Steves1979280zx

Similar boat. Although Its not too bad. 0-60 isnt so hot but it has a pretty mean passing gear 60 and above.

jfairladyz

If you've got an auto 280zx and have never driven a manual 280zx then dont. If you do you'll immediately be on your way to either swapping out your auto or finding another Z already equipped with a 5 speed. Unlike a lot of cars where the only difference is in where and how you can shift, the difference in these cars is phenomenal. The auto is no comparison to the manual tranny in these cars. Top gears are probably not too bad in the auto, but thats about the only place it's going to come close. For those who think gas miileage is a good argument for the auto trans, think again. The 5 speed will get you better gas mileage as long as you're not racing around all the time.

Steves1979280zx

How difficult would it be to trade a auto for a 5spd?
big PITA ?
Is there already a form topic ? or a how-to?

RodMoyes

You mean like say... A stock 280ZX?

Rod.

81 Black L28E

ok i have driven both kinds of cars...and call me stupied all you want but the autos are better then the manys....with the auto the down shift rules all !!!! ...there is no way the mal could even step to it ...corner kicks out are faster and tire fire is longer ...wit the auto , if i start burning the tires it will burn them all the way into 3rd gear...with the many car it would only burn them into second ...the only place the auto lacks is down shifting when at 31mph to about 46 mph ..if you kick it down at thoughs speeds then it isnt as strong of a kick down ...lauching off the inline is eazyer and less work with the auto .shifting is smoother and less work on your motor ..i have raced lots of cars with my auto and not one car has beat me yet .iam not saying iam the fastest ..winning is winning and i am sure there are cars out there that would run right around my car but for the cars that i have raced the auto z has out ran them or just out right left them in the dust...they all ways talk alots of **** befor hand ..."like O its a auto iam going to kill you you need to swap that **** out many is better and funner" ....i just smile ...then i wave as i pass them in the top end ...after its all over there always like "man that thing ****ing moves how the hell did you beat me with a auto or there just pissed off and dont say a dam thing... lololol...my take on it is ...auto Z's rule over many Z's just because you can shift your car it does NOT mean you can shift it right lolololol...

NismoPick

I am in no way trying to be an *** when I say this, but it sounds like you need practice when it comes to manual shifting.

How many Japanese drift pros use auto trannies? How many pro race cars use auto trannies? Why does the "sport package" on most sports cars come w/ a manual tranny?

I have both a manual & auto 280zxt... Granted, my manual has much more power, but I can burn my tires all day long w/ a manual tranny.

EDIT... Let us not forget that power loss through the drivetrain is also less in a manual... which means auto's are actually putting less power to the ground.

81 Black L28E

i can burn out just fine with any many car infact every car that i have ever owned was a many ...but i would trade them all for the car i have now .....i wish there was a tork converter that i could swap to that would get rid of the power loss but i like more top end and less low end so that is realy why i like the autos more... burns out are fun , being droping the clutch and letting it rip IS great dont get me wrong but being able to over take someone in the long run is way funner ....and yes there are many pro drifters that use autos the new stang drift car is auto and bubba drift uses a auto along with a few others ."it makes for much eazyer drifting" as said by the jap stang driver on the late night drift show i was watching just the other night ..i see what the guy was saying about having more control over the car ..it makes it eazyer to keep the drift going ...longer drift = more pro status lol...
the best thing about are cars is the rear ends ...they seem to lock up very well i looked at the marks left on the road and both tires where leaving nice burn out tracks with the S style back and fourth track marks i know four sure that i dont have a lsd ...but the stock rear end seem to lock some power to both tires as break out starts happening.... if you keep it shifting from side to side it seems to keep locking up both wheels ...witch i feel is pretty tight for a stock rear diff...anyway many or auto its your call on witch you like best for your self and your driving stlye but dont discount the auto it may supprise you ...i wish i had them both like you nismo ...mabe someday ...

o ya the tibby is a many , i driver her more then eff to get my fill of shifting : )

jfairladyz

well mathmatically speaking, the auto falls short in every aspect compared to the manual trans in these cars. Even in reverse the manual will accelerate faster If an auto tranny 280zx is beating an equal 280zx equipped with a manual trans, then the fault is in the driver of the manual. It's not the fact that the auto is superior in any way. The gearing is thus in the manual that even the delay in shifting gears is not enough in the hands of a half way decent driver that the auto could make up for it.

And on the note of pro drifters using auto trannies: They are NOT using stock 280zx automatic transmissions. That's my point here. I'm not arguing that all manuals are better than all autos. But in the case of the 280zx, the manual dominates over the auto. Bubba drift is using a modified GM trans. Not only is it not a stock trans, but he has to have a lock on it so it doesn't down shift on him in mid drift and send him into a wall. Something you dont have to worry about with a manual. And on that note: How many drift events has Bubba even won with his manual car? Exactly. Try drifting for too long with your stock auto and it's going to burn out real quick as that fluid cooks and then proceeds to burn out your torque convertor til you're not putting ANY power to the ground.

