Upgrading Your Honda Final Drive From An SUV
writer: Scott Tsuneishi
photographer: Scott Tsuneishi
The biggest surprise of them all was finding out that Honda sourced the Mazda 7-inch rear for the Honda S2000. This doesn't necessarily mean you can simply bolt a Mazda rear end on your S2K and call it a day because of the difference in rear housing and axel designs. It seems Mazda has been sourcing out its gears to Honda S2Ks and '94-'02 Kia Sportages 4x4. The front axle of the Sportage has a Mazda 4.778 ring and pinion (part number MM05727110), which high-performance retailers have been secretly selling as an aftermarket gear for over $1,000. The only difference between the $1,000 unit and the $267.93 gear set we bought is, of course, the price gouging and the possibility of a few retailers who add cryogenic treatment to the units as a bonus. The same 4.77 final gear set found in the Kia is interchangeable to fit on the S2K as a direct bolt on, as well as the Mazda final drive off a stock RX-8 with a 4.44 ratio. Upon further research, we found numerous final drive setups that were all interchangeable between the S2K and Mazda, including a n/a powered S2K's dream come true 4.625 ratio, which is available on the New Zealand Kia Sportage. When comparing the S2K factory 4.1-ratio final drive to the 4.77 final installed in our factory pumpkin, we found numerous pros and cons attributed with this setup.
Vehicle Year/Model Final Drive
'94-'02 Kia Sportage 4x4 (front axle) 4.778:1
'99+ NZ market Kia Sportage 4x4 (front axle) 4.625:1
'94-'97 Miata 4.10
'99+ Miata five-speed (4.10:1 on automatic starting in 2000) 4.30
'87-'88 Mazda 4x4 truck (front axle) and Kia NZ Sportage optional 4.44
Mazda RX-8 4.44
'79-'85 12a RX-7 and ('99+ six-speed Miata) 3.909
'79-'82 RWD 626 five-speed ('01+ Australian six-speed) 3.636:1
Kia Sportage aftermarket gears are available 4.875:1, 5.125:1, 5.38:1