Is it even worth going Stage III with an auto?

[SonicBlur]

I have been contemplating going Stage III on my 2000 B5 S4. I have 83K miles and I need to do the whole timing belt maintenance service anyway. I figured that going the extra step to go stage III might be a good idea....but I have an auto S4 and I can't decide if it's worth doing all that work with the factory auto. Your thoughts?

-Mike

[casawhites4]

people have done it, and they love it...but im sure they wish they had stick...its if ya want to or not....look at youtube videos

[S4-ORCE]

Upgrade your Torque Converter and you're good to go

[2001S4CT]

Yes it is. Upgrade your TC and your golden. I have not done that yet so sometimes I wish I had a stick but it is worth it youll love it

[bandit]

Ask frimmel if he likes it lol.

[2001S4CT]

Ask frimmel if he likes it lol.

thats a whole different planet of explanations

[alias747]

It's not even worth buying an auto S4, much less going stage 3 with it. But thats just my opinion though... :)

[VonPooper]

ya its not worth it if you live in a state with a total population of 47 =P

[Nogaro s4 914]

im auto and im recently stage 3 and i dont really want to mess with my tc i spoke to awe tuning about the giac stage 3 - chip and they said the chip was designed to handle as much as the tranny can hold. Our cars are auto and they will NEVER be as fast as a 6mt therefore im not going full stage 3 (injectors, fueling, MAF) im prob going to get a manual boost controller and up the boost but not too high, do a fmic and call it a day and be satasfied. i race alot of people and even after they find out im auto they still cant believe the power the car puts out. next car however will be stick, cant wait to test drive the new s4 =)

[S4Per]

yes, it's worth it. it's a whole new car.

[FrimmelNoJerz]

dont be a ***. get a stick....god

[S4 in_lowplaces]

they will NEVER be as fast as a 6mt

with that mentality of course not

[mrpeterparker]

ya its not worth it if you live in a state with a total population of 47 =P

lol.. hey now .. just because you may not know much about minnesota.. don't peg us as a boonie state ... we're quite populated ... =)

[alias747]

ya its not worth it if you live in a state with a total population of 47 =P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_population

Pftt... Not even close...

Oh and what did that have to do with the topic on hand? Oh right nothing... LOL

[EUROTEK//S4]

dont do it.... its not worth it....you spend all that money for STG.II numbers....

[FrimmelNoJerz]

dont do it.... its not worth it....you spend all that money for STG.II numbers....

where do you get this shit? take a look at everyone elses numbers besides mine. i dont have a shining example of a quality running stage 3 TIP as evidence from the numerous problems ive had but there ARE numbers out there that are impressive. so you need to keep quiet concerning things which you know zero about. go talk trash about how fast your imaginary M3 is.

S4orce: care to show everyone your new numbers?

[FrimmelNoJerz]

It's not even worth buying an auto S4, much less going stage 3 with it. But thats just my opinion though... :)

your opinion sucks...but thats just my opinion.

will anyone ever grow out of this whole "if i aint shiftin i aint a man" mentality?

[FrimmelNoJerz]

Ask frimmel if he likes it lol.

when my car is functioning its glorious. i dont give a shit about comparing it to anyone else car. at the end of the day its a beautiful looking animal that can stomp most other cars on the road. end of story. and when i get it back in a week ill continue my hunt for 11s. and i WILL achieve it.

[EUROTEK//S4]

where do you get this shit? take a look at everyone elses numbers besides mine. i dont have a shining example of a quality running stage 3 TIP as evidence from the numerous problems ive had but there ARE numbers out there that are impressive. so you need to keep quiet concerning things which you know zero about. go talk trash about how fast your imaginary M3 is.

S4orce: care to show everyone your new numbers?

w/o spending a million dollars on your trans.....

its getting old frimel...

[FrimmelNoJerz]

million? first off, I had to rebuild my transmission because i drove on a broken torque converter for 6 months and the shop that i dealt with wouldnt do anything without a rebuild. everyone else has just needed a torque converter which is roughly 600-850 +labor. like i said, i'm a special case because of all the shit thats gone wrong with the car. its the same thing as upgrading a clutch. and last time i checked you have a TIPtronic.

spell my fucking name correctly.

[AudiSportB5S4]

dont get suspended again man! lol, keep it nice =]. i actually really want to get a ride in a stage 3 tip, i could imagine its so much fun to have a DD car with automatic yet still have shitloads of powwwa. and im serious too. lol. justin maybe you can give me a ride someday if you're back home or something i wanna seeeeeeeeee it

[FrimmelNoJerz]

done. ill let you know when ill be home. id assume the middle of may. we can always meet up at EPL after my retune.

