Upgrading transmission

[Yanks0114]

so can I get 168 w.h.p. with headers, cai, and exhaust? you said 168 whp at the crank is realistic, I don't get what you are saying.

You are confusing WHP which is wheel horse power and HP which is horsepower measured at the crank.

Your car comes with 157hp. That is at the crank. Take crank hp * (100 - drivetrain loss in % (typically about 15-20 for an auto) = WHP

157 * .8 = 125.6
157 *.8 = 133.45

Your WHP is going to be around 130 as was said above.

Krawzyazn - some cars handle bolt on mods much better. For the solara there are not many free mods. On a LS1, you just do literally free mods and gain 5-10hp. I've seen a CAI add 15-20hp to an RSX type S also. I wish that same logic would apply to the solara, but it doesn't. I personally feel its because the RSX engine was built knowing that people would mod it. It can handle higher HP, but its breathing was restricted, probally also for emissions. But thats a whole different issue. Point is the solara doesn't respond to bolt ons like the RSX type S does, different cars, different engines.

[Jackass-Jeff]

The catback from injen on the G35 _no other mods, only the exhaust_ gained about 20 whp... then when tuned it gained about 35 whp...

But those are cars with restrictive air passages (emissions)...

Our 4 has a pretty big exhaust if it's the same one as the v6... so you won't get much of a difference from a 1/2 inch gain in piping diameter

[mattyboyl]

I'll tell you what. If I were to put big hp hookeed up to any transmission in the world, I would go with Toyota. Their transmissions are bullet proof! Look at the Supra! How many transmission problems do you hear with that car? Those things still sell for over $30K+ with 100,000. Why? Because they last a long time! I had a Mitsubishi 3000GT and that tranny was the worst transmission set up I have ever experienced. I went through two transmissions before I just had to get rid of it! To get back on topic, if it were me, I would say the stock tranny would be sufficient as long as you aren't going to the track every weekend. I mean look at the stock supercharger. It will bump up our hp to just about that. I highly doubt they will recommend any tranny mods.

I hope you are joking.

Supra is in a different league, everything on that car is almost an overkill. They still sell for 30k+ because of their exclusiveness since they are discontinued and the amount of aftermarket support.

Don't mean to burst your bubbles, but with the money you have to turn an I4 Solara into a 300hp monster, you can buy a better platform to start on. The V6 people have enough problems doing that with extra 0.6L.

Does it look like I'm joking? I hold true to what I said about Toyota transmissions and the short comings of other trannys out there including Hondas! Also, when I was talking close to 300 hp with a supercharger, I was referring to the V-6. The I-4 though will be able to do the supercharger without a tranny upgrade along with the V-6. Sure, people could just get a Nissan Z which has a beefy V-6. But these people chose a I-4 Solara for whatever reason and will have fun doing performance mods to make it better. Obviously a V-6 Solara platform would be a better place to start if you want to reach 300 hp.

In regards to the Supra, it sells for 30K+ for more reasons than exclusiveness. Reliablity is a huge factor. You can mod these things to death and the car maintains its reliability, including the tranny! also, the tranny puts down alot of power to the wheels where there is a much bigger drivetrain loss in others including Mitsu. Trust me, I've modded my 3000GT with minimal performance improvement. It all came down to theweak drivetrain which costed me two transmissions daily driving! Look at the 3000GT for a minute. How many VR-4s do you see out there selling for over 30K with 100,000 miles? None! These are just as exclusive, but you can mod these things and will have problems down the road with trannys, transfer cases locking up and many others. This explains the struggling sales of Mitsu Motors and the soon death of the company if they don't get their acts staright! Why else would you offer 10 yrs. 100,000 mile warranties? You're basically starting over like at Kia and Hyundais level to try and re-establish a reputation you failed to keep due to lack of quality and craftsmanship. Toyota doesn't need fancy advertising or huge warranty plans. They sell to faithful customers because they sell quality, reliable products.