5speed vs auto torque converter-- pros/cons
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The Anti-Rice
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5speed vs auto torque converter-- pros/cons
5speed vs automatic torque converter... heres my story
ok, so i have an automatic tranny. i pretty have 2 choices befor ei do anything more to my car.
torque converter or tranmission swap (5speed)
Im trying to think of the pros and cons of both, so i can make a good decision about this
Torque converter-
Pros
1. less money
2. better launch than exsisting
Cons
1. limited possibilities of engine mods
2. not as much fun
3. not as much launch as 5speed
5speed-
Pros
1. very fun
2. lots of possibilities of engine mods for FI
3. better launch
Cons
1. costs more
2. no warranty, if it gets f'd up im screwed
Just some of the things i thought of, if you guys could give me some more pros/cons or opinions that would be greatly appreciated
ok, so i have an automatic tranny. i pretty have 2 choices befor ei do anything more to my car.
torque converter or tranmission swap (5speed)
Im trying to think of the pros and cons of both, so i can make a good decision about this
Torque converter-
Pros
1. less money
2. better launch than exsisting
Cons
1. limited possibilities of engine mods
2. not as much fun
3. not as much launch as 5speed
5speed-
Pros
1. very fun
2. lots of possibilities of engine mods for FI
3. better launch
Cons
1. costs more
2. no warranty, if it gets f'd up im screwed
Just some of the things i thought of, if you guys could give me some more pros/cons or opinions that would be greatly appreciated
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Bay Area, CA
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all the mods for FI you can do for 5spd you can do for AT, except the obivous clutch. yes a MT is tons more fun than AT but i'm sticking with my AT, not to many people take the time to build them up so this is my way of being different (kinda). my goal is to run mid 13's and keep it my daily driver that i can relax in if theres stop and go traffic on the way home from the track. but in the end its up to you on what you wanna do.
RESIDENT ROTOR HEAD
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 328 If I were you I wouldn't swap out that tranny unless I did a full K20 swap. That would make it worth the trouble. Other than that you just made a mistake when you bought your car. Don't waste your money on anything stupid.
How much is the torque converter?
There's alot of work for the manual swap, and it's alot pf $$$
but i would get the manual swap over the torque converter
there's not much fun with auto mind as well save up and do the manual swap, since a member elite has get it done.
Just make sure you go to a place or a mechanic which they know
what they are doing, so they don't **** up anything..
There's alot of work for the manual swap, and it's alot pf $$$
but i would get the manual swap over the torque converter
there's not much fun with auto mind as well save up and do the manual swap, since a member elite has get it done.
Just make sure you go to a place or a mechanic which they know
what they are doing, so they don't **** up anything..
Registered!!
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From: 4o8, California
Rep Power: 311 I think doing either is going to void your warranty..
A higher stall, smaller diameter, lighter weight TC will give you a better launch since it raises the stall rpm higher in the powerband. With it being smaller and lighter, it takes less energy to spin up. The downside is that it creates more heat and you might see a small loss in fuel economy. So depending on the TC you get, you might want to consider adding an extra tranny cooler. The rule of thumb is the higher the stall, the bigger the cooler.
Regarding auto vs. 5-speed.. they both have their advantages. A stout, done up right automatic can be hard to beat since it can take advantage of the powerband and shift quickly with hardly any momentum loss. A 5-speed though gives you more control of the powerband and historically has a smaller failure rate. Usually all that most people need to do to a 5-speed is put a good clutch/pressure plate combo in.
What alot of people do though is beef up there engine first then get a TC to match their HP/TQ numbers. I'm thinking that if your engine is stock or even with a few upgrades your not going to see much of difference with an after market TC until you have some decent power in front of it. If it were me I'd put my money into the engine, suspension and brakes first then consider beefing up your tranny. FWIW
A higher stall, smaller diameter, lighter weight TC will give you a better launch since it raises the stall rpm higher in the powerband. With it being smaller and lighter, it takes less energy to spin up. The downside is that it creates more heat and you might see a small loss in fuel economy. So depending on the TC you get, you might want to consider adding an extra tranny cooler. The rule of thumb is the higher the stall, the bigger the cooler.
Regarding auto vs. 5-speed.. they both have their advantages. A stout, done up right automatic can be hard to beat since it can take advantage of the powerband and shift quickly with hardly any momentum loss. A 5-speed though gives you more control of the powerband and historically has a smaller failure rate. Usually all that most people need to do to a 5-speed is put a good clutch/pressure plate combo in.
What alot of people do though is beef up there engine first then get a TC to match their HP/TQ numbers. I'm thinking that if your engine is stock or even with a few upgrades your not going to see much of difference with an after market TC until you have some decent power in front of it. If it were me I'd put my money into the engine, suspension and brakes first then consider beefing up your tranny. FWIW
7thgen Power Maker
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From: Buffalo, NY, US
Rep Power: 0 Remember, Auto is good for boosted cars. Less turbo lag and more consistent across the power band. Manual will have much better control over the power band, but a hyped up auto can beat a 5spd. After you boost, I'd recommend an auto shift kit, torque converter & tranny cooler. Also run a real good tranny fluid and you'll do some damage. Trust me! We have helped build some fast cars that were auto. Takes a little more creativity and $, but defintly possible.
