Autos.... are they any good?

[Ade]

Sometimes I find myself fancying an auto for a change (no pun intended).

How good or bad are they in a T5/R?
How much power, torque and abuse can they take until the get troublesome?

[Volvostorm]

I'm sure I've seen the figure of 300bhp before they cry for help, but it depends on the 'box.

[volvo]

i heard they are OK up to 400BHP. Im just about to break an 850R Auto, first Auto ive driven in the 850's and must admit, with the 304 ECU and manual BC, the power delivery felt great but my own car is a manual and will stay a manual.

depend on how and what kind of driving style you want really, but i was pleasantly surprised by the Auto box

[volvo]

ok maybe 400 is a little ambitious, i read it somewhere on a forum

[Storm-Troll]

I had an S70R Auto.. was the Mutts Nutts mate.. still an awesome ride. just meant i had a hand free to wave at people as I passed them :)

[t5 pete]

Don't know how much power they can take but we have 2 v70 and a c70 autos and there brilliant and so smooth

[AndysR]

The 850 lends itself well towards an autobox due to the nature of the car/engine (smooth ride/torquey engine). If working correctly the box changes gear very smoothly, almost seamlessly puts a number of modern auto's to shame in fact. When I first got mine I was always convinced that I would convert it to manual I am now hooked by how lovely it is to drive in auto form that I think it will stay auto..

Btw spotted your 850 in the Little Chef at Kelvedon/Feering @ 07:30 ish on Weds? Possibly Thursday morning this week ;)

[antz]

My dad loves his 855 T5 Auto. The effortless driving and that when he wants to voertake its literally just point, shoot and wave at the person being overtaken.

[LiamT4]

I can say that the one in my s70r is very smooth and has been running with one map or another for the last 3 years with no problems.

As with a lot of things it depends on how you drive and if you look after it.

AndysR 850 has don the 1/4mile in 14.4 at just over 100mph and Ed has taken his 850 auto on the track as well as the 1/4mile, so they aint as bad as some think.

Although i don't think autos and MBC's are a good mix, due to the fact that it brings the boost in very early and its too easy for the car to kick down into 1st, on full boost, at low speeds. This may not be good for the box, but its definatly not good for the rods.

[Tomcat]

I have problems with my auto but then it did get abused by the last owner, hoping its just a new torq convertor it needs.

[Wobbly Dave]

... i read it somewhere on a forum
that's mostly where all the trouble starts

[T5frankie]

imo iff you want an auto get a v/s70 as they have an adaptive gearbox and better gearing if you want an 850 stick with a manual

[nottsgreent5]

ive had my auto 3-4 years and apart from a knackered rad causing the box to boil ive had no isues at all with the tranny mines was running mbc and map for quite a while with no problems think as long as boost is kept at sensible levels under kickdown you wont bend the rods or kill the box ive fitted a ebc which i bought off liamt4 and thats made the boost alot more controllable and not as mental lol

[merc85]

The 850 R auto has wider oil chanels in the box to cope with the higher loads and these seem very reliable.

The Standard to 850 T5 auto box cant cope with realentless abuse. even with fluid changes.

My last 850 t5 Auto was running a Re Map, The Box would flair up between Gear changes when the fluid got hot, Ended up Shagging the Imput shaft on the Box

[t5_monkey]

It'll never be as reliable or long lived as the manual box.

Auto has it's appeal but if you're into driving I'm not sure Auto is the thing, much better in traffic though.

[jayeastanglia]

I had a 850 auto before my current manual t5..the auto was a N/A engine which went ok and changed gear ok and was great round town with no clutch work and ok for towing as nice and smooth..but it tended to be in to high a gear if all a sudden you wanted to accelerate quickly while moving and always needed the kick down to get speed out of it...
only bonus i had with a auto was wife wouldnt drive it

[AndysR]

imo iff you want an auto get a v/s70 as they have an adaptive gearbox and better gearing if you want an 850 stick with a manual

That box was fitted when they upgraded to the me7 management. If its got the three buttons for sports, winter and economy modes then the box is not the adaptive box, so almost everything pre '99 will be the same box as fitted to the 850's. My brothers S70R has the same box and the same ratios as mine, I think I'm right in saying that all of the S70R's and all fwd V70R's have the same autobox as the 850R provided that they're not me7

That said the ratios in the box does vary depending on whether the car was n/a or turbo' but remained unchanged between 850 and pre '99 '70 series until the single button adaptive gearbox was introduced. It's also worth mentioning that the 5 speed adaptive auto in the late 2.4 R's is more problematic than the earlier 4 speed and very expensive to fix if it goes wrong.

