Hi,

How's my A4 trans going to hold up track racing?

I would like to have a go at my local race tracks. (Brands Hatch and Snetterton) There aren't really any tight bends like autox, they're more high speed, with sweeping bends.

Being new to racing, I don't expect to be competative, and with little track experience, don't expect I'll be that punishing on the car, but there is maybe 6/7 hours track time a day.....

I see that shocks, tires, pads, fluid and driver mod & instructor are what I need for a good set up, so they're my plans.
I don't expect to start compeating, I just want to have a little fun

M6 might of been a better choice for this type of racing, but I read the A4 can be quiet good too.

I don't want to dump £2k into a new transmission unless I really have to.
Should I get a trans cooler, and is there anything else I should upgrade too?

Any advise is really appreciated.

Starting to think my really dark tint on the rear may be a hinderance...

 

if youre just doing it for fun, itll be fine. put it in drive, not overdrive. if you start changing things, a small stall would help, like 3200 i think, but i dont know automatics. its what ive heard. look around the automatic section, maybe someone there has posted what they do.

side note, you have an auto and live in england??? i thought that was physically impossible?

 

Actually, a lot of RR guys run autos. Mostly old-skool cars that have some type of 4-speed with a shift kit. It lets them stay in whatever gear they choose.

A cooler won't hurt, and may be needed. If you can do it, it's cheap insurance.

I raced my G8GT one day for fun. It's got the auto. Don't bother trying to choose gears - it's too hard. Just stick it in D and let it be. You'll learn when to get on the gas to anticipate any delays or shifting quirks.

Actually, an auto allows you to concentrate on the line more than a manual.

 

Thanks for your replys.
Good to hear there are plenty of RR guys running autos, I'm sure a cooler won't be too hard to install for an added safety margin.

I already passed our Advance driving course (Run by our Police force) that delt with the apex and racing line, but I would like more 'on the edge' driver training to add to my experience.

Thanks for the advise, and if anyone else has more to add, please do

Ohh yea, I had to get a special pass to bring an A4 into the UK

 

If you want some good ideas of RR stuff for our cars, check out the Camaro Cup stuff over in Sweden. We're all salivating over their splitters.

 

I found them, yea, they look pretty cool

 

I see a lot of Automatic corvettes here in Germany at the Opel dealer getting Transmssions replaced from running too hot . Best insurance is the biggest tranny cooler you can fit and a temp guage with a warning sensor.

 

Noted, thanks for your input

 

Agreed and a stall will make it run hotter so a temp guage is totally necessary with any stall.

 

My 4L60E didn't survive more than a couple days at a short, tight road course near me . It has a couple very tight corners (similar to auto-x) and very short straights. It's a very ON and OFF type of track (I've also taken out at least 2 gear sets there!?! ). The way my car was geared, it was in 2nd almost the entire time, and guess what ... 2nd gear started to slip ~1 week after running there . I DID have a cooler installed, but I don't think it was big enough to be effective (and I've only learned after the fact I had it installed "upside down" (both the inlet and outlet were pointing down) so it may not have been working to its max potential either.

Get the biggest cooler you can, and have it installed so the inlet and outlet are at the top & bottom, so the cooler actually fills, and the fluid makes a full (effective) pass through it.

I'm pretty confident that on a less "abrupt" track, the tranny would have survived much longer.

Since I had to pay to get it fixed anyway, I swapped in a 6-speed instead.

 

I run an built A4 with a 3600 Yank convereter and a big "stock style" cooler. Trust me, you WILL need a cooler. Im even thinking of running two just to be safe. Anyway, when Im in 2nd on a course the car loves it. With the converter it just keeps pulling. I only get into 3rd on a longer straight but by then youre hauling *** and most likely coming up to a turn. Build it right and cool it well enough and you should be okay.