r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/Admirable-Dot-9003 • 10h ago
WCGW when you power-shift a modified WRX with a stock transmission?
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u/Rendszer_valltaska 10h ago
What is Power shifting?
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u/noburdennyc 10h ago
Gas pedal down, shift, gas pedal stays down.
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u/cryptolyme 10h ago
Seems like a bad idea if you like your car
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u/CooroSnowFox 10h ago
dont think these people like their cars as much
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u/airfryerfuntime 10h ago
These people have only ever driven automatics.
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u/jayecin 9h ago
He bought a performance car to drive it fast. He’s spent a lot of time and money on mods. He knows he’s pushing the transmission harder than it’s rated for. Now he has an excuse to build a stronger better transmission.
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u/Mostly_Afloat 7h ago
Always looking for that next excuse
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u/1805trafalgar 6h ago
This is exactly like Jack Aubrey and the brig Sophy, when he put too large a course yard on the Fore then refused to reef in a stiff topsail breeze!
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u/tarasboulba7744 8h ago
I've only ever owned manuals and never power shift them (even the track cars at track days). The extra tenth will never be worth the added stress on the components, no matter how smooth you are.
That said I've had fun doing it in rentals in Europe over the years...
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u/subma-fuckin-rine 8h ago
nah, most likely he knows the transmission is on borrowed time and now that this one is demolished he'll put in a stronger one
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u/Tall-Drawing8270 9h ago
It comes from drag racing where a lot of those guys run through engines and transmissions constantly anyway. If your transmission is only gonna last 10 runs, you might as well get the extra eighth of a second out of it.
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u/FadedIntegra 9h ago
It just depends if the car is setup for it. A lot of car can handle this type of abuse. There are also sensors and tunes you can use that pull timing and rpm for the briefest moment between gears. This guy is risking it having more power than the trans is rated for already and power shifting it.
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u/afito 9h ago
roundabout way to say "you can shift without lifting if your car is set up in a way that it lifts for you instead"
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u/FadedIntegra 8h ago
Not really, those things just help you not hurt the engine. It keeps the rpm up in-between shifts but doesn't let it bang off the rev limiter so you aren't putting excess wear and tear on the engine. That being said I've had a lot of cars that survive this in factory form. It's all about how much HP your transmission can handle at that point. Certain Subaru transmissions like the one in the video here are notorious for turning into glass at like 400hp, especially when launched or shifted hard.
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u/afito 8h ago
Lifting doesn't mean going off throttle, by limiting the throttle input to not dangerous levels the car is LITERALLY lifting for you instead. Also by limiting power input & clutch in speed, the car is quite literally preventing you from real power shifting, forcing you to shift more normally.
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u/Nippolopolus 9h ago
Pretty much. Some cars are rated for it from factory as a feature but this is pretty much exclusively very high end models Like a Mustang GT500. They typically include computer programming that will ease the car into the shift better as well but its still exponentially more wear and tear than your normal spirited shifting
Also, I dont really hear the term power shifting often. I always thought it was called "No lift shift"
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u/Gefilte_F1sh 8h ago
The modern GT500 isn't (wasn't*) offered with a manual transmission.
The GT350 and Mach 1 were both offered with Tremec transmissions that are capable of no-lift shifts and auto rev matching.
I believe the Darkhorse's are also available with manual Tremecs.
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u/art_garfunkle 10h ago
Practice on a rental car
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u/Annodyne 10h ago
Like they have standard trans rental cars these days?
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u/neverwrong804 10h ago
Not any more thanks. Now they’ll be legislated out. Can’t have trans cars in motor sports.
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u/Power-of-Wings 10h ago
There are some cars like the Mustang GT that allows that.
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u/TheMangoManHS 9h ago
If you've got it specifically tuned for flat foot shifting (i.e. pulls timing when the clutch is in or a strain gauge on the shifter) it's not that bad but otherwise?
Yes, very bad for the car
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u/Happytrader113 10h ago
In my 46yrs power shifting has been avoiding the clutch while shifting to save time while racing… on dirt….
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u/titdirt 10h ago
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u/CarbsB4Bed 10h ago
Turbos use a spinning fan to feed air into the engine. They are powered by the exhaust so if you take your foot off the gas, the turbo will slow down. This is 'turbo lag'. Power Shifting keeps the engine and air spinning. Go a bit faster between shifts and pay the price with transmission longevity.
