Legnum tiptronic questions.

[spm01]

hello all, this is my 1st post so please be gentle,lol.

i am looking to buy a legnum but the search for a manual one with out travelling a crazy amount of miles is proving harder than i thought, so i am starting to look at the tiptronic ones now.

does anyone have a thread with pros and cons of auto over manual?

if not can someone help me with the following please:

i have always associated autos with being slower than the manuals but is this true? anyone done a comparason between the 2?

do the autos suffer more faults/problems than the manual?

will the auto box handle more power ok or is there a limit to what it will handle?

and if anyone can think of anything is should look out for when buying the car please let me know.

thanks in advance.

[ANTHONY]

some good questions there. as I've got a manual I'll be interested with the replies

[Davezj]

take a look at the buyers guide that has bits to look out for on the auto box.

i have an auto vr4 and it is great. waft along in D the stick it tip and it is as good as manual. you do have to get used to the tip changes like lift off the gas to make the gear change quicker (if you can be bothered). the tip mode is a proper tip mode box though. if you put it any gear it will stay in that gear and just bounce off the revlimiter, until you change gear. Not like the modern tip boxes, which if you don't change up before a defined point in the rev range the auto box changes up for you. If i wanted it to let the box change gear i would have left it in D. i had an auto vectra SRI as a hire can recently and the auto box was rubbish.

bit of rant really not too much proper info sorry

there are some theads out there that compare auto and manual, just seach on "auto v Manual" or something like that.



hope you join the club before you buy the car as it could save you some heft bills, you gain access to a great deal of fantastic info and could stop you buying a lemon. there are some out there.

cheers dave

[Spirit]

i have always associated autos with being slower than the manuals but is this true? anyone done a comparason between the 2?

do the autos suffer more faults/problems than the manual?

will the auto box handle more power ok or is there a limit to what it will handle?

and if anyone can think of anything is should look out for when buying the car please let me know.

Firstly welcome to CVR4. I'll try and answer some points in an honest opinion for you. I have only ever owned manual cars, however I am on my second VR4 tiptronic. The box on these is so good, it's great to have the benefits of auto for "lazy" mode around town, and the tip for on track. The pre-facelift autos had a 260ps ecu instead of the 280ps manuals, but this was improved to 280ps on the facelifts.

I would say the auto will accelerate faster over a short distance, especially if you reset the ecu regularly if it's been driven "slowly" as the ecu self learns your driving style. They do suffer from torque converter seal failure, so try to find one that has had this done. If it has and it has had regular "correct" oil changes it should be fine, but I would recommend a change to "Amsoil" upon purchase (search for more info).

To summarise, if you want high power increases (above 350bhp) then chose the manual. If not, have the best of both and get a tip. Of course this is just my opinion.

[spm01]

dave, thanks for the reply. i was looking for a buyers guide but its a new forum and not quite used to it yet, but i've found it now.
i'll definatly be doing my homework 1st, as it always pays off.

if anyone has any more comments please type away as it all helps.

[djb160]

It would seem from watching on here, that the autos die if neglected but the more enthusiastic manual drivers tend to kill their clutches and therefore soon upgrade them. Depends a lot on how you like/want/have to drive I guess. But manuals are more fun to play with though IMO.

[bradc]

I like the auto box, I've had a few Legnums with it and it is a good box and a very good compromise for being able to eat ones lunch and drive at the same time.

It can be very expensive to fix the auto box if it breaks, but if you service them well then they are quite reliable and very good boxes.

[serenity88]

Hi good to see you!

It's a hard choice! it depends on what you are looking for. If you want to spec your machine up beyond the known then you'll have to get a manual. If you just want to tweek the boost a bit and are not to worried about extensive mod's then the auto should suffice.

The invecs II trans is capable of performing up to around three hundred horse, without to much worry (to much more than that will most likely blow it sooner or later)

There ok if you use only the mitsi specified fluid in it and service on time. Being a high preformance transmission ordinary trans fluid wont cut it. They guarantee it will blow if the right stuff isn't used.

It's been around for some time now so finding a replacemet shouldn't be that hard if you do blow it. They are notoriously hard (high tech) to reco so most trans guys wont touch them, it's more economical to just sell it for scrap and get another one.

I like them, it's the smoothest changing, raciest trans I ever driven! and once you get used to the triptronic (pre empting the revs by about a second required) they can be a bit of fun to.

Obviously I'm a little biased! but I hope it's a little more to chew on for you!

[MPBVr4]

Firstly to the club.

I was very much a "manual" man having never had an auto before but the VR4
auto/tip box is in a different league. I must confess that I drive 99% of the
time in tip mode. As said above, providing the car is serviced regularly and
properly the auto seems very reliable.

[serenity88]

i have always associated autos with being slower than the manuals but is this true? anyone done a comparason between the 2?


thanks in advance.

Just to answer this concern, I was driving down the road about two hours ago when an arrogant idiot in a Holden monaro (not sure what it is over there!) V8 pulled up next to me at the lights. when we took off he was only half a car in front of me coming out of first. That was boosting a stingy factory 7 psi!!!! He rung the snot out of it and it sounded like it was gonna blow!
I dont think the auto being slower is as much of an issue as it is with other cars!

[Axeboy]

Ive owned both.

Manual 'feels' more instant, more responsive and would be the better choice for more power. Keep in mind that you will require a good clutch though. the ratios are quite short as well.

Auto is a great box in my opinion, better for driving around town and day to day use. Going for more power will be risky (er) with the auto though.


Overall, I'd have either, i wouldnt be put off getting another auto.


Simply put, normal driving, get either. More power, manual. IMO.

[spm01]

thanks for your comments everyone, very much appreciated.

i am going to have to have a real good think now as i am almost 100% sure i will get the modding bug again once behind the wheel and from what everyone is saying the auto box ont handle that much more power, which is a real shame.

does anyone know the max power the auto will handle? i saw 350bhp mentioned but is that a definate answer or educated guess as i had 350 out of my evo within the 1st 2-3 months of having it so i know i am going to want to be around that mark again.

what kind of power are other people getting from their autos?

are there any upgrades to the auto box to help it handle more power? or replacement boxes?

sorry about all the questions but need to make sure before speanding the money.

[SGHOM]

what kind of power are other people getting from their autos?

Ive run over 500 bhp through my box, & launched at 3500 rpm. only in short bursts though.... usually around 12.4 seconds.

[bradc]

Derek (the old man just above this post) and another few members have had large amounts of power through their auto boxes and they haven't blown up. IMHO the box itself is very strong, it just likes the oil to be changed regularly with the correct oil, and it helps to have a large gearbox oil cooler fitted.

[spm01]

Ive run over 500 bhp through my box, & launched at 3500 rpm. only in short bursts though.... usually around 12.4 seconds.

thanks for this response, just what i wanted to know.i was thinking i would probably want to push around 350-400bhp, so at least i know it will handle it if looked after and not abused 24/7.

thanks everyone, now on the hunt for a car.

[Beastlee]

Good luck with the hunt. As long as you're willing to spend more than £4500 at the moment you should find a good one. You have competition from a number of other members at the moment too