die but the gears in the gearbox right?