[T5frankie]

That box was fitted when they upgraded to the me7 management. If its got the three buttons for sports, winter and economy modes then the box is not the adaptive box, so almost everything pre '99 will be the same box as fitted to the 850's. My brothers S70R has the same box and the same ratios as mine, I think I'm right in saying that all of the S70R's and all fwd V70R's have the same autobox as the 850R provided that they're not me7

That said the ratios in the box does vary depending on whether the car was n/a or turbo' but remained unchanged between 850 and pre '99 '70 series until the single button adaptive gearbox was introduced. It's also worth mentioning that the 5 speed adaptive auto in the late 2.4 R's is more problematic than the earlier 4 speed and very expensive to fix if it goes wrong.

both my r reg s70 t5 autos "leaned my driving" when i bought them they were dead slow and never could get them to kick down but a couple of weeks "learning my driving" and they flew, i havn't driven a late 850r but the early t5's i.e 94/95 the gearbox's was rubbish

[AndysR]

both my r reg s70 t5 autos "leaned my driving" when i bought them they were dead slow and never could get them to kick down but a couple of weeks "learning my driving" and they flew, i havn't driven a late 850r but the early t5's i.e 94/95 the gearbox's was rubbish

Sounds interesting, but it wouldn't have been because the box was learning as Volvo didn't fit adaptive boxes untill 99 so it must have been down to something else. Perhaps the accelerator cable was stiff when you bought it or it had a dirty kickdown or throttle position switch which you managed to rectify through use of your heavy right foot. Also bare in mind the gearbox behaviour will also be particlaly determined by information it receives from the engine ecu as the engine and gearbox ecu talk to each other, the engine ecu which will adapt to things like poor fuel, load, air temp, boost pressures etc. There were software changes between early and late 850's which was carried through to the '70 series and then when the '70 series was released they updated the software again to include a cat warm up which causes the gear changes to hold in gear for longer before changing for the first 1-2 mins of driving to aid cat warm up. Gear shift patterns are preset by the factory for any auto with switchable mode but the AW50-52 box definately isn't adaptive in these cars. Chances are your cars overcame small glitches which at the time of purchase were preventing the boxes from behaving 100%, probably because they were plodded about by their retrospective previous owners :)

[T5frankie]

Sounds interesting, but it wouldn't have been because the box was learning as Volvo didn't fit adaptive boxes untill 99 so it must have been down to something else. Perhaps the accelerator cable was stiff when you bought it or it had a dirty kickdown or throttle position switch which you managed to rectify through use of your heavy right foot. Also bare in mind the gearbox behaviour will also be particlaly determined by information it receives from the engine ecu as the engine and gearbox ecu talk to each other, the engine ecu which will adapt to things like poor fuel, load, air temp, boost pressures etc. There were software changes between early and late 850's which was carried through to the '70 series and then when the '70 series was released they updated the software again to include a cat warm up which causes the gear changes to hold in gear for longer before changing for the first 1-2 mins of driving to aid cat warm up. Gear shift patterns are preset by the factory for any auto with switchable mode but the AW50-52 box definately isn't adaptive in these cars. Chances are your cars overcame small glitches which at the time of purchase were preventing the boxes from behaving 100%, probably because they were plodded about by their retrospective previous owners :)

geek lol

[merc85]

geek lol

He centainly knows his stuff Frankie lol and His Auto is Bloody quick pmsl i'd say its a Saffy eater for sure lol.

