I3iggy

Hey guys, I have a bit of a weird scenario. To start off with, if I was building a car for myself it would of course be a manual. Here's my situation: I'm a high school auto teacher (and I used to build honda's) and there's a high school drag racing association in my area: BCSSMA ? British Columbia Secondary School Motorsport Association that I'm going to participate in. So for the shops first car I want to build something that I'm familiar with (ie honda's). Unfortunately a good chunk of my students can't drive or at least suck at driving stick, and I know I'll be blowing diffs and cv's left right and center with these kids not properly pre-loading the clutch at the line. I would REALLY like to simplify this with an auto trans. I know they aren't built for power, but I'm not looking to set any records here (the high school drag racing association is limited to 12.00). I was thinking a dc integra would be the best bang for my buck (no full swaps required) to get to the track. Then we can turbo, cam, etc. to get it in to the 12's. My question is what is the reasonable limit for a stock auto trans and what modifications / where to get them / approx price to upgrade the trans? I have also seen there's a possibility of swapping in an ecotec trans? (<-- would only want to do if that's the only option). I know this isn't a commonly done thing, but there has to be information out there on how to get an auto going decently quick... any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

JRCivic1

I have seen a few go as fast as you are looking to go... I just haven't seen the transmissions last very long. I suspect many of the premature failures are directly influenced by elevated/high fluid temperatures... so I would suggest adding a healthy sized trans fluid cooler to the front of the car. I am not aware of any "upgraded" parts available for the Teg auto transmission... I have heard of a company up north that strengthens Honda/Acura auto transmissions called Level10, but I have no examples to offer their recommendation. Turbocharging or Supercharging after you get a handle on the transmission will be easy... upgrading the N/A internals will likely NOT get you where you need to be.

PHAT-INTEGRA

You need to find a OBD1 DC2. Trans oil cooler is a must. Also you can look at upgraded transmission parts from Level 10 TRANSMISSION. For tuning you can chip the ECU to Chrome, Neptune, etc. There is a few out there that have Turbo there automatic. I know one person that did a LS/VTEC supercharge and myself have a built LS/VTEC Automatic (JDM SIR-G).

To run 12's. I don't know if it's possible unless he has a bullet proof transmission.
My non VTEC w/mods ran 15.3 without Nitrous (tank was empty) in the 1/4.

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

You'll need to build the trans and make a lot of power as the auto is going to slow the car down a whole lot. It will be cheaper to just put an LSD in a manual trans and the car will be faster with the same amount of power. Teach the students to drive it properly. With stock axles if they screw up and snap one in the diff, you can easily punch the splined section out of an LSD without removing the trans from the car. The axle breaking will also help with keeping the trans itself in one piece without upgrading it (aside from the LSD). Not what you want to hear, but 12's on a school budget with an auto isn't going to happen.

The Ecotec trans can be modified to handle a lot of power. It requires a K series engine though due to being standard rotation.