Scorch3

So I had just about resigned to buying a first gen seven when earlier today I see a second gen (1990) right in my price range the exact color I want (not that that really matters but it still nice) and generally the exact car I wanted. Only one problem, its an automatic transmission. Its not that I hate autos or anything it just the my DD (Protege) is an auto and when I decided I wanted to mod it I found out the stock tranny couldn't even hold down an extra 25 horses without imploding so I decided my next car had to be manual. However, a person I know was telling me the rx7s had pretty durable autos so now I'm wondering do you think that an s5 tranny could handle say 200whp?

Oh and I tried searching, I'm not saying its not one here just I couldn't find it.

dawicka2

They are sluggish and an expensive fix if something goes wrong.

If you want a 5 speed, get a factory 5 speed unless the car is such a good deal that you cant pass it up.

Then do the conversion.

Not many people extract large amounts of power and leave the auto.

I have never seen one.

Now......in japan, there are auto t2s with a beefier transmission. That would be an interesting swap in, coupled to a 6 port turbo.

I would run away from the auto model though.

John ny

cmanns

dawicka2, what? A beefier auto??

I have a auto, it was all snazzy till I fixed the 6port, cold air, corksport exhaust, advanced the timing a tad. Now it slips more and more, I can hit 135+, I've pulled on a 90s turbo accord (Shifted the auto too quick since it wasnt a serious race) so they're not horrible if you dont mind manually shifting it, but in the normal "D" mode unless its a S5 (Memorizes your driving style, i dont believe the s4 does) it sucks.

Everytime the batt is disconnected the tranny has to relearn I have a lead foot, then it'll start shifting near 5k which is too much -_-

Go with the auto, but do a 5spd swap once your ready. You wont blow the tranny unless you drop it in gear n dont take care of it much, the fluid in mine hasnt been changed in years...

Evil Aviator

There are only 3 things you need to know about the auto transmission:

1) It kills performance.
2) When it fails (which it will) you are looking at a huge expense to fix it or a huge pain in the rear to convert to a manual transmission.
3) Run away.

cmanns

It's a huge pain to convert to manual? I've read about it for years and many have told me their first time only took 6hrs or so with a bit of trial and error.

but yes the auto tranny will cost a butt load to fix once broken.

dawicka2

.

dawicka2

lol^^^^ My exact post .

Yeah cmanns.... my jspec was coupled to an automatic. I have always wanted to see someone do a turbo swap with this trans in a factory auto.

john ny

Evil Aviator

Yes, my racing partner converted one of his cars, and he says he will never do it again... and he LIKES working on cars. A used RX-7 with a manual transmission costs about the same as one with an auto transmission, so there isn't much point in bothering with the conversion, especially when you consider all of the additional parts that you will need to buy.

Scorch3

This isn't what i wanted to hear but its what i expected to ear. I have noticed that around here at least most of the cars have been brought from elsewhere or stored in garages and almost never driven and very rarely one that wasn't will come up for sale that wasn't and is like 2 grand cheaper but its almost always an auto. I'd like to know more about the swap though since i wanted this as a project car anyway, just curious hows the availability of transmissions for this car?

Hazard15301

iTrader: (5)

I have never, ever seen an RX7 with an automatic tranny. I think theres a reason for that...

If you love the car, get it. While driving it you can collect the necessary parts for a manual swap piece by piece. I'm sure there are write ups on here, it cannot seriously be that difficult for someone with a little bit of mechanical aptitude.

It will be a satisfying experience for you too. Once you get used to driving the auto, then swap to a manual, you will unlock all sorts of power from your 7 that you never would have guessed was there. Even from an n/a.

Evil Aviator

You may want to shop for an RX-7 in the USA if it is really that difficult to find a cheap car in your area. I picked up my 88 convertible for $1,000 USD, and it runs just fine. Last weekend I drove it on a 9-hour trip to DGRR, ripped around the mountains a little bit, and drove it 9-hours back home.

Non-turbo transmissions are still easily available in the USA. Here is a write-up on the conversion:
http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...to_5speed.html

Acesanugal

iTrader: (5)

The conversion is cake. If it's a good car other than the fact it's an auto, buy it...swap it...love it.

cmanns

All The rx7;s I've seen in person except one owned by a moaning bitch down the street (****** wouldnt sell it to me, blew the engine a week later trying to show off infront of me and the friend i had ask him how much ) your not gonna see ANY ******* power auto -> manual in a N/A fc

Your partner must be a woman, Acesanugal is one of the people I was talking about, since I was about ummm 13 years old I've been reading the rx7club for people tranny swapping, I'm bout to do it myself and uh oh gonna give them some beers and I'll get all the parts for much less then another FC costs, not even 300 dollars it costs.