[LiamT4]

ive had my auto 3-4 years and apart from a knackered rad causing the box to boil ive had no isues at all with the tranny mines was running mbc and map for quite a while with no problems think as long as boost is kept at sensible levels under kickdown you wont bend the rods or kill the box ive fitted a ebc which i bought off liamt4 and thats made the boost alot more controllable and not as mental lol

Glad to hear its working. From what i'v been told there is a lot you can do with the apexi, when you've learned how use it.

[shrekblackR]

He centainly knows his stuff Frankie lol and His Auto is Bloody quick pmsl i'd say its a Saffy eater for sure lol.

Lol mine was a bloody quick car , as you well know. Gav but she will be back on the road soon man lol

[dalhousie2008]

I have both an 850r manual and a t5r auto, I love the auto it's great and miss it when driving the manual.

[T5frankie]

He centainly knows his stuff Frankie lol and His Auto is Bloody quick pmsl i'd say its a Saffy eater for sure lol.

his auto has a hybrid turbo mate nuff said and it aint no saffy eater

[Tomcat]

I've had both, I prefer the manual but the auto is better at the moment for coping with the damn traffic.

[The Flying Banana]

I had an 850R auto ..loved it ...was quick, smooth and effortless. I would love my T5R to be an auto

[aeroresh]

I found the auto a little infuriating on the early 850/s/v/c70s. Nail it for an overtake between 40-45 mph and its too fast for a kick down into 1st, but 2nd gear is just too tall for it to shift at that speed:snail:

On the 850 it wont let you manually change down to 1st gear without 1st stopping either which is a pain when travelling down steep slopes.

On the plus side, the down changes are so slow, you can actually blip the throttle between changes.

Mine was running 360-380hp before it expired (look out from some posts ref "breaking for parts" in the near future!), but the auto box had started to protest by slipping a long time ago.

[AndysR]

his auto has a hybrid turbo mate nuff said and it aint no saffy eater

How did you figure that out?

14.623@98.89mph-t5frankie V70R 19t decat

Mine is

14.43@101.85mph...

Figures say it is, and I may have a hybrid but it's still essentially a 15G and not a 19T oh and I still have a cat and that's without taking into consideration that mines an auto and yours is a manual :)

[merc85]

As i said A Saffy eater lol, But Frankie com on what i car to get beat by.

a 850 will always beat a Saffy lol

[AndysR]

As i said A Saffy eater lol, But Frankie com on what i car to get beat by.

a 850 will always beat a Saffy lol

I won't upset him by telling him mine also only runs 1.1 bar of boost until 3rd gear which is 80+ mph, being an auto, which is the better end of the 1/4 by the time it's into high boost.

James's S70R is doing 100 when he get's to the end of the 1/4, can a Saffy eat another Saffy? :saythat:

[T5frankie]

How did you figure that out?

14.623@98.89mph-t5frankie V70R 19t decat

Mine is

14.43@101.85mph...

Figures say it is, and I may have a hybrid but it's still essentially a 15G and not a 19T oh and I still have a cat and that's without taking into consideration that mines an auto and yours is a manual :)

let me say something about those figures mate
1. my car is 150kgs heavier than yours
2. i was a good 3 stone more then than i am now so another 20kgs off
3. at york when i set that time my engine was smoking/knocking

I now have a much healthier engine a 3" throttle body and an autotech custom remap to blow that time away

i'm always trying to overcome a 150kgs+ weight disadvantage when it comes to racing 850's but having said that i have the quickest v70r

[T5frankie]

I won't upset him by telling him mine also only runs 1.1 bar of boost until 3rd gear which is 80+ mph, being an auto, which is the better end of the 1/4 by the time it's into high boost.

James's S70R is doing 100 when he get's to the end of the 1/4, can a Saffy eat another Saffy? :saythat:

i have had 101mph but turns out it was a 14.8 run

[T5frankie]

let me say something about those figures mate
1. my car is 150kgs heavier than yours
2. i was a good 3 stone more then than i am now so another 20kgs off
3. at york when i set that time my engine was smoking/knocking

I now have a much healthier engine a 3" throttle body and an autotech custom remap to blow that time away

i'm always trying to overcome a 150kgs+ weight disadvantage when it comes to racing 850's but having said that i have the quickest v70r

so the figures would suggest my power/weight ratio was more then

[AndysR]

let me say something about those figures mate
1. my car is 150kgs heavier than yours
2. i was a good 3 stone more then than i am now so another 20kgs off
3. at york when i set that time my engine was smoking/knocking

