Grand Vitara 5spd manual vs 4spd auto?

[crazynic]

Hi guys,

I'm currently in the market for a 98-02 V6 Grand Vitara.

I Just wanted to see what you blokes reckon is the best transmission for off-road use.

My first choice was the manual as always driven manuals and then i started thinking maybe the auto would be more versatile off-road?

Let me know what you think!

[joeblow]

yes, auto.

[NFI]

Crazynic.

I have always had a V6 Grand Vitara in a manual.
99% of the time, there would be no issues with it.

However, I wished I had an Auto when negotiating steep hill climbs as there is no clutch to worry about.

Going down hill is a different story.

[cj]

At least with the auto you can fit crawler gears which you can't in the manual and then I'd rather go down steep descents in the auto. The Aisin auto in these is a pretty good auto too.

Have a look at the most current discussion on this in General Tech http://carl.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic172779.php

[crazynic]

CJ that's interesting what you said about the low range gears fitting the V6 auto equipped grand vitara.

I was under the impression you could only get gears to fit the 2lt 4cyl manual equipped vehicles?

Can any one confirm this?

I think an auto behind the V6 with crawler gears would be an awesome set-up in the dirt!

[cj]

They don't fit the very early 1.6 Vits but they will from about '91 on fit all manual or auto 1.6 or 2.0 Vits. They will fit the 4 cyl manual or auto GV's and the 4 speed auto V6 but not the manual V6 or the 5 speed auto.

[PhillT]

I tossed up for weeks about auto v's manual, and in the end went for manual . The deciding factor was a phone call to an auto trans workshop and a 10 minute discussion with them. The thing is that ALL auto transmissions tend to generate lots of heat when working hard. A LOT more than any manual trans.
That heat has to be dissipated somewhere, and any additional coolers need to have a forced air supply for low speed high load situations. It is no use stacking them in the front or behind the radiator & AC condensor as they will be struggling in those conditions already.
So, it comes down to what you want to do with it. If you are going to use it in heavy sand, sand-hills, serious towing, or any other high load conditions, particularly at low speeds, go manual, or spend BIG $ on extra cooling capacity.
If you are going to drive it to work every day, and take it out in the bush on weekends, the auto would be my choice.

A quick look at the results of a failed A/T cooler pipe in the bottom tank of the radiator is sobering too.

[joeblow]

I tossed up for weeks about auto v's manual, and in the end went for manual . The deciding factor was a phone call to an auto trans workshop and a 10 minute discussion with them. The thing is that ALL auto transmissions tend to generate lots of heat when working hard. A LOT more than any manual trans.
That heat has to be dissipated somewhere, and any additional coolers need to have a forced air supply for low speed high load situations. It is no use stacking them in the front or behind the radiator & AC condensor as they will be struggling in those conditions already.
So, it comes down to what you want to do with it. If you are going to use it in heavy sand, sand-hills, serious towing, or any other high load conditions, particularly at low speeds, go manual, or spend BIG $ on extra cooling capacity.
If you are going to drive it to work every day, and take it out in the bush on weekends, the auto would be my choice.

A quick look at the results of a failed A/T cooler pipe in the bottom tank of the radiator is sobering too.

i would beg to differ, and i believe the auto shop you spoke to may no be very familiar with the zook autos (they are not known for failures, so many shops have never seen one). the one thing they are is tuff, and heat does not bother them. i'll try paint a picture. my vehicle and some others on our annual tassie trips have 33 inch tyres, 1.6, auto dual cases and a fair bit more weight than a zook was intended for, plus we air down to about 10 psi. my cooler is mounted flat, under the bonnet with a thermo fan that kicks in automatically using a swift thermo switch. at low speed i get little or no airflow, and guess what?.......she won't give up. the other guys have thier coolers in front and same thing, no dramas. these cooling set ups are not big dollars (bout 120 bucks for a decent cooler) and you usually get plenty warning if a hose will go, thats if one bothers to do a thing called general maintanance. i have never had a hose go on any of my auto zooks(all 4 of em') and i have towed some stupid size trailers too.


phillt i feel a little bad for you, as speaking to someone who may not have know zook transmissions all that well led you to buy a manual vit, when you might have been happier with an auto version, i know i will never drive a manual vit again.