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u/sithelephant 10h ago
'One shift only please Vasily.'
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u/StuBidasol 10h ago
"The captain has scared the transmission right out of the car!"
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u/DeusExBlockina 10h ago
"Be careful, most of these transmissions don't react well to power shifts.
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u/ForeverATLANTA 9h ago
"If the mechanic turns out to be the wrong sort of buckaroo, we are never getting our car back"
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u/flyingthroughspace 10h ago
Turbo lag is only an issue at low speed if you're in the wrong gear. I've had two Subarus over 20 years (one is my current 2005 STi) and when you're at high speed turbo lag isn't a thing. At one point my STi was heavily modified with a bigger turbo and even then the lag wasn't a big deal. People who power shift these cars are idiots.
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u/Techun2 9h ago
You're listing a few different things here. "An issue" vs "isn't a thing" vs "a big deal".
Boost threshold and turbo lag are very real.
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u/gr1mmcr33p3r 10h ago edited 8h ago
Hard shifting of any kind in a Subie is a death sentence :S
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u/MisterLicious 10h ago
So you stay in the power. On a turbo car that requires spooling up, it makes a difference.
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u/TamariAmari 10h ago
My car actually comes with a no lift shift feature from the factory. It holds the revs in between shifts by cutting timing and you never have to let off the gas. I’ve scared a number of old-timers doing it because they think it’ll blow up the transmission. Fun af.
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u/Tigas_Al 10h ago
But wait, I thought if you kept the pedal down the gear doesn't "lock" in place. So if I'm in first, put the pedal down, switch to second, and keep the pedal down is like it's still in first, can you explain?
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u/Complete_Silver2595 10h ago
Once the clutch is in, it's essentially in neutral. The transmission is actually in whatever gear you have selected but there's no power being put through the transmission until the clutch is released. Driver in the video revs out 1st or maybe 2nd, pushes the clutch in, keeps foot on the throttle and bounces the engine off the rev limiter while shifting into the next gear. Once the shift is made, you drop the clutch quickly while the engine is under load. This is violent for the gears.
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u/Complete_Silver2595 10h ago
Imagine putting your automatic in neutral and flooring the gas pedal, then just shift into drive. Basically what is happening on a power shift, though not quite as brutal for the transmission because of things like momentum and friction. Still not great.
Ultimately the issue here was he was running way more power than the transmission was rated for so when he started "abusing" it, it failed. If he had an upgraded transmission, it would handle things like this better.
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u/MysteriousAge28 9h ago
Its like trying to make this guy stop a merry-go-round thats been sped up by a bike.
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u/JohnStern42 10h ago
You press the clutch in, shifts normally, the fun happens when you drop the clutch. The engine has risen to red line, the difference in speed is massive. The clutch will grip quite hard, resulting in massive forces on it and the transmission. In many cases something will give after doing that repeatedly
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u/CastorX 10h ago
That's what idiots do. Shifting really fast without dropping the RPM: pedal to metal => Press clutch quick => (RPM Preaks) => Throw next gear (QUICKLY) => Dump clutch
This means that if you don't press the clutch in time and put into next gear you destroy the synchros.
Also if you shift this fast many times with a stock trans (which definitely doesn't have a dog gear shifter) will destroy the synchros.
Last but not least if you clutch dump the sudden torque can destroy the clutch, sleeve, mesh gears, break a shaft or even bearings...
So yeah. Don't do this. You CAN do this in some race cars, but those have different transmissions, clutch, and they cut either ignition or fuel (or both in some ways) to quickly drop the engine torque so you don't have to release the gas pedal... unlike this moron in the video.→ More replies (4)32
u/fang_xianfu 10h ago
They also don't care about replacing the transmission in a race car once a week which regular people do care about quite a lot.
I've never really understood the appeal of this on the regular road because in the majority of cars driving on actual roads you'll go much faster if you just smash your foot into the floor in second gear than try to shift at all. If you want to feel like you're going zoom zoom that's accessible to anyone.
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u/luca3791 10h ago
Based on what happens in the video my guess is revving insanely high before lifting the clutch.
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u/AbleCryptographer317 10h ago
More like revving high, not bothering with the clutch and attempting to slam into the next gear under power.
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u/Googoo123450 10h ago
That's fucking wild that he expected that to do anything but destroy his transmission.
