can an automatic be fun?

well?

after seeing that 4x4 240z with the automatic + shift kit I am intruiged.

I am a hardcore 5 speed kind of guy, but a lot of swaps I want to do are much cheaper when paired up with an autotragic.

Can autotragics be fun?

The Baja racers I know use automatics. Same with King of the Hammers competitors. Haven't heard them complain about the fun factor. At the top end of racing, paddles have taken over - even though they're manuals, actuating a clutch isn't part of the driver's role. I like the involvement personally and for most street cars a manual makes them more lively, but with the right car and drivetrain, I don't think a manual is necessarily the key to it being entertaining. Also see thread about challenge cars with autos...

It depends. An automatic RX-7 will make you suicidal as it doesn't have any torque and you can't tell it when to shift. An automatic Mustang GT can be awesome because it has a ton of torque and you can throw shift kits and manual valve bodies at it.

My old P71 was more fun than most of my previous daily drivers (all of which were 5-speeds up until that car) precisely because of what the auto could do.

In summary: Big torque + good trans = fun; Low torque and/or bad trans = not good.

I keep hearing that C4's are well suited to their autotragics. Big torque seems to be concurrent theme in acceptable shift-for-me transmissions.

My dad has an auto C4 and I can't say I've ever really wished it had as stick. The transmission is well programmed for the application, and the torque means you're never really caught out.

I have to say, the auto in my mom's Saab 9-3 is pretty impressive in Sport mode.

And the '60 Catalina racer we're building came to us with a 2 speed Powerglide that we're planning to run, at least for a little while, just for the helluvit.

A lot of the high end german cars have trannies that shift way better than I ever could. Putting a shift kit and re-programmed computer in my truck completely changed its character - shifts are hard and fast. Never ever bogs or hunts... and it certainly used to.

I've had torque and an automatic and got along just fine with plenty of grins. I've had a 4 banger with an automatic and I wished for death.

With that being said, there are some vehicles I want with an automatic. If it has a V8 and is hauling around 3 tons, I would rather an automatic. That's not going to be a particularly fun car in any manner, so the automatic wouldn't kill anything.

I made my old 3-speed Auto Corolla fun by manually shifting it. A floor mounted shifter helped. It made driving it's slow ass a lot more enjoyable.

The two that come to mind are:

third gen chevy 5.3L vortec + autotragic

or

1uz-fe is always paired (and much cheaper to retain) the autotragic

After my couple of honestly wonderful years with my SMG M3, I have really come to accept automatics into my heart, as long as they shift acceptably fast. (No talking about how the smg is really a manual, I am just talking about trusting the computer to know what I want)

I used to drive large trucks (commercial) for a living.. I prefer the manual trucks over the automatics

A 4r70w with a j-mod is completely acceptable in my book.

To the op's original question - yes, they really can. My Miata is an auto and a ton of fun. I've opened fluid passages in the 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd passages and shimmed the pump pressure relief spring. It's very crisp and predictable now.

I have a .40 and a .45 auto that are both a blast.

Most automatics can be adjusted, tuned, or modified to perform almost on par with a manual transmission. The big drawback is that big, heavy torque converter. IMCA modifieds have eliminated the torque converter and replaced it with a foot pedal that kind of acts like a clutch. It's a pretty sweet setup that drops the weight and power loss normally associated with automatics.

ncjay wrote: Most automatics can be adjusted, tuned, or modified to perform almost on par with a manual transmission. The big drawback is that big, heavy torque converter. IMCA modifieds have eliminated the torque converter and replaced it with a foot pedal that kind of acts like a clutch. It's a pretty sweet setup that drops the weight and power loss normally associated with automatics.

Any more info on this?

You can look them up in Summit Racing.

It lets you modulate clutch pressure with your foot.

We tried one of those acjay refferred too in a modified. It worked but it kept blowing seals and dumping the fluid. It was based on the Powerglide. start inlow then shift into high on the track.

The Power Shift in my Fiesta can be fun.

My RT4WD Civic wagon was fun, despite being an auto. Admittedly, it was a failing auto transmission that inspired me to move the car along to a new (fully informed) owner. But in the meantime, in snow, ice, and even gravel, the lack of a left pedal allowed me to concentrate on my left foot braking and fling that shoebox around like a rally car.

No.

Maybe if mated with a shift kit and something with a lot of torque but I can't imagine any car being as good with an automatic as with a manual.

I disagree with that. I think a lot of things can be BETTER with an automatic than a manual. Especially heavier vehicles. Heavy-duty manuals tend to shift like crap.

I don't know,but will soon when my Sapporo arrives via the shipper from CA. It really was my only question when buying it(aside from why the hell am I considering a Plymouth Sapporo). I know I am strange.

I rather like the DSG trans in my GTI, so much so that I bought it over an almost identical car with a manual. It is, however, not the sort of "automatic" that fits the spirit of the thread. It's more like two motorcycle transmissions that share the same case, with everything run by electronics.

Extremely heavy clutch in a small car wit no power just plain sucks.

Taiden wrote:

ncjay wrote: Most automatics can be adjusted, tuned, or modified to perform almost on par with a manual transmission. The big drawback is that big, heavy torque converter. IMCA modifieds have eliminated the torque converter and replaced it with a foot pedal that kind of acts like a clutch. It's a pretty sweet setup that drops the weight and power loss normally associated with automatics.

Any more info on this?

They use setups like this with either a transmission with an internal clutch like this: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Brinn-Racing-Transmission-with-Free-Stand,6320.html or with a coupler like this: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Ram-Coupler,899.html Unfortunately neither would survive in a street car, they are not built for street duty, just to get the car moving for the race.