Automatic for Track, Bad Idea???
 

Sorry for the noobie question here, but I am considering buying a Toyota 86 with automatic transmission as a dedicated track car. Is anyone out there running a track car with AT?

I test drove a new 86 with paddles and in sport mode felt very responsive.

Other than the tactile feel of rowing through the gears, why else would it be a bad idea to build an 86 Track Car with AT?

If you start adding real ponies, the AT won't grenade but it will slip and eventually die in a less spectacular fashion. @johan


It's also heavier but if you're just out there for fun, who cares? They're not bad at all.

final drive is taller so it'll be slower
not sure if you need a cooler, here's this thread, @Lunatic had one though
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=61498&page=12

You can, people do and enjoy it

AT's are cheaper at auction. (usually anyway)

ATF has a shortened lifespan from the heat. I get somewhere around 30-40k before instead of the 60k in the manual. This shows itself in rougher shifts usually. And ATF is harder to change then MT. It also costs a lot more since it takes more fluid along with the labor time if you don't do it yourself.

Get a manual and learn to drive stick at the track. The gearing is better, and with a manual you learn more.

There is a reason the automatics are cheaper.

Now, if you already have an automatic and you are only going to the track a few times a year, it might not be worth it to get rid of your automatic to try to get a manual.

Mine was flawless on the track, don't listen to @Ultramaroon. I would recommend a simple ATF cooler though. You can retrofit any of the common options from an auto parts store easily enough.

Most new performance cars are Paddles. There are some very fast 86 drivers with paddles. Personally I love manuals and all my sports cars have been manual however when you really break it down realistically there is really no advantage. I've seen vids with comparisons and the paddle\manual times were almost exactly the same.

The high end cars not ours. I have not lost to an auto twin. If only there was a way tp get the fastest autos and sticks on the forums and race each other. Would be awesome.

You bitch so much about every little thing that I must have gotten your complaints mixed up.

Thank everyone for your input. I started tracking with an Automatic Transmission Porsche and then converted to a manual. Ultimately, i prefered the AT but wanted to find out if there is anything inherently wrong or slow or unusable with the AT at the track on the 86. I would definately install a cooler. As far as the relative cost of future maintenance, true the AT can be a costly repair. But, the MT will need clutches and the possibility of engine damage due overrevs is a likely occurance sooner or later.

I'm probably near about 500 hard launches on my 6 year old MT, more autox runs, ~10 hours of track time, 76k miles, never over-revved, it's fine. Throwout bearing is getting a bit loud but it's a known design flaw on the early cars, next one should fix the problem and take the car to over 200k assuming it's still my daily driver a decade from now, which is unlikely. Edit: I've been changing transmission and diff fluid at 30k intervals fwiw, stuff is cheap, <$100 for the fluid change for both.
:iono:

This car has nothing in it mechanically that wasn't available in 1996, it'll be solid if you take care of it either way.

Just want to add that there is no way to launch an automatic 86. 151 ft lbs and a torque converter will bog off the line. If you only do road course tracks, this should not be a problem since you start with a warm up lap and once you get moving the paddles shifters are quite good. But if you ever want to try an autocross course it will be painfully slow off the starting line.

Most autox courses minimize the launch with a hard turn or slowing element before the timing lights, or enough of a drag that it's in the noise. The final drive will hurt more I'd wager, but there's the fun factor of lighting 'em up a bit.