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u/narwhal_breeder 9h ago
You'd be surprised at the abuse some transmissions can take. The WRX isn't one of them. The WRX STis transmission can usually take quite a lot of abuse, not the WRXs though.
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u/5h0ck 10h ago
Foot firmly planted on the accelerator while smashing the clutch and changing gear. It brute forces the next gear.
It's often called the money shift because it's going to cost you a lot of money if you fuck up.
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u/WildcatWhiz 10h ago edited 7h ago
Monet shifting normally refers to downshifting into the wrong gear. e.g., downshifting all the way to 1 when you were trying to hit 3.
Edit: I'm leaving it. Claude Monet shift for style.
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u/Miqo_Nekomancer 10h ago
Yeah, this is a money shift, not what the other guy said.
Source: Car enthusiast
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u/Chuckfinley_88 8h ago
Yeah, this is a money shift, not what the other guy said.
Source: Car enthusiast
Agreed, signed, :guy who 2-3-2 redline moneyshifted his s2000
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u/sorestgore 7h ago
Oh my goodness 😐 I'm sorry
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u/Chuckfinley_88 7h ago
It only cost me a lot of money (that I didn't really have at the time) and all my pride. No biggie!
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u/sorestgore 7h ago
I've never money shifted ALL the way. I've caught it in time. Once in my 79 RX7 so it was already screaming lol
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u/Chuckfinley_88 7h ago
This was an AP1 as well, so ~9000 RPM in 3rd and god knows how high when it hit 2nd.
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u/Throwaway56138 8h ago
Monet shifting is when you paint the road with car parts.
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u/Mr_Mumbercycle 8h ago
Nah, a Monet shift is when it looks good from far away, but up close it's just a bunch of dots.
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u/4r4r4real 10h ago
That's not what a money shift is at all. Money shifting is accidentally selecting the wrong gear and forcing the engine past the rev limit. You blow the engine when you money shift, not the trans.
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u/sorestgore 10h ago edited 7h ago
That is not a money shift. Money shift is putting it in a lower gear instead of higher while accelerating
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u/SherlockBonz 10h ago
Buy a new WRX? Sure, why not.
Buy a used WRX? Never. Watch this video and figure every used one has been (mis-)treated this way.
The cost of modding is just so low, and every idiot who owns one mods it then beats it like a rented mule.
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u/Aoiboshi 10h ago
Used ricers are expensive. I don't get it. Yeah, you put expensive shit in your car, but that means it's only worth that much to you. I'm going to end up ripping out your shit mods because I don't know what condition anything is in.
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u/randomman87 5h ago
Despite the mantra "never pay for someone else's mods" there are still Infact a lot of idiots that will pay for someone else's mods
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u/improperdeviance 3h ago
Depends on the mods. If it's stuff I can see, like a lift kit, it's different.
Anything internal though, absolutely not. Especially if they start talking about 'Stage 2' at any point.
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u/Kimpak 10h ago
Which is a shame because the older ones are much better than the brand new ones. They don't even have STi as an option anymore. At least in my opinion.
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u/real_picklejuice 8h ago
tS is Subaru's current top trim. It's basically LaCroix STI
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u/Kurfaloid 10h ago
Can confirm. A friend in college would insist I drive his WRX while he was drunk (I was sober) and continually push me to drive it harder and harder. I grew up learning on my dad's Dodge Neon. Gears were ground.
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u/PleaseDontEatMyVRAM 10h ago
Eh, i bought a used 2020 WRX with the (2018+) FA20 from a Subaru dealer and so far its been the most reliable vehicle Ive owned.
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u/JerkyChew 9h ago
Yeah I bought a used but "certified" WRX (meaning it was inspected by Subaru and included a warranty) and it would violently pop out of gear in first or second. I brought it to a dealership who - surprise - couldn't find the problem until I took them for a ride around the parking lot to demonstrate, and then they had a 20 minute closed door meeting trying to figure out how to not fix my car. They eventually fixed it under warranty.
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u/PleaseDontEatMyVRAM 7h ago
Damn bro, I'm sorry to say you got an especially shitty dealership then, the subaru dealers near me bend over backwards for their customers. Glad they fixed you up though.
