I am about to buy a completly bone stock 94 TA. It is equipped with an auto tranny. What would you guys recommend doing for the first mod?

Sticky tires?
Torque convertor?
Gears?

I am not going to do any performance mods just yet. (I need some wheels and a ram air predator hood first) SO, which tranny related mod would be the first to do.

 

Most guys start with some exhaust, CAI, and then the gears, tires, stall, etc. But either way its still gets done. Goodluck

 

You also forgot the free mods to

 

big block tunnle ram and two fours....



actually, cheaper good mods to start out with are- the free ones (duh), CAI, cat-back, thermostat, etc.

gears would be ok as well as a convertor, however, with those will come tranny/rear problems soon. before adding too much power/acceleration mods, id either get that tranny race built, or get another tranny. personally i think the 60Es are junk myself. if their built they can do alright, but your looking at some serious $$$.

and even after the tranny problem is remedied, then youve got your weak rear to consider. with gears and a stall, it wont take long.

im starting to wish i had gotten a M6, at least then id only have one problem instead of two. oh well....



jon

 

ACTUALLY,
a fresh set of strage gears would probobly strengthen the rear
a 2800 lockup with a big cooler wont pose a threat
my 4L60E is pretty nice $900.
The M6 will SHATTER the rear if you auto is going to break it. the auto will last nicely unless you have slicks and such.
A thermostat is probobly one of the worst mods you can do for a daily driven car.
Several tests (I wish i could find the link ) showed that the wear rates on the metals were 3x as high witha 160 stat.

Just get a used blower and run 7psi on a VERY well tuned car or a bottle and spray 150 with tuning.
the motor can handle either one easily.
all the bolt ons wont do crap compared to forced induction.
JMHO

 

I completly realize that everyone does CAI and Exhaust first. I just got done selling a 30th SS that put down 301rwhp with just Hooker longtubes, offroad ypipe, and PCM upgrade.

I want to beef up the tranny back first. I figure why not get that point of the car bulletproof first and then do the mods. But then again, I have never owned an auto sports car. I was thinking with going to a vig 2800 convertor, 3.73 gears with rear end cap and some nitto drags for the track. Obviously the rear end is not oging to hold up for ever, but if it goes then bring on the 12-bolt. How does the above setup sound?

 

If you want to upgrade the trans first, get a good tranny cooler. The combo of a trans cooler, trans-go, 2,800 Vig, 3.73's, and Nitto DR's will wake your car up to say the least.

 

the first thing i did was dd sfc

 

or a blower/ bottle runnining even deeper 12's.

Racnt LT1 has a 11.4sec time slip
shocks, tires and a bottle.

lets see

nitrous $1000
CAI, headers, catback- $1000


forced induction is better than bolt ons.
i reccomend a healthy mix of both
but if i had to do it again, start right off with a bottle

 

you have the right to your opinion, but you did come off a LITTLE like a d!ck, so.....

ACTUALLY, gears will not stregthen the rear. not with a A4 series two carrier. the gears are going to be thinner thus being easier to break, speciallly with a conv.

no, your right, a stall doesnt nessessarilly "pose a threat" to your 60E, AS LONG AS YOUR STOCK. my A4 did fine when i was completly stock. shifted strong and would even occassionally bark 2nd. but i put a 50shot on it and it doesnt know what the F to do. either the verter or tranny or both is slipping. ive heard from numerous sources that a STOCK 4L60E is good to maybe 400 hp.

yes, your right again, a M6 will shatter a rear. my point was that at least you only have to worry about building a rear, instead of building a rear AND doing somthing about the tranny. T56s are good to 600+hp.

a 170* thermostat was the FIRST thing i did to my car when i got it. runs cooler. since when was that a bad thing?

and lastly, yea FI a great! IF YOU GOT THE $$. not everyone does.




jon

 

Yeah whats up with the thermostat? How can wear be higher when a vehicle is running cooler. Heat is what breaks down the lubrication so how can wear be higher when its cool?

 

first off, I did not come across as a ****
i even used smiley faces

strange gears are thicker than OEM

running cooler is not neccisary a good thing for engine life as i explained below. the metals have the best wear properties at xxx time and that probobly why GM usd that thermo in there. Why would they want their own cars overheating?
Its kind of like in bio where you learn that enzymes dont work well when your body heat rises- which is why its very dangerous to be at 104* or something like that .

well its also very bad to be at 85*
optimal for humans is around 98.6 hotter is bad. colder is bad.

the metal has an optimal operating range. too hot is BAD. too cold will also be bad. I'm sure 20 colder is better than 20* hotter, but just right is probobly best .

With t-56 and that much power, you will need very high good clutches which will cost almost as much as a rebuild.
Frank C does his rebuild which is holding low 11/high 10 under constant abuse for $800. I think thats what a Mccloud is going for no?
I know for a fact the the stock clutch wont be happy at 400hp range for very long. it may last longer than 60E at 400, but that too will eventaully give way. A simple tranny cooler and shift kit will allow the tranny to hold that power. a silverado oil pan will only help too
Most guys go to an auto when they start going really fast.
Once you build serious power, anything stock is useless pretty much. The M6 is just harsher on EVERTHING in the drivetrain. Driveshafts, U joints, you name it.


Nitrous is pretty cheap... Not a bad bang for buck in my book. especially when headers are going for $500+.

all personal prefrance.
I'm an NA guy. But bang for the buck and keeping it tame, nothing beats FI.

I hope you dont this personal either. I never did mean to make this a personal attack

 

Last time I checked high temperature thermostats are to promote a full burn of the air/fuel mixture for cleaner emmisions.

 

What bad advise you can get in here still. Im sure I will be flamed for this, but this is my opinion:
If you want a "seat of the pants" first mod then go with a 2800 stall converter. You can get a TCI 10" converter for $429 from Summit. Dont forget to get a tranny cooler too. You can get one for $35. This will bring your 60 foot times from a 2.1xx to a 1.8xx. You should if all goes right knock almost a 1/2 of a second off your quarter mile times. By far the first best mod you could do to a A4.
Follow that up by getting some sticky tires (by the way I have a set of Nitto 555R's for $200 + shipping ) and you should get your 60 foot down to a respectable 1.7xx range and should see your LT1 get around a 13.5xx at the track.
Of course doing a C.A.I, gears, Headers are good mods but like you asked which would be the best mod I would go with the converter. This is also based off if you are speaking about 1/4 mile times and seat of the pants affect.
Free mods, sure they are free but man a good mod? I dont think so. but them again a good mod would be free.

 

1. i doubt GM would overheat their motors for that- they can find better ways around that

2. doesnt' the EGR do the exact opposite of that? I think the EGR shoots in exhuast which can't be burned too cool down the combustions process and make less emissions- i'm not sure aobut this emissions stuff though, i just know how to rippem out

3. The coolant from my understanding effects the actuall combustion temps very minimally. it does effect the heat of the metals (block and heads) significantly.

the only reason i can see justifying a 160* stat and fans is to keep the temps more constant to prolongate head gasket life-
even then i dunno if it would help that much.