[Royal Flush]

I just bought my car 2 months ago. I've been reading a lot of threads about AT vs MT as far as modding is concerned. I'm not planning on tracking my car or taking it to the strip, ever. I'm also never going to upgrade the turbos. With only FBO (AE exhaust, HPF FMIC, AR downpipes, Stett CAI) and Cobb AP, am I good to go and relatively safe with just an AT?

P.S. - I'm not asking this thread to be an AT vs MT war. I just want advice and opinions from knowledgeable people, and ones who are FBO with a tune on AT before I unload on the mods.

P.S.S - I decided steptronic would be the right choice for me because I live in the DC area and traffic can be a PITA. This isn't an "I regret choosing AT" thread.

[Brey335i]

I have a FBO AT and never had an issue with it. It's a very fun transmission and pretty darn strong unless you're at over 500 whp.

Do I sometimes wish I had opted for the manual? Sure!

But the AT has never given me grief as far as being capable of taking everything I throw at it.

I have 66K miles and several Drag days on my car.

[SeanS54]

I bought an auto and a few months later I bought a manual... it's all about what you like driving...

mod for mod there's not much of a performance difference.. honestly autos will be faster at the 1/4 track (easier to launch) and more fun to drive on road courses because of the paddle shifters..

[themyst]

As long as you're not planning on pushing the extremes and done in moderation, the 6at should hold up.

Worst case, you're CPO and have a 100k mile warranty.

[tibra1]

As others have said..if your not tracking or pushing insane power levels,,should be ok..ofcourse the only draw back to ATs that if something were to give..the repairs are more expensive..vs a blown clutch which is what you would likey face with an MT..that said some of the fastest guys are driving ATs..so its really coin toss on what you should do.

[acdHQK713K]

With fees you are halfway to a built tranny. Not worth it.

[Royal Flush]

Originally Posted by Brey335i

I have a FBO AT and never had an issue with it. It's a very fun transmission and pretty darn strong unless you're at over 500 whp.

Do I sometimes wish I had opted for the manual? Sure!

But the AT has never given me grief as far as being capable of taking everything I throw at it.

I have 66K miles and several Drag days on my car.

That’s good to know since you live in an area that’s a lot hotter than the DC area.

Originally Posted by themyst

As long as you're not planning on pushing the extremes and done in moderation, the 6at should hold up.

Worst case, you're CPO and have a 100k mile warranty.

Do you know of an instance where the worst case scenario has happened to someone with AT? Did they strip every mod before going to the dealership?

Originally Posted by tibra1

As others have said..if your not tracking or pushing insane power levels,,should be ok..ofcourse the only draw back to ATs that if something were to give..the repairs are more expensive..vs a blown clutch which is what you would likey face with an MT..that said some of the fastest guys are driving ATs..so its really coin toss on what you should do.

That’s what I was thinking, but then again, I have 100k mile warranty. I did research and saw the fastest guys are running AT with their tranny slippin’. Of course I’m not going the upraded turbos route like they are and I just wanted to make sure I probably wouldn’t experience any of those problems with FBO and a tune.

[EDM92]

The tranny will be fine. Half the members of this forum are AT, and many of them are FBO and tune. How many posts do you see of a tranny blowing? I personally haven't seen any blown trannys from just FBO and tune.

[Brey335i]

Originally Posted by Royal Flush

Do you know of an instance where the worst case scenario has happened to someone with AT? Did they strip every mod before going to the dealership?

Enrita's AT began to slip on upgraded turbos. That's probably as bad as it gets. That's why he decided to get it strangthened.

[themyst]

Originally Posted by Royal Flush

That’s good to know since you live in an area that’s a lot hotter than the DC area.


Do you know of an instance where the worst case scenario has happened to someone with AT? Did they strip every mod before going to the dealership?


That’s what I was thinking, but then again, I have 100k mile warranty. I did research and saw the fastest guys are running AT with their tranny slippin’. Of course I’m not going the upraded turbos route like they are and I just wanted to make sure I probably wouldn’t experience any of those problems with FBO and a tune.

I know of someone who had their auto tranny fail running 22 psi on upgraded turbos. You're pushing north of 500whp on his setup. From what I understand, he took it to level 10 to have it rebuilt.

But if you're planning on filing a warranty claim, I'd be sure it is 100% stock before bringing it in. Whoever they bring in from Germany will be examining the car with a fine tooth comb

[roadkillrob]

I am pretty sure the auto will hold up to more power than the manual both in stock configurations, but the manual is a lot cheaper to put an upgraded clutch in than the auto when you make enough power to wear out the clutch in either. I would think if your not planning on going over 400-450 hp you will probably be ok, if you are planning on more, you better be ready to spend some money on the drive train either way including an LSD and HD axles.

[samchoi604]

Do you plan on keeping the car for a long time (i.e. 250k miles)?

All things being equal, an AT that handles more torque will see accelerated wear. This is just physics. Just change the AT fluid more often (at 50k miles intervals) then you're good.

[tofu-]

from what i have read, AT is fine with fbo+meth.

problems start arising after upgraded turbos

[Royal Flush]

Originally Posted by themyst

I know of someone who had their auto tranny fail running 22 psi on upgraded turbos. You're pushing north of 500whp on his setup. From what I understand, he took it to level 10 to have it rebuilt.

But if you're planning on filing a warranty claim, I'd be sure it is 100% stock before bringing it in. Whoever they bring in from Germany will be examining the car with a fine tooth comb

I’m not upgrading my turbos and only trying to push 400+, so hopefully I don’t come close to any of the problems he has. I’ll definitely bring it back to stock if something unfortunate happens, thanks.

Originally Posted by samchoi604

Do you plan on keeping the car for a long time (i.e. 250k miles)?

All things being equal, an AT that handles more torque will see accelerated wear. This is just physics. Just change the AT fluid more often (at 50k miles intervals) then you're good.

Nope, not anywhere close to that mileage. 100k, if that.