preferred drag racing transmissions

For a pump gas drag car, what is the preferred type of transmission? The 2005 stang comes w/ either a standard or 5 speed auto trans.

5 speed manual duh :) lol there is no such thing as a stupid question...

although with the auto, you dont have to worry about shifting the right gears just put the pedal to the floor and drive like a bat outa hell but you wont have the initial acceleration or high end speed as if you would have with a manual. you wont get as good MPG as you would with a manual (taking you are going to drive the car on the streets and not gun every time). You are talking about making your car a drag, you got to match the drivetrain strength with horsepower and torque rating. If you are going to make the car put out close to 500 HP then i would suggest getting the TTC T-56 6-Speed Manual w/11in Clutch from the 04 mustang cobra. if you are going to make more HP than that then you should really invest in a strong and sturdy tranny or you would just be wasting money and time when you drop the tranny in the middle of the run.

5 speed manual duh :) lol there is no such thing as a stupid question...



just stupid people. :icon16:

5 speed manual duh :) lol there is no such thing as a stupid question...

Not necessarily, I've seen plenty of autos whoop up on manual cars.

Check out this thread (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=327320) plenty of respectable people backing up the performance of auto trans. and explaining it better than I ever could.

If you're planing on drag racing the car it would make no sense to go with a 6 speed tranny. All the time you waste shifting could add precious 1/10ths to your final time. Remember that every shift you make causes your car to lose momentum, even if for just a fraction of a second. Sometimes that's all that's needed to lose a race. I'm not a big fan of automatics, but one reason they smoke some manual cars is probably for the fact the tranny will usually only shift from 1st to 2nd by the time it crosses the line, whereas with a 6 spd man you might shift right up into fourth.

Just my .02cents

I ran a 1979 Mustang for 5 years with a C4 that was built by a company called Trans-King, it had a reverse manual valve body (P-R-N-1-2-3) and a Trans Brake, they also did up a custom Converter for us, a 3800-4000 stall unit that bolted to an AOD Flexplate. We used a condenser coil from an old window air conditioner and an electric fan for the tranny cooler, never drained the fluid in 5 racing seasons and it is still a nice red color.

I ran a 1979 Mustang for 5 years with a C4 that was built by a company called Trans-King, it had a reverse manual valve body (P-R-N-1-2-3) and a Trans Brake, they also did up a custom Converter for us, a 3800-4000 stall unit that bolted to an AOD Flexplate. We used a condenser coil from an old window air conditioner and an electric fan for the tranny cooler, never drained the fluid in 5 racing seasons and it is still a nice red color.

What exactly is a trans brake...I've heard of it but I don't know exactly what it does???

Terlaje, Autos are generally more consistent and a bit easier on the drivetrain. Manuals usually offer more gear ratios. So, if you have a very narrow-banded engine, then you will have to use a manual to stay in the powerband. If you have a wide-band engine, then you don't need all those gears (are you old enough to remember big-blocks and powerglides?). Your ability to shift consistently and quickly will also affect the decision to go manual. If you run a turbo car, you'll probably run better with an auto, as it will stay spooled between shifts. There are many factors to consider.

Andydg, A trans-brake engages 1st and reverse at the same time, locking the transmission.

to make an automatic car as fast as a manual is more expensive and time consuming...and u can't beat on it...
vinny ten supra is auto...but the guys has a thousands of dollars worth g3 or g4 transmission or sumthing...

if u got the money u can do it...

but to learn the fun of drivin u need manual..
or u can sit like a bitch with ur foot on the pedal..


any car..auto and manual..after u take into account the gear shiftin and all that...manual is always faster..atleast by .01-.02 seconds...

ALWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

any car..auto and manual..after u take into account the gear shiftin and all that...manual is always faster..atleast by .01-.02 seconds...

ALWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

No...not always.

man if u know how to drive...ALWAYSSSSSSSSSS!

u get 1 driver..and have them drive both the stick and the auto...

the stick will be faster!

have u ever seen any brand new car's specs..for auto if the car comes stick????

NO...the specs are always for standard tranny!

man if u know how to drive...ALWAYSSSSSSSSSS!

u get 1 driver..and have them drive both the stick and the auto...

the stick will be faster!

have u ever seen any brand new car's specs..for auto if the car comes stick????

NO...the specs are always for standard tranny!

What does that prove??? Autos will always shift faster and you never have to worry about missing a shift.

Ls1 camaro's are faster in the 1/4 stock with an automatic


=)

automatics don't cost a lot to rebuild, factor in your lil t56 transmission, stock oem quality clutch and labor is around a 1000 bucks. Then you also have to rebuild those, new bearings, synchros, input or output shafts... which are also expensive for a t-56.

you can take a th400 with the right parts its stronger then a t56, and will be faster for sure in a drag race as with a car with all the other variables the same besides the transmission.....

i work at a transmission shop

Ls1 camaro's are faster in the 1/4 stock with an automatic


=)

automatics don't cost a lot to rebuild, factor in your lil t56 transmission, stock oem quality clutch and labor is around a 1000 bucks. Then you also have to rebuild those, new bearings, synchros, input or output shafts... which are also expensive for a t-56.

you can take a th400 with the right parts its stronger then a t56, and will be faster for sure in a drag race as with a car with all the other variables the same besides the transmission.....

i work at a transmission shop


See...not alwayssssssssssssss!!!

This could turn into a flame war :) However, 2 cents worth- AUTO TRANNY: consistant and cheaper to "tweek" MANUAL TRANNY: a heck of a lot more fun!

ok since this is already going there i will give my three cents worth.

with a underpowered car, anything with under 200whp, the manual will be faster, quicker, over that and the auto will be better in the 1/4. just something ive obsevred in my years.

autos can handle more power. if you dont believe me look at the specs on any car with a towing package. all the bigger towing numbers are with the auto not the manual. with a manual tranny you will be inconsistant and that sucks for bracket racing. what type of drag racing do you plan on doing?

autos are easier to make go quicker for less money than a manual. drop a trans brake a big stall converter in an auto and gain a sec or two.

the original question was about a standard or a 5 speed auto. im not sure wich standard tranny is in the mustang but we will assume it is a 5 speed, since a mustang GT has never been offered with 6 gears. so he asked wich was better, both being 5 speed. id say go with an auto. no better gas milage, same amount of gears.

someone on here sugested to use an 03 cobra tranny. nice idea but will it fit? and if that fits id go with a viper tranny instead, d&d sells the bellhousings to make them fit alot of other applications.

and now for a question that bothers me, why would you buy that slow 14+ sec mustang for a drag car?
i saw a company take one into the 12's they needed to completly redo the suspension, new rear end, take out tons of weight, put drag tires(not sure if radials or slicks) and then do all the boltons. your looking at close to 4k to get that car in the 12's

or nitrous, lots of it

The fastest cars, and I mean the no nonsense drag cars that run 8 or better run auto's mostly. Manuals eat up a lesser percentage of power but the autos don't take time to shift so you make up time there. Depends on the application and a whole bunch of different factors really. I hate people people who give their so called gospel truth without knowing jack $hit. Thats all I'm saying.

The best, and strongest drag tranny bar none is the Jeffco. Super durable, takes upto 2500HP,
See http://www.jeffcoperformance.com/