I now have a much healthier engine a 3" throttle body and an autotech custom remap to blow that time away

i'm always trying to overcome a 150kgs+ weight disadvantage when it comes to racing 850's but having said that i have the quickest v70r

I look forward to the day you do, until then mines quicker :)

Max kerb weight of a V70R is 1600 kgs and the max kerb weight of mine is 1511 kgs so yes that is more. However mine is an auto, which is heavier than a manual, so will be what the factory max weights are based on. I am willing to bet there's not that much between the weights of them when you get down to the knity gritty. Still at least you've layed off the pies so will have more of a chance of getting a decent time... lol

[T5frankie]

I look forward to the day you do, until then mines quicker :)

Max kerb weight of a V70R is 1600 kgs and the max kerb weight of mine is 1511 kgs so yes that is more. However mine is an auto, which is heavier than a manual, so will be what the factory max weights are based on. I am willing to bet there's not that much between the weights of them when you get down to the knity gritty. Still at least you've layed off the pies so will have more of a chance of getting a decent time... lol

where did you get those figures from? they are way off yours is 1363kgs and mine is 1509kgs its not maximum kerb weight its just kerb weight

[AndysR]

where did you get those figures from? they are way off yours is 1363kgs and mine is 1509kgs its not maximum kerb weight its just kerb weight

Volvo's sales brochures for both models. Would you like me to scan them so you can see them?

[T5frankie]

Volvo's sales brochures for both models. Would you like me to scan them so you can see them?

just post the link mate

[AndysR]

just post the link mate

lol, I wish. They are physical paper brochures I have here. I'll scan them at work on Monday for you :)

[T5frankie]

Volvo 850 Saloon - 2.3 T-5R 4d Auto



Power: 240 bhp Length: 4670mm
Transmission: Automatic Width: 1760 mm
Weights & Towing Information:
Kerbweight 1363 kgs
Braked Tow Weight 1600 kgs

[AndysR]

Volvo 850 Saloon - 2.3 T-5R 4d



Power: 250 bhp Length: 4670mm
Transmission: Manual Width: 1760 mm
Weights & Towing Information:
Kerbweight 1363 kgs
Braked Tow Weight 1600 kgs

Considering it claims a T-5R is 250 hp I would be dubious about the other figures...

[T5frankie]

Considering it claims a T-5R is 250 hp I would be dubious about the other figures...

it means an 850r manual i chose the other one now which is auto

[volvokid]

Frank have you see chads Saffy V70R, that thing is a bit of a beast. been in it once before

[AndysR]

it means an 850r manual i chose the other one now which is auto

Ok fair enough,

The brochure I have here states that the min kerb weight for an 850, not an R, is 1363kgs. That is in standard form with no options for a basic 850 saloon. It increases to a maximum of 1511 kgs with all options. The V70R is minimum kerb weight 1506 kgs then you add to that for any options, heated rear seats, wooden steering wheel, pop up sat nav, autobox etc. For contrast, and completely unrelated to this discussion, the AWD V70's in base spec are 1652 kgs which would explain the slower performance figures compared with the FWD version.

[T5frankie]

Ok fair enough,

The brochure I have here states that the min kerb weight for an 850, not an R, is 1363kgs. That is in standard form with no options for a basic 850 saloon. It increases to a maximum of 1511 kgs with all options. The V70R is minimum kerb weight 1506 kgs then you add to that for any options, heated rear seats, wooden steering wheel, pop up sat nav, autobox etc. For contrast, and completely unrelated to this discussion, the AWD V70's in base spec are 1652 kgs which would explain the slower performance figures compared with the FWD version.

so mine is still 140kgs more than yours max lol, so would you say if i ripped out 160kgs out of my car then that would make more or less than 0.2 of a second on the strip?

[T5frankie]

Frank have you see chads Saffy V70R, that thing is a bit of a beast. been in it once before

yeah seen it mate seen it on the road and on a jig having a full respray, nice motor don't look like mine though lol

[AndysR]

so mine is still 140kgs more than yours max lol, so would you say if i ripped out 160kgs out of my car then that would make more or less than 0.2 of a second on the strip?

