The TRUTH About An Auto/5 Speed Swap

[Mr. Foully]

Having an automatic in a sports car is, what I would imagine to be, the automotive equivalent of being on the receiving end of a homosexual gang rape. Everyone is having a great time, except you.

Posters have complained of excessive wheelspin from their 240's-my car never once spun the tires with the auto-not with me OR the previous owner. Some 240 owners here have suggested upgrading the brakes or suspension first...my car was so lethargic, brakes were of little concern and no what my cornering speed was, I was off the power band. I swear women in my car would stare at the automatic gear selector...the shame. I couldn't mod the exhaust, because even more people would know it was an auto.

Convertibles don't come with a stick, I bought it with the intention of swapping. It took me a year and a half to find an affordable donor/parts car and a few months to do the changeover; I don't drive it in the winter and I did the exhaust at the same time.

It is now a completely different car with the help of a Centerforce Clutch, Fidanza Flywheel and B&M Shifter. The car is now so fulfilling to drive, I go for rides without a destination and NOW, I need brakes, shocks & springs. I finally understand why all you rave about these cars.

[DRFT]

excellent...

[ankyle62]

rub it in, ass... :wtc:

[WilloW]

Good shit, wait til summer and drive the crap out of it.

[s0ldats]

my car still sucks but i drive it like it's a beast. that has led to my slipping clutch.

[old_s13]

you are an imBECILE... :)

auto or stick, the 240sx (much like any car) is a piece of shit unless you know how to drive it.

I went through 7 years of auto-magique and there was NEVER a dull moment. i raced cars with much more power, auto or stick, and never felt like the auto was much of a handicap. I can honestly say that it helped me as a driver, I focused on more important things like learning the road and terrain, THEN as I gained more experience I swapped to manual and had fun with heel/toe'ing and clutch popping.

Dont hate on auto's, hate on convertibles. :)

[sykikchimp]

auto's suck for corners

[justinhustle]

imbecile*

message length

[SimpleS14]

auto's suck for corners

:stupid:

I hate it when I can't downshift before going into a corner...I usually have to step on the brake excessively.

[ISTOTOSAO]

old_s13: I live on a mounatian, and at no piont in the past 6 1/2 years has an automatic help to teach me how to drive better. letting off the gas going in to an up hill turn allowed the car to shift (in any gear selection [ shity old autos]) in to a higher gear. So when I went to accelerate out of the turn it would down shift and throw the balance of the car off (very frustrating). My wife owns an auto ford zx2 with 16" wheels and 205 40's; my dad owns a manual ford zx2 14" wheels and 195 60's. other than the wheels the cars are the same. I can cut 1 1/2 to 2 minutes of time over 14 miles off of my time in the auto with the manual. don't mind all the spelling and gramatical errors.

Steven

[old_s13]

you live on a mountain, great.. i commute through canyons ever day.

you guys are out of your mind and have no clue how to drive an auto.. shift the fucking thing, get into the right gear, and quit driving like pansies. If I raced VR6 GTI 6-speeds I am sure you guys can control your slushbucket 240SX, regardless if its a manual or auto.

The biggest downside to owning a STOCK auto is not being able to launch the car on the straights.. nothing a torque converter cant fix if you're into drag racing. If you're into canyoning, you can get BY with an auto.. it may not be as in the moment and enjoyable, but thats not to say they cannot compete. If you're into drift, well.. you're going to need much more than just a 5-speed, you'll need a good suspension setup and fucking skills.

I just dont like hearing all this bullshit talk about autos when most people cant even fucking drive. The same idiots who say "stick is for men" that dont even know how to drive stick. I end up dating these chicks that tell me "yeah i went on a date with some guy once who was all into cars and he had a stick thinking he was good, and he didnt even know how to drive smoothly."

[DuffMan]

Automatic 240's just suck. There is no defending them.

Making the a sort of roadster-ish 240 by converting to manual and modifying the vert is always something that I thought would be very cool. Nice job.

