a DSM noob with a noob DSM question

[96GSTatler]

Hey guys.I was trying to find a topic or thread about this for a while so i hope im not messing up by posting this here.I just got a good deal on a FWD 96 GS-T from a family member and am just stoked with it (hoping to get some pics of it up in the next week or two) .I am just a little dissapointed that it is an automatic transmission and not the 5 speed manual.My question is would it be worth the trouble and money to modify it as an automatic or should I convert it to manual ? I was thinking about selling it and buying a 5 speed but these cars are pretty rare up here in Canada and i cant seem to find one for sale.I have read that the coversion kits arn't that expensive or that hard to do but i just would like some feedback before i do something drastic to my beautiful DSM.
Any feedback would be awsome.Thanks plenty

 

[NeMiZiS]

I've seen a few people do it.
It isn't impossible to do, just will take some time.
Check out these threads here and you can get an idea of what your getting into.
Welcome to DSMtuners and don't be afraid of the search function.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-drivetrain/152632-awd-automatic-manual-swap.html


http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/dsm-onster/509-1ga-awd-auto-manual-conversion.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/drivetrain-tech/328244-awd-auto-manual-swap-can-you-use-automatic-driveshaft.html

 

[96GSTatler]

Yeah i was looking for threads about this for about 2 hours and didn't find much than of course in the 20 minutes after posting the thread i found a few.Although most are for the 1g or the AWD.I guess maybe i should look into converting from FWD to AWD at the same time

 

[NeMiZiS]

Here, this is a parts list for a 2g FWD auto to manual swap.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-drivetrain/231626-2g-fwd-auto-manual-conversion.html
If you PM the member who created that write up, I'm sure he will help answer some of your questions.

 

[96GSTatler]

That is exactly what i was looking for.Thank you very much.I am pretty stoked that i stumbled on this site.Ive learned more about cars in the last 2 days reading these forums than i have the last year since i bought the car.

 

[NeMiZiS]

Awesome!
I'm glad I was able to help.

 

[974g63t]

An automatic car can be just as fast as a manual (or faster). They have a nice range of parts and rebuild kits for the Auto (ex: shift kits). My buddy was going to convert his 420a-T to a manual but decided to do a shift kit instead. It was an easier route for him and didn't hurt his wallet all too much either.

 

[JasonStern]

agreed. unless you're autocrossing (and even then there are better platforms), I don't see much benefit to a manual transmission in a turbocharged front-wheel drive car, especially enough to justify going to the trouble of swapping transmissions...

 

[DSM nOOb]

man i really wanted to be first in this thread for ironys sake oh well.

 

[xxKo0paxX]

"man i really wanted to be first in this thread for ironys sake oh well. "

that reply just made my day

 

[etay89]

i believe that auto's are better track cars while manuals are better 'street' cars.

they definitely have the launch better..but auto's hold boost better than a 5 speed. considering that i've had a turbo auto and now drive a turbo 5spd... id much rather have the 5 spd..but i wudnt swap just yet though. make a game plan first.

 

[TallestHERETIC]

no human hand in the world can shift better than a A/T. not even Le Mans or Formula 1 drivers can outperform a computer controlled transmission. its way too precise and exact, dare i say "perfect".

i dont see the problem with A/T's though. M/T are awful in heavy traffic and get old fast when said traffic has terrible drivers running amuck. not only that, but if your not paying attention, you might shift into the wrong spot and BOOM, gigantic repair bill.

i deliver auto parts for a living and you would'nt believe the way M/T cars are treated when i see them in shops. FUBAR'd from inept owners. its a big reason there's mainly A/T's on the road nowadays.

to the OP, you own a 4g63t with a car around it. i would be ecstatic if i was you.

 

[Tanro]

IMO. The auto trans is better for anything beyond stock boost/horsepower levels.

 

[etay89]

no human hand in the world can shift better than a A/T. not even Le Mans or Formula 1 drivers can outperform a computer controlled transmission. its way too precise and exact, dare i say "perfect".

i dont see the problem with A/T's though. <b>M/T are awful in heavy traffic and get old fast when said traffic has terrible drivers running amuck.</b> not only that, but if your not paying attention, you might shift into the wrong spot and BOOM, gigantic repair bill.

i deliver auto parts for a living and you would'nt believe the way M/T cars are treated when i see them in shops. FUBAR'd from inept owners. its a big reason there's mainly A/T's on the road nowadays.

to the OP, you own a 4g63t with a car around it. i would be ecstatic if i was you.

so true...

