So your stock MCSa did not upshift by 6300 rpm? We found it impossible to get a good dyno since there was no over-riding the upshift, the transmission's one fault IMHO. I don't drive it up in those rpms or really need the hp up at the top of the tach on the street, 4-6k range depending performs very well - but it is a shortcoming esp if you want to dyno an MCSa accurately (unless something changed and now you can hold it in gear up to 8k w/o it shifting?). Still wondering why nobody has come up with software to eliminate the upshift and raise the rev limits, etc, as Dinan had done for the BMW steptronic.

 

What about putting the transmission in manual mode? Does it still automatically upshift at 6,300 rpm?

 

Yup, does on ours.

And sorry for the typos, it was pre-coffee

 

I had conversation with a Dinan rep a couple of months ago about doing some performance mods on my, then new, MCSa. At that time their policy was "hands off" the MCSa . The reason for this is, as I was informed, once the MCSa is pulleyed it will no longer meet the EPA emissions requirement. This is confirmed by the fact that the JCW MCSa is available in Europe while it is not in the USA. If this policy has changed since my information was given I am not aware of it.

 

Mine and all the other MCS Autos that I've driven force an upshift at 6750 RPM regardless of what mode they're in - normal, sport or manual.

 

I may be off on the number, as I said I posted pre-coffee with brain not fully awake, and now I can't recall the last time I watched the tach as it shifted at that point. Bottom line though is that it is doubtful to get an accurate dyno as long as it upshifts on its own at all.

 

When I had my pulley installed I was talking to the mechanic about it. He is a highly regarded mechanic at a European auto tuner here in San Antonio and he said on the VAG cars that was about the limit. Anything passed that and things start breaking. JCW kit is available in Europe so that amount of power should be fine. Twincharging and very high WHP are probably risking the transmission.

 

Well, highly regarded experience on non-Aisin-Warner transmissions is not necessarily transferable. If you look at other applications of Aisin-Warner transmissions, they have demonstrated ability to handle in the range of 300 ft/lbs (at the crank) in production car applications. Now I don't have access to a torque specification document from Aisin-Warner, but absent such a document, I think it is not unreasonable to rely on other manufacturers implementation of Aisin-Warner transmissions as a guide for what the transmission is capable of. 240 ft/lbs is a bit on the conservative side.

 

Well, isn't the MCSa transmission the same as, or very similar to, the one used in the Audi TT and VW Beetle? If the transmission's limit is 300 ft/lbs then you really don't want to run a street car/daily driver at the limit because the transmission life will be shortened accordingly. It may handle it, but more problems will come up much quicker. Running lower in the 200-250 range, a little more conservative, could give better longterm results. As you said though, all this is speculation and heresay without the Aisin-Warner torque specs. I'd like to see someone twincharge or highly tune a MCSa and see how much it really can handle and how reliable it can be with that much power in the long term. I won't be risking my tranny though.

 

Frankly, an a/t's torque handling specification is only part of the picture. If you drive a box stock MCSa abusively (such as race all-out from stop light to stop light) and don't replace the transmission fluid, you will see premature transmission failure. The best thing you can do to extend the life of the transmission is to completely replace the transmission fluid every 15,000 miles.

 

Early back on my 05 just after I got through with all the wire harness problems, a half shaft breaks on the highway. Engine is fine, just no umph. I play out a TC in my head all the time, but don't wanna go breaking anything again. And it broke stock! That's holding me back from modding, but I've seen some autos, like mdsbrain who are running fine. So......

 

I think I remember reading about that halfshaft. Maybe it was just a defective part. I've got an intake and 17% pulley that have been on since about 13k miles. I now have 31k and no problems so far. I am planning to eventually add an exhaust and some ECU software and that will be it. If I had a second car someday then maybe TC or an M62 would be interesting to try, but that is just asking for trouble IMO.

 

I've done just about every bolt-on mod you can do to a MCSa and currently I am running the following engine mods.

15% pulley
Alta CAI w/ hose and top
Header w/ high-flow metallic CAT
wires (for bling)
Alta intercooler diverter (shaved down a tad to fit)
M7 Ram air cf scoop

I plan to add a exhaust again soon. But till then I am very happy with this.

 

Mdsbrain...just curious...has your dealer mentioned anything about the mods affecting your warranty?

 

See this link.

 

Newcomer to this forum...so am I correct in my research that there is no shift kit-type mod for the MSCa? I have an 06 and really wish there was something to improve the auto-tranny's response, esp. downshifting.

 

I haven't found anything. I keep checking from time to time including upgrades for the old audi tt. By the way an indication for the torque specs for the aisin transmission can be seen here: http://www.ricardo.com/engineeringse...adybenchmarked

 

Hiya D, long time, no see!


The Aisin TF60-SN is rated to 320 N m, or 235 ft lbs TQ. It also has a TQ limiting feature in 1st gear, but I don't know any details about it. There are a few blurbs on their website.

So there's a whole lot of room for improvement over stock TQ numbers while still staying within spec for the Aisin. I've got a goal TQ number that I'm hoping Way can help me hit. Once I get there, I'll take you for a spin since I owe you one

 

The MTH Tuner ECU upgrade definitely changes the shift profile - very noticeable when I first installed it. It's be a little while now so it's harder for me to remember what it was like before... But shifting is more aggressive and seems "crisper" - up and down...

I use plain auto mode for highway cruising only - use sport auto for around town - and sport mode with manual shifting for "spirited" driving.

 

The way that a torque limiter typically works, is that when the transmission is in 1st gear, it sends a signal to the DME and the DME retards the ignition timing for the entire time the transmission is in 1st gear.

 

I'm not sure how much HP or TQ the tranny will take, but here's what I've got in mine so far.
RMW head (JESUS)
RMW header
Magnaflow (high flow) cat back
15% pulley
2% cs pulley
cai
380 injectors
w / a intercooler
modified S/charger (m45)
HP cam
adjustable cam pulley
and a few other items that slip my mine for the moment.
and so far it's holding up just fine. I do need to upgrade the ECU. With all the air flow it's having a bit of trouble keeping up.

 

Checkers, have you dyno'ed your car and which W/A intercooler do you have? I've been thinking about a big valve head, how does it feel with the automatic especially down low 2-3K.

 

That is a nice set of mods. Are you running everything on the California 91 octane pisswater? Have you been able to check if the DME pulls timing on hot days?

 

We can't get a good dyno yet. My car go's crazy and tries to jump off the rack. The last time it Showed on the first run 175whp and 255lbs tq the second run showed 190whp and 297lbs tq. We know the tq has to be way off and we are not to sure about the hp either. They had to use a third strap and anchor it to the left to allow for the torque. We do know it pulls real hard from about 3000 to around 7000 rpms. It real whats to move to the right when you get on it hard. But it's a lot of fun.

 

I got the intercooler from MINI Mania, but they do not carry it anymore.
As far as low end power it is a little stronger, but real do not kit in until around 3000 rpms.
I'm not sure if or how much timing is pulled but thats what the adjustable cam pulley comes in. I'm looking into reflashing the ECU and try to take care of the timing.