I was on somebodys cardomain page and it said something about putting in a resistor and being able to shift harder. I looked all over in "How to's" and found nothing about this. Is this a real mod and if so how can i do it? Pros and Cons?

 

look in the 4th gen faq

 

It should be somewhere in the stickies. You dont put a resistor in, you just disconnect it to allow the tranny to shift at full line pressure at all times. I have mine hooked up to a basic on/off switch inside the car. Its a real mod and has more cons over pros. Your not suppose to use that much, maybe once every 3 weeks for a brief race. I barely use mine. It also causes more heat to the transmission.

 

now, some people say that using is better for the tranny because it causes less slippage. I dunno, it feels like it cant be good for the tranny, which is why i use mine only when racing. I have it hooked up to a rocker switch in my panel next to my cruise control. It does shift harder, its the poor mans valve body mod. Dont use it at anything other than WOT, because the downshifts/upshifts are extremely jerky.

 

im sure this has been debated before, but less slip = less heat = cooler

 

Full line pressure will be slightly easier on the transmission because it reduces slippage (typically 2-8% for autos) and shift overlap (being in two gears at once when upshifting) due to stronger application forces being directed via the servos to the bands and clutches. This locks up the bands and clutches harder and gives firmer shifts. By reducing slippage, it also decreases the amount of heat produced by the clutches and bands and locks the clutch in the torque converter up harder in the higher gears to increase fuel economy. The heat produced by slippage contributes to wearing out the seals, bands and clutches in an automatic more quickly. However, since the transmission controller is programmed to give full line pressure at wide open throttle, this mod just gives rough shifts at part throttle. It's similar to using an HKS ALC (Automatic Line Controller) box. Other ideas to improve shifting with an auto tranny could be to shim the PL solenoid regulator springs to increase peak pressure or to shim the shift accumulator springs to firm up and speed up the shifts. Or you can just swap in a manual!


-NissanPerformancemag

 

so now you agree that it can be good for the transmission? I dunno, I would have it wired to a WOT switch, but im too lazy. It just FEELS bad for the car, even though i cant say whether it is or isnt. I wish my tranny controller was programmed to shift at full line at WOT without the DR, thatd be great. But no, instead it takes lightyears to go from 1-2 without it.

 

This is BS and I have already had an argument with the editor of the magazine. I even did a video to prove the trans shifts harder with the DR disconnected at WOT.

Otherwise the article is ok.

 

Shifting at full line pressure is not good at all. Spend 350 bux and get a valve body from maximum tuning. Dont shim anything thats rediculous. thats what level 10 and mobiltek used to do in their vavle bodies, and look at mobiltek now they dont exist ne more in the maxima community. Do things right the first time and u wont be scratching ur head when the pump in ur trans goes from running full line pressure.

 

Just wondering how much experience you have with this, how many cars you have installed the DR Mod on, how many failures recorded and for how long you have used it, ie months, years etc to reach these conclusions?

There are very very few instances of problems with the Mobiltek VB mod. Mobiltek doesn't exist because the owner was (edited: not a good business person) not because they didn't have a good product.

 

is that y the mobiltek VBs were shimmed with washers instead of having stiffer springs? Like actual home depot washers. Yes i do have experience, and if u call jeff at maximum tuning he will tell u the same. I may be a newbie on this site but i do know what im talking about. If the DR mod is not hooked up to a switch its even worse because u are running at full line pressure all the time, even in reverse. The effects on the trans are long term wiht the DR mod but do you want to take that chance? I do things right the first time. VB mod and transcooler, soon the be bullet proofed for boost.

 

I have the DR mod to a switch, mine hasnt blown up yet.. lol

 

its much worse if u dont have it on a switch. Being on a switch you wont be running full line pressure all the time just at wot. but i would still rather get a VB if u have extra dough layin around.

 

full line shifts NOT at WOT will definetely destroy the tranny.. Whoever does that is a ....

Full line pressure was meant for WOT, Jime's countless 100+ nitrous shot runs at the track on his auto w/ DR actually shows the pro's of the DR mod, and the fact that his tranny didn't blow up, its impressive to say the least :]

Im saving up for a 5spd swap, VB Mod pfft! lol

 

haha well im gettin bullet proofed i dont want to hafta deal with 4th gen max tranny bearing issues, and i want to be able to stay in boost at all times during shifts. My goal: to have the fastest I30 on this site!!!

 

After running the DR mod for 3 years and not had a problem I feel I am somewhat qualified to say it won't kill your tranny.

Of course it has to be be installed as per the FAQ's ie with a WOT and transmission cooler.

Last year alone I made 135 passes at the track, most of those with spray in the 12 second range, I don't think anyone else has given it a workout anywhere near that. I would not even attempt making a run with spray without it.

I don't have any love at all for Mobiltek but the VB mod they produced was well regarded by all at had very few failures, regardless of their method.

As far as a VB mod goes I do not want my trans shifting any quicker during normal use, only racing and when I do race I want full line pressure.

Any negative comments about the DR mod are usually from folks who have never tried it or not used it properly.

