AT or MT.. Z28 Guys, How do They Compare to Each other?

I never drove a MT..only autos for the past 3 years. My next car, will definetly be a 96 Z28-5.7 of coarse. My question is, will an AT be much slower than a MT?? I know in a mt, naturally you get to shift past the redline, giving a more direct feel etc.

Mid 05 i'll be shopping for one, and this is a concern i have regarding this car-or even any *sport* cars with AT's. Off the line will a MT be much faster than an AT..??

Right now, i got a 4.6 V8 95 ford thunderbird, with a AT. This car is quite underpowered @ 205hp/265lb ft weighing just under 3800lbs (RWHP is probably much less). Although it aint an MT, it feels pretty powerful (god knows what a 350 would feel like-can't wait) but the gets boring-it is boring :-)

If there is not to much differance in speed in an MT 96 Z28, and an AT..let me know. I have to go test drive these pups..

stock for stock???? the MT will be faster depending on your skill in driving.

Modified???? the AT can be much faster than the manual hence the reason that most transmissions in serious drag racing competition are CO2 shifted automatics.

Also, Autos are faster off the line especially in heavier cars due to the torque converter which for the first few feet of travel multiplies available torque by as much as two times. so a car with 400lbsft will launch with up to 800lbsft of force. this quickly goes away but is usefull non the less.

the type of transmission you choose depends mostly on what kind of driving you want to do. My personal view is...

Drag racing - AT rules, unquestionably

Road racing - MT is the only logical choice, at least if you want to win

Daily driving - AT is easier, especially in traffic. but the MