Automatic, is it worth it?

[hotrodcal]

I have a 98 GS-T and am a newb to the DSM game. My car is clean but is an automatic. Are there any auto-experienced DSMers out the that can give me hope? I'm following the Stage 1 upgrades but before I start I want to know if anyone out there can testify. Thanks.

 

[jasoncitrano]

I have an automatic 1g awd, and i love it. I've got all of stage 1 and stage 2 done minus the drivetrain upgrades so i have stock tranny, converter and no shift kit and i can beat most of my friends cars that are 5 speed. It's is definitly more fun to drive manual but the auto's can definitly hold their own. One thing i recomend though is learn to launch it just right. Practice a few times and never neutral drop it. There is alot of drivetrain loss on the auto's especially on the awd's. I have all of stage1 and 2 done and i still need more power. Think it's going to be modding the drivetrain next becuase thats where the bottleneck is in my powerflow right now.

 

[MNGSX]

I would get a serious transcooler, tq converter, end clutch kit and a IPT valve body with a transbrake....

Brake boosting is hard on the whole trans and can ballon a stock tq converter easily... Just like how a stock clutch on a hot AWD turns into kitty fur.

 

[Trucloner11]

Automatics have only 4 gears as opposed to the manuals five. With more gears you have closer ratios which leads to better acceleration. Manuals can also shift at redline where as autos shift around 6700 rmp.

 

[Slo TSI]

Automatics have only 4 gears as opposed to the manuals five. With more gears you have closer ratios which leads to better acceleration. Manuals can also shift at redline where as autos shift around 6700 rmp.

My 95 tsi awd auto shifts at 7100 rpm . kind of weird because it use to shift at about 6800 rpm. This started after I installed my shift kit but shift kit isn't said to increase your red line .

 

[janks85]

i see alot of people on here saying that manuals are better because of launching, which is not true.. with a auto turbo car u can launch at full boost with a decent stall converter, even without i launch my auto at 3200 - 3500 w/o stall converter and it launches at about 11- 12 psi thats pretty damn good if u ask me, auto's are not bad manuals yes are more fun sumtimes but i have alot of fun with my auyto as well

 

[luvmygst]

Autos suck?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM3YEfAAfBQ
That is the guy that posted above and that is bad a$$$$

 

[2G_RFF_GST]

IMO you can get a more consistant launch with brake boosting. A few weeks ago i took a TSI AWD off the line and my 97 GST is completely stock right now. once i hit about 70mph and the road moved down to one lane i let off ### i was a few car lengths in front of him. ( i know it was a manual because i could hear his BOV when he shifted when he was trying to mess with me before we got lined up at a red light). I would much rather have a 5-speed but i got tired of looking for a 5-speed GSX that was under $15,000 so i finally just settled with an auto GST for $7000. Not a bad price for a clean car and only 60,000 miles on it.

Plus... they just came out with shifter paddles for DSMs that will turn our 4-speeds into 5-speeds by using Overdrive as a 5th gear. And not only will you shift quick still because the shifter paddles keep it a auto tranny but you can select the gear you want to be in.

check it out...
http://www.tcugo.com/products.html

If you get the Shifter paddles you'll be able to outdrive any 5-speed manual whether you're drag racing or racing on a road course.

 

[Kprime911]

yes, I think an auto is worth it but make sure to get the end clutch kit from ipt or else you might end up replacing the end clutches a few times. I had to get my trans rebuilt 2 times and currently on the 3rd. This weekend having trans shop put in end clutch kit from ipt but i get free labor so its good.

 

[ilikespeeding]

out of all these responses....only one pointed out that the auto has only 4 gears while the manual has 5. Autos typically break and malfunction more, have more power loss, are heavier, are harder to control, are no where near as fun. My vote goes to manual.

 

[Zakanitis]

I was told by everyone here to go with IPT Parts for auto and i did. I spent about 1600-1700$ total. I got the rebuild kit and new valve body from them. The shifting on this thing is amazing. So fast.

