Turbo on an Automatic?
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 253
Likes: 1
From: San Ramon, CA
Turbo on an Automatic?
Ok everyone, I have to ask this, and call me stupid, but I have no idea how this works. Is it possible to get an effective Turbo system on an Automatic 2000 SC300? I want something that works, and I am really not willing to spend a ton of money tracking down pieces to convert my baby to a Manual, since my other car already is one, and I'd rather keep this as is. So, can it be done? Can I safely have a Turbo on my engine?
i believe boosted automatics actually hold boost more efficiently - this was explained to me once as i had a turbo kit designed for my 02 solara w/ automatic tranny. manual is preferred because a skilled driver can make the car much faster when compared to an auto. as long as you run a lower amount of boost ( i ran 6-7 psi) you should be fine. finding a tranny cooler may also help somewhat.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,337
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From: NJ
i believe boosted automatics actually hold boost more efficiently - this was explained to me once as i had a turbo kit designed for my 02 solara w/ automatic tranny. manual is preferred because a skilled driver can make the car much faster when compared to an auto. as long as you run a lower amount of boost ( i ran 6-7 psi) you should be fine. finding a tranny cooler may also help somewhat.
This is what i did, jus get a tanny cooler, change fluid, and stay at low boost and you should be fine
The car auto shifts for you so their no loss of boost when you shift gears. Although this really only matters when you get to a point where the car is just too fast for you to be able to shift the gears. But to be fair the auto gear box is much more fragile then a manual. Which is why the stock r154 and the v160 can hold more power then the stock auto tranny.
Last edited by 2jzlex; May 10, 2009 at 09:56 AM.
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Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: GA
When you shift with a manual, you have to at least somewhat let off the gas which slows the entire reaction down. With an automatic, there's not letting up of the throttle, and consequently, load on the engine so boost is held in between shifts. That is what he's talking about. The only thing about an automatic is a much larger % of drivetrain loss (about 8% on average) that doesn't make it to the wheels.
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Driver
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 142
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From: New York
im trying to figure out toyotas but the 3 in a340e might mean the strength of the tranny, like 3 means 300lbs of tq.. i know on ford some of the tranny models use the number to identifie how much a tranny can hold. i know the 4 in 340 mean 4spd and e is electronic. little of topic but thought id share something i heard in school. the ford should be a fact the toyota is just a theory of mine.
auto are faster off the line no doubt , but manuels have more control of boost , a auto will shift a predetermined shift points and in most cases just before the sweet spot of the turbo whereas manuel you can go to red line ( and for us that are on aem's redline is 7500 to 8k) if you couple the manuel with a dbb turbo so transient response between shifts dont deminish you r golden
i love manuel period
i love manuel period
That definitely depends on the automatic you're running Lexforlife. Um- op, you can run a turbo but don't go crazy- you don't wanna blow the core (you'll need to send it to BoostLogic if you wanna go bigger and stay auto). Just listen to huddleston- he's got it right. You won't need anything over the top.
