Hi Guys. I just picked up a 98 GST spyder Auto. still waiting to recieve it. what are some things i should do first thing when i get the car?
change tranny oil and engine oil? stuff like that? whats a good way to improve fuel economy aswell.

Ive been reading a little bit on the forum and cant get a straight answer. How does the Auto GST perform? is it fast? 0-60 times? 1/4 times?
someone wrote the manual is faster than the 5spd (which is hard to believe)

First mod for it i think will be intake. I was looking at the K&N kit which they say adds 7-8 horse (let me know if this is true or a better way to go ie . cai? ) dont know anything bout mitsubishi's just love the look but performance is not my department with these. Fuel economy is a main concern because I have a big commute to work.
Also the auto trans has me worried a bit being in a sports car. Are they reliable? any problems with them? do they slip eventually? I know manuals are practically indestructable.

Thanks guys. Im excited to get this thing

 

for your first mod dont buy an intake just put on a cone filter that is all you need and youll save more money, Buy a BOV 1G crushed is a cheap but effective one and buy a Manual Boost controller to start those will be the best mods for cheap money.

As far as the 5spd being indestrutible well they DSM trannys are hardly that they break all the time it is one thing I hear alot (kinda like the EVO and its transfercase) I wouldnt worry about yours being an auto if it is almost all stock you wont break it unless you do roll backs in it or something.

a stock GSt 1/4 time was low 15s like 15.3 or something near that.

 

5spds are faster than autos... from a start. If you get a stall converter and some sticky tires like the new nto1's or the nitto 555r's that thing will be faster then a 5spd. Plus a auto cant miss gears.. lol. Also i reccomend getting a shift kit, your going to have to get a pro to install it, but that will give your tranny a much longer life if you plan on beating on it.

For the mods check out the sticky at the top of the forum, its a list of mods and what knot. It wont tell you what product to get but it will let you know what your looking for. A quick rule of thumb for performance for a turbo car, the quicker you can move air through the motor the faster the car will be. If you have any other questions feel free to ask them but try to search first you may be able to find the answer quicker.

 

First step, you should go over the car with a fine-toothed comb and repair and replace anything that needs to be before you start modding anything..If you can't do it yourself then take it to a garage and have them look at things like lines, hoses, seals, brakes, etc. etc., and everything that makes the car go and have them point things out to you so that you are aware..I work at a dealership and they have put my '99 GS-T coupe up on the rack (one of the benefits of working here lol) not too long ago during the oil change and pointed minor things out that I need to replace on mine while I was standing there watching the tech..It was very helpful to me to have him point this out to me...If you are going to mod the car then don't worry about fuel economy..If you want the ponies then don't even think about the gas...You could also run fully synthetic oil in it..I'm running Mobil 1 fully syn. in mine...My '99 GS-T is an automatic and it does great, never had any problem with it...just a little lag on the turbo but it is still pretty quick.

 

Sorry I just HAD to answer this one sarcastically... A manual transmission IS a 5 speed. I'm guessing though that you meant a manual is faster than an auto. And the manual is faster only because YOU control the gear you're in and when the car shifts as well as RPMs at takeoff. Instead of trying to build up to a certain engine speed you can be there for 1st gear. Also you lose POWER with an automatic. Think of it this way: The auto trans shifts FOR you so that it's in the right gear. Well that work to shift gears takes energey. Where else would the car get the energy but from the engine?

 

i have to interject my years of racing experience, i wouldnt run nittos if they were FREE.

 

If anyone turns this into a oil argument I am going to hurt them.

 

I have the Nitto NT 450 Extremes on my GS-T now and I love them...of course I don't race it or anything, but they handle the road great and stick to it pretty well..Very aggressive tire..This summer I'm going to put the Nitto NT 555's or the NeoGens on my 18's.

 

I was thinking more of the lines of preventative maintance rather than mods. things i should do first! look at first or things that fail to look for.
what oils to use (synth on both engine and tranny) which are the best. i want more fuel economy rather than performance because i do about 150 km a day. also anything i should know?

 

Welll first off use the rcommended oil for your engine. Don't change the tranny fluid have it flushed. Merely changing the tranny fluid and filter only changes 4-5 quarts of it. If you flush it though it will replace ALL the fluid (Between 9-12 quarts). Though you will have to have a shop do it and I would NOT recommend it if the car has over 150K miles. Change the fuel filter and get a fuel injection service done (Cleans the intake of carbon and if it's the valveoline system that I use it'll clean the fuel system as well as the valves and intake it's a 3 part system takes around 45 minutes to an hour to have done again only available at shops most likely). Check the brake pads and rotors, change plugs and wires and distributor cap and rotor. Those will be the first things you want to check out.