I own a 2001 Celica GT. I bought it back in June with only 127K KM and its in showroom condition, as it was garage kept its whole life. I have all records back to the original purchase, and this car is still on its original clutch. It runs like a top but I believe I’m coming up to a clutch replacement soon, maybe next Spring. After driving it for 5 months, I naturally feel a 6th gear would make all the difference!
As this car is my daily driver and most of my drive is on a highway, I feel she comfortably “ tops out†at a relatively low speed in 5th----- don’t get me wrong, I understand the 1ZZ is a high revving engine and that if I wanted to push it into the high revving range, I could easily pass 160KM/H. I would like to preserve my engine as long as possible but I do have an ambition of possibly considering a 2ZZ swap, in the future. However, my thought for the short term, is to do the 6spd swap when I do the clutch, next Spring.
I have taken note of several factors: If I cruise at <100KM/H (60MPH) (approx.. 3000rpm)my gas mileage is good, at <110 KM/H (65MPH) (approx.. 3300rpm)my gas mileage is not too bad, but at >120KM/H (75MPH) (approx.. 3700rpm and up)my gas mileage really drops off. The nice thing is, it still seems to have some acceleration at all these speeds. I do understand that the gearing is different, and that going to a 6 spd doesn’t just “add a gear†but the shifting range is shorter---- I would hope though, the 6th gear range in the C60 is higher than 5th in the C56!
If anyone has done this swap and can comment on their experiences, or anyone that drives a GTS and can comment, I would welcome any input!
The first step, Is it worth it? Factors I’m considering:
Cost of C60 ($600-1000) vs. increase in top end range vs. loss of power vs. mileage---- Any comments are Welcome!! By the way, I do all mechanical work myself.