 

[JasonStern]

i believe that auto's are better track cars while manuals are better 'street' cars.

...unless you live in a city with a lot of stop-and-go traffic. the stock clutch is fine, but if you start making power, it will burn up and you will have to upgrade to something stiffer, which you will hate if you ever get stuck for half an hour inching along a freeway.

 

[AlaskanDsm]

...unless you live in a city with a lot of stop-and-go traffic. the stock clutch is fine, but if you start making power, it will burn up and you will have to upgrade to something stiffer, which you will hate if you ever get stuck for half an hour inching along a freeway.

I have an older Centerforce Duel-friction clutch in my car and I have to sit in traffic inching along slowly. I have noticed that over time, My left leg seems to have built a little bit extra muscle and provides me with better balance on that leg .

 

[zeekster777]

I have an older Centerforce Duel-friction clutch in my car and I have to sit in traffic inching along slowly. I have noticed that over time, My left leg seems to have built a little bit extra muscle and provides me with better balance on that leg .

haha

 

[goodbuds]

haha maybe you can do one leg squats on the left leg..

 

[TunaTalon]

no human hand in the world can shift better than a A/T. not even Le Mans or Formula 1 drivers can outperform a computer controlled transmission. its way too precise and exact, dare i say "perfect".

.

The first week on my brand new 1998 a pickup tried suicide by Talon, leaving his merging lane directly in front of me while my left lane was blocked. ABS wasn't enough so I made an emergency lane change into the vacant merging lane while the Talon made a forth to second downshift under braking and brought the revs up to spool the turbo. A quick blip of WOT and the auto made an up shift at precisely 7000 RPM before the end of the merging lane.

Back on the highway (and still alive) the Talon was convinced I wanted to go fast and held third gear to be ready for the next move.

The Talon now has a 2.3L stroker and a 4300 RPM stall torque converter and no longer feels doggy at low speeds.

I like my auto

 

[DSMTyson]

The first week on my brand new 1998 a pickup tried suicide by Talon, leaving his merging lane directly in front of me while my left lane was blocked. ABS wasn't enough so I made an emergency lane change into the vacant merging lane while the Talon made a forth to second downshift under braking and brought the revs up to spool the turbo. A quick blip of WOT and the auto made an up shift at precisely 7000 RPM before the end of the merging lane.

Back on the highway (and still alive) the Talon was convinced I wanted to go fast and held third gear to be ready for the next move.

The Talon now has a 2.3L stroker and a 4300 RPM stall torque converter and no longer feels doggy at low speeds.

I like my auto

I agree, auto with a high stall converter is the way to go now-a-days. You never have to worry about blowing your tranny(and transfer case for AWD guys) because you launched harder than usual and dumped the clutch because you wanted to kill that v8 beside you, causing 1st gear to obliterate. You never have to worry about missing a shift. And you never have to worry about turbo lag between shifts.

I was looking for a 5 speed AWD when i was looking to buy a DSM. And after searching and searching, i stumbled upon a few in my area. I went to look at 1 and the tranny was just terrible. The syncros were bad in just about every gear causing it to grind when trying to shift faster than my grandma. The other was ok but it just didn't seem all that fast. I dont even want to mention the last 5 speed i looked at...

At this point i had given up until i saw this add on craigslist for a 1991 Talon TSi AWD A/T only 1 1/2 hrs away. I said to myself i'll go check it out anyways, it couldn't hurt. Me and the previous owner(1badpurple here on Tuners) went for a drive and as soon as he got up on the converter I was thinking "oh shit what the f*** is he....*launches the car at 4700rpm*.. holy shit that was fast!" And at that point i had to have it. The car was MUCH FASTER off the line than the other 5 speed cars i had test drove, on stock boost (10psi).

So far i have not had a single car be able to hang with me off the line, not one. A Subaru WRX STI that was launching off the rev limiter was the closest with me off the line, but as soon as he had to switch into second gear(manual) i was pulling away with lots of room.

If i were you, instead of swapping to a 5 speed manual, keep the auto and use the money to do an AWD swap and never be left behind again. Just my 2 cents.