No not quite... 1363 kgs is based on a base spec 850 not an R. That's a car without air con, electric seats, leather, sunroof, front fogs, a 17" spare alloy, bigger front bumper, intercooler etc etc.

[T5frankie]

No not quite... 1363 kgs is based on a base spec 850 not an R. That's a car without air con, electric seats, leather, sunroof, front fogs, a 17" spare alloy, bigger front bumper, intercooler etc etc.

lol still alot heavier andy cos mine has all those things too

[AndysR]

lol still alot heavier andy cos mine has all those things too

I know that, but the later V70 brochure lists the kerb weight of a V70R seperately to that of the other V70's where as the 850 brochure lists all models under one weight hence why it lists a minimum and maximum kerb weight ;)

Best way to be 100% sure on the weights is to go to a public weigh bridge. I'm not arguing that yours is lighter or the same as mine as the later 70 series cars are heavier than the 850's I am just saying it's not as much as a 150kg difference that's all :)

[T5frankie]

I know that, but the later V70 brochure lists the kerb weight of a V70R seperately to that of the other V70's where as the 850 brochure lists all models under one weight hence why it lists a minimum and maximum kerb weight ;)

whatever you come up, with the power to weight ratio of your car is higher than mine so whose would be quicker if they were the same weight?


http://westfield-world.com/power-to-weight.html

[T5frankie]

I know that, but the later V70 brochure lists the kerb weight of a V70R seperately to that of the other V70's where as the 850 brochure lists all models under one weight hence why it lists a minimum and maximum kerb weight ;)

Best way to be 100% sure on the weights is to go to a public weigh bridge. I'm not arguing that yours is lighter or the same as mine as the later 70 series cars are heavier than the 850's I am just saying it's not as much as a 150kg difference that's all :)

ok i'll give you that would be good to know

[T5frankie]

i'm estimating my cars power to be 198 bhp per tonne and with car and me together to be 187 bhp per tonne

[AndysR]

whatever you come up, with the power to weight ratio of your car is higher than mine so whose would be quicker if they were the same weight?


http://westfield-world.com/power-to-weight.html

Right ok.

I'd estimate mine at 1440 kgs for the sake of this discussion as it's half way between Volvo's quoted min and max kerb weights for an 850 saloon. Fair?

I am 78 kgs, I've literally just checked.

The car is an auto, I will never know what the flywheel figure is. I know that the wheel hp figure is 230. something. So for this I am going to round it up to 231hp. It is claimed that an auto absorbes approximately 20 percent of the power produced by the engine. So 231 hp + 20 % is 277 hp, that's also very close to what the rolling road calculated the flywheel figure to be..

According to your link I get 192.36 bhp/t with me in the car and 182.48 bhp/t without me in it power to weight ratio.

[T5frankie]

Right ok.

I'd estimate mine at 1440 kgs for the sake of this discussion as it's half way between Volvo's quoted min and max kerb weights for an 850 saloon. Fair?

I am 78 kgs, I've literally just checked.

The car is an auto, I will never know what the flywheel figure is. I know that the wheel hp figure is 230. something. So for this I am going to round it up to 231hp. It is claimed that an auto absorbes approximately 20 percent of the power produced by the engine. So 231 hp + 20 % is 277 hp, that's also very close to what the rolling road calculated the flywheel figure to be..

According to your link I get 192.36 bhp/t with me in the car and 182.48 bhp/t without me in it power to weight ratio.

did you have yours roliing roaded then?

[AndysR]

did you have yours roliing roaded then?

Yes, had it done in January and it looks like I've over estimated my flywheel power as well :(

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y140/Andyrs/My%20Volvo/AFR-Boostreadings048.jpg

[AndysR]

Here's the calculated flywheel figure..

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y140/Andyrs/My%20Volvo/Powergraph049.jpg

[T5frankie]

Here's the calculated flywheel figure..