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u/darkfuryelf 9h ago
I got a buddy with a 2025 WRX and he's already dumped like 12k into it. Hes also a fucking idiot who I just reconnected with from college and he wears meta glasses to car shows. Yeah I only hung out with home twice lol.
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u/Russian-8ias 10h ago
The cost of modding is low??? What kind of job do you have lol? Getting a proper turbo setup done today costs more than a decent used car.
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u/itoocouldbeanyone 9h ago
I’m so glad I got mine in my 40’s. No desire to mod and thankfully outgrown my idiotic driving as a young adult.
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u/StevePearceFanClub 10h ago
Sounds like wheel coming to a stop in Wheel of Fortune.
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u/ClownFace488 10h ago
Granny shifting, not double clutching like he should. He's lucky that 100 shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake.
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u/Sixftdeeep2 9h ago
Don't let this distract you from the fact that Hector is gonna be running 3 Honda Civic's with spoon engines. On top of that he just came into Harry's and ordered 3 t66 turbo's with NOS's and a Motec System Exhaust.
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u/Cilreve 10h ago
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u/FrolfingSoHard 9h ago
I understand where it comes from, but I've spent decades not understanding the statement.
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u/wen_mars 7h ago
It doesn't make any sense in that context. Granny shifting is just normal gentle shifting. Double clutching means releasing the clutch in neutral in order to synchronize the clutch's input speed to its output speed for rev matching and then pressing it again before shifting into the next gear. Modern cars have synchromeshes so they don't need that and it's just a waste of time.
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u/Armatian 9h ago
I love and hate that reference there is no point in double clutching on upshifts. Color note, most beatiful double clutch i ever saw was motoharu kurosawa on f50 in suzuka, worth seeing.
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u/Sixftdeeep2 9h ago
Don't let this distract you from the fact that Hector is gonna be running 3 Honda Civic's with spoon engines. On top of that he just came into Harry's and ordered 3 t66 turbo's with NOS's and a Motec System Exhaust.
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u/wrxninja 10h ago
This guy was pushing 400HP/20PSI on stock tranny with the built engine for his 2004. They were rated to around 300WHP only. Not sure which STi tranny can be swapped but ya...he was pushing it a bit too hard.
Even the 22+ now without STi transmission swap will blow around 375WHP is the general understanding. It's really the only weak spot with the newer model. Otherwise the FA24 has become a much more reliable engine; not perfect but better than many of the previous years that were notorious for blowing up.
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u/narwhal_breeder 9h ago edited 9h ago
Not uncommon for people to keep their stock transmissions until they blow it knowing it will blow eventually, and then swapping when it blows. Or just treating stock transmissions like a consumable. I know a lot of turbo TA miatas on their 4th or 5th 5 speed.
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u/Sassy_chipmunk_10 9h ago
Can confirm as I daily a 375hp vb lol. Did recently buy a second car to abuse on the track though, so hoping to keep the stock trans intact for a while. If not oh well, I’ve got the spare cash to sti swap and then I can have all the fun
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u/melkatron 8h ago
Yup. I've seen a few T50 transmissions bench-pressed into place at the track. They're relatively lightweight and used to be super cheap. You can fit two in the back of a small SUV without putting the back seats down.
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u/narwhal_breeder 7h ago
Im pretty sure the 24 hours of lemons guys can swap out a T50 blindfolded and one handed, in 17 minutes.
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u/Far_Tap_488 6h ago
Transmissions are rated for torque, not hp fyi. That said, 350 whp on a manual transmission is pretty decent. There arent a lot of high power rated manual transmissions.
The wrx 5 speeds weigh about 125lbs.
The sti transmission weighs about 200lbs.
Its a lot beefier, but this also means its a lot worse for fuel economy.
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u/Bramble0804 10h ago
Wasnt a power shift. you hear the blow off valve dump as he slams it in. just the gears not rated for the power / at the end of their life with said power
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u/karpjoe 9h ago
"What are they rated for?" "Not what I'm pushing." Well, that was enough context for me.
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u/narwhal_breeder 9h ago
Its tentative you could call the WRXs transmission rated for its factory output. They are quite fragile even at stock power levels.
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u/TheDizDude 10h ago
Imagine having enough money to buy a running car to screw up for the "lolz"
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u/These-Anxiety-5919 9h ago
The amount of people in this fucking comment section that have never opened the hood of their own car is pathetic.
