manual or auto

[Jeza]

what transmission should i get to replace the 4 spd i have with my VK 253
cause it sucks and i cant make up my mind whether to stay with manual or switch to auto... If you could list some good trannies that would suit the 253 that would be great.

[vkberlina]

we need more info
What diff ratio has the car got?
what size tires have you got?
What type of driving do you do with the car, highway, round town, stop start traffic etc...
What camshaft is in the engine or what is the powerband?

Personally I cant stand autos and would prefer a manual anyday.

cheers
Scott

[Jeza]

it will be mostly be around town driving and some highway driving i have 16x7 rims and im not to sure about the diff and the camshaft cause i havent really had the need to check that stuff out cause it has been running fine since i got it

[vkberlina]

Hi,
My personal pick would be a manual but I am bias :P

Ok the reasons why I asked the questions is different gearboxes have wider & closer ratios plus different ratios. Depending on the type of driving, camshaft grind (power band) would depend on what gearbox you should pick.

Its no good changing gears for example from second to third and falling out of the engines powerband, or having to rev the crap out of it to stay in the engines power band for the next gear, if you see what i mean

If its pretty well stock with a standard diff ration around 3.08-3.36 maybe 3.46 I would probably go for a T5 the V8 ones go for around $1500-$1800, gives good take off while the 5th gear will give you a good cruising speed down the freeway.
Bolt up would be easier than other gearboxes using a standard cable clutch etc.

Other options are a
Aussie 4 speed either an M20 or M21 good reliable boxes
Supra 5 speed, needs a hydrolic clutch, kits are available for this conversion
6cyl T5 - these are cheap adapters are available to marry them up to a V8 ratios are slightly different to the V8 and arnt as strong but should be fine for a 253.

cheers
Scott

[Jimboss]

hey scott, you seem particularly knowledgable, so i ask of you this question:

i have a auto Blue 202, very much stock, and i was wondering exactly what i would need to buy to convert it to manual? i am very unknowledgable when it comes to the mechanics of the things that people call cars (actually, i'm not too bad), so any help would be appreciated.

one final question, would it be cheaper/better to just buy a second hand manual car, and take the gearbox from it? because i would like to keep the 202, i mean, it is in very good condition and has never given me any troubles.

thanks in advance,
James