My automatic 12 valve vauxhall has a stupidly long 1st gear and a stupidly high top speed for a man who lives a long way from the nearest stretch of motorway let alone Autobahn. Its not very quick off the mark.
Anyone know anything much about making Autos sportier? Ideally it would have closer ratios and smarter acceleration from a standstill. I would be willing to sacrafice the ability to do 120mph in 3rd gear.
Any ideas chaps/chapesses?
Douglas
Its a Carlton, any info on what might bolt straight in? Do diesels generally have longer or shorter final drive ratios?
Could be fun, bit less insurance friendly I daresay.
Its got a motor - 2.6 straight 6 not good enough for you?
Douglas
I very much doubt you could change the actual gear ratios within the box. Most autos are evenly spaced, anyway.
The obvious thing is to alter the final drive to lower the overall gearing, although this will make the cruising fuel consumption worse.
I'm surprised you want a lower first gear - most modern autos are designed to give as good a step off as possible. Couldn't be a faulty torque convertor? Have you tried a stall test?
Shorter diff?
Or Nitrous
Or a different car with a motor?
You could fit the smallest alloys and lowest profile rubber that will clear your callipers this will have the effect you are after to some extent. Another option would be to get rid of anything in the car you don't need on a daily basis like rear seats, replace the side and rear windows with plexiglass etc. it won't alter the gearing but with less mass to lug around it will accelerate better.
Change the diff.
Fraser
Hmmm, right enough, accelerating with foot to the floor in sport mode, once at the redline, it changes gear and the revs are matched to the 4000rpm "more power" inlet tract profile. Even if it were possible, changing ratios probably isnt that desireable.
At the moment I really only use it for dicking around in. I bought it knowing full well to expect less than 20mpg round town. Less if driven with any sort of enthusiasm.
My car is geared to do over 50mph in 1st. However, I've never had a hint of wheelspin (apart from in the snow) which I suppose is a good thing but to me that just means the gearbox can't try hard enough. I've never tried a left foot braking take off. I suspect it would spin the wheels then.
I guess the high gearing is also to allow it to have only 4 ratios and still have a book top speed over 130mph.
Haven't done a full scale stall test but it seems to work OK. Seems to 'grip' somewhere just over 2000rpm TC lock out seems to function as prescribed on 3rd and 4th. Peak torque isnt till 3600 apparently.
Do torque convertors wear out then? Sloshing ATF around all their lives would seem a pretty easy existence to me, but I don't fully understand what they do.
Douglas
We are not taking about me. You wanted it faster????
And no a big heavy car needs more power if you ask me.
I doubt it. Neither of my autos will spin their wheels on a decent surface
- despite both having over 190 bhp. Spinning wheels from rest on most cars is due to brutal use of the clutch - and is just a waste of time on most. A TC feeds in the power much more accurately than that.
My Rover manages that - just - that with only 3 ;-) The 4th is probably an 'overdrive' to aid economy. 5 speed autos tend to have the best set of ratios - although I've not driven a 6 speed.
Normal stall speed is usually just over 2000 rpm. But the lockout clutch is independent.
That peak torque figure is at rather high rpm for an auto to work well, IMHO. I had an auto BMW early 24 valve which was a bit of a pain when off cam - ie most of the time around town - even although a 5 speed with a pretty low first gear. The later models with variable valve timing that gave more torque a lower revs were a vast improvement.
No - IMHO they tend to either work or not.
You've never driven an automatic Vauxhall, have you ? :)
Thinks. A coke bottle Viva 1600. That was very lively for its time. A Ventura. Ditto. Oh - and a Viscount. That positively flew away.
A modern one, no. Are they generally lacking in low down grunt?
change to a manual gearbox
Nah, auto is the future, you heard it here first! (c:
Douglas
In that case, sell it and buy an E34 525i 24v with the 5 speed autobox - very smooth and intelligent box, that one.
-- JackH
Yeah, I got really fed up with the manual box in the Carlton, and longed for an auto. The manual box in the Audi is great though.
Peter
Hmmm, my 535i auto will spin the wheels like a bastard if you stamp on the loud pedal from a satanding start - might just be crap tyres though.... ;o)
Nah, you're a litre short to get decent performance with an autobox
The first non VANOS ones are dreadfully sluggish under normal conditions - fine when you floor it, but pretty slow around town. Make sure you get a late VANos one.
On a dry good surface in a straight line?
Having never owned or regularly driven autos before, I'd have to say that I would definately not get an auto that had an engine with less power/torque than the one I've got. My car manages - but its not fast by any stretch of the imagination. Lesser machines can't be up to much if this is anything to go by.
Douglas
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