Next up: Stiffen the chassis :)

[nissantuner22]

its true that most people who complain about automatics dont ever upgrade them. for most people, a torque convertor upgrade would suffice for their "performance" needs.

[DuffMan]

its true that most people who complain about automatics dont ever upgrade them. for most people, a torque convertor upgrade would suffice for their "performance" needs.
Unless their performance needs involve turning.

[nissantuner22]

true, i was talking about performance from a strictly acceleration viewpoint.
if it came down to the twisties, i would take a stick over an auto too.

[ISTOTOSAO]

I enjoy my manual s13 imensly more than any other car I have driven on the mountain (not too many). regardless of transmission. Thats all there is to that.

Steven

[Bliss]

old_s13, why all the bashing? he went out and did something that alot of people WANT to do, but dont. Why all the damn negativity all the time? Back off and quite being devil's advocate. If you are trying to say an auto is just as fun and a perfomance equal (concerning ALL parts of driving, not just that oh-so-fun driving in a a flat straight line), you're kidding yourself and all others here.

Back on topic, congrats on doing the switch. Alot of people plan on doing it, but never do. I've thought about getting an auto, but I'm such a lazy ass I don't think id ever get around to switching. 1.5 years is a long time, but well worth it. :D

[D1drifter]

Dont hate on auto's, hate on convertibles. :)

HAHAHA soo true. their structural integrity during cornering suck ass.

[old_s13]

old_s13, why all the bashing? he went out and did something that alot of people WANT to do, but dont. Why all the damn negativity all the time? Back off and quite being devil's advocate. If you are trying to say an auto is just as fun and a perfomance equal (concerning ALL parts of driving, not just that oh-so-fun driving in a a flat straight line), you're kidding yourself and all others here.

hey.. suck it... SUCK IT EZ. :) Listen biotch, I had an auto.. I swapped the shit too. The point I am trying to make it quit talking shit as if its garbage, because its not. Like I said, I was able to smoke PLENTY of stick drivers in the canyon.. NOT on the straights. When I hear people talking shit as if a manual is a necessity, it pisses me off. Much like how people think TEIN coilvers and JDM seats are a necessity in order to DRIFT, y0.

So quit being trendy bitches. If I was going to complain about something, I'de complain on owning a fucking convertible because I think they suck (-minus the miata). Atleast start off with a good foundation and get a 5-speed.

But who cares? We're all in different situations and have different goals for our cars. All I am saying is dont talk shit, because I'll smoke all you motherfuckers in an auto S13. :)

- Mike

[drift freaq]

is this whole thread nothing but pointless? Don't any of you guys see that the original post was pretty much pointing out well known , well gone over points that did not need to be posted about? don't any of you see old_s13 messing with you because he can?hahahahahha someone kill this thread please!!!!

[Maeda]

I can see what old_s13's saying. It really comes down to the driver.

I swapped my auto.
There are many times I wish I still had it too.
BECAUSE I can't drive and I know it. Auto was much easier to shift the weight, and power out of the corners(I can't downshift YET). My auto was quieter, and more fun, and not as big a pain in traffic...

I'm sure i'll change my story once I learn to drive, but its just one case where auto wins over stick.

[Ghettokracker71]

a manual tranny is only as good as the driver....having driven both alot,I have yet to had a dull moment in my AUTO TRANS 240....I'll agree with old_s13 about focusing on other things for now....I like them,but I focuse to much on trying to switch gears JUST right ..lol,wich leads me to run into things wich isn't good considering they aren't mine :doh :

BACK ON TOPIC NOW...lol,like I'll ever have any say-so on zilvia

[Mr. Foully]

Old S13 your defensiveness regarding your transmission selection is a hoot. Even worse, I'm uniquely qualified to inform you just how full of shit you are. In my domestic period, I built a streetable drag car with a Ford 460 and the fabled C6. I installed a manual valve body, 10" convertor and a ProStick. A big block with a fully manual automatic and a loose convertor is not for the faint of heart. I'm all about auto's, as long as they've got the cubes to back them up and there're no turns involved.

