Anyone Else Considering an Automatic FR-S?

[midenginebias]

It's a tough debate for me. It really depends on how bad traffic does get in the OC/LA area.

What should be a 20 minute drive to work is easily 45min to an hour, and this is with the widened I-5 freeway towards Irvine as it is.

Would it suck to not drive manual on a canyon? Absolutely. I actually wish I could have a 6MT with a "crawler gear" of sorts, where I can hang onto that one gear without 1st gear screaming at 25mph. Even the MKII MR2 N/A tranny 2nd gear pulls from 5mph up to 40mph easily, but I'd rather have a 1st gear that isn't screaming by 25mph like I do right now.

If the auto shifts anything near like a DSG or PDK, I might just switch. It's a different kind of "attacking" driving style.

[OldSkoolToys]

Originally Posted by SUB-FT86

I personally cant stand manuals. Manual is only fun in a place where there is no speed limit like a track. I hate revving to 3k rpms and shifting. Manual is more fun when you are doing high revs and on public roads you have to stay beneath a certain rpm in order to stay out of trouble. Give me a sporty automatic with a down rev match feature and I am golden.

Edit: Because if you can't say anything nice....

[andygee]

Originally Posted by OldSkoolToys

Edit: Because if you can't say anything nice....

lol i was gonna say the same thing. u were kinda harsh right there lol!

[Allch Chcar]

Originally Posted by Zaku

Once again everyone who comes in here, is practicing their Scion Douchebaggery before the release of the car j/payin. Now That was all done and over with last night we joked we played we're all cool. No offense was done to anyone we're all dicussing on good terms onces more.

Now I have a questions which Mazda has the Aisin Auto with Paddles? I don't remember them having an Auto with Paddles at all, or am I missing something?

Maybe the Miata and the RX-8 automatics? Those are rwd and Mazda would probably do their heavier volume transverse transmissions inhouse and outsource the niche market longitude transmissions from somebody else to spread the costs. Hopefully this will get somebody else in here to pipe in but otherwise I wouldn't know.

Originally Posted by OldSkoolToys

Edit: Because if you can't say anything nice....

I seen what you did there.

[OldSkoolToys]

Originally Posted by andygee

lol i was gonna say the same thing. u were kinda harsh right there lol!

Truth hurts sometimes.

[FT-86GOD]

Hahahaha to anyone going for the AT, paddle shift or not..... U should get an AE-86 and go convert it to auto LOL......

MT always and forever... Drift not drag..... Sideways not straight....

[huyttz]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

Maybe the Miata and the RX-8 automatics? Those are rwd and Mazda would probably do their heavier volume transverse transmissions inhouse and outsource the niche market longitude transmissions from somebody else to spread the costs. Hopefully this will get somebody else in here to pipe in but otherwise I wouldn't know.
.

RX-8 and MX-5 for sure, it is the same Aisin 6-speed Automatic with paddle shifters I'm assuming will be on the FR-S. Here's an article reviewing the MX-5... http://www.autosite.com/content/shar...le_id_int/1415

CLIFFS NOTES: power drops to 166hp from 170hp, city gas mileage drops, highway same, "no discernable effect on performance or handling", some actually preferred the automatic saying it was smoother and faster, but hardcore enthusiasts will still prefer a manual.

It should be noted that the RX-8 has a rev limit of 9000rpm, but for the automatic it was lowered to 7500rpm and made less power because the torque converter can't handle the high revs. Mazda did change the gearing and probably other stuff to compensate and give the car the same acceleration.

[Zaku]

Sounds like a good time to go take a test, Think I'll head to the nearest Mazda dealer and see if I can try a new Miata with the aisin and paddles. See how it is, so far only automatic I've driven and like is the 370z.

I've driven PDK on a Cayman before and if FR-S comes with that then it's totally sold on my part. But we already know it wont lol .

[R_E_L]

i live in LA and still plan to get the manual, it will feel like a disservice to the car to get an auto, it's a driver's car and you are supposed to feel connected. plus it just doesn't feel right having your left foot sit there doing nothing.

but as mentioned i have no problem with others getting an AT if they dont have a problem with driving one. more sales means more aftermarket companies will put RD time into it giving us a greater variety of goodies.

[Allch Chcar]

Originally Posted by huyttz

RX-8 and MX-5 for sure, it is the same Aisin 6-speed Automatic with paddle shifters I'm assuming will be on the FR-S. Here's an article reviewing the MX-5... http://www.autosite.com/content/shar...le_id_int/1415

CLIFFS NOTES: power drops to 166hp from 170hp, city gas mileage drops, highway same, "no discernable effect on performance or handling", some actually preferred the automatic saying it was smoother and faster, but hardcore enthusiasts will still prefer a manual.

It should be noted that the RX-8 has a rev limit of 9000rpm, but for the automatic it was lowered to 7500rpm and made less power because the torque converter can't handle the high revs. Mazda did change the gearing and probably other stuff to compensate and give the car the same acceleration.

Okay. I am a little familiar with the RX-8 automatic. The engine has 4 ports instead of 6 so power tops out just past 6000RPM with 200BHP. They started with a 4 speed auto in 2004 and switched to a 6spd either that year or the next. I didn't really pay as much attention to the timeline. The part that the auto gearbox wasn't rev happy like the manual stuck with me though. If the power peak is anywhere near 7000RPM that could mean the automatic engine could be detuned for less RPM therefore less BHP. Which is not very encouraging for auto cars :/.

[Zaku]

It's almost like you need a car with at least some good amount of torque for an automatic to even be somewhat competitive with manual.

[tranzformer]

Originally Posted by Zaku

It's almost like you need a car with at least some good amount of torque for an automatic to even be somewhat competitive with manual.

Hence why I will never buy a 4 cylinder automatic. 4 cylinder= manual for me.

[iff2mastamatt]

Originally Posted by Zaku

Sounds like a good time to go take a test, Think I'll head to the nearest Mazda dealer and see if I can try a new Miata with the aisin and paddles. See how it is, so far only automatic I've driven and like is the 370z.

I've driven PDK on a Cayman before and if FR-S comes with that then it's totally sold on my part. But we already know it wont lol .

I was thinking that the auto would be like the 370Z (which would be sick). I was about to get a Z until I read about this car in 2009.

[Dimman]

Originally Posted by Zaku

It's almost like you need a car with at least some good amount of torque for an automatic to even be somewhat competitive with manual.

It's limited by the torque converter's relative inefficiency. This is why Porsche went from their 'conventional' Tiptronic button shifting auto, to the PDK.