I was just wondering, because I had heard that brake stalling is a really bad idea in FWD cars. I'm not exactly sure on this, so I just wanted you're inputs on this, as to any way this could be bad for a FWD.

Just so you know I drive a 2000 Taurus, and I know it's not exactly a street racing car, but I may get something else soon. I'm also thinking about doing some upgrades while I have it though. Do you guys have any ideas about simple upgrades i could possibly do? I know when I got it the guy told me it had a wide power band installed, is this good, or should I try to put in a narrower one? Is this a simple install? Would I be able to do it myself?






:newbie:













P.S.: Just kidding about all that powerband crap. I do understand what one is, and i've been reading posts in this forum for a couple of weeks. I just finally had a question to ask. :D

K&N filter, some exhaust, maybe headers if it doesn't have one. Those are fairly cheap. Then maybe larger injectors, but I don't know where you'd get them from, maybe camshafts, and gear, new pulleys, I don't know, read what all the honda guys are doing and replicate it :)

My opinion is that if you're going to get a different car anyway I wouldn't bother doing anything to this car. It would be a waste of money. Save you dough and spend it on a car worth putting money into.

:2cents:

Brake stalling isn't bad for fwd cars...it's bad for ALL cars...it loosens up the bands in your automatic transmission, and if you do it enough times, you can kiss your transaxle goodbye.

ok, thanks for the input

and manuals....
screw autos :biggrin:

and manuals....
screw autos :biggrin:

I like having both.
:smokin:

Automatic is great when you're drunk. That's about the only thing it's good for. :)

cough cough, rear wheel manual=good, cough cough
I cant wate to wax some hondas... the Mazda plays no games...

Automatic is great when you're drunk. That's about the only thing it's good for. :)


i can't agree more!!!!!!!!!!!!



oh and a ford torous is a freakin TANK

My dad rented that body style of a tauras, There as slow as HELL! Seriously dude, I would consider a more...tunable car...I mean theres not a lot of parts for those. Atleast parts made for it. If your into tauras' get a SHO...You could sell your car and get one of those. Faster from the start. (not the best choice for a racing car ButWhatever)

brake torqueing isn't that bad if you don't hold it that long, it has nothing to do with your bands, all the torque is held by the torque converter, not the transmission itself.

If you have a taurus, get an auxilliary transmission cooler, they cost like $50 and can seriously double the life of your transmission.

Its unfair to say that all tauri are slow, there's 2 engines, one is pretty slow (but still faster than a comparable accord) and the other is actually pretty quick for a full-size sedan in its price range.

The mod for the taurus that will get you the most bang for the buck is a short-ram intake, you can get one from www.duratecperformance.com or build your own pretty easily.

If its the 3.0L vulcan, definetely consider looking into a different car. Especially with it mated up with a slushbox automatic. If its a 3.0L duratec, its a great motor, but again, the atx is killing you.

btw, duratecperformance.com is now draxas.com :) I bought my Pauter Rods, Ross Racing pistons, and bearings from there for my 3.0L duratec. Great company.

I know when I got it the guy told me it had a wide power band installed, is this good, or should I try to put in a narrower one?
"Wider is better" :)

cough cough, rear wheel manual=good, cough cough
I cant wate to wax some hondas... the Mazda plays no games...

RWD Manuals are a gift from God!

Nice truck! I drove an old 90's B2000 for years before it crapped out and I enjoyed every minute of it. Now that I have my 88 RX-7 10AE I can still enjoy all that Mazda has to offer. Huzzah to you!

i can't agree more!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there is at least one person on this planet who agrees with me. I am deeply touched. :)

if its the vulcan, this guy named DZK sells underdrive pulleys for like 70 bucks, supposed to do wonders. he posts on TRS: therangerstation.com yeah he does it for rangers, but its the same engine

why does everyone bash on atx?


i like my atx.... i'll never end up stalled:)

sure, i would love a manual, but i'm not going to cry my eyes out every night because my rwd is atx. it's still rwd and can still do some killer stuff, so i'm happy. don't bash your car man, do what you want to do to it, and when you get another car, do what you want to then as well. have fun with it

why does everyone bash on atx?

