Automatic owners

[doggieboy09]

Originally Posted by doggieboy09

This is for research for an essay I'm doing for class. Basically for anyone who bought/own an automatic BRZ/FR-S, I want to know the reason for buying vs owning a stick shift. No flaming please>

And of course if you are pleased/disappointed with your decision.

everyone for your posts. I really needed to find a rebuttal for my value argument paper on why stick shift or manual transmission is better than an automatic transmission. I do have a bias favoring manuals but I value everyone's reason why they chose the automatic transmission.

[Gintsuki]

I went with the AT over MT cause:

1) it's my daily commuter car
2) I live in the city and work up on "the hill"
3) hills
4) better gas milage
5) It still has pretty awesome paddle shifting

[OoLong]

1. City travels - no need to shift up and down all the time during traffic or rush hour.
2. Paddles - easy shifting and fun
3. Better mileages.
4. Anyone can drive it.
5. Daily driver.
6. One hand driving.

[navanodd]

1. Was making a deal on a leftover 2013, and the only manual Sport-tech/Limited in stock was silver, and its my least favourite color on this car.
2. Test drove the auto and was shocked at how responsive it was - both in auto and manual modes.
3. Acceleration numbers showed a difference in 0-60 times, not 5-60 times - I didn't plan on launching my car so the difference was meaningless, and still a lot quicker than my old 2001 Accord was.
4. Gas mileage
5. Living in downtown Halifax now, and unsure of where I'll end up once I finish school and work terms. If I was for sure to be somewhere with less traffic it would've been a harder choice.

[jpsuperstar]

1. Had to compromise with parents.
2. Didn't know how to drive MT at the time but now I do.
3. Can lend car to family members.

Still want the MT.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Superstar]

If it was dual clutch tranny the choice would have been obvious. But still was a very hard choice since the auto in this car is so good. Ultimately went for MT, because there are too many performance factors involved.

1) 50 lbs less weight.
2) Tad better weight distribution
3) More power (no power loss through torque converter)
4) Better gear ratios (gotta punch out of corners).

[Grateful Dave]

I went with AT over the MT because,

1-Daily Driver. I work long 12 hours days on my feet. I have previously broken my left leg and when I'm tired at the end of the day my shifts going home in traffic would be terrible.

2-They said the AT with the paddle shifters is the same one as the Lexus IS-F except minus 2 gears. 6speed not 8speed. You know it is is going to be good. Not double clutch, oh well. It is still a Lexus transmission.

3-Better MPG's

4- I want to keep this car for a long time, eventually I would burn out from using a manual and have to buy an AT as my everyday car. I Pre-order my AT but test drove a MT FR-S. MT gearing felt good for the track but not for city streets & highways. Too many shifts.

5- I own a 2000 Toyota Tacoma V6 4x4 with a manual tranny, so I still get that manual "more connected to the car and road driving experience" This is my recreational vehicle. I drive highways, National Forest service roads and jeep trails in my truck. I've been driving manual Toyota trucks for over 30 years. I love MT in my truck. (Yeah sometimes, I have some bad shifts, lol).

But after owning my FR-S for a year and 5 months and driving over 18,000 miles, the AT driving experience has been Awesome! The AT FR-S is like driving a go cart in a video game with the paddle shifters. lol Most of the time I drive in D & Sport mode when I want to drive aggressively. You can always down or up shift while in Drive. The automatic match revving down shifts while braking works great. When driving the canyon and mountain roads, I'll drive in Manual with the paddles. I don't miss the clutch at all.
The AT matches so well with the characteristics of the car that it enhances the driving experience.

[Suberman]

I did a little maths:

Automatic speeds in gears are 1.02%, 1.06%, 1.1%, 1.21%, 1.40%, and 1.22% higher ( and 1.09% for reverse).
max speeds at 7,400 rpm are 58, 100, 147, 205, 288, 328 km/hr, Top speed is reached in 5th but not at redline.

Published figures put the automatic 1.08% slower 0-60 mph (7.9 - 7.6 seconds).

You can fit a Lexus IS250 diff with a 4.55:1 final drive to your automatic BRZ and beat the pants off the manual....

Bonus, the Lexus diff has no Torsen so you get more predictable handling also, probably quicker round a track with an open diff.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by Suberman

The automatic internal gear ratios are taller which makes it slower. There is an advantage to the torque converter slip which adds a continuously variable low gear from launch but the taller ratios will slow the acceleration.

I think you may overestimate the effect of wheelspin on acceleration times. The torque converter slip duplicates wheelspin to some degree. Also, wheelspin effects aren't relevant to actual daily driving.

Anybody seen the acceleration curves/data points compared between manual and auto?

From what I rmeber gears 1-4 are the same. 5 and 6 are taller. It is the taller final drive gearing that make it slower to accel a bit.

And for the other, the tranny was thought to be isf based but is actually is350 (edit: is250) based.

[Superstar]

Originally Posted by Suberman

I did a little maths:

You can fit a Lexus IS250 diff with a 4.55:1 final drive to your automatic BRZ and beat the pants off the manual....

Bonus, the Lexus diff has no Torsen so you get more predictable handling also, probably quicker round a track with an open diff.

Has anyone actually fitted the 4.55:1 final drive onto an automatic? Does the computer have issues with downshifting and blipping the throttle?

[mike_ekim1024]

Originally Posted by Superstar

Has anyone actually fitted the 4.55:1 final drive onto an automatic? Does the computer have issues with downshifting and blipping the throttle?

There are a few people who have done it.. Tye300 and PantsDants and others. Here' same good thread:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...+drive&page=12

I have the Weir 4.56 but I haven't had it installed yet.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by finch1750

From what I rmeber gears 1-4 are the same. 5 and 6 are taller. It is the taller final drive gearing that make it slower to accel a bit.

And for the other, the tranny was thought to be isf based but is actually is350 based.

Final drive is the same for both transmissions. It is the internal ratios that differ and all 6 automatic ratios are taller.

This will be why top speed is lower in the automatics, proof if you like that the automatic is slightly over geared.

[MmmHamSandwich]

A few misconceptions running around.

This transmission is not based off the ISF or IS350 but instead the IS250's A960E with upgrades.

The disparity in 0-60 times between the two transmission is almost entirely due to launch. The auto is generally 1.5 seconds slower to 60 from a standstill. When comparing 5-60 times however the auto is typically one tenth of a second slower. Acceleration curves do not adequately account for the massive disadvantage the AT has being unable to launch. Torque converter slipping is not a significant advantage in this car. Discounting launch, these cars accelerate pretty similarly.

Originally Posted by congee

Noob question: Would it be faster to use paddle shifters or just push down the pedal while in drive?

Pushing the pedal, by far. I drive in manual mode in excess of 99% of the time, however I must admit if you want to drop down several gears, the car will perform this much faster in automatic with "kickdown" than you can triple or quadruple tapping the shift lever.

As such, I wish that while in manual mode with sport engaged, holding the downshift command for any period of time longer than a brief tap would instruct the car to choose the lowest available gear for acceleration. This would make driving in manual mode much more engaging IMO. Maybe this is something a tuner could program in?

[BRZBlack]

My previous cars were all AT for "daily driving" and "ease of use". My BRZ is my first standard trans car and I have to say.... the amount of control and "connection" to her is worth the occasional stop and go hell that is Chicago traffic. Although, I barely hit 5000 miles per year on any of my cars. This one just begs to be driven, and driven hard. Nothing like working your left foot and getting through all the gears between 4500 and 7000 rpm. Its addictive and very satisfying.