[SonicBlur]

I had a 6 speed 03 Cobra and the shifting in Chicago traffic got old, fast. I chose an auto S4 because it was, well, auto. I am a mechanic so I will be doing all the work myself.

Alright, well, it looks like I may be going through with this then. I need to start pricing out this Stage III kit along with the fueling kit too....thanks guys.

-Mike

[VonPooper]

lol.. hey now .. just because you may not know much about minnesota.. don't peg us as a boonie state ... we're quite populated ... =)

im jp with you foos. i have family in msp and i spend time up near detroit lakes in the summer! You betcha.

[VonPooper]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_population

Pftt... Not even close...

Oh and what did that have to do with the topic on hand? Oh right nothing... LOL

it's quite relevant. mn has less ppl\traffic so that means having a 6spd isn't as annoying as having one in say....COMPTON.

[panix73]

I have been contemplating going Stage III. I have 83K miles and I need to do the whole timing belt maintenance service anyway. Your thoughts?

Well if all you need is a timing belt job, there's no reason to go stage 3, unless you are already planning on going that route. Simple as that.

In the end you can still go stage 3 if you're not ready to make the choice now, although remember the fact that the car is an automatic and accept its limitations before spending that kind of money on k04's.

[FrimmelNoJerz]

instead of blatantly sputtering off arguments without posting any proof I am posting a conversation between me and Kai(S4-ORCE) regarding his dyno numbers.

yea it was 340-350 whp KAI
i have 305/385: me
and 375 tq KAI
u post it KAI
post your numbers?: me
yea if u want KAi
340-350whp 375wtq KAI
at 20 psi KAI
fo sho: me
go ahead KAI
I didnt post screennames from a harassment prevention standpoint.
id guess that he wants to stay out of this to keep his blood pressure down. but there are the facts.

[FrimmelNoJerz]

and if we look at ryan's "ultimate horsepower thread" you will see that Kai's conservative tune is right in the area of the other off the shelf tunes. so...everyone shut up.

[Scott Long]

I'm going to do stage 3 (all the companies that sell a complete kit list for 6-sp only so what do I need different for a tip? Downpipes only?) someday and when I do I'm going to get a 3500 rpm stall converter.

I just had a new torque converter put in and the dealer ate the cost because it failed right after I bought the car. It drove fine just didn't lockup and was getting lousy mileage on the higway. The part was like $900 plus 10.5 hours of labor. Cost me $0.00 and I was happy.

I'll be happy when it's an 11 second daily driver.

[Chknkatsu]

Ask frimmel if he likes it lol.

LOL...

[Four Play]

your opinion sucks...but thats just my opinion.

will anyone ever grow out of this whole "if i aint shiftin i aint a man" mentality?

Sadly, no...

I guarantee they wouldn't be saying that shit if they came up to a light with a LS1 Camaro with a good set of tires and a stalled auto. They'd probably look like this [O_O] as they watched him walk away.

Automatics aren't just for your grandma's Crown Vic...

[FrimmelNoJerz]

LOL...

end yourself. youve been here for a week unless youre a troll.

[Justin:NorCal]

For the uneducated, it does not cost anymore to work on a Tiptronic transmission than a manual. And very shortly I post a slip of mine in the 11's ;) Oh by the way I was out driving with my buddy in his GT3RS. My car hangs with his, no problem.

w/o spending a million dollars on your trans.....

its getting old frimel...

[BoneS4]

It's hard to believe many people still think modern automatics are slow. There just showing there incompetence I guess. But if they own sticks there not doing the research on the autos like people who do own them, so they wouldn't know and would therefore remain ignorant on the subject. If you don't know what you’re talking about just shit up for a second and you might learn something. (Not that this post is overflowing with technical info and tuning strategies.)

If you just need a timing bet change, I don't see the reason to go Stage III unless it's your planed upgrade path and your ready for it. Just throwing parts at a car won't make it faster like most of the kids on there think. Following one of the proven upgrade paths from a reputable tuner will net more results and save you money in the long run. If this upgrade is planned on then do it, if you’re not ready to commit to everything that is required (money/Tip TC/time/maintenance) then hold off until you are. Taking the nose off is not that hard, (I have done it twice) And in my opinion should not influence your decision on when to upgrade.