I've autocrossed two stick cars of far less HP than my 240 that were way more fun. Auto x'ng my 240 made me feel like I was merely picking out a parking spot, but in a hurry. It was impossible to remain on the powerband and there is no engine braking to speak of.

A high-stall convertor is not recomended for autocross or drifting in general. They create a lot of heat by allowing that much slip, are not able to be feathered like a clutch and provide even less engine braking.

I'll cover the convertible topic in a subsequent post.

[old_s13]

I'm sorry, are we talking DOMESTIC transmissions.. OR.. are we talking about the NISSAN 240SX transmission. Lets clarify that there is a BIG difference between the auto on the 240SX and every other crappy plain jane auto that shifts like ASS.

The 240SX is one of the few auto cars that I've driven that DOESNT suck, besides of course.. the newer transmissions that are designed to be shifted. The 240SX auto can be shifted through the gears, does it smoothly, and can take the abuse. Unlike my friend's DSM Eclipse which would over-heat the transmission, get stuck in gear, and eventually need to be turned off and turned back on (rebooted) -- my 240SX auto took over 15 years of abuse before dying its slow death of slippage.. but NEVER gave me any headaches. Just changed the oil and filter every once and blue moon (by mself, no full flushes).

All I can say is that you mofo's should call me the *juiceman*, because I managed to squeeze 110% of the power out of my S13 and put it on the ground back when my car was KA24*E* and AUTO.

This has nothing to do about bragging rights, it has to do with being able to manage with the little you have.... examples? Sure...

"I need TEIN coilovers to drift"
"I need a 5-speed to control my car and stay in a powerband"
"I need NISMO seats so I dont slip out of the car while DRIFTING"
"I need Z brakes because I brake excessively"
"I need ABS because I dont know how to properly modulate the pedal"
"I need a 12" penis because I cant get women off during sex"

Come now.. use the force and learn to work with the little you have. THEN, maybe just then.. you can have a 14" penis like me.. ;)

ahha sukkkaz!

[phrozen]

:werd: i agree with mike...:rawk: u guys just jump on a bandwagon and jump to conclusions... im not even goign to get into it right now cuz i gotta go but if this thread is still open later dont worry.. ill give my 2 cents.

:bigok:

[Hawd]

I think stick is just funner. :)

[Kookaburraz]

So quit being trendy bitches.
u guys just jump on a bandwagon

ummmmmmm :wtf:

[ankyle62]

i am going to have to disagree with the auto preaching. i have an auto and i hate it. it sucks in corners. you cant downshift, you cant get on the gas coming out of corners because it might randomly downshift and upset the weight distribution. basically no control over powering in and out of the corners. only thing i like about it is using it in bumper to bumper traffic.

[old_s13]

i dont get it...

i dont get it....

i dont GET it......

Me owning auto = 7 years

Amount of time it took me to learn to move the selector from "D" to "2" and "1" = 5 seconds

Dont want the auto to SHIFT_foryou, well.. SHIFT_itbyyourself. If you cant handle moving a level, how the hell are you guys going to manage to balance the gas/clutch/gear selector AND possibly brake all at the same time?

Come now.. the point of this thread ISNT me preaching that autos are great, because they are not. Auto's are decent if you're still learning to drive and want to thrash something around UNTIL you gather all your parts, time, money, skill.. whatever you need in order to swap to manual. EVEN AFTER I acquired all the parts, I waited for the auto to die before swapping.. why? Because it ISNT un-liveable.. and its not as bad as some of you guys make it out to be.

Just drive the damn thing hard till it explodes.. thats the way I see it.

[DuffMan]

If you put it into 2 wont it still go into 1st gear when accelerating out of a turn in 2nd and going slow enough?

