928 siting... leads to questions.
07-24-2003, 11:56 PM
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Three Wheelin'
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928 siting... leads to questions.
Just saw a white shark on George W. Bush Toll road in las colinas... very nice.. I tried to slow down and give a thumbs up, but he probably thought I was trying to start a race! 
not in my GLI!!! 
Anyway, got me thinking about how much I love and respect 928s.. Anytime I look for them for sale nearby, they are always automatics... what is the expense in swapping for a MT? Is it more worth finding a stock manual rather than swapping? I know the trannies are farely cheap since there are so many used mercedes that can donate, but are there tons of porsche only parts that are needed for a complete swap that would make it too expensive?
not in my GLI!!! Anyway, got me thinking about how much I love and respect 928s.. Anytime I look for them for sale nearby, they are always automatics... what is the expense in swapping for a MT? Is it more worth finding a stock manual rather than swapping? I know the trannies are farely cheap since there are so many used mercedes that can donate, but are there tons of porsche only parts that are needed for a complete swap that would make it too expensive?
07-25-2003, 12:04 AM
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The automatic transmissions of the 928 have Mercedes internals, but 928-specific housings. I doubt you could convert a Mercedes tranny to fit a 928 - at least not for reasonable cost.
Similarly, a tranny conversion from automatic to manual can be quite expensive. Unless you have a particular car that you are extremely attached to, it's hardly worth it. For some of the later cars it's near impossible to find a used manual in the first place - you'd have to get a new one for - I guess - around US$15k or so. The conversion would require all kinds of changes to body (firewall), torque tube, engine electronics and flywheel, ... - it's much better to find a manual to begin with.
Similarly, a tranny conversion from automatic to manual can be quite expensive. Unless you have a particular car that you are extremely attached to, it's hardly worth it. For some of the later cars it's near impossible to find a used manual in the first place - you'd have to get a new one for - I guess - around US$15k or so. The conversion would require all kinds of changes to body (firewall), torque tube, engine electronics and flywheel, ... - it's much better to find a manual to begin with.
07-25-2003, 01:15 AM
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ouch... ah well... just thought I'd check... Guess that's why my search for "manual transmission swap" came up with nothing 
How much power can an S4 or GT automatic handle? Aren't the limited pretty much to stock?
How much power can an S4 or GT automatic handle? Aren't the limited pretty much to stock?
07-25-2003, 03:50 AM
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Danny;
There is some information on the auto/manual swap on Greg Nichol's site at http://www.nichols.nu/tip211.htm. I investigated this myself awhile back and it is "doable", but does require a number of parts in addition to the tramsmission. The big gotcha is the firewall part, as Nicole mentions. There are several Rennlisters who have done this job...I am sure they will post replies to your questions in due course. They will be able to give you a better idea of the cost and complexity of this swap.
On the power handling potential of the auto, I have read posts indicating that the 4 speed auto unit can handle up to 600hp...which may be stretching things a bit. I would think 500hp is a reasonable figure...certainly there are Mercedes vehicles with this basic transmission design that produce this kind of power. There are several supercharged/turbocharged 928s out there producing in the 350-450hp range with the stock auto shifter.
I do agree with Nicole, however, that it is best to find a factory manual if you can...problem is that the vast majority of 928s seem to have been sold with automatic. What we really need is someone to come up with a good tiptronic-like addon to make living with an auto a little more attractive!
Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's
There is some information on the auto/manual swap on Greg Nichol's site at http://www.nichols.nu/tip211.htm. I investigated this myself awhile back and it is "doable", but does require a number of parts in addition to the tramsmission. The big gotcha is the firewall part, as Nicole mentions. There are several Rennlisters who have done this job...I am sure they will post replies to your questions in due course. They will be able to give you a better idea of the cost and complexity of this swap.
On the power handling potential of the auto, I have read posts indicating that the 4 speed auto unit can handle up to 600hp...which may be stretching things a bit. I would think 500hp is a reasonable figure...certainly there are Mercedes vehicles with this basic transmission design that produce this kind of power. There are several supercharged/turbocharged 928s out there producing in the 350-450hp range with the stock auto shifter.
I do agree with Nicole, however, that it is best to find a factory manual if you can...problem is that the vast majority of 928s seem to have been sold with automatic. What we really need is someone to come up with a good tiptronic-like addon to make living with an auto a little more attractive!
Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's
07-25-2003, 01:44 PM
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based on the information compiled in our customer data base ( many thousands and thousands ) ; the vast majority of the 928s in Texas are automatic transmission cars .
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07-25-2003, 02:33 PM
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Danny -
There is an '88 Black 5 speed listed on cars.com in your area.....
or anyone else.
Description — $17,900, '88 928 S4 5spd blk 17"whls new tires x-cond records 66k $17,900 972-867-4890 ...
There is an '88 Black 5 speed listed on cars.com in your area.....
or anyone else.
Description — $17,900, '88 928 S4 5spd blk 17"whls new tires x-cond records 66k $17,900 972-867-4890 ...
