I spoke to a wreckers today, he said that the 5 speed tiptronic boxes used in the TJ model Magna (Sports and VRX) suffer from reliability issues and do not last as long as the 4 speed tiptronic, he also claimed that there is little (if any) difference in the on road performance and the additional performance offered by the Sports and VRX is due to the higher engine KW output from the exhaust mods rather than the closer ratio spacing of the 5 speed auto gearbox.

I personally would have thought that the closer spaced ratios would mean more general flexibility on the road in everyday driving.

Has anyone heard of reliability issues with the 5 speed tippy boxes? The wreckers said they are different transmissions altogether than the 4 speed tiptronoic.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Also does anyone know if the series 2 TJ Advance came with standard side air bags as well as the 2 front airbags? (Sorry I've just hijacked my own thread:shock: )

i think he was trying to just sell u a cheap trans maybe?

i knew the oooooooooooooooold TE's had alot of trouble, but cant say ive seen 2 many issues with the 5 spd auto's ... some ppl have managed to break a few but others have thrashed the crap out of them and still going strong ...

and a 5 speed is always gonna be better than a 4speed:S ..

i used to work at a mitsu dealer and i honestly cant remember any 5speed tippy's coming in with problems ... i do however rememver alot of TE's breaking their 4speeds ... though i think the problem with them was sorted out in the TF lol

I don't think any of the 'J' series came with side air bags (and includes Verada).

I drove Cittris's VRX and comparing it to another TJ but with a 4 speed box i can tell you that 1st gear is so much better with the 5 speed rather than the 4 speed. 1st winds out to @ 55 with the 5 vs 75 with the 4. So your off the line performance is a lot punchier as the engine can get into stride a lot quicker. Also the gaps between ratios are much closer keeping the engine on the boil most of the time. If i were to go an auto it would be the 5 speed.

I've heard the opposite, that there have been more problems with the 4 speeds than the 5 speeds. From memory the majority of people who have complained on here about rough transmission changes are from those with a four speed.

I guess the other important factor is that you need to look at who's cars are fitted with 5 speeds (ie, all the sports models), and then you need to consider the driver's who have been driving them.

Usually if you look at all the cases on AMC where there has been a sudden gearbox failure, it's usually because the owner was doing something a little bit interesting and a little bit cheeky at the same time.

Anyway, at the end of the day you need to baby any Mitsubishi transmission. Regular trans fluid changes and a transmission oil cooler would assist in the reliability and lifespan of the box.

I've killed 2 5 Speed Tippy's in 4 years. While I agree that there is a certain amount of care that should be taken with a Mitsu Tranny, I found this ridiculous. After all it is installed in a 'Sports' and a choice of fully automatic and 'Sports' mode. Also upon release, Mitsubishi described it as "Mitsubishi's latest entertainment system". It's all crap, all Mitsu Tranny's are crap and always have been crap. Overservice it and you may be ok.

and a transmission oil cooler would assist in the reliability and lifespan of the box. The TJ's have a tranny oil cooler integrated into the bottom of the radiator.

I've killed 2 5 Speed Tippy's in 4 years. While I agree that there is a certain amount of care that should be taken with a Mitsu Tranny, I found this ridiculous. After all it is installed in a 'Sports' and a choice of fully automatic and 'Sports' mode. Also upon release, Mitsubishi described it as "Mitsubishi's latest entertainment system". It's all crap, all Mitsu Tranny's are crap and always have been crap. Overservice it and you may be ok.
The TJ's have a tranny oil cooler integrated into the bottom of the radiator.
Any box will break if you drive it like a lunatic. I can't see anyone breaking 2 gearboxes in 4 years under normal driving conditions. Perhaps don't drive like Michael Schumaker and your problems will dissipate?

On Topic: From what i've read the 5 speed Tiptronic is a very good, smooth and reliable gearbox. Probably moreso than the 4 speed. The 4 speed I'm pretty sure only came in "automatic" not "tiptronic" There would be a lot of difference between the 5 and 4 speed in all driving conditions due to the extra gear and shorter ratios. Pretty sure the TJ S2 didn't come with side air bags either. (Ralliart only has front and passenger.)