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y140/Andyrs/My%20Volvo/Powergraph049.jpg

when i done mine it was 262 bhp but an enormous 335lbs ft torque

[AndysR]

when i done mine it was 262 bhp but an enormous 335lbs ft torque

That will be your larger turbo helping with that, again the torque figure is also estimated on mine and I have no idea what it really is but I doubt it's any higher than what's printed on the sheet in fact it could even be lower.

The true reason mine makes a good job of doing a 1/4 time and speed despite it's seemingly low power figures is because it's mapped to a far greater level than yours so all my mod's work well together producing better on road results. Rolling road power figures are like chocolate fire guards useful to look at but crap for anything else. Get yours mapped to make the most of what you have fitted and then with a 19T you should be achieving much better results than mine can, but until then mines still faster ;) lol

[T5frankie]

That will be your larger turbo helping with that, again the torque figure is also estimated on mine and I have no idea what it really is but I doubt it's any higher than what's printed on the sheet in fact it could even be lower.

The true reason mine makes a good job of doing a 1/4 time and speed despite it's seemingly low power figures is because it's mapped to a far greater level than yours so all my mod's work well together producing better on road results. Rolling road power figures are like chocolate fire guards useful to look at but crap for anything else. Get yours mapped to make the most of what you have fitted and then with a 19T you should be achieving much better results than mine can, but until then mines still faster ;) lol

ok mate lol, that was with my old turbo and that peak figure at 262bhp but only reached that at 4000rpms so suggests my turbo was knackered

[T5frankie]

ok mate lol, that was with my old turbo and that peak figure at 262bhp but only reached that at 4000rpms so suggests my turbo was knackered

and my map was a generic hlm 18t map

[Jamest5r]

Enjoying this :)

[T5frankie]

Enjoying this :)

you pervert skulking about lol

[merc85]

Thats TWO dam QUICK POWERFULL T5's,

Just a Shame there not RED lol

[AndysR]

ok mate lol, that was with my old turbo and that peak figure at 262bhp but only reached that at 4000rpms so suggests my turbo was knackered

and you still raced it, are you sure your not Irish... (Not meaning to offend the Irish of course)


and my map was a generic hlm 18t map

So not mapped to suit your mods then as I suggested...

[T5frankie]

cant wait to get it on the rollers now looking for 4000llbs of jet thrust

[AndysR]

Thats TWO dam QUICK POWERFULL T5's,

Just a Shame there not RED lol

Lol, you'd never know it on the move as you'd not get close enough to check ;)

[T5frankie]

and you still raced it, are you sure your not Irish... (Not meaning to offend the Irish of course)



So not mapped to suit your mods then as I suggested...

as i stated earlier things have changed alot

[T5frankie]

Thats TWO dam QUICK POWERFULL T5's,

Just a Shame there not RED lol

dont confuse us "R"owners as mere t5 drivers tosh lol

[AndysR]

cant wait to get it on the rollers now looking for 4000llbs of jet thrust

Look forward to it, be nice to see some seriously quick cars at the 1/4 mile next year even if they're a little way off 4000 ibs jet thrust... lol

[Jamest5r]

Face fact's Frankie at the end of the day 850's are better :)(as long as there not RED)

[T5frankie]

and you still raced it, are you sure your not Irish... (Not meaning to offend the Irish of course)



So not mapped to suit your mods then as I suggested...

yeah well if it was gonna go it was gonna go and i love the competion and the buzz of being on that start line with jelly legs lol

[merc85]

Lol, you'd never know it on the move as you'd not get close enough to check ;)

Owwwwwwww BITCH pmsl

[merc85]

dont confuse us "R"owners as mere t5 drivers tosh lol

Ouch your bitch too pmsl

[AndysR]

dont confuse us "R"owners as mere t5 drivers tosh lol

I've run out of "thanks" so you'll have to make do with a thanks post instead :) lol

[T5frankie]

Face fact's Frankie at the end of the day 850's are better :)(as long as there not RED)

if i was to get an 850 (and lets not forget that i have bought one today) then i would get a manual t5-r like yours but one that works lol

[merc85]

Face fact's Frankie at the end of the day 850's are better :)(as long as there not RED)

Cheers James lol

[AndysR]

yeah well if it was gonna go it was gonna go and i love the competion and the buzz of being on that start line with jelly legs lol

I must confess having been only twice to a 1/4 mile event with the Volvo boys (and girls) on both occassions you really are like a man on a mission.