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From: Chicago Burbs, Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 528 There was a thread somewhere on this site where the guy who had done the swap talked about everything you need to do an AT to MT swap. Does anyone have a link? I searched but I couldn't find it. Most of the results were just about giving your AT shifter an MT boot.
Thread Starter
The Anti-Rice
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From: sd, ca
Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by flotsamm
I think doing either is going to void your warranty..
A higher stall, smaller diameter, lighter weight TC will give you a better launch since it raises the stall rpm higher in the powerband. With it being smaller and lighter, it takes less energy to spin up. The downside is that it creates more heat and you might see a small loss in fuel economy. So depending on the TC you get, you might want to consider adding an extra tranny cooler. The rule of thumb is the higher the stall, the bigger the cooler.
Regarding auto vs. 5-speed.. they both have their advantages. A stout, done up right automatic can be hard to beat since it can take advantage of the powerband and shift quickly with hardly any momentum loss. A 5-speed though gives you more control of the powerband and historically has a smaller failure rate. Usually all that most people need to do to a 5-speed is put a good clutch/pressure plate combo in.
What alot of people do though is beef up there engine first then get a TC to match their HP/TQ numbers. I'm thinking that if your engine is stock or even with a few upgrades your not going to see much of difference with an after market TC until you have some decent power in front of it. If it were me I'd put my money into the engine, suspension and brakes first then consider beefing up your tranny. FWIW
I think doing either is going to void your warranty..
A higher stall, smaller diameter, lighter weight TC will give you a better launch since it raises the stall rpm higher in the powerband. With it being smaller and lighter, it takes less energy to spin up. The downside is that it creates more heat and you might see a small loss in fuel economy. So depending on the TC you get, you might want to consider adding an extra tranny cooler. The rule of thumb is the higher the stall, the bigger the cooler.
Regarding auto vs. 5-speed.. they both have their advantages. A stout, done up right automatic can be hard to beat since it can take advantage of the powerband and shift quickly with hardly any momentum loss. A 5-speed though gives you more control of the powerband and historically has a smaller failure rate. Usually all that most people need to do to a 5-speed is put a good clutch/pressure plate combo in.
What alot of people do though is beef up there engine first then get a TC to match their HP/TQ numbers. I'm thinking that if your engine is stock or even with a few upgrades your not going to see much of difference with an after market TC until you have some decent power in front of it. If it were me I'd put my money into the engine, suspension and brakes first then consider beefing up your tranny. FWIW
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From: Chicago Burbs, Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 528 Originally posted by IronFist
There was a thread somewhere on this site where the guy who had done the swap talked about everything you need to do an AT to MT swap. Does anyone have a link? I searched but I couldn't find it. Most of the results were just about giving your AT shifter an MT boot.
There was a thread somewhere on this site where the guy who had done the swap talked about everything you need to do an AT to MT swap. Does anyone have a link? I searched but I couldn't find it. Most of the results were just about giving your AT shifter an MT boot.
Originally posted by Elite
well i waited too long to get the mounts installed on my tranny now my motor mount broke, and my p/s hose busted, because the engine would move forward, and jerk back, because of the 6 puck clutch, my p/s pulley would hit the hose, and it busted, makes a nasty noise, and my stupid mechanic forgot to put the bolt back into the water pump metal hose, my car overheated, but not that overheating problem is fixed now. I didn't know how much damage a 6 puck clutch can do, break mounts really quickly. Oh btw the clutch never overheats, it just smells like syrup now because of the fluids leaking everywhere, esp with my car squirting anitfreeze everywhere.
well i waited too long to get the mounts installed on my tranny now my motor mount broke, and my p/s hose busted, because the engine would move forward, and jerk back, because of the 6 puck clutch, my p/s pulley would hit the hose, and it busted, makes a nasty noise, and my stupid mechanic forgot to put the bolt back into the water pump metal hose, my car overheated, but not that overheating problem is fixed now. I didn't know how much damage a 6 puck clutch can do, break mounts really quickly. Oh btw the clutch never overheats, it just smells like syrup now because of the fluids leaking everywhere, esp with my car squirting anitfreeze everywhere.
Originally posted by Elite
oh yeah i ripped the boot for the axel now its throwing grease everywhere from the boot, minor problem, I'm not ridin gmy car until I get my hood/ mounts fixed for my car. Other than that, I need to grease my accelerator pedal because it gets stuck once in a while especially when I punch it.
oh yeah i ripped the boot for the axel now its throwing grease everywhere from the boot, minor problem, I'm not ridin gmy car until I get my hood/ mounts fixed for my car. Other than that, I need to grease my accelerator pedal because it gets stuck once in a while especially when I punch it.
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