Pros and Cons of Automatic Trans NSX

[WANTANNSX]

Other than easy to drive in heavy traffic and holding a cup of coffee, do automatics really suffer from power loss in the NSX and much slower that the standard trans?

It is difficult to find an NSX in Hawaii and there is one with an auto for sale, have not considered an auto initially but we do have quite a bit of traffic and might be worthwhile considering or is it just not an NSX with auto trans.

Thanks!

 

[bangbang001]

I really enjoy my 94 auto.

 

[Soichiro]

>>do automatics really suffer from power loss

Automatic NSX's make 252 hp while manual tranny cars make 270. The transmission is also less efficient than the manual but I'm not sure what percentage that would be. Bottom line is get what you want - if you want an auto for traffic fine, but if you want a stick buy one on the mainland and ship it over.

 

[nsxtasy]

There are a lot of previous topics on this. Do a search on topics with the word "auto" in the title.

Soichiro is right. If you really want a manual, don't settle for an automatic, just because there's one available near you and/or at a bargain price.

However, those who prefer automatics should feel free to get one; they will enjoy it.

Get the car you want.

 

[CRX B16B VTEC]

In Japan, used value of automatics are as much as 30% lower than manual models.

 

[WANTANNSX]

Thank for the responses, great things to consider and I guess I will check it out and see how it feels since all I have been looking at are sticks. I really appreciate replys.

 

[wilsonp]

I enjoy my 91 auto

I think the main auto point is the 95 and up have a manual shift mode accessible from a lever on the steering column, before that you can only shift manually by moving the floor column (which isn't too convenient).

I intend to add power eventually...

 

[tararan]

autos are no fun compare to manual..

autos may be a bit more comfy if you live in a very hectic traffic. but why drive an NSX if you are stock in traffic?

 

[WANTANNSX]

Thanks for the comments, I decided to stick with the stick. There have been other great cars in my older days that I would not hesitate to get an automatic (Buick Grand National/GNX). But I think I would not be happy in the long run. Thanks again!

 

[mlambert890]

autos are no fun compare to manual..

autos may be a bit more comfy if you live in a very hectic traffic. but why drive an NSX if you are stock in traffic?

Just curious, but how exactly does one magically stop driving the NSX if stuck in traffic? If you live in an area with a lot of traffic, and you actually use the car, you're going to eventually get stuck in traffic.

I should let statements like this go, but they're so ridiculous that they really do annoy me (and it's not because I drive an auto).

 

[Tank]

Autos are certainly a compromise. I ended up with one by a twist of fate (long story). They do have less power and the trans is a torque sucker. But I live in SoCal and we have a lot of traffic. And I love driving it everywhere, though. In heavy traffic I give thanks for it a 100 times over. When the roads are clear, I can punch it on the on-ramp and let it soar through the gears, seemlessly shifting at near red line without me lifting my foot. I've done the I/H/E upgrades to max out what it can do. Will a 5 speed beat me in the quarter? Heck, yeah. Can I beat a 5 speed in autox? You bet. So you pick what's important to you then play to the car's strengths.

 

[ChrisK]

Well, it looks like you decided to skip the automatic and get a manual. However, if you are still on the fence I can meet up with you one day and you can test drive my 5-Speed and then test drive the auto so you can have a direct back to back comparison. I think you will end up choosing the manual though. By the way, what auto NSX are you talking about? We do seem to have a heck of a lot of automatic NSXs here.

By the way, you will have no trouble driving the NSX in traffic. I think I drive in the same traffic as you do, and even if I happened to be in the manual NSX, you don't really notice the traffic at all. The car is such a joy to drive that it really does curb the road rage instict

 

[NSX-Racer]

As for the 256 hp: I formerly owned a '96 auto, added a K&N cone filter and a Fujitsubo exhaust. Then dynoed it at 272 hp (sorry, I can't compare the before/after because I didn't dyno it before).

OTOH: With this car I would have never even thought of tracking it - the pseudo manual shifting on the steering wheel sucks, it doesn't really hold a gear when you want it to - makes it unpredictable in corners. Also the 4 gears are 2 less than you need.

 

[Jim]

Here is my Pros and Cons of an automatic:

Pros:

Ease in heavy traffic
No clutch to replace
Never will have a money $hift! hehe...
Right hand can be free for whatever

Cons:

No "driver input" like a manual, a big con esp. if you want to take it to the track.
Power assist in all autos (could be a postive for some)
Lower hp
Stock tranny can't handle high hp upgrades
Friends will tease you. Strangers will tease you too.

Also, I'm not sure about problems with the tranny on auto NSXs. Perhaps a NSX tech (MB?) can comment about the realiability of the trannys. I've haven't had a problem with mine yet @ 55k and I have exhaust/intake.

 

[Jim]

Here is my Pros and Cons of an automatic:

Cons:

Friends will tease you. Strangers will tease you too.

