Cal wrote: It has been quite a while since I have driven a turbo car, but it all came back pretty quick with my new 5 speed. There is plenty of boost in 1st, you just have to know how to drive a turbo stick. If you want boost you have to slip the clutch more off the line. The torque converter slips the clutch for you on an auto, it just depends on the stall speed of the converter how much. Turbos are known to work very well with autos because the RPM's don't drop between shifs and the turbo stays spooled. You have to shift quicker and keep the rpms up to drive a turbo stick well. Just practice, you'll get it. I like the close ratios of the 5 speed but that is just me.
I've driven 3 different 5-speed turbos now and they were ALL the same. If You have to slip the clutch to get the 5-speed "going" I hope You have lots of cash for clutch replacements. (Especially now that "other people" know You do that, good luck getting a clutch replacement on warranty). That's the problem with the 5-speed, it's computer doesn't allow the turbo to engage in 1st gear at all no matter how much You slip the clutch. If You drive both the turbo automatic and the turbo 5-speed and You have any knowledge of engines at all You can REALLY tell that it's a totally different computer set up. Just watch your tach and "feel" when the turbo starts kicking in. The auto kicks in smooth and strong at about 2,300 RPM. The 5-speed doesn't kick in at all in 1st gear, no matter what the RPM's are, and there's NO torque until after 50 MPH. Sorry to say it but the 5-speed is a real dog, a disappointment, and if You were to race an auto all You'd see is his rear bumper. I was REALLY excited when they announced a 5-speed turbo was coming out, especially when it was SUPPOSED to be quicker than the auto. But when it finally arrived and I drove it and found out that the auto is DEFINITELY quicker I decided NOT to buy one. I'll wait until they get the bugs out, the torque in, and I'll wait until it's actually quicker than the auto.
Here's something to try: Get your 5-speed turbo going in 1st gear to about 2,500 RPM and then punch it. What do You get? Nothing! Try it on the auto-turbo and your tires are spinning like crazy, (JUST LIKE THE 5-SPEED NON-TURBO). Keep the 5-speed turbo floored until redline in 1st gear and what do You get? No torque, no wheel spin, and not much further away from where You started. Sorry to say, the 5-speed turbo is a REAL DOG! VERY slow off the line and VERY slow until about 50 MPH. It's a real shame that DC changed the computer set-up in the 5-speed turbo, they took away almost all the torque. Maybe it had so much torque that You couldn't stop the wheels from spinning? Well, sorry to say again, it definitely DOES NOT have that problem!
I know if You put a turbo auto and a turbo 5-speed on a drag strip the auto will NEVER be the one lagging behind, and it should be the other way around. And DC advertised the 5-speed to be quicker....false advertising?????????? YES!
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