I was just wondering if anyone had heard of it being done with an 8 before. I have an AT am sort of regretting not getting a manual. I'll be getting a brand new engine soon so I'm not too keen on swapping the car for a MT with more miles on it. Is converting even possible or is it just a stupid idea? How much would it cost? My knowledge of the inner workings of the vehicle doesn't go all that deep. Any input would be appreciated.

 

it really depends on the year of the vehicle. The 04-05 auto is the 4 port 4 speed tranny. The 06+ is the 6port 6 speed tranny, similar to the manual just the transmission cant handle 9000+ rpms so they cap it at 7500.

If you have the 06+ it would be wise to just keep the car and FI it if you want more power.

If you really want the MT trade the car in and get a new one. It will be cheaper that way in the long run.

 

Do you have a 4 port or 6 port AT?

Doing this mod is possible but it will take MONEY
Definitely will need a new ECU $$$$$$

 

Sorry I should have mentioned its an 04 so its a 4 port.

 

trade the car in.. an estimate would be close to 6k.

 

... sure it's possible to be done; but the better question is 'would it be cost effective to do so?' to which the answer is a resounding No.

You'd be better off spending less money to turbo or supercharge your new engine, which would erase much of the regret.

 

It's too bad there's no one who has ever done it.

 

^

i love subtle sarcasm...


Oh how i wish i weren't the only one who has ever thought to ask this question...woe is me...

lol

 

lmao, I was just going to suggest that this guy PM you.....

 

Lol, I see.... Any more insight from your point of view then?

 

To answer his question, the answer is yes.
The cost involved is another

 

Yeah, that does suck.

I think the proper answer to the OP is: No, you can't do it.

 

There may or may not be more information available on this subject. I cannot confirm or deny the existence of a thread covering this subject in great detail. Even if the existence of such a thread were confirmed with certainty, it would undoubtedly be a challenge to figure out where on this entire forum a man would find a thread regarding automatic specific information. I am sure that you are a resourceful individual and will eventually prevail against the adversary we call ignorance.

 

Most likely less than the cost of trading or selling and re-buying to get a manual. Less troublesome though, which may make it the procedure of choice for the checkwriters/non-mechanics of the forum.

 

just in case you aren't picking up on RotaryResurrection's subtle hints:

AT-Specific Performance Mods
might look through the stickies

or if you are super lazy:
AT to MT swap

i normally don't get on people for not searching, but it is pretty obvious to check in the AT performance subforum.

 

Yea. Sell it and buy one with MT. Market is swamped with used RX-8's right now.

 

I normally have no issues with searching, but the term "AT to MT" actually comes up with nothing. Thank you for sending me to the right place instead of just some witty sarcastic remark.

 

I actually prefer the sarcastic remark but lately have not had good luck with searches so I will leave it alone

You could of course go FI but that would require a commitment. I actually prefer my AT. My garage is kinda the "fix it" point for our local 8s. Every weekend there are at least two peeps working on their manual transmissions. Yes some are clutches but how often do you read about a AT failing?

 

yeah, unfortunately there is a minimum limit of characters when searching on vbulletin forums.

just to make this post actually worth something, i'd probably suggest just selling your car and getting a stick as others suggested.

 

In the what 10yrs the 8 has been out I doubt anyone has thought about swapping over from an A/T to a M/T when it would be WAY cheaper to just buy the car M/T.........Anyway it has been done pain in the *** if u ask me. Listen to Phil look into FI (that's turbo or supercharged save u another useless thread) he seems to be putting up good number with his A/T

 

So, not only do you want someone else to be the guineapig for the swap and find out what all is necessary; not only do you want them to take the time to document this online and post it; not only do you want it to be stickied in the most appropriate area for reference; but you also expect to be spoon fed a direct link because you can't be bothered to look? You looking for someone to come wipe your *** for you too?

Come on man, I'm not trying to bust your *****, but you can't expect me to believe you didn't even poke your head into the AT specific section and see a sticky right at the top that says "AT to MT swap", can you?

Do this. Open the search window, click advanced search. Enter "manual swap" as terms, and select "at specific mods" as the forum to search. Tell me what comes up as the first result.

 

Careful, K. You are starting to sound like me.

 

I must admit to being out of school for a few years, but even my rusty math doesn't agree. Model year 04s came out in late 2003. IT is now mid 2010. At most the car is 6.5-7 years old.




Pain in the ***? If you bought all the correct parts from the same donor car, and the engine was good enough not to need a rebuild, it could be done in a weekend with hand tools for about 3 grand.

If you sell any used car, you are going to lose money. IF you sell a used rx8, you will lose quite a bit, because the resale on these is going into the *******. And if that rx8 is an auto, it is going to be even worse, because all the resident forum race drivers want a manual or nothing. So you're going to have to GIVE an auto rx8 away, and take a big loss. Then you're going to have to find a manual in good shape at a decent price. I'd guess this would cost at least 3 grand if not more. Plus the car that you get, you don't know anything about it...it could have been in a wreck, a smoker's car, there could be flaws or electrical issues, etc. that your original car did not have.

 

And on that note, its time for me to log out and GTFOH, catch you all later.

 

No one sounds like you......one of a kind all others are just cheap imitations