Now lets look at the guys dominating in drift: Ken Gushi in his stang is running a T56 6 speed. Rys millen, also running a manual transmission. The only other Stang I can think of off the of my head is the Drift Alliance/Falken Stang and it is also running a manual trans last I heard.

If you want kick out in a manual, then downshift the damn thing. If you want smoother shifting, then shift it better. All the arguments one can make for the automatic trans in the 280zx are one's of either laziness or lacking in the ability to properly drive a manual. The manual in the 280zx is far from the top of my list on best trannies. But the automatic trans in the 280zx is even lower on my shitlist.

So again, I'm not saying that all automatic transmissions are crap. I'm saying that that the auto in the 280zx is crap. Is it reliable? I have no idea. But swap in a manual and don't mash the pedal and say hello to improved gas mileage. Put your foot into it and say hello to improved performance.

Steves1979280zx

edited for my own devious purposes

Not really I can eat a cheese burger change cd's and adjust the air while driving down a busy street with lots of lights and accelerations and de-celerations.

duowing

Then i guess my only remaining argument for the auto would simply be the fact that at late night cruuising it's kind of nice and not having to worry about lauching. Although once you get used to it it's no big deal. So I guess I'll have to switch to manual then. Now the question is. Which would be the better rear diff to go for. The 3.7 or the 3.9?

to Steve: I've seen people smoking, and talking on a cell phone while driving a manual. They hold the phone with their hand, the cigarette with their other hand. Every so often they put the phone between their head and shoulder to either move the wheel and/or shift. It's scary to drive anywhere near them.

jfairladyz

There is a lot of math to figure out which rear end would work best. You'd have to take into consideration wheel RPM's and engine RPM's and figure out where shift points would be. You'd also have to know the engines power band, yada-yada-yada. If your car is stock then the best diff for acceleration would be the 3.9. That will definitely give you some pick up. If it's fuel econommy you're worried about, then stick with what you got. Installing the other diffs in your car would be akin to not having a 5th gear. If you want a compromise:3.7. It'll give you better accleration then the 3.545 and wont suck as much gas as the 3.9

duowing

How do the 3.9's do on gas anyway? Oh and for the diff's I meant I'd only swap them if I were to swap to manual. I know it'd be pretty pointless to do it in an auto.

jfairladyz

I can do all those things in my manual without missing a beat. It's funny cause a lot of people look at driving a manual as a chore. To me, it's not. It's just like walking. Some people have a problem with walking, thats even a chore to them. I can walk just fine and I dont even have to think about it. Thats how I am with a manual transmission. I just dont have to think about it. The only time I consider a manual transmission a chore is when the clutch is so heavy that it starts to fatigue in traffic or when the clutch is so grabby you can't ease into it. But those aren't problems common to a street vehicle unless it's a race car being driven on the street.

Like the comment on take off. It's a no brainer for me. It just comes naturally at this point. I'm not bragging that I'm a super great driver. I'm just saying that it's to the point where it's all second nature and no more inconvenient then driving an auto for me. I've not only been driving a manual trans for several years now, but I've packed on thousands upon thousands upon thousands of miles on my cars. I've done a lot driving. I've spent countless hours with a manual trans and it's really all I know at this point. When I get behind the wheel of an automatic I feel lost when my foot goes for that clutch and my arm goes to down or upshift that shifter. I'm actually worse at driving an auto now that I think about it. My take off in an auto is a little rough due to being so used to driving a manual trans.

jfairladyz

With the Nissan 5 speed they do great. But the 5 speed with the 3.9 is the same as the auto with the 3.545. So the 3.9 with the automatic will get worse gas milage then the 3.9 with a 5 speed.

duowing

Hot damn, It's time to swap to a 5-speed 3.9 diff. Dorifto was supposed to sell me a transmission, driveshaft, etc. Then he dissapeared. I've gotten alot better at driving a manual that it's really not so tedious as it used to be. I remember when I first was learning it was confusing and it seemed like so much more. Nowadays I can get in a car and drive fairly easy, but not having a manual tranny to drive everyday, I can't really say I'm fantastic when it comes to driving them. Although I love driving stick.

jfairladyz

It just takes time. How long did it take you to perfect walking. Hell, somedays I still don't even have that down You wanna learn something difficult, get used to braking with your left foot without putting your face into the steering wheel When I first tried that it was because I met a chic that actually drove that way. She learned to drive, and still does to this day, by braking with her left foot and accelerating with her right. Then I realized how much faster I could get around a track if I could brake with my left foot. Took quite a bit of time but now it's just another thing that comes second nature. Now I can brake into a corner and keep my other foot on the gas to keep the engine revved. It's nice when you dont want to downshift but would otherwise lose to much engine speed. Otherwise I still right foot brake.

81 Black L28E

I consider a manual transmission a chore ....its like driving a Zlolololol

NismoPick

Hey, I talked w/ Dorifto tonight on a local forum. He had to move & his dad sold his Z's & RX7's. He's car-less right now. Doh! He said he'd stop by sometime tho.