Thats what screwed me the one time I tried to autox with an auto.

[old_s13]

you need to know the powerbands and at the same time, know how much gas to give before the auto will want to downshift. Most of the time, you can do either of two things:
1) Give it enough gas to where the back is planted and you have your RPMs high enough where the car will not want to downshift to 1st
2) Throw it into 1st if the turn is tight enough.

Most of the time, and very much like MOST sticks, 1st gear isnt a gear you want to get into. With the KA I never used 1st in turns. Since the SR has a higher redline, I've actually been able to use 1st from time to time but its more for fun when I wanna break the back out.

When I would downshift into 1st with the auto, anyone in my car would know this meaned trouble. 1st gear in the auto right before getting into a turn with just a bit of gas = back breaking out.

Like I said, if you want to practice drifting get a manual.. you'll need the clutch pop to break the back end loose.. but if you're canyoning and auto crossing and such, you really dont need it.. you can "get by" with an auto and actually compete a bit with less skilled drivers. The way I see it, if you dont know the track with a auto, you DEFINATELY wont know the track with a manual. Auto's require much less thought and skill to control, so you can actually pay more attention to the track and your line.

Of course, if you're a good manual driver then a manual wont require much effort either.. but i am just speaking generally, most of the people I know (and even folks who have driven stick for over 10 years) dont even know how to heel/toe. Sure, rev-matching.. but no heel/toeing.. thats just "too crazy" for them.

- Mike

[BlackSilEighty]

Mine is auto and I've never had any of the issues you people are talking about. I have basic bolt ons, weight reduction, and a rebuilt auto trans. with no governor. I clocked my 0-60 at 8.9 seconds on my cell phone stop watch. That's only 0.6 seconds slower than a 5 speed 240sx (providing the driver of the 5 speed is a good driver). Cornering is exellent, acceleration is allright provided it would be much better with a turbo setup :naughty:

For "drifting" (20-40mph) I keep it in 2nd (which will start out in 1st but shifts around 15mph or so depending on how hard your gassing it).

For all of my exillerating peel outs and power slides I keep it in 1st. If you want to make a lot of ruckus you can rev it to 4,000RPM and slam it into D for LOTS of smoke. Automatics are wayyyy better for burnouts. I've only done a neutral drop once in front of my old job though because it's probably not too great on the gears.:2f2f:

And for God's sake people...take off that damn overdrive crap! You'll be amazed out the little boost you get. It doesn't shift gears randmly either with it off.

[Maeda]

Sorry to be an ass but have you read the date on this post.

[Dousan_PG]

how do popele find these old posts?
from google? from search mode? going thru what....40 pages of old posts?
it ceases to amaze me.
please tell us all how you dug up this old post.

[ALTRNTV]

And for God's sake people....

...please stop ressurecting 3 year old threads!

[95zilvia]

Im glad whoever brought up this thread, did, it's a funny piece to read. :D

[Nan Desu Ka?!]

OMG. pay atention... for fucks sake.

Im interested as well Dousan, how the hell do people find this ancient stuff AND feel the need post in it?! it boggles the mind...

[FaLKoN240]

you are an imBECILE

Pwnage from back in the day quote. That goes to WHOEVER RESURRECTED THIS OLD ASS SHIT. Good job for searching, but try not to post in the old ass threads.

[sciamop]

I think thread ressurection is the first step to becoming a non-N00b:

n00b: "They keep telling me to search. Well, this time I will search."

<sound of keyboard typing>

n00b: "Wow, here's the answer to my question. Great! Let me show them that I've learned how to search! Where's the post button?!"

<sound of keyboard typing>

zilvia.net mod: "Hey dumbass, the last post to this thread was April 14th 1968... let it die."

----

Back on topic: I think someone should retrofit an SMG or DSG behind a ka24e!

[koukidough]

auto to 5spd conversion is so easy to do why dont many people do it instead of complaining.

[mrmephistopheles]

oh my gourd.