What can I do with my stock automatic to give it a little oompff?

[NutBucket]

As dumb as it sounds nitrous wouldn't be a horrible solution to his wish list. If all he wants is some extra power for overtaking I really can't think of a cheaper and better solution.

I can't believe I just said that but I'm going to stand by it.

 

[LTC8K6]

By his description, if he were side by side with a Toyota Echo at 55mph, and they both floored it, he'd get left well behind by the Echo. Which would mean something is wrong with the Honda.

 

[HarryLui]

Normally, my driving style is staying on the right lane until I encounter a slow moving vehicle.

Does your driving style include flooring it?

 

[Ferzerp]

As dumb as it sounds nitrous wouldn't be a horrible solution to his wish list. If all he wants is some extra power for overtaking I really can't think of a cheaper and better solution.

I can't believe I just said that but I'm going to stand by it.

two of the big bottles?

 

[NutBucket]

No, one small one should be more than sufficient

 

[exdeath]

I'm not the racing tpe, so my budget is $1000 or less. I just want the acceleration thing improved so I can switch to the passing lane without having a Mercedes or BMW on my tail while I pass over a moving truck.

Normally, my driving style is staying on the right lane until I encounter a slow moving vehicle. Then switch to the passing lane and switch back to he right lane after I pass all the slow moving vehicles on that stretch. Even on flat grade roads my car seems to struggle to get to higher speeds as to not disrupt the flow on the passing lane.

Thats an attitude problem with other drivers being pompous pricks. They will do that no matter how fast you can go, until you are fast enough to leave them while they have their foot on the floor, at which point they will not try in order to save face. If you could go a little faster, and they know they still have a better car, they will purposely speed up from their previous speed UNTIL they are on your ass with something to prove anyway.

Unless you have a car that exudes some aura of being able to kick their ass before it even starts, and the ability to back that up with results, be prepared to deal with that sort of chest pounding I'm better than you pissing contest behavior daily. A few ponies more in an economy car isn't going to prevent it.

I get that kind of crap every 5 seconds driving in a beater Camry but people drive like humble snails when I'm in the Cobra, even if I'm driving slower. The most Ill get in the Cobra is someone being billy bad ass and eager to get up on me to intimidate, then they quickly back off and behave once they catch up and see what they are up against.

 

[LTC8K6]

I get the "humble" effect simply because my Jeep GC has the Hemi badge on the back.

People leave me alone. :biggrin:

 

[TheKub]

I just want the acceleration thing improved so I can switch to the passing lane without having a Mercedes or BMW on my tail while I pass over a moving truck.

How fast are the Mercedes or BMW's going? If they are going 120+mph anything you do to your car is going to be a waste.

 

[exdeath]

Yeah something about their car starting to vibrate to another car's exhaut note has a way of making their penor shrink.

 

[exdeath]

How fast are the Mercedes or BMW's going? If they are going 120+mph anything you do to your car is going to be a waste.

It varies, they are always going ops speed + 5.

In other words if they were going 65 and they see they aren't catching up to op they will speed up until they do.

 

[ProchargeMe]

Thats an attitude problem with other drivers being pompous pricks. They will do that no matter how fast you can go, until you are fast enough to leave them while they have their foot on the floor, at which point they will not try in order to save face. If you could go a little faster, and they know they still have a better car, they will purposely speed up from their previous speed UNTIL they are on your ass with something to prove anyway.

Unless you have a car that exudes some aura of being able to kick their ass before it even starts, and the ability to back that up with results, be prepared to deal with that sort of chest pounding I'm better than you pissing contest behavior daily. A few ponies more in an economy car isn't going to prevent it.

I get that kind of crap every 5 seconds driving in a beater Camry but people drive like humble snails when I'm in the Cobra, even if I'm driving slower. The most Ill get in the Cobra is someone being billy bad ass and eager to get up on me to intimidate, then they quickly back off and behave once they catch up and see what they are up against.

I have the same thing happen here regularly. When i take the mach out, the streets are calm as can be. I've had a few people brave enough to try me, but most people back off when they hear the supercharger whistling

 

[Raduque]

I have the same thing happen here regularly. When i take the mach out, the streets are calm as can be. I've had a few people brave enough to try me, but most people back off when they hear the supercharger whistling

That's why I drive a truck. Nobody wants to race a truck.

Well, except this one kid in a completely stock 4 cylinder automatic Eclipse with neons and a fatcan. But I bet he'd try and race a cop.

 

[ProchargeMe]

That's why I drive a truck. Nobody wants to race a truck.

Well, except this one kid in a completely stock 4 cylinder automatic Eclipse with neons and a fatcan. But I bet he'd try and race a cop.