Because they're parasitic, don't give you as much control as a manual, and they are just no fun. :p

Because they're parasitic, don't give you as much control as a manual, and they are just no fun. :p
:1: I will probably never own anoter automatic, unless I need a truck for towing. Manual let's you control your gears, when cornering and stuff, and usually manual has one more gear, which usually means better gas mileage and better acceleration

i like my atx.... i'll never end up stalled:)

Wish I could say the same...my car has some defect where if I come to a sudden and complete stop from high speeds if my car is still not up to operating temperatures, it just dies...yes, my automatic STALLS :disappoin

why does everyone bash on atx?

Automatics were made for people who were too stupid to operate a clutch. Every automatic I've driven shifts like a 15 year old kid who just got his permit. Terrible.

my mom's got a taurus with that body style. that thing is a turd, you push on the gas and then like 3 full seconds later the car reacts. it's wierd seeing how well one company can make a V6(ie Nissan ;), Acura, Toyota) and then seeing how crapily Ford makes 'em. Save whatever money you'd spend on mods for that car and make a down payment on something with some real potential.

Why the hell would you mod that thing anyways? Unless it's SHO it's got next to no potential.

I'll repeat what others have said: save that money to buy a much better machine.

my mom's got a taurus with that body style. that thing is a turd, you push on the gas and then like 3 full seconds later the car reacts. it's wierd seeing how well one company can make a V6(ie Nissan ;), Acura, Toyota) and then seeing how crapily Ford makes 'em. Save whatever money you'd spend on mods for that car and make a down payment on something with some real potential.
I would actually disagree. I used to own a 2000 Ford Taurus, and I was happy with the way it responded. Just step a little on the gas, and it has already downshifted. On the other hand I was driving my friends 2000 VW Passat, and the transmission in that is a joke. I mean it's meant for comfort, not the track, but downshifts really sucked.

Who gives a crap? In the end it's still a cheap-ass Ford. Get a Mustang and be happy.

On the other hand I was driving my friends 2000 VW Passat, and the transmission in that is a joke. I mean it's meant for comfort, not the track, but downshifts really sucked.

What kind of Passat was it? I have a Jetta as my daily driver with atx and it shifts like a bitch, too.

VWs used to only come with manual transmission, and it should be the same way today.

food for thought, the best drag tranny is a 2-spd powerglide. =) discuss

You're joking, right?

not at all. by no means a stock powerglide, a built one. less shifts=more time for power on the road. and with 1500+ hp...yeah

Not if you make all your power down low. My uncle had a 69 camaro with a 400hp 355 and it was a slug until he got rid of his 2spd powerglide.

it had a wide power band installed, is this good, or should I try to put in a narrower one?

You should definitely go with a narrow one. ;)

with a streetable car yes powerglides are not too good, but for a strip-only car...yeehaw. but still for drag racing, esp. bracket racing, auto is the way to go. very consistent, never miss a shift, and can be built to near perfection. true, factory autos are parasitic and slow, but add a shift kit and maybe a gate-shifter, and voila. nothing like feeling a built auto tranny shift, unlike a manual, where it slows you down, you see the speedo jump 5mph!

You should definitely go with a narrow one. ;)
like vtec motors have :evillol:

I agree, for a very high horsepower drag only car..an automatic is a good idea.

like vtec motors have :evillol:

Oh, for sure.

food for thought, the best drag tranny is a 2-spd powerglide. =) discuss

Nah, I don't think so. If it were better then that is what they would be using in professional drag racing. However, Top Fuel and Funny Cars use manuals.

In the early days of drag racing they used automatics because the manuals had poor syncros or none at all. That means they had to double clutch. That made things a lot slower. These days, in my opinion, automatics just show a lack of skill.

These days, in my opinion, automatics just show a lack of skill.

..........:banhim:...lol.

lack of skill? maybe. or lack of a second arm/leg, or lack of money to buy a decent car with a stick (like me). =(

..........:banhim:...lol.