Last summer, I was coming out of Caribou Coffee and there were three young guys, around 18-20 yrs old sitting outside drinking. As I was walking towards my NSX, one of them shouted "NO ONE GETS AN AUTOMATIC IN A NSX! HAHAHA!". They must of been checking out my car when I was inside. I ignored his comments and drove off. I just laughed inside because they were going home in their junkbox and I was driving a NSX. They probably thought I was a loser....but I'm a loser with a NSX!

 

[Spencer]

If I can weigh in (once again) on the auto vs. manual question... I think that my auto is a compromise but a good one. Living in an urban area, I’m glad for the automatic when I’m in traffic (which is every time I drive it). And having looked at quite a few NSXs before buying my car I also believe that generally, among the older cars anyway, autos have been beat on less than comparable mileage manual cars. (Rhetorical question: we’ve all seen those NSXs that you wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, how many of them have been autos?) Also, the automatic transmissions are generally held to be bulletproof…in fact during my last visit to the dealership the mechanic told me about one that made it to almost 200,000 miles! Automatic owners are also not concerned about expensive clutch jobs or the dreaded snap ring failure, either. So do I think the manuals are marginally faster? Of course! But I also think that performance requires the driver to shift optimally, etc. But in the real world/non-track…give the automatic some gas, and unless you’re splitting hairs (or seconds) who cares? So what’s not to like?

 

[NSX-Racer]

Spencer: One of my first experiences with my '96 auto (in 1997 before the mods) was on the german highway. A swiss Subaru Impreza WRX (?) stayed behind me at 260 km/h forced me to go right and passed! I wasn't even able to follow.

Holy shit - that should really not happen to a NSX driver...

 

[Spencer]

Agreed, NSX-Racer it shouldn't happen. But perhaps the bigger point is that most of the guys carping about the "anemic" automatics are in the United States, and the closest they'll ever get to 260kph/160mph you describe is taking off in a 737.

So what mods have you done? Have you updated the transmission/how is it handling the mods? What is the performance like now?

 

[Black Knight]

i've actually testdriven a '98 yellow auto with very low miles before i bought my manual one. it was cheaper compared to the manuals back then....$52k compared with $60k two years ago.....

i tried shifting using the paddle shifters.....my gosh, the response was slow. it's still a fun car nevertheless.

i wouldn't mind owning one if it's my second nsx used for daily commute in medium to hard traffic.....otherwise, i'll pass.....

 

[nsxtasy]

I also believe that generally, among the older cars anyway, autos have been beat on less than comparable mileage manual cars. (Rhetorical question: we’ve all seen those NSXs that you wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, how many of them have been autos?)

If the answer to your rhetorical question is "9 percent of them", then they are no less likely to have been automatics.

 

[Spencer]

If the answer to your rhetorical question is "9 percent of them", then they are no less likely to have been automatics.

I'm betting that the incidence of 'beater' automatic NSXs is actually less than proportional to their production: they are not driven on the track, the are not usually modified and I'm guessing thier owners tend to be older and/or more conservative. I agree that there are plenty of pristine manuals out there...I'm simply speculating that generally the automatics are probably driven more conservatively and that anybody out who wants to drive an NSX hard (the "Gee, isn't it fun to shift @ 8K every time" factor) isn't going to buy an auto in the first place.

 

[nsxtasy]

Spencer, you might be right, and I wasn't really disputing your point.

I was only thinking, how many of us have seen all that many beat-to-crap NSXs? I doubt that very many of us have seen enough to come to any statistically meaningful conclusions.

I sometimes check out NSXs for people. I saw one auto NSX that looked like it was in excellent shape (was super low mileage) but it turned out it had been in a bad accident.

I still think, it all goes back to getting what you want. Some people do want an automatic, for all kinds of reasons, and don't deserve derision. If that's what you want, get it and enjoy it. And if you want a manual, get that and enjoy it...

 

[NSX-Racer]

Spencer: On my auto I had only the mods I wrote in my first post here - K&N cone filter and Fujitsubo exhaust. Before I could add other mods I totalled the car - some NSX mailing list dinosaurs may remember the case - it was in '97.

 

[wilsonp]

OTOH: With this car I would have never even thought of tracking it - the pseudo manual shifting on the steering wheel sucks, it doesn't really hold a gear when you want it to - makes it unpredictable in corners. Also the 4 gears are 2 less than you need.

I thought the automatic would never shift out of a gear unless you come to a stop - like mine does when you manually shift the floor lever.

(Though I have noticed lately mine will hold a lower gear if I'm accelerating hard.)

 

[NSX-Racer]

I thought the automatic would never shift out of a gear unless you come to a stop - like mine does when you manually shift the floor lever.

It does as far as I can remember. Try holding the 1st gear in a tight corner - it will automaticaly upshift to 2nd when you come close to the red line - sometimes hard to predict during cornering e. g. when you're in a slight drift.