I don't mind racing someone, but only on an open road. Most people around my town rev their shit up in traffic with nowhere to go. And you'd be surprised, I've had people try to race my 2005 dodge ram with the 5.7 hemi. It's got pretty good power but it doesn't touch the mach.

 

[Ben90]

engine swap, manual tranny swap, gut the interior

gutted, engine swapped civics are fast as phuuu*#! lol

I always tell ricers. "By golly, that sure is one fast front wheel drive car you have there"

 

[exdeath]

That's why I drive a truck. Nobody wants to race a truck.

Well, except this one kid in a completely stock 4 cylinder automatic Eclipse with neons and a fatcan. But I bet he'd try and race a cop.

Except macho guys in other trucks that are newer, shinier, bigger, louder, have bluer headlights, or a bigger lift than yours.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Do one of these buildouts. Then you can laugh at the surprise when all they see is white smoke.

http://youtu.be/2j5ApCU9qc4


Now check this out
http://youtu.be/N6isUPQnQdU

Dyno disasters.
http://youtu.be/OzFGUUR1UDI

1:34 you can see the horror of white smoke coming out of that Mustangs tailpipe Bad news.

 

[Doppel]

You know what? This car will decimate all, after, you put about fifteen grand in it or more. If we have to, overnight parts from Japan.

 

[ProchargeMe]

You know what? This car will decimate all, after, you put about fifteen grand in it or more. If we have to, overnight parts from Japan.

Idk, he could probably win if he stopped granny shifting, and started double clutching

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Does your driving style include flooring it?

This.

Driving an automatic, you HAVE to be aggressive with the gas pedal in order to get the tranny to downshift and get decent acceleration. Usually about 1/2-way down will shift down 1 gear, all the way to the floor will shift down 2 gears. (In a 4-speed auto, which was the norm in 2005.) When your transmission downshifts, you will feel the car lurch forward and the engine will speed up considerably. The engine is much more powerful at higher RPMs (say 3000-4000) than at lower RPMs (1000-2000). If your engine is running in the 3000+ RPM range and it takes you 15 seconds to get from 60 to 85, then there is something seriously wrong.

I know plenty of people who drive their cars like grannies. I was on a road trip a couple weekends ago with a co-worker who drives a big Jeep with auto transmission. We swap out, I get in and start driving, and I punch it in to get up to speed to merge on the highway; it downshifts and the engine gets louder and he starts yelling at me "Hey why are you beating up on my car? Take it easy, man!" It's called downshifting, granny! The whole time he drove, I don't think the engine ever got above 2500RPM.

In my car (a puny Saturn 1.9L SOHC good for about 100HP -- manual transmission) I regularly get up to 5000RPM or so (which is where it actually makes 100HP -- everything below that, is less than 100HP). Yeah I am beating up on the car a bit, but then it *is* a beater. And I *never* have problems merging with highway traffic at 75MPH. Hell I beat most cars from stoplights when I decide to do so. (Not racing; just accelerating.) Most people simply are not aggressive drivers.

 

[Ferzerp]

Hell I beat most cars from stoplights

No, no you don't. You don't "beat" people who don't care you are there. There is no competition.

 

[soccerballtux]

converting to manual is what you need. Saves power from the torque converter and gives you control of when the engine shifts. They dont' call autos slushboxes for nothing. You stomp on it and instead of going, it shifts and goes 2 seconds later.

 

[Ferzerp]

converting to manual is what you need. Saves power from the torque converter and gives you control of when the engine shifts. They dont' call autos slushboxes for nothing. You stomp on it and instead of going, it shifts and goes 2 seconds later.

That's really only true for cheap piece of crap autos. There will always be some torque converter loss (though an auto can use a clutch), but the behavior that you describe is not inherent to automatics. It is inherent to cheap, low end, piece of junk autos with very non-aggressive programming.

You're making the same mistake that someone who drives a civic would make by assuming all cars suck because civics suck.

 

[wirednuts]

people are always riding my ass and trying to get around me. its just a stock ranger, so even if im doing 10mph over the speed limit everyone thinks im going slow. its really annoying.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

No, no you don't. You don't "beat" people who don't care you are there. There is no competition.

I agree. Perhaps my choice of words was wrong, although IMO "beat" doesn't necessarily imply conscious competition, just getting someplace earlier (one of the meanings of the word "beat" according to Mirriam-Webster is "to come or arrive before"). But my point is that even a piddly little 100hp Saturn can accelerate faster than most people are used to accelerating.

 

[ProchargeMe]

I agree. Perhaps my choice of words was wrong, although IMO "beat" doesn't necessarily imply conscious competition, just getting someplace earlier (one of the meanings of the word "beat" according to Mirriam-Webster is "to come or arrive before"). But my point is that even a piddly little 100hp Saturn can accelerate faster than most people are used to accelerating.

I've actually seen a saturn beat a z28 camaro. Sad day indeed.