FAO: Zedy - Manual to automatic conversion

[Kieran]

Mo... (or anyone else for that matter).........

:idea: :$ You've converted a Automatic V6 to a Manual V6....

Do you think it would be possible to go the other way and convert a manual to an automatic? :Eyecrazy: :Eyecrazy: :headsc:

[enigma]

Anything is possible!

I guess this lets us know your standpoint on the Auto/Manual arguement

We will be doing the conversion twice in VX early next year................

[Kieran]

I guess this lets us know your standpoint on the Auto/Manual arguement

Oh hell yes! Slushmatic rocks! I'm fecking fed up of cog swapping!!! :wall: :Scream1:

[zedy1]

the converion is possible but you need to fit the ecu and change the wiring loom
could be fun :$

[Kieran]

the converion is possible but you need to fit the ecu and change the wiring loom
could be fun :$

Hmmm.... :-D

Jobs that involve 'FUN' are probably best avoided! :$

[I-S]

How about changing a 4 speed invecs II to a 5 speed? I guess the amount of electronics involved means it's not feasible?

[wirdy]

Oh hell yes! Slushmatic rocks! I'm fecking fed up of cog swapping!!! :wall: :Scream1:

Tut, Tut, Bleedin' limp-wristed former slushbox users.

[Kieran]

the converion is possible but you need to fit the ecu and change the wiring loom
could be fun

Hmm.... Have you got these bits in, Mo? Something tells me my current gearbox may have a limited lifespan... And should it decide to go POP, then it would be an opportunity to try it out I guess!

[zentac]

but but but...... manuals should be faster.....

[zedy1]

dont have any auto bits for the 2.5 k

[I-S]

Zentac - on paper and if you're prepared to have no regard for clutch lifespan or shift smoothness, and you have the skill of the professional test driver, yes. Real-world, there are very few drivers better than a decent auto box.

[Kieran]

dont have any auto bits for the 2.5 k

No problems - Having just seen Barry's thread about clutches, i think it's actually just the clutch, rather than the gearbox wearing out....

....Who said anything about always thinking the worst?!

[zentac]

Zentac - on paper and if you're prepared to have no regard for clutch lifespan or shift smoothness, and you have the skill of the professional test driver, yes. Real-world, there are very few drivers better than a decent auto box.

Not true Look at the FTO Quarter Mile League on my site and the manuals are a second quicker than the tips with the same gearboxes as the VR4. I converted my last 4speed Tip to a Manual and was almost a second quicker at pod, with no other changes.

There are 26 Manuals (ignoring the NOS and Turbo`d ones) that are quicker than the fastest Tip. The Tip was highly modified and some and some of the manuals were fairly standard.

[I-S]

By real world I meant normal roads with traffic, not drag strips. I don't argue that the manual is capable of faster acceleration on the strip and then you might well not care about smoothness or clutch longevity.

[Kieran]

By real world I meant normal roads with traffic, not drag strips. I don't argue that the manual is capable of faster acceleration on the strip and then you might well not care about smoothness or clutch longevity.

Nah, sorry, but that's just not true. Put two cars, one auto, one manual and the manual will almost always out-drag the auto. And you don't need to abuse the clutch, or be on a drag strip. Same with my V6... It's all down to the way a torque convertor works, and the gearing in an auto box. The manual will be faster. Period!

[I-S]

Again, that's not really what I mean.

For example, slowing down into a junction or roundabout from 60mph, come down to 20mph and see you're good to go and the auto will provide most drivers with a quicker response than having to change gear manually. Also on twisting roads a lot of drivers (probably less so on this forum) are too inclined to leave it in 4th or 5th, or they change down reactively (when they've gone round a corner and found themselves not to have any power) rather than predictively.

Someone skillful driving a manual with good forward observation and predictive use of the box will indeed be faster than in an auto. For the majority of drivers that's not the case though. When it comes to very high powered cars, I think that the auto is the faster option, although not many of them are available as manual to compare.

I certainly find my driving much more fluid, smoother and overall faster in an auto.

[BraindG]

Good points there Isaac.

However, ive driven a Manual VR4 for about 5 or 6 years now. I have also driven an Auto, although on rare occasions i must admit.

Perhaps its because i don't know how to drive a grandpa car. however, no matter how hard i tried, (in my auto experiences) i could not get it to do what i wanted (im recalling a time when i had a silver legnum on loan while my car was being repaired, i believe we were on route to JAE).

I never really tried driving it in full auto mode, nor did the car learn my driving characteristics, so truthfully its not a very good test. Yet, no matter how hard i tried in triptronic mode, i just couldn't get the car to shift in time, be in the right gear at the right time or i would find the car spending what seems like several seconds changing to another gear, whether up, or down.

Imho, it just felt clumsy, slow and unresponsive. I fully understand, that if i had driven an auto for the same length of time ive driven a manual im sure my concerns with be swayed the other way. However for me, there's only one way forwards, and that's manual.

[Paul Beazer]

I tend to agree. Manuals give you more control when you need it for instance, when was the last time you used engine braking in an auto? Tip is for lazy people (yes im prepared to be torn to pieces by a rapid pack of tip fans!)
Having said that, if I was going to have an auto, it would be in a car with some guts to it!! Certainly if I had to drive into london everyday, an auto would win, save soo much clutch faffing!