manual or tip??

[St3vo]

Can anyone help me on this. Im not sure wether to go for the manual or tip i would prefare a manual but they are VERY hard to come by.
Is the manual faster/better etc ?

[Ivan E]

The manual is faster and there seems to be less that can go wrong there. There have been reported issues with the tip box but the thing that causes the most issue is the price in replacing them. So far there have not been any real reported problems here so I wouldn't be worried about that.

What it comes down to is the decision between manaual or auto. Personally I prefer working the gears and luckily I came across a manual. But the argument for the tip outside of the gadget reference is that if most of your driving is stuck in traffic then the tip provides the driver comfort there.

[Myfeckin FTO]

St3vo - read through the various threads that go through the whole Manual V Tip - GR v GPX debate.

Yes - a manual GPX will be noticeably quicker than a GR Tip - I've had both.

However I'm not sure that many people would be able to tell the difference between a Manual GR and a Manual GPX and a Tip GR and a Tip GPX.

I'd just say to go with the cleanest example of a mivec version (GPX/GPvR) you can find - tip or manual - they sound really nice at high revs - or else a manual GR.

Drive as many examples as you can find - you'll soon find a preference.

[St3vo]

cheers lads.
Im going to look at one tonight. Red one. Thats really all i know about. Theres no other details ... he's a dealer.
I dont know wether to hold on for a manual though

[kevinod]

One other thing I'd mention, and always should be taken into consideration when you're buying a car, is how easy it would be to sell. As you said, the manuals are a lot rarer, but more sought after. Tips will be that bit harder to shift, a few owners on here who had excellent examples (tip) can testify to that.

Personally, I much prefer manual, working the gears is half the fun of driving, but thats just me, other people will prefer tip for their own reasons be it gadget or traffic or shear laziness or whatever.

If you'd much rather a manual I'd say hold on for a little longer, you might well be more than happy with the tip but on the other hand you might still want a manual a few months down the line.

Kev.

[St3vo]

My sentiments exactly! The gears are part of driving!

[CJ]

Stevo, have a look at this post, it includes some arguments that might help you make up your mind. Ideally, you should test drive both variants to get a feel for the differences. It sounds to me like you've never driven an auto for any great length of time, I was the same when I got my GPX tip and it took me a while to get used to it, I havn't looked back since.

CJ

[St3vo]

No mate i havent. Id love the tip but i think theres allot to be said for a clutch. Whats the take off like in firts using tip? Is it a gradual clime or is it like manual

[CJ]

Whats the take off like in firts using tip? Is it a gradual clime or is it like manual

The gear ratio in first on both variants are similar. First gear is a weak point on FTOs full stop, torgue and power delivery doesn't really kick in until changing up to second gear.

CJ

[St3vo]

Ah cr@p i dont know what to go for.
I have 2 cars in mind that i want... a nissan 200sx 1.8 turbo and an fto manual.... both are like gold dust!!!

[CJ]

Ah cr@p i dont know what to go for.

Just don't rush into a sale, thats the important thing. IMO, the 200SX looks a bit dated in comparison to the FTO, in saying that, if rear wheel drift action is what you're after then the 200SX is your man.

CJ

[St3vo]

Ive never even drove an fto before but the look nice. I dont suppose there rear wheel drive are they

[CJ]

Ive never even drove an fto before but the look nice. I dont suppose there rear wheel drive are they

No the FTO is front wheel drive, its worth noting that its one of the most powerful FWD's out there

CJ

[St3vo]

cool. Well im off to have a look at the tip now.
I'll let you know how i get on

[St3vo]

well..... i bought a 2l fto tip. Its a sweet car. VERY fast. im not sure what model it is yet but ill let you know as soon as i pick it up

[CJ]

Congrats Stevo but I'm a bit worried about the fact that you don't know if you've bought a GR or a GPX, sounds to me like you didn't do your homework Whats the condition\colour etc?

CJ

[St3vo]

lol... its red. Perfect condition inside and out. Its a v6. Mechanicaly sound.
Needs a front left ball joint and a service other than that its fine

[Dave]

congrats

[St3vo]

cheers mate.

Were could i get a ball joint...or can you get them at concort .
\what i ment to say was are fto parts specialised?

[Mustang]

St3vo wrote

Needs a front left ball joint and a service other than that its fine

If you are referring to the ball joint on the front suspension arm, then it is not available as a seperate unit. You need to replace the whole arm. I seem to recall a figure of ~€250 each for the arms. Could be wrong on the pricing but they are not cheap.

[kevinod]

well..... i bought a 2l fto tip. Its a sweet car. VERY fast. im not sure what model it is yet but ill let you know as soon as i pick it up

Congrats! When are you due to collect it?

Kev.

[St3vo]

cheers..... in about 10 minutes. i cant wait

[Mustang]

St3vo
see below link (about half way down the page) for more info on the front wishbone ball joint.

http://www.fto-ireland.com/forum/phpBB2 ... ght=bushes

[CJ]

Agreed, the suspension arm needs to be purchased as a unit, you'll find it difficult to get one at the local motor factors. Are you talking about CV joints or droplinks by any chance? Best thing to do is get the car to a decent mechanic for a service and a full check. On that note, where are you based?

CJ

[kevinod]

cheers mate.

Were could i get a ball joint...or can you get them at concort .
\what i ment to say was are fto parts specialised?

I guess you could say FTO parts are specialised, there are some components it shares with other Mitsis but a lot of parts that are FTO only too.

Wrt suppliers, the main parts/etc. suppliers I've used, and I think the same for lots others here:

- Steelroe, breaks FTOs, so you need any used bits he's your man.
- www.camskill.co.uk for new (some used) bits, belts, etc. etc.
- www.ebay.co.uk, always lots of FTO bits and pieces on here, models, badges, parts, FTOs, etc.

There are others of course, Dave has the irish distribution of RPW performance parts for example.

Kev.