He knows he's pushing too much horsepower to the stock trans. He probably has a new one sitting in the garage.
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u/AccountNumber0004 9h ago
Yes this video seems like a skit. Conveniently asking “how’s the trans holding up” and then power shifting…
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u/thx_comcast 9h ago
Yep done the same.
Had a new built engine ready to go. Old engine was literally a boat anchor. It ran and worked fine but was common and thus very inexpensive. No one would pay me anything for it. I could only get scrap value.
They commonly blew up at ~450 HP, about 8-10 lbs of boost.
It was time for the new engine. "Hey let's see how long this thing lives at 15 psi"
Till about 4200 RPM on the first pull was the answer as it shot the rods out the side of the block. Party.
And tada, the scrap value engine was still worth only scrap value because they don't care there's a giant hole in the block.
On the new engine that was ~680 ft lbs of torque at the wheels at 4200 RPM. Yeah no wonder the little wimpy rods left the chat.
Sometimes it just doesn't matter and you can make a silly video out of it.
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u/DannyKillea 7h ago
I don't know what any of this means and I wish I did. Car people are cool.
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u/TheBeatGoesAnanas 7h ago
Had a new built engine ready to go. Old engine was literally a boat anchor. It ran and worked fine but was common and thus very inexpensive. No one would pay me anything for it. I could only get scrap value.
They planned to put a more powerful engine in their car, which was ready to go but not yet installed. The old engine wasn't worth much but still ran.
They commonly blew up at ~450 HP, about 8-10 lbs of boost.
The original engine was known to break if you added too much power via a turbo or supercharger.
It was time for the new engine. "Hey let's see how long this thing lives at 15 psi"
Before installing the new engine, they intentionally set the old one to run with more power than it could handle. A lot more. For funsies.
Till about 4200 RPM on the first pull was the answer as it shot the rods out the side of the block. Party.
The old engine lasted for a couple of seconds the first time it was pushed hard, before failing catastrophically. Now the new motor gets to go in.
And tada, the scrap value engine was still worth only scrap value because they don't care there's a giant hole in the block.
Old engine was going to be melted down anyway, so the ~$20 it was worth before didn't change.
On the new engine that was ~680 ft lbs of torque at the wheels at 4200 RPM. Yeah no wonder the little wimpy rods left the chat.
With the same setup, the new motor made ~50% more power than the known limit of the old one, i.e. not at all surprising that it blew up immediately.
Hope that helps.
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u/Lucas_Steinwalker 7h ago
Or two hobbyists knowing that they’ve pushed this particular project too far and are completely nonplussed when it fails the way that they expected.
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u/aqaba_is_over_there 9h ago
His nonchalantness about this leads me to believe it was not an unexpected outcome.
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u/CrackAdams 10h ago
Lol reading these comments there are a lot of people that think they know a lot more about cars than what they actually do.
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u/Zerothian 8h ago
That's Reddit on every topic you're familiar with.
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u/Beepb00pb00pbeep 8h ago
It's crazy how smart everyone on Reddit is until the discussion at hand is a topic I am very knowledgable in!
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u/iamredsmurf 8h ago
It wasn't always like this. You used to have the top comment be some mechanic breaking it down into detail. Now it's just everyone either repeating a joke or repeating what they misremembered from some other thread.
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u/EnLitenSangfugl 10h ago
My dad had a friend that owned a VW Beetle back in the day where he had swapped the original engine for one from a Porsche. Thing was, the Porsche rear axle either was too expensive, or just didn't fit, so he used a original one. Whenever the guy went full throttle he'd end up twisting it, but buying a new one was cheaper than getting one that could take the load 😅
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u/Loinnird 4h ago
Look, I love driving a manual. Stick shifting is very satisfying.
But then I got a fast car with a dual clutch and goddamn it’s so much nicer to drive lmao you can just SEND IT without worrying about your transmission disappearing.
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u/lovec1990 10h ago
This is classic modding scenario: i want more power, but who cares about brakes,tranny, suspension,....
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u/narwhal_breeder 9h ago
With the transmission specifically, its not super uncommon for people to ride out the stock transmission until it blows, and then upgrading to a stronger unit, or if no stronger transmission exists, then just treating the transmission like a consumable.
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u/MegatronusThePrime 10h ago
"people launch them and that's when they break"
Proceeds to launch it
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u/rabbitization 10h ago
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