Whos done a 5sp swap on 98 sc400 vvti
07-18-14, 05:59 PM
#16
Exactly why it would be a much more affordable option! Old A/T's are cheap. Manual swaps, not so much. If the different generations of auto trannys are compatible, it could be a great way to unleash some of the engine's performance potential without a manual swap that can easily double the cost of the car.
07-18-14, 06:06 PM
#17
This whole conversation got me away from the fact that a 5spd auto would likely not work in an older SC anyways. It would not be a simple plug and play swap. The 5spd auto needs the OBD2 ecu on 96+ models to run anyways. To control shifting and other extra sensors it's got. It's not in any way the same transmission, it's not just an extra gear on the old tranny. It's a whole new box of guts.
And no, it's not worth upgrading an older model SC's ECU to an OBD2 version if you can just buy a whole new SC for the same price. Best option would be to go standalone to control the tranny, but then you're looking at thousands of dollars to run stightly better (still sluggish) tranny. None of these options make sense.
And no, it's not worth upgrading an older model SC's ECU to an OBD2 version if you can just buy a whole new SC for the same price. Best option would be to go standalone to control the tranny, but then you're looking at thousands of dollars to run stightly better (still sluggish) tranny. None of these options make sense.
07-18-14, 06:31 PM
#18
Boo, that answers the most important question (compatibility). I wasn't sure how much the ECU has to do with the tranny. If it requires a bunch of modifying to make work, then you're right, it's not a better route than a manual swap. Otherwise, the price difference would be big, with manual swaps running $2000-3000 from what I've seen, and low mileage '98-00 A/T's being available for $400-700 based on a quick eBay search.
Keep in mind, I was merely responding to KahnBB6's suggestion that a manual swap wouldn't gain much performance-wise over the 5-spd A/T in '98-00 SCs.
Keep in mind, I was merely responding to KahnBB6's suggestion that a manual swap wouldn't gain much performance-wise over the 5-spd A/T in '98-00 SCs.
The thing about your 1998 SC400 VVT-i is that the 5-speed automatic transmission is far better than the 4-speed automatic it replaced from 92-97 models. Theoretically you'd only gain something from the swap (other than the great feel of a manual transmission which we all love) if you swapped your 3.26:1 open rear end for a Supra TT Auto 3.769:1 rear end (which may as well be one with a Torsen LSD) or a 92-97 3.916:1 SC400 rear end.
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