Manual Or Auto?

[JJAY34]

hey guys i was wondering if any of you know if there is any difference in power between n/a r34s. and if there is any pros and cons between them.

cheers jarrod.

[ShanO`]

I converted my R34 to manual about 8 months ago, its the best thing you can do...

Its now a lot more responsive and fun to drive, It will be even better when i finally get around to putting the the 4.3 gears from a manual diff in

[mad082]

there will be a bit of a power difference with the different gearboxes. auto gearboxes are heavier and generally take more power to drive, and at lower revs they are less efficient as the lock up torque converter isn't engaged or they aren't pumping enough fluid to get the gearbox spinning quickly. basically it means that you can be reving higher than what the gearbox is turning, like when a clutch is slipping in a manual. once the torque converter locks in it is like being in a manual with the clutch out. whatever the revs do the gearbox does. you put the foot down and the revs won't pick up before your speed does.

[JJAY34]

thanks guys i guess i might take a look at converting

[AYW550]

the information i read once could be wrong, but the n/a r34 manual is supose to have ~15kw more over the auto

mine is manual and its been great!

[N-DAWG]

what mad082 said. I'm running my GT Box, rebuilt with kevlar clutchpacks and new clutchbands, brand new solenoid set, and valve body rebuilt. The shifts are a lot quicker, but the torque converter engaging when in tiptronic is definitely noticeable! After the revs flat for a bit and the torque converter fully engages then it's up n go from there. Mind you it's up n go to begin with, just the part where the torque converter engages that annoys me

The other thing too is the condition of the gearbox. Before I got mine rebuilt, the flaring was fierce (I'll get around to posting up a short vid of what it was like from 1st to 2nd at mid-high revs), and the revs would fluctuate, and consequently boost was out of whack too (particularly with 10:1 compression). Since a rebuild the car drives a lot better, revs out much better and harder (besides the torque converter engaging around 2500revs)... but then again, my gearbox wasn't in the best condition when the rebuild happened.. I hardly think that metal debris in the gearbox pan is a good thing, but that's the price of seeking more power with an N/A gearbox...

I read somewhere (I think it was 666DAN that posted it in a thread) that the torque engagement is different between being in D321 and Tiptronic modes... I don't really notice it if at all when in D321, but then again could be the way the gearbox is managing itself when in fully-automatic modes.

Anyways, I can't really compare the auto to manual directly as I've only driven a tiptronic skyline, but from what I've read, if you're happy to give up the luxury of clutchless shifting on a daily driver, go for the manual! If you want the best of both worlds, then provided your gearbox is in good condition, do a valve body upgrade.

In the end the power difference is going to be a case of how much power is lost at the transmission and driveline between the engine and the rear wheels which can be quite variable depending on age and condition.