Worth it to Mod Autos??

[Shorebroke]

As i watch my friends in their cars clock 14's and 15's in the 1/4 mile, it makes me want to join them. However, my car is an automatic, and i know getting in that time zone is gonna be hard, both on my wallet, and my engine. I read too much about the risks of boosting auto's, so that will never be an option of mine. And the only thing i can think of that will show some gains are the bolt-on mods.

Now, i'm done with all exterior mods, and i've got my interior mods set as to what i'm gonna do. But than it comes to the engine. My friends ask me what i'm gonna do with that, and i honestly don't know what to say. IDK what i want to do with. Whether to spend more money on engine mods to see marginal gains in HP, or in my 1/4 mile time. Currently, i run a 17.2 second 1/4 mile @ 78 MPH, and i only have an Ebay Intake. Basically, i was wondering what's the best time i could possibly get, or the most HP i could gain with more mods to the motor.

Anyone with automatic 2.0's please chime in, and tell me what you've done. and if you've ran your car, what were your times, or any dyno sheets would be good. I read the N/A timeslips thread, but i just assume that all those cars are 5-speed.

I just wanna make sure that i'm certain on whether or not i'm gonna mod my engine. If gains are positive looking, looks like i got another area to work on. Thanks again.

-Ash

 

[Lord_Zath]

OBX header will probably get you the most gain for the buck bolt-on.

I'm also looking into getting the WOMP supercharger as that'll be nicer on the automatic transmission. Check it out - it'll be a little less power than a turbo for us but give us around 70 to 80 hp.

LZ
Z

 

[Matthew]

i wouldnt do anything with an automatic but thats me. i always like the fact that my possibilities are open, even if i dont utilize them.

 

[uclap5]

when you stop looking at 1/4 mile times having an auto isnt so bad, theres a lot of fun in handling and learning cornering/ braking technique in something like an autox or road course.

then again, if you only care about 1/4 mile then dont even bother.

 

[Shorebroke]

well, there IS autoX here, but none of my friends do that, and from what i seen down here, it don't look all too fun. There are the occassional freeway runs late at night on our way home from the tracks, and i guess that's where i'd like to keep up with everyone. But it's just that 1/4 mile times got timeslips, and street racing is word of mouth mostly.

But thanks for the input....i think i'ma stick to mostly show, and no go.

 

[Lil Freek]

a header is worth the money.. and maybe you should let your friends street race one weekend while you attempt autoXing.. it's not like you'll damage your car.. the cones tend to give way pretty fast under the weight of the car. (boom01)

 

[Captain KRM P5]

i think the supercharger kit i am selling will be great for an auto tranny. we are sponsoring someone with a sport AT very soon and he should have his demo kit by the end of march

 

[Lil Freek]

^^ is that Rism?

No matter what, with an auto, if you go FI - you need to beef up the tranny... I think I'm still the one pioneering Lentech's workmanship as they are 20min from my house.
simple fact that sucks the anus of a dead donkey... the torque converter stator = plastic!!

 

[CitizenPro]

When i had my auto P5......i ran a best of 16.8 in the quarter. I had the MSP j-spec cams, AEM Intake, AWR Header, & 2.25" catback exhaust when i ran that time. I added the Nology Hotwires & 2.25" header-back (catless) exhaust but never went back to run......i maybe could have pulled a 16.7, 16.6 at the most. Not worth it if you want huge power numbers.......but it was fun while it lasted.

I crossed over to the darkside now (glare)

 

[Captain KRM P5]

^^ is that Rism?

No matter what, with an auto, if you go FI - you need to beef up the tranny... I think I'm still the one pioneering Lentech's workmanship as they are 20min from my house.
simple fact that sucks the anus of a dead donkey... the torque converter stator = plastic!!

no, not him. but we'll make an announcement shortly. he will be sporting a trans fan and cooler.

 

[Lil Freek]

depending how much he's pushing.. the SC should eventually wear the tranny to diarrhea - if he drives it like a nut (which i'm doing with my turbo)

I will agree, though... a SC is *MUCH* nicer to an ATx than a turbo is... but the extra stress will eventually require certain tranny components to be replaced. IMO

 

[Lord_Zath]

^^ is that Rism?

No matter what, with an auto, if you go FI - you need to beef up the tranny... I think I'm still the one pioneering Lentech's workmanship as they are 20min from my house.
simple fact that sucks the anus of a dead donkey... the torque converter stator = plastic!!

agreed any auto doing anything more than basic N/A mods (intake/header/exhaust/cams/cam gears) should throw in a tranny cooler. Always a good precaution from melting the tranny sooner than it will (encourage

LZ
Z

 

[Subghetto]

This is how I look at it I have an 2002 auto P5 the gayass one too w/o the shift/trip-tronic option and I came to the conclusion that driving the auto stock sucked balls. Now I put in a couple of mods to make it a little faster and I definitely believe it's worth it. As I see it I have dumped a lot of money in this car to stop so why not go all the way. I plan to get MAM's budget turbokit in the future. Look at BazookaJoe he has an auto and it's turboed and he seems happy boostin 4-5 safely.

agreed any auto doing anything more than basic N/A mods (intake/header/exhaust/cams/cam gears) should throw in a tranny cooler. Always a good precaution from melting the tranny sooner than it will (encourage

LZ
Z

Yeah I still think that the auto tranny can take a lot of punishment on the N/A wagon unless you go insane. In the future when I get more performance mods I plan to get a tranny cooler and a tran temp gauge which is very important.

 

[Lil Freek]

in the next 4-5 months.. you should see ~5 more FI ATx cars... just watch what we do and make an educated decision based on our 'trial and error' scenarios.

I'm going step-by-step with Lentech to see what the Valve body can take with 7psi... as soon as the tranny feels like it's slipping.. i'll just have the whole thing upgraded to their Terminator. and boost the s**** out of the car.

 

[Zoom-Zoom03]

If you have a good shop by you you could either have the mod the fins on our stock torque converter, or you could just purchase a new torque converter. It will turn your slush box into an ice box, the price is not too bad either. It wont give you more power but you will be able to put the power that you have down to the ground quicker, which means quicker quarters. (I am by no means bashing auto trans, especially for drag racing b/c when you get in to very high HP it is better, just ask my neighbor and his 1200HP mustang)

 

[Subghetto]

in the next 4-5 months.. you should see ~5 more FI ATx cars... just watch what we do and make an educated decision based on our 'trial and error' scenarios.

I'm going step-by-step with Lentech to see what the Valve body can take with 7psi... as soon as the tranny feels like it's slipping.. i'll just have the whole thing upgraded to their Terminator. and boost the s**** out of the car.

(cabpatch)Go Go lil freek I to plan to go Lentech as well but not anytime soon lol I guess I'am not one to give up to easily I'am still hoping one of us autos shows everyone that we can build-up just as good as a manual.

 

[Lil Freek]

hahah. well.. if i can't break the Valve body w/ 7psi.. that'll show that only $380 can go a long way.
i still plan on going full terminator cuz for 2006, i want to push 13-14psi (just enough to hover around 250whp)

 

[Lil Freek]

fyi - the torque converter in the protege... plastic.
just buy the Lentech Terminator TC.. it's like $600 or something.. but your engine will give up before it will

 

[romecandleboy]

I agree with Subghetto - if modding your car with simple bolt-ons makes it more fun to drive then it's worth it. don't get caught up in numbers.

 

[Lord_Zath]

werd. If you don't have the budget to go fi, try adding a little here, a little there. A header should be the first choice. 200 bucks and nice kick. Exhaust is good afterwards. Some say underdrive pulleys are also good.

LZ
Z