Remember this is just a forum and nothing to get worked up about. There is great information on here from some very competent individuals with well put together and informative posts. You just have to do a bit of searching to sift through the younger crowd and there flame wars. I'm not saying everyone young is incompetent, it's just generally the situation. Funny how some people can let people they don’t even know get under there skin. Crazy.

It's worth it if it's what you what YOU want. If you can live with how it is now, then you have your answer. Best of luck with your decision!

[Reich]

Sadly, no...

I guarantee they wouldn't be saying that shit if they came up to a light with a LS1 Camaro with a good set of tires and a stalled auto. They'd probably look like this [O_O] as they watched him walk away.

Automatics aren't just for your grandma's Crown Vic...

Your right. The guy installing my turbos is doing 9s with his golf vr6 turbo and auto. He also noticed that he dose'nt have any syncro problems
Just step on throtle, leave it there and shift.

[Auburnsky1287]

rofl, its definitely worth it. I can't believe so many people don't hesitate to flame this thread

[lrg8683]

It's hard to believe many people still think modern automatics are slow. There just showing there incompetence I guess. But if they own sticks there not doing the research on the autos like people who do own them, so they wouldn't know and would therefore remain ignorant on the subject. If you don't know what you’re talking about just shit up for a second and you might learn something. (Not that this post is overflowing with technical info and tuning strategies.)

If you just need a timing bet change, I don't see the reason to go Stage III unless it's your planed upgrade path and your ready for it. Just throwing parts at a car won't make it faster like most of the kids on there think. Following one of the proven upgrade paths from a reputable tuner will net more results and save you money in the long run. If this upgrade is planned on then do it, if you’re not ready to commit to everything that is required (money/Tip TC/time/maintenance) then hold off until you are. Taking the nose off is not that hard, (I have done it twice) And in my opinion should not influence your decision on when to upgrade.

Remember this is just a forum and nothing to get worked up about. There is great information on here from some very competent individuals with well put together and informative posts. You just have to do a bit of searching to sift through the younger crowd and there flame wars. I'm not saying everyone young is incompetent, it's just generally the situation. Funny how some people can let people they don’t even know get under there skin. Crazy.

It's worth it if it's what you what YOU want. If you can live with how it is now, then you have your answer. Best of luck with your decision!

a 2000-2002 is not a "modern' automatic transmission.. and let's face it.. in the B5s4's the auto tranny is just slower than the 6 spd counterpart.. and a stage 3 with 340 whp? i'd cry if i spent stage 3 money and only had 340 whp.

[S4 in_lowplaces]

Imagine for a minute that the scenario was swaped, Lets say there where a lot more autos than there where 6spds, I guarantee autos woudl be faster. I also "KNOW" there are Tip S4's faster than a lot of 6 speeds i see on here (and yes they have k04's). Why do you think they dont post, Because they dont want to deal with this BS. Some of the fastest drag cars are autos. Honestly, How many tips are on this forum trying to prove the 6spds wrong.....S4ource, Frimmel, Cole, skydive, Me, black01s4 (AW), and maybe thre other i have forgotten, let say 10...vs. 100 siz speeds.....

[alias747]

Imagine for a minute that the scenario was swaped, Lets say there where a lot more autos than there where 6spds, I guarantee autos woudl be faster. I also "KNOW" there are Tip S4's faster than a lot of 6 speeds i see on here (and yes they have k04's). Why do you think they dont post, Because they dont want to deal with this BS. Some of the fastest drag cars are autos. Honestly, How many tips are on this forum trying to prove the 6spds wrong.....S4ource, Frimmel, Cole, skydive, Me, black01s4 (AW), and maybe thre other i have forgotten, let say 10...vs. 100 siz speeds.....

I have no problem with other people liking their tips. I just HATE driving an auto becuase its really boring compared to a stick. OPINION.

But I love how all the tip owners throw out all these OTHER examples about how fast automatics are. That's great that "some of the fastest cars in the world are autos". Whatever, thats nice. Thats not the topic on hand. We are talking B5 S4's. And I have no doubt that you can make a tip S4 as fast as a 6-speed, but I bet it takes more effort and money. Am I wrong?

I haven't driven an auto S4, but if the tip on the S4 is as much of a slushbox as the tip on my A4 was, I just don't like it. That is all, hate on me if you want.

[S4 in_lowplaces]

I wont hate...But you will soon see some tips puttin down some nice runs/numbers. Its only a matter of time. But i do agree that stick is "FUN" () to drive