I wouldn't think there would be any reliability difference between the two.
The family and I always had Varada's since KR's and we had a few little issues with our KR, and we had a new tranny put in our KE at 4000k's which was an internal electric problem aparently. Other than that, we have never had a single issue with any of the others.

As for which would go quicker, would definatly be the 5 speeder because of its initial launch with its short 1st gear. Once they are both rolling though, there would be no difference. I actually find the 4 speeder can usually make up a little ground with its 2nd gear being able to reach round 140 before changing where as the 5 speeder has changed a few cogs by now and everytime a auto changes you loose a bit of speed.

The misses has the 5 speed in the KJ AWD and i have the 4 speeder in my KH and yeah if you want to drive ultra hard then go the 5 speeder but i actually perfer the way the 4 speeder uses more torque and doesnt need to rev as much. The 5 speeder is a much revvier box whereas the 4 speeder is more torque and less revs which is what i perfer.

Any box will break if you drive it like a lunatic. I can't see anyone breaking 2 gearboxes in 4 years under normal driving conditions. Perhaps don't drive like Michael Schumaker and your problems will dissipate?

On Topic: From what i've read the 5 speed Tiptronic is a very good, smooth and reliable gearbox. Probably moreso than the 4 speed. The 4 speed I'm pretty sure only came in "automatic" not "tiptronic" There would be a lot of difference between the 5 and 4 speed in all driving conditions due to the extra gear and shorter ratios. Pretty sure the TJ S2 didn't come with side air bags either. (Ralliart only has front and passenger.)
From TJII to TL and possibly TW, all 4 speed boxes were tippy standard.
I can vouch for the fact that the 5 speed IS quicker than the 4 speed.

The TJ's have a tranny oil cooler integrated into the bottom of the radiator.
I think he means a remote cooler in addition to the factory one.

The TJ's have a tranny oil cooler integrated into the bottom of the radiator.
Some people have installed another one on the right hand side of the vehicle, claim it stops or improves auto transmission flairing moreso than the integrated radiator setup.

I think Greenmatt did it from memory.

An addtional auto fluid cooler is always recommended to keep the fluid temp low. One tranny guy I know recommends one to be fitted if you drive in the city, tow anything, drive in summer, drive hard or have more power then standard. Or in other words, if you have an auto he recommends fitting a cooler. His VG Commodore ute had a huge tranny cooler and a powersteering cooler and he used it to tow cars all over the place. Personally I prefer external coolers anyway, the radiator ones are useless as they can only cool to what the coolant temp is. Usually a tad higher then what the tranny fluid likes for a long life.

An addtional auto fluid cooler is always recommended to keep the fluid temp low. One tranny guy I know recommends one to be fitted if you drive in the city, tow anything, drive in summer, drive hard or have more power then standard. Or in other words, if you have an auto he recommends fitting a cooler. His VG Commodore ute had a huge tranny cooler and a powersteering cooler and he used it to tow cars all over the place. Personally I prefer external coolers anyway, the radiator ones are useless as they can only cool to what the coolant temp is. Usually a tad higher then what the tranny fluid likes for a long life.

I love my 5speed auto! I have owned TJ 4speed and TL 5 speed, the thing i find with the four speed is that sometimes in 2nd gear when the revs are low it just doesnt want to go. With the five speed you always have the right gear for instant pick up. Haven't had any problems with either.

Thanks for your input and advice everyone:D It's very much appreciated.

I love my 5speed auto! I have owned TJ 4speed and TL 5 speed, the thing i find with the four speed is that sometimes in 2nd gear when the revs are low it just doesnt want to go. With the five speed you always have the right gear for instant pick up. Haven't had any problems with either.

AGREED wonder if you can do a simple swap????

AGREED wonder if you can do a simple swap????
wonder how the instrument panel would cope? (4 vs 5 LEDs)

AGREED wonder if you can do a simple swap????
I'm assuming you'd need a new ECU at least. Plus a new instrument cluster.

It wouldnt matter would it it just wont show up number 5, I will find out and maybe get one fitted nxt time somthing comes flying outta my new 4 speed, 1 already broken counting down the days again. its not like i can throw around 2500 bucks each time:confused: