I love my A/T

[91Bomb]

Its still 4 speeds, but uses a 5th as the lock up for the torqe converter. The benifits would be, not having to take your hand off the wheel to shit, the ability to control line pressure(makes the car shift harder), Instant up/down shift(this is only what I've been told so lets hope they did get rid of it , manualy shifting the a/t's the normal way results in a delay between moving the lever forward, and the actual up shift). A display with what gear you're in, and the abilty to go back to the stock tcu with a flip of the switch.

It sounds like a nice item.

You won't see a 5 speed at for the dsm. Not enough intrest. Plus most 5 speed autos seem to be alot weaker than the 4 speed counterparts.

5-spd autos are now the norm on most new cars. How can you say they are a lot weaker when many of these cars have an output of 300+ HP? The Jaguar S-Type R (390HP-super-charged) uses a 6-spd a/t. Mercedes is starting to use 7-spd autos on some of their most powerful cars. The 4-spd a/t is going the way of the dinosaur and most new car buyer's now expect a 5-spd manumatic.

Inerstingly, the evo does come with an auto almost everywhere but here. Its a 5 speed, with steering wheel mounted tiptronic controls. This trans is the W5a55 so, if mitsu is sticking to there normal rating system that breaks down to a 5 speed awd trans with a torque holding capacity of 550 ft lbs. When I enquired at a mitsu dealership as to when the evo would be coming with an a/t over here, I got a blank look from the sales people, a "won't happen" and a "why would you want an auto in a race car? the 5 speeds are much stronger" yes, like we all know how strong the mighty 5 speed was in the dsm.

I'd buy one

I still like the paddle shifter the best on the new Chevy Malibu -- it's on the gear selector knob right where our o/d buttons are and are ergonomically perfect for easy thumb action.

Personally I don't like the paddle shifter on the steering wheel -- If I had to choose between that and moving the gear selector up/down or left/right for manual shifts I'd definately take that.

 

[Spinall4]

It sounds like a nice item.



5-spd autos are now the norm on most new cars. How can you say they are a lot weaker when many of these cars have an output of 300+ HP? The Jaguar S-Type R (390HP-super-charged) uses a 6-spd a/t. Mercedes is starting to use 7-spd autos on some of their most powerful cars. The 4-spd a/t is going the way of the dinosaur and most new car buyer's now expect a 5-spd manumatic.



I'd buy one

I still like the paddle shifter the best on the new Chevy Malibu -- it's on the gear selector knob right where our o/d buttons are and are ergonomically perfect for easy thumb action.

Personally I don't like the paddle shifter on the steering wheel -- If I had to choose between that and moving the gear selector up/down or left/right for manual shifts I'd definately take that.

Mercedes & Jaguar have transmissions that are worth more than most dsm's so I was rulling them out. I was looking more as GM's new line of 5 speed a/t's which seem to have much lower torqe ratings than say somthing tried and true like the 4l80e.

 

[91Bomb]

91Bomb, I agree "Sneaky" is a perfect description. Recently I was thinking of buying something newer, but whenever I drive something newer, it's usually a manual, and nothing seems to have that "sneaky" fast feel.

I've driven dozens of different cars over the past 4 years while working at Avis and now Hertz. I transport them troughout the NYC tri-state area and haven't come close to finding something I'd rather drive than my 1g. Lately I've been looking for another car since my '91 Tsi 'rapidly oxidated' rendering it useless. I thought an Avenger V6 might be good until I test drove it -- thought about a '94-99 Celica (reliable but high price even on older models and short on HP) and concluded that for the money I can't beat getting another 1g. A '94 dsm is now over 11 yrs old so the price is a bargain. I plan on waiting untill I find a stock un-modded 1g with a good body and interior -- probably will get one from somebody who isn't part of the dsm scene and has pumped a lot of $$$ into it over time because they weren't into doing their own rpairs and didn't know or bother with dsm resourses like we all do here. I'd do a compression test, coolant system check, pull ecu + tcu codes, and check for a history of accidents. I think that buying a 1g a/t from a non-dsm person who hasn't gotten into modding their car is a good thing for a few reasons.
The a/t has 10 HP less which means less stress to an already strong engine and trans. People with a/t's don't generally shift manually like I do or brake torque if they kept their car completlely stock so that's also less stess to the motor and trans. I have 8 yrs experience with diagnosing and fixing things on a 1g along with some great dsm shops in my area who can do precision engine and trans work at a fair price if need be. And finally -- turbo rush is great, hndling is excellant, gas mileage is decent, a hatcback is useful, 1g's look great, and stock motor and trans are strong. Simply a bargain IMO <if you are dsm educated>