Anyways I'm turboing a automatic FC till my auto blows out, I've never driven a turbo car, never done such modding on a fc but I'm going to take the precautions (if the engine is such low boost i wont even bother for example) but I'll post how it goes.

Honestly you'll find autos in much better condition then a manual, mine was owned by my grandma, she was in pristine condition before my dad drove it for 3 yrs

Oh and Evil Aviator, I respect you a lot. I wasnt saying your racing partner is a woman to put you/him down, I just don't understand how someone who "RACES" **** I hit caps sorry, and knows cars would think its such a biggy, I havent had ANYONE tell me it is, one guy here wanted me to drive down once he got his TII drivetrain swap done and he was gonna give me his whole n/a **** and install it free aslong as I paid for us some beers....

Evil Aviator

It is because:
1) He makes a lot more money than you guys, so his time is worth a lot more than yours.
2) Unlike you guys, he now knows better than to waste his time with the conversion again.

FYI my racing partner worked for Farnbacher Loles, learned tuning from Rick Engman, helped Wolf EMS with their product development, and has tuned rotary engines for a winning SCCA IT/EP race team.
http://www.farnbacherloles.com/

Don't worry, people at his level are not offended by a noob calling him a woman or using CAPS on an internet forum. He would just think it is funny.

Don't pass up that deal!

Scorch3

Well i think at the very least I'll give the guy a call soon and have a look at the car. Its not like they're losing value fast or anything so I could probably just sell it if I decided thats what i had to do. I think I'll likely do what Hazard said if the car is in good shape.

I was thinking about going down to the states to get a car but from here it would be a long drive and i would have to take time off work to go look at a car and see if its good enough to buy for sure. Aviator if you don't mind me asking what car did your partner do the swap on? Just curious because I've never heard anyone complain about much other than the wiring, then again I never knew any of them in person.

Evil Aviator

It was a S4 GXL, which is pretty much the same as any other 2Gen RX-7. He didn't seem to mind the wiring, so maybe that is only an issue with the S5 cars?

Scorch3

Well that would be far better info than i have anyway because I'm not even talking about an Rx-7 just a combination of various piston cars people have told me about swapping, there not mush of a rotary scene around here. I should probably think about it a bit more for now any way, who knows maybe a 5 speed will just show up in the mean time.

grinchy

Had an auto for 5 or 6 years. Finally got around to swapping. Big difference in fun to drive quotient, but it is still basically the same car. Course I have a convertible so it has a bit of a weight problem.

I paid for my swap.

I'd say get a manual unless you live in an area cursed by lots of traffic and/or don't plan to drive aggressively, ever.

The gearing in the auto is really horrible. First gear is way too tall (I don't recall exactly, but it seems like it would go 30 or 40 in FIRST). that combined with the low torque of the rotary is a killer, especially in the 'vert.
2nd in the auto is enjoyable and covers a broad range of driving - no need to shift in the twisties.

Derekcat

iTrader: (8)

heh, been a couple days since the last post.. But yes, the auto's first gear goes to about about 37~38 MPH@7K
Second gear will do good and get you from there to 75MPH~ [80 on my gauge which is about 5MPH off at 45+]

When my GXL was alive, it had a 5spd and was incredibly faster than my base with the auto.. I couldn't believe it. The heaviest NA coupe is faster than the lightest NA coupe - if it has all five gears ^_-
[All the 5sp parts from the GXL are in the garage waiting for the base... But I'm slacking because I'm doing a 5lug swap at the same time <_<]

Scorch3

Wow, why did you spend so much? You could have easily gotten a donor car for that. Just curious what all is needed for the swap, I;m not expecting you to give me a comprehensive list here but it would be nice to get a better grasp of whats really needed.

chancesfold

I am getting ready to do this swap. Just bought a '91 N/A auto. The auto tranny only likes first gear. No reverse, 2nd, 3rd, 4th... Granted I've been wrenching for a while but this swap doesn't seem that complex nor time consuming. I can do this with a buddy in an afternoon and a case of beer assuming there are no catastrophic failures.