I have also concluded that you really don't have any mechanical sympathy... lol

[T5frankie]

I must confess having been only twice to a 1/4 mile event with the Volvo boys (and girls) on both occassions you really are like a man on a mission.

I have also concluded that you really don't have any mechanical sympathy... lol

i have actually, i only run 16psi now instead of 22 lol

[merc85]

yeah but its a RED T5 not a fadded black 850r

PMSL Faded metalic lol, i dont Get Laquar PEAL with MY BASE model t5 being SOLID RED.

[JezF]

I'm no fan of auto's and don't particularly like the auto in my R - auto was a necessity 3 years ago. Having driven a manual, I personally much prefer it which is why I have a manual box sitting in the garage.

[Ade]

The 850 lends itself well towards an autobox due to the nature of the car/engine (smooth ride/torquey engine). If working correctly the box changes gear very smoothly, almost seamlessly puts a number of modern auto's to shame in fact. When I first got mine I was always convinced that I would convert it to manual I am now hooked by how lovely it is to drive in auto form that I think it will stay auto..

Btw spotted your 850 in the Little Chef at Kelvedon/Feering @ 07:30 ish on Weds? Possibly Thursday morning this week ;)

Yeah, was staying at the Travelodge there..... £12 for the night, awesome! :D

[AndysR]

Yeah, was staying at the Travelodge there..... £12 for the night, awesome! :D

£12.00!! Seriously, that must have been booked well in advance.. lol

[t5 stealth]

Sometimes I find myself fancying an auto for a change (no pun intended).

How good or bad are they in a T5/R?
How much power, torque and abuse can they take until the get troublesome?

just depends if you want to drive,or be driven.... :)

[AndysR]

just depends if you want to drive,or be driven.... :)

Judging by your sig picture I'd rather drive... lol

[Flatout Phil]

Autos can be very quick off the mark in traffic, but for controllability, especially in decelleration, has to be a manual every time.
Not my car there BTW cos it is being driven by a nobster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-TJvGPxI3k

[t5 stealth]

Judging by your sig picture I'd rather drive... lol

sadly manual or auto........it would be better driven from the rear,instead of soppy fwd lol.

[AndysR]

sadly manual or auto........it would be better driven from the rear,instead of soppy fwd lol.

That much is certain, and had that have been the case they'd probably be worth more too!

[t5 stealth]

That much is certain, and had that have been the case they'd probably be worth more too!

yeah like most cars,they arnt built with fun in mind lol.......

[AndysR]

yeah like most cars,they arnt built with fun in mind lol.......

It's a Volvo, what more do you want... lol

[Ade]

Good to hear they aren't that bad at least. Just been a bit tempted by the darkside. Especially as the T5 box and clutch are heavy as f***, and so much of my use for it is in traffic. I've also got a Cossie, Turbo Alfa 155 and Cossie track car currently in use, oh, and two projects as well, so I'm not short of sporty cars! The Volvo's main appeal for me just now is in being quiet, comfy, spacious and still fast when I feel like it. My only dislikes are the rolly suspension (but I can put up with this for the sake of comfyness!) and the super heavy trasmission.....



£12.00!! Seriously, that must have been booked well in advance.. lol

Was booked with a few day's notice! I was pretty baffled at that one... Just a regular Travelodge too, and less than an hour from London!

[Ade]

So has anyone used an auto for towing a quite considerably heavy load?

My T5 manual managed fine with a V6 Sierra and trailer on tow. Just struggled a bit from a standstill but ok after that...

[woody]

Sometimes I find myself fancying an auto for a change (no pun intended).

How good or bad are they in a T5/R?
How much power, torque and abuse can they take until the get troublesome?

My Auto was faultless, I just fancied a change :wink:

[t5steve]

i regularly pull a car and trailer or caravan with my auto t5 and have not had any problems (apart from not ticking over still) car has always pulled load with ease.
if you do a lot of stop start town driving..........autos rule