Was looking into putting a 6 speed box into the car. Read that the linkages are the same as the 5 speed. But where would reverse then be with original linkage and gear knob?

Wherever it's supposed to be on the 6 speed cars!

Folk see 6 speed boxes as an improvement, where, in reality, they're just a crutch because the engine doesn't have a very wide torque spread or the car is overweight. (Note that the Stilo and Idea both use the 1.4 16v engine, but only the lard arse has the 6 speed box.)

If you've an 8 valve car, and you've not modified it by conventional tuning techniques, you'll almost certainly be better off with the 5 speed box.

Don't forget, you're not accelerating while you're changing gear.

Also, be careful that you don't change the final drive too much by fitting the wrong tyres/wheels etc.

Agreeing with what Fingers99 said I would also add the 6th gear in the 6 speed box is pretty much the same ratio as 5th on the 5 speed box so there is not speed gain to be had maybe some acceleration increase in 1st but then as fingers points out you're just stirring cogs constantly to keep on the power

hmm, i always just liked the thought of a 6 speed box. never driven one before.
driven a hgv with 8 gears but not a car

having driven 6 speeds i wouldnt bother
cant see how linkage would be the same either but willing to be confirmed by someone whos done it it is so

:yeahthat:

My college tutor had a sporting punto he brought to fix

According to him from his years of been a mechanic, it was more prone to failure then the 5 speeds which are a little bit stronger

Tbh - i wouldnt go mad for a 6speed, usually all they are slightly smaller/bigger ratio's so you can get through to red line quicker before shifting

Ziggy

6 speed shouldn't be any weaker -- shafts are slightly longer to accomodate the extra gear pair in the end housing, but I've never heard of the shafts themselves breaking/bending, etc.

fingers99 said:

6 speed shouldn't be any weaker -- shafts are slightly longer to accomodate the extra gear pair in the end housing, but I've never heard of the shafts themselves breaking/bending, etc.

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these boxes arent the best to begin with which is a shame
let down with undersize bearings and a week casing
i think the 6 speed eat their diff bearings dont they?
im not an expert but when i stripped a 5 speed down the other month it already had worn its bearings out and one of the diff bolts had worked loose and was eating through the ali housing

I can confirm they do my 05 1.4 16v Punto Sporting (6 speed) managed to eat two gearboxes in just over 18months. I paid out my own cash and bought a box of a Grande Punto sporting and it was great ever since.

They're all -- surely -- the same C514 box. Some were notoriously bad, but generally the ones used on Puntos suffer from faults ones on Centos don't (even ones on Cento turbos seem to break driveshafts before gearboxes!), which probably points to a different assembly line.

Pretty sure the GP is C514, didn't go to the C510 (Alfa) box or the Mitsubishi one?