Hi guys,

How hard is this to due on a car with TCL already?

I want to buy a KJ, but the newer 5 speed autos cost substantially more than the 4 speed auto cars, and wondering whether it is cheaper to buy a 4 speed and put a 5 speed into it?

I would expect it to be less than a manual conversion, which doesn't seem to be overly expensive

Has been discussed so many times but here goes

Now assuming you do not have the ability to flash an ecu and assuming you dont care about the indicator lights on the dash only going up to 4 (when all blank you will clearly be in 5th anyway lol)

You will need
ECU / BEM pack (no need to change all locks, just order new keys if you want to retain your original ones and get them coded when job done)
Transmission
Engine Loom
Pass side drive shaft, Drivers side Intermediate Drive Shaft

Your current tiptronic shifter will work fine

Personally I would keep the 4sp, I hate the shifting pattern of the 5 speed into 5th at 50kmh

Madmagna, how much would you charge for this job, drive in drive out?

The thing is with the 4 speed is it seems like a ticking time bomb, and the performance is too far behind the 5 speed.

Mal have you seen Andy's latest ecu flash defs? They include trans shifting points. Getting rid of the premature shift is rather easy with them.

Personally I would keep the 4sp, I hate the shifting pattern of the 5 speed into 5th at 50kmh

I've just had a peek at my VRX/Ralliart ROM's.

The upshift is actually worse then we thought. With no/little load, it can upshift as early at 40km/h.

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1757/magna5atprematureupshif.png

Good news is it is a very easy adjustment.

Can all the 5 speed auto computers be adjusted?

I have confirmation for adjustablility of the following models:

TJ Sports
TJ VR-X
TJ Ralliart
KJ Verada
TJ AWD
TJ AWD Sports
TL AWD

Not sure on W-series as I don't have any ROM's.

I've just had a peek at my VRX/Ralliart ROM's.

The upshift is actually worse then we thought. With no/little load, it can upshift as early at 40km/h.


As noted elsewhere, the speed values in these tables seem to be about 10% lower than actual speed at time of shift - the speedo in my car typically registered around 43-45kmh under these circumstances.

Also, these tables are only part of the decision making the ECU does in deciding to change gear - whether the car is accelerating/decelerating (and at what rate) also appear to change the actual shift speed, for example.

Can I ask why people are so interested in this? Does the gearbox not react well or change gears at the wrong time? Also, I thought the gearbox was adaptive to the driving style?

Interested in the four to five speed conversion? For one more gear and possibly the lower gearing. That's the advantage I see with the five speed. I haven't driven a five speed Magna (yet) but in my experience they have an advantage in powering out of certain corners.

The drawbacks are the extra 20kg and the lower gearing. Both contributing to (claimed) lower fuel economy. The shift point thing looks like an annoyance more than a true disadvantage.

Skapper, I meant why people are interested in reprogramming the auto ECU.
As for the 5 speed I think it offers better and more flexible acceleration as well as better reliability

The fuel economy on 5 speeds are actually worse from my experience... Cant explain why, but the 4 speed slushbox's are better for fuel economy, but thats where it ends. The 5 speed drives smoother, and has better torque delivery.

Skapper, I meant why people are interested in reprogramming the auto ECU.
As for the 5 speed I think it offers better and more flexible acceleration as well as better reliability

The premature shift into 5th results in poor fuel economy as it forces the engine to labour where it shouldn't be.

There has also recently been a discovery of "shift time" maps that allow quicker shifts to be performed, this however is yet to be tested.