Ban me?!?!? :iceslolan

No, now I ban you, as soon as I find my ban stick. :twak:

I don't like ban...I prefer old spice.

laffo.

auto trannies make my left foot lonely.

I nod off driving autos. :sleep:

I nod off driving autos. :sleep:

me too lmao! i cant wait to swap the manual into my fiero!

Yeah well I like my auto, cuz if I get stuck in a traffic jam, I don't have to worry about being pissed off AND having to shift every 5 seconds, I just have to worry about being pissed off :D

i like my auto.... manual's fun to drive... but not an everyday driver... something more so for the weekend or def at the track.

Yeah well I like my auto, cuz if I get stuck in a traffic jam, I don't have to worry about being pissed off AND having to shift every 5 seconds, I just have to worry about being pissed off :D

anyone who drives stick and gets pissed off and has to shift every 5 seconds in a traffic jam....obviously doesn't know how to drive stick. ;)

Automatics used to be good? Was Lincoln President around then? :lol: J/K

Eh, I guess atx is good for a cruising car... But when you really mean business, the 5-speed is second to none.

I don't understand the 'its too much of a hassle' excuse..I love shifting gears.

No, now I ban you, as soon as I find my ban stick. :twak:
I don't like ban...I prefer old spice.

http://forums.maxima.org/images/smilies/ban.gif

haha,

it's not a hassle, but on long trips and on days where it's bumper to bumper or just horrible traffic, i'm glad i have my auto. If i'm racing, sure, i wish i had a manual, but at the same time, i have beat many manual cars before... they have an advantage, but who doesn't like a challenge?

top fuel and funny cars don't have a transmission, they just have a clutch and a differential.

How much power does a tranny suck up anyways?

its not just high hp cars that benefit from an auto. take a 275 hp camaro and drag it with a slightly modded auto and a slightly modded manual. the auto will be faster and more consistant than the manual, if doen correctly.
on a side note, have you ever tried to launch a higher hp manual car correctly? it is an art not many people know about. for racing anyone who is serious would prefer an auto.

o ya
15-20 percent loss through auto tranny depending on how old
7-12 percent through manual depending

it depends on which wheels are being powered too. you can expect an 8-10% hp loss on a fwd car and about 15% loss on a RWD, and as much as 30-40% with an awd car, especially in the top end.

good call
didnt even think about that

I guess I'm not a serious racer then...

it depends on which wheels are being powered too. you can expect an 8-10% hp loss on a fwd car and about 15% loss on a RWD, and as much as 30-40% with an awd car, especially in the top end.
I wanted to know the tranny because so many people say that drivetrain loss is a factor of what wheels are powered and say nothing about the transmission which actually sucks up the power because it is the bigest place where the friction is. Gotta remember that peak power is lost due to friction and not getting the weight of the drivetrain moving.

And I don't believe the 30-40% figure, at least not with modern cars, thats more than your FWD and RWD max numbers put togeather.

I wanted to know the tranny because so many people say that drivetrain loss is a factor of what wheels are powered and say nothing about the transmission which actually sucks up the power because it is the bigest place where the friction is. Gotta remember that peak power is lost due to friction and not getting the weight of the drivetrain moving.

And I don't believe the 30-40% figure, at least not with modern cars, thats more than your FWD and RWD max numbers put togeather.
i've seen a stock wrx dynoing at 170 whp. considering that they make 227@the crank the loss is almost exactly 25% to the wheels. you're right, 40% is too high, i misspoke. 25-30% is more typical.

well fwd and rwd are general terms, since midship engine cars like a fiero or mr2 have similar drivetrain loss to front drivers.

you guys are right. i just brought up drivetrain in response to the one guy who said it depended on whether it was manual or auto tranny. i was just adding that it also matters if it's FWD,RWD or AWD.

yeah MR cars get the best of both worlds, the Driveline efficiency and traction of a FWD with the superb handling (not to mention lack of torque steer) of a RWD! yes they can be tricky to drive, but lets keep that on the DL lol