Is automatic festiva suck?

[BigJim]

I got a festiva 92 automatic i want maybe do some mods on it like
mags, new paint, turbo and more but is automatic wort it or it more
fun with manual?

[88FESTIVAGTR]

auto's are just fine.

[Whittey]

More fun with a manual, more strength with the auto. More gears and definitely a higher top speed with the manual. You could do a manual swap. I'd just keep the auto.


-=Whittey=-

[aithanmier]

keep the auto and swap out the engine for more power....it'll be almost as much fun as a manual, and less work (plus cheaper because you won't have to buy a g-series tranny to stand up to the more powerful engine) enjoi!

[Guest]

bp + stock auto =

[oxbrain]

Why is it that autos take more power? Do they just build them to be more durable or is it something else? I've never understood that.

[aithanmier]

it's not really tghe case that autos are always stronger than manuals, it depends on the tranny. the 4r70w(auto) tranny that came in my cougar can't handle more than around 300 hp in stock form (they can be built to withstand 900hp), the tremec t-45 (5 speed) can handle about 300-340 hp before breaking, and the tremec t-56(6 speed) can handle around 600-700 hp stock. as far as conventional wisdom goes, autos are generally weaker than manuals, not the reverse. the more power you put into a manual, the hotter they run and the hotter they run the shorter the lifespan. it just happens to be the case that the festiva auto is stronger than the manual. of course most of the strongest tranny's built for drag racing are autos, usually the gm powerglide, which properly built will take over 2500hp, mostly because if memory serves it doesn't have overdrive...ask any tranny shop and they will tell you that automatics lasted forever before they started introducing the overdrive transmission.

[JerseyJay1.8T]

Auto transmissions do not directly connect to the engine, inside the torque converter, a "fluid coupling" action occurs to drive the wheels instead of a mechanical clutch. The ATF absorbs a lot of the shocks that in a manual would be directly transmitted to the (in the festiva's case) super-weak gears, case, and axles. The auto has is limits too, as Yvan has discovered what, like 3 times now? It will last even longer if run with synthetic ATF and the biggest air-air trans cooler you can fit in the grille. Also change the fluid and filter once a year, have it flushed at a local service station (with an actual trans-flush machine) every other year.

Just one question? What the hell is this doing in the Suspension forum?

[festscort]

you can buy a shift kit for the manual tranny's I forget the company that makes them but they are the same company that makes them for b&m, its listed as a shift inprover kit and would make it funner for sure. I ran a bp swap on my auto and would wind it out to about 195km's on a daily basis. problem is the auto tranny would heat up and start to slip. my plan for that was gonna be a xtra tranny cooler coming off the rad lines and some addatives and the shift kit and a inline magnetic style filter.

but I missed the auto cause I could be on the cell phone and egging people on and surprise alot of people as well. the bp swap with the auto or any swap is a little cheaper on the auto cause you skip the expensive clutch setup. if you could find a aftermarket torque converter that would be cool.