I am very happy with my auto. Having a 5spd i think would make more of the racing experience fun but with having the performance auto im still taking many other cars here which are 5spd turbos .

Your launches shouldnt be bad either. Just hold 1 foot on the break and other on the accelerator. Rev it to about 2000 with the foot on the break and let break go at the 2000 and floor it. Works just fine for me that way

 

[girlieracr4g63]

Autos suck?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM3YEfAAfBQ
That is the guy that posted above and that is bad a$$$$

Actually the guy in this video hasnt posted to this thread. There are two autos in the 9s around here. This one (Lee) being the newest and fastest.

Auto seems to be the way to go if you can get that tranny beefed up.


Wendy

 

[Shane2GSX]

Auto DSM's
http://www.ecanfix.com/users/atdsm/

I've had both. I had a 97 GST Auto and now have a 99 GSX manual. I have also driven a GST Manual to compare with the Auto. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Auto:
Advantages:
Brake Boost (Good advantage for AWD)
Faster Shifts
No boost loss between shifts

Disadvantage:
3 Gears and O/D
Heavier
Slower stock
Can't control gears (without modding)

Manual:
Advantages:
Lighter
Faster Stock
Can control gears
5 Gears

Disadvantages:
Less consistant shifts
Boost loss between shifts
Cannot brake boost

That's all I can think of. If anyone wants to add to this feel free. That being said, if I had to choose, I would choose a manual for three reasons. One, you can control the gears on your own. Two, they are more fun to drive, IMO. Three, some may dispute this, but in my auto when maxing out third and flipping on O/D, I noticed immediate power loss. It would not accelarate at the same rate as the other gears and seemed sluggish. Whether this was normal or not, I dunno. But a friend of mine's with an Auto GST felt the same way.

 

[kawboy]

Do most of you drive with O/D on or off? Which would be fastest?

Thanks

 

[The_EE]

Race with OD off. You can go up to 130 mph in a auto in 3rd gear, no need to switch to 4th ( OD ). Also, race with it in drive, you will never miss a shift and it pulls between shifts.

I used to be auto with IPT upgrades ( 4k Restall and reworked valvebody with trans lab shift kit )but I just switched my car to 5 speed. should be running tomorrow.

 

[kawboy]

Thanks for everything.

What made you do the swap? Lately I've been seeing a lot of people doing M/T to A/T swaps.

 

[Sbeing1]

I personally LOVE AUTOMATIC. I was like most in the beginning "i wanna swap to manual" but then i saw the work to be put in and i didnt think it was worth it. So what i did was buy a Rezlo Carbon Kevlar 3500 Hi stall race converter, IPT End Clutch kit, Translab shift kit. Now let me tell u ppl this, i have 350whp right now, my friends manual evo has 400whp, i out lanch him and i stay in front of him the whole quarter mile. If you want a drag car i say GO AUTO! you wont look back. And soon im getting the TCUGO, once they email me back ill buy it right now cash on table cause i know its worth it. If built, your auto has the best of everyworld.

 

[c5chris]

A/T is just as good as a M/T, depending on your application.

A. Daily Driver - if you have to use your car other than racing, and you live in a high traffic metropolitan area (like over 50% of us), A/Ts are ideal.

B. Drag - almost nobody can outshift a computer-controlled tranny and have repeated / consistent results. Boosting off the line is a plus too. No loss of boost between shifts, another plus.

C. Autocross - M/T is better. You gotta be IN the powerband of your car. If you have a modified valve body and a better torque converter, then maybe A/T is ok.

D. Road racing - both are adequate.

E. Drifting - do I dare say drifting on a DSM? :: M/T is the only way to go. Only if you find a way to induce a controlled wheelslip with an auto then only will you be able to drift.