Using the DR mod to me is very similar to the argument of juice vs turbo/supercharger. I only want the power at the track hence the nitrous, I don't want it on a daily basis I already have a 13.5 N/A automatic car

 

i have done it and realized the deterimenal effects that it COULD have if not on a WOT switch. I like snappy shifts all the time thats y i opted for the valve body and when the money is available bullet proofing will be in order. Not arguing your methods at all. But there is always exceptions. Transmissions are mechanical and can fail due to many different factors. Some people blow their trannies in a stock car while others can beat the crap out of it and it will last for years. Not doubting ur methods at all just voicing my opinion. If the DR mod is not done on a wot switch it is bad! thats what i was getting at. im sure on a WOT swtich its better but still a VBV mod would be even better than that. But you like the quick shifts at the track and i like it daily. thats why there is apple and oranges

 

I have both the VB mod on my 03 and DR mod on my 95. Like any other mod, do it at your own risk.

 

DR mod really is not that bad for your tranny. i've been running it for almost a year now to a WOT switch, and a toggle switch for a couple months before that. i go WOT often and i have yet to have a problem with my tranny. it is recommended that you get a tranny cooler when doing this mod (which i have yet to get) to help with the extra heat from the harder, faster shifts. i'm guessing that it all depends on the condition of your tranny at the time that you do the mod. from there it could get worse, or just work to your benifit.

 

how hard is it to wire to a WOT switch? Am i making it out to be more work than really is necessary? Maybe im still lazy because of all this crappy weather. Once summer comes around, ill be into working on my car again.

 

Just spend the $350 and do the VB mod, then spend another $50 or so and install a tranny cooler. The VB mod is much better than the DR mod, main reason being that it has no cons, versus the DR having many.

 

So has the DR mod actually been proven to shave time? Jime, you say you wouldn't run without it. Why is that? Is it to save transmission wear? Is it to lower your track times? Have you done back to back runs with and without using the DR mod and seen a difference? Thanks.

 

i ran 3 times with the dr and 3 times without....all in all the times were withing .2 seconds of eachother. then i got my valve body and shaved 1/2 a second off my e.t.'s.

 

what are the cons of a DR if you only use it at WOT?

 

Thanks for the testimony Creative. Well, .2 is nothing to sneeze at, are you saying it was .2 faster with the DR mod? I'm like Jime in the sense that I don't want to feel rough shifts on a daily basis. And even though he used a SuperCharger as an example, you really don't even know there is an SC there during 'normal', low RPM driving. I did a VB mod on my '96 but always regretted it. I am not doing it again on my '99. So if the DR mod is proven to increase track times, I am all for doing it (with a switch). So you really gained .5 seconds with a VB mod?! That seems excessive. There were no other factors?

 

it's not that hard. making the bracket and adjusting it to become open at WOT is the hard part. the wiring is just cutting one of the wires from the DR and connecting that wire to each side of a NC switch. fairly simple. i have a new switch that is gonna be a pain to make a bracket for though.

 

all i have on my car is a paradoz CAI but i also have about 300 pounds worth of stereo equipment in my trunk. so far i have one of the best gains with the VB on my car compared to the others at maximum tuning. the dr did not make me faster at all it just made the times fluctuate a little some were good some were worse. I was more consisten without the drop resistor mod. I say go VB u wont be dissapointed!

 

im hesitant on the VB mod. I really want one, but at the same time, i feel i could get an ecu, and know ill be feeling the results. AHHH, what VB did you go with? Im thinking of going with stage 2+.

 

jime does it because under N2O 2-3 is like molasses or at least that's what I gathered from his post. If you have the money do the VB mod. If not, do the DR. I would go with the plain stage II for everyday driving.

 

ive got the stage 2+ for daily driving. i like the stiffer shifts and its no where nears as hard as the DR shifts

 

how's the 1-2 and 2-3 under WOT? do you break loose into second? whats your 1/4 mile before and after?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptatohed

So has the DR mod actually been proven to shave time? Jime, you say you wouldn't run without it. Why is that? Is it to save transmission wear? Is it to lower your track times? Have you done back to back runs with and without using the DR mod and seen a difference? Thanks.

I use it to save the transmission not to shave time although my times would be much slower without it. You can almost feel the pain the trans is going through trying to shift when running nitrous and no DR mod, N/A its just a bit slower.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreativeDesignz

i ran 3 times with the dr and 3 times without....all in all the times were withing .2 seconds of eachother. then i got my valve body and shaved 1/2 a second off my e.t.'s.

You are the first person on the org to have shaved a 1/2 second off their time with a VB mod. On average some people get a 1/10th or two and some people are a bit slower. Same with the DR mod. Unless your transmission had problems before and was shifting dramatically slower 1/2 second is unbelievable in my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreativeDesignz

so far i have one of the best gains with the VB on my car compared to the others at maximum tuning. the dr did not make me faster at all it just made the times fluctuate a little some were good some were worse. I was more consisten without the drop resistor mod. I say go VB u wont be dissapointed!

I use the DR mod because I bracket race. In bracket racing consistency is king. The DR mod makes my car more consistent not vice versa as you suggest. I have used the DR mod on 3 different Maxima's now for 3 years racing and not had a problem and I have either won my class or came second overall for the season, so consistency is NOT a problem. I can dial my time within .005 its that consistent.

I know you are maxima tuning pro and I have no problem with that. However I will put the DR mod up against the VB mod any day at the track for gains and consistency.

 

i'm using the dr mod with a switch , only use it from time to time and so far no problem but again i don't race my car as often