How many of us have automatics?

ZoomZoomZoom

On the road again..
Dec 9, 2007
443
0
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KY
My twins are both automatics. I used to have two 87s, one auto, one 5-speed. One thing I have learned is the 5-speeds cost more because they are in more demand, so the I get more car for my $. (but don't tell all those people shopping for 5 speeds)

One thing I have learned about the automatics is that the shifters are a bit sensitive. I got into the habit of throwing the shifter into drive on my nissan, and when I did that on my 91 supra, I actually got the car between 2nd and 3rd gear. So I'd be driving along the interstate, and the car would drop out of OD. Turning the car off and on "fixed" it, but the real issue was the shifter itself. Now that I make sure the car is firmly in D before I take off, no problems.

I've noticed that the transmission itself can get very very hot in the summer. So hot, that you can hardly touch the base of the emergency brake. Anyone else have that issue?
 

theKnifeArtist

Fire on High!
Apr 6, 2006
2,332
0
0
North Jersey
used to be an auto. kinda liked the whole turbo auto thing. then did the 5speed swap because the auto broke and i've always wanted it to be 5speed. i would so love a big horsepower supra with an auto, but that not what i'm building right now, so i'm just enjoyin' me 5speed:p
 

ImpulseDrive

New Member
Apr 23, 2007
123
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40
Brooklyn
I have a 91 turbowith auto tranny with 90k miles, heck if anyone has a 5 speed and want to trade Im in. My tranny is really really smooth. I just miss the 5 speed from my 89 N/A.
 

madsupra88

BoOoOoST
Sep 17, 2005
1,245
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Detroit,MI
Had a stock auto. blew it up 3 times with about 400 to the wheels. then switched to 5 sp (r154) drove it for a month and wanted to go faster so switched to a fully built th350 (manual valve body) and still deciding if i wanna put a trans break on it or not :-D

If you want fast... Auto is the way to go
If you want cruiser type a car.... 5 SP
 

detroitink

New Member
Dec 24, 2007
1
0
0
detroit
first post:icon_bigg

ive got an 88 auto and i love it. all of my car's have been manual in the last 5 years including the daily drivers and im just happy to be able to cruise around with an auto instead of shifting gears in traffic.

it would seem logical to me to use auto in a turbo application as long as the trans holds up. speaking of which, can anyone give some pointers on building up an auto? i'd like to stick with my auto and i will eventually shoot for around 350 hp. if anyone has any suggestions feel free.
 

DonS1mpson

Black Supramacist.
Mar 19, 2006
674
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32
England!
The A340e isn't a bad little transmission.

Before I even got my car, I knew that I was going to be lumbered with a car with a auto box and as such planned to stick a 5 speed in more or less as soon as I got it home, but I soon realized that Autos by no means deserve the bad rap they sometimes get.

I'm a lot more confident in the supra than I would be if it was an 5Sp. The supra quite literally has twice the power of the manual car I learnt in and even with the 100bhp it had, I was nervous. After a bit of time in the Supra with the auto, I got some of the basics of controlling a car with ample power and now feel condident enough to drive anything (within reason :naughty:). It's also an absolute JOY to have when driving around town.

I've never once been in a position where I wished I waited for an auto, although this might change when I take the supra road racing some time in the new year.

I think the problem is that the majority of people who talk trash about autos are 5sp owners how haven't ridden in a automatic supra, let alone driven one. Dare I say, the same thing applies to those who talk trash about NAs...
 

AJ2009

Formerly almaj2006
Feb 3, 2006
25
0
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Northern Virginia
madsupra88 said:
Had a stock auto. blew it up 3 times with about 400 to the wheels. then switched to 5 sp (r154) drove it for a month and wanted to go faster so switched to a fully built th350 (manual valve body) and still deciding if i wanna put a trans break on it or not :-D

If you want fast... Auto is the way to go
If you want cruiser type a car.... 5 SP
See I would have thought if you wanted a fast car you would get a 5spd and if you wanted a cruiser then it would be a auto. The general public usually thinks of fast cars being 5spds. I'm glad to see everyone loving therer autos tho. :icon_bigg
 

Boost Lee

Bee Doo Bee Doo Bee Doo
Staff member
Sep 13, 2006
2,750
0
0
Indianapolis, IN
jdub said:
X2 ;)

A built A340E will smoke a same HP 5-speed all day. This car is perfect for an auto tranny IMO.

[[[sits down beside IJ and jdub]]]

Agreed. :)

One thing that some of you Auto owners are missing out on (literally)...
If you don't have one yet, GET A TRANNY COOLER.

If you don't have any big plans of building your A340 or going with a bulky GM tranny, at a minimum, pick up a tranny cooler. ;)

Stock Tranny + Cooler + 13psi + Stock stall & sticky tires = 13.76 @ 105.

I love my Auto...but I must say, if my car didn't have any "kick" to it, I'd have to join the bandwagon of saying "It is boring to drive".

Going WOT with it kicking down a gear is the most amazing feeling.

High stall + Slicks = Faster than your built 5 speed Supra. ;)

-Jeff
 

Nomad707

Im From The Bay
Mar 14, 2007
1,039
0
0
Santa Rosa, California
auto's are nice... but get a th350 next to a a340 and yer gunna have one helluva run for your money =) th350 is teh vrooom. 3speed ftw

my last supra was a a340 and it was nice.. i just really dont like automatics.. i like to be in control... no more auto's for me untill im geezer status or minus one leg.
 

madsupra88

BoOoOoST
Sep 17, 2005
1,245
0
0
36
Detroit,MI
Yea only reason i got a TH350 auto because its better in a quarter mile pass. which is what my car is mainly for. auto holds boost between shifts :-D

Of course i like 5sp better when im cruising around town though. cant have both though, unless i have 2 supras running :)
 

deabionni

The Lurker
Sep 16, 2007
431
0
0
Kalkaska, MI
I have a N/A auto, and plan on keeping the auto when I do a 1JZ swap. I just like the auto because it's hassle free, and it's better for me for driving around town.

[noob question]
My biggest question would be, is it better to keep the auto currently in the car, or get a 1JZ that has an auto and use it's auto instead?
[/noob question]
 

AJ2009

Formerly almaj2006
Feb 3, 2006
25
0
0
Northern Virginia
Boost Lee said:
[[[sits down beside IJ and jdub]]]

Agreed. :)

One thing that some of you Auto owners are missing out on (literally)...
If you don't have one yet, GET A TRANNY COOLER.

If you don't have any big plans of building your A340 or going with a bulky GM tranny, at a minimum, pick up a tranny cooler. ;)

Stock Tranny + Cooler + 13psi + Stock stall & sticky tires = 13.76 @ 105.

I love my Auto...but I must say, if my car didn't have any "kick" to it, I'd have to join the bandwagon of saying "It is boring to drive".

Going WOT with it kicking down a gear is the most amazing feeling.

High stall + Slicks = Faster than your built 5 speed Supra. ;)

-Jeff
I'm a newbie to supras. What exactly is a tranny cooler, how much are they and where can you buy one from?
 

dbsupra90

toonar
Apr 1, 2005
2,374
0
0
indiucky
almaj2006 said:
I'm a newbie to supras. What exactly is a tranny cooler, how much are they and where can you buy one from?

a transmission cooler is like a radiator for your transmission. it cools the fluid and returns it to the trans. without it, the fluid would get too hot.

they are generally $50-150 for one. the more expensive ones are the same cooler with a small fan. i prefer the b&m coolers due to the plate design and they are very tough. you can buy them from about any speed shop, summit, jegs, or even some vendors on here.