F. Insane power build-up - Face it, alot of owners do not race and are just devoted modaholics. An A/T might be able to withstand higher HPs than manuals. Two of my friends have 427 ci Twin-Turbo Lingenfelter Corvettes and they wish that they have automatics. Better launching and no clutch problems I guess.

 

[Gs Dewd]

As far a autos not being strong well I must have a freak tranny. I done a turbo engine swap into my car and retained the N/T auto trans. I have about 5k miles on the swap now and more then a few of them have been hard and a few brake boosting to go along with it and the tranny is holding up great. IT also has 166k miles on it. All I did was change the fluid and filter when I did the swap. Now I will get it built up to keep from having probs out of it but it has taking more abuse then my 99' 5 spd took.

 

[hellotbone]

I swapped mine and haven't looked back I hated my auto (yes it was modded) Each their own I guess to me its a sports car and I want to shift it where ever I want.

 

[Sbeing1]

A/T is just as good as a M/T, depending on your application.

A. Daily Driver - if you have to use your car other than racing, and you live in a high traffic metropolitan area (like over 50% of us), A/Ts are ideal.

B. Drag - almost nobody can outshift a computer-controlled tranny and have repeated / consistent results. Boosting off the line is a plus too. No loss of boost between shifts, another plus.

C. Autocross - M/T is better. You gotta be IN the powerband of your car. If you have a modified valve body and a better torque converter, then maybe A/T is ok.

D. Road racing - both are adequate.

E. Drifting - do I dare say drifting on a DSM? :: M/T is the only way to go. Only if you find a way to induce a controlled wheelslip with an auto then only will you be able to drift.

F. Insane power build-up - Face it, alot of owners do not race and are just devoted modaholics. An A/T might be able to withstand higher HPs than manuals. Two of my friends have 427 ci Twin-Turbo Lingenfelter Corvettes and they wish that they have automatics. Better launching and no clutch problems I guess.

Just a few things i thought...
C. Autocross- Auto can be just as good if you have the tcugo, keep it in the powerband.

E. Drifitng- In Formula D theres a pro drifter in a el camino thats automatic, he does fine he just has to faint drift (steer away from turn then back in really fast) to induce a drift. But also if you had a tcugo u could downshift or upshift to make the car drift.

 

[forumboarder154]

I think manuals and autos only have a slight difference. They autos I think have a 5 hp decrease than the manuals, but like others said "If you break boost its not much of a difference or if they make a bad shift or if you are looking for consistency." =)

 

[Street Surgeon]

There are definitely some fast auto's, there are some faster 5spds, it just depends on how much you wanna spend. That being said I'm reading LOTS of hype about this TCUGO device. It seems to be a pretty good deal/piece but no one is real sure of the long term affects of having one on your auto. I'd say the TCUGO is an awesome deal if you're using a FULLY BUILT ipt tranny or something, otherwise stay away.

http://dsmstyle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10958

 

[kawboy]

Race with OD off. You can go up to 130 mph in a auto in 3rd gear, no need to switch to 4th ( OD ). Also, race with it in drive, you will never miss a shift and it pulls between shifts.

I used to be auto with IPT upgrades ( 4k Restall and reworked valvebody with trans lab shift kit )but I just switched my car to 5 speed. should be running tomorrow.

I was just driving today on the highway, and I noticed that with O/D off at 70mph I was spinning 4500 rpm.

Wouldn't the motor be SCREAMING with O/D off at 130?

 

[kawboy]

I was just driving today on the highway, and I noticed that with O/D off at 70mph I was spinning 4500 rpm.

Wouldn't the motor be SCREAMING with O/D off at 130?

Is that right?

Does anybody know what RPM the motor will be running at with O/D off at 130mph?

Thanks

 

[16vdohcturboawd]

I have a 98 GS-T and am a newb to the DSM game. My car is clean but is an automatic. Are there any auto-experienced DSMers out the that can give me hope? I'm following the Stage 1 upgrades but before I start I want to know if anyone out there can testify. Thanks.

4 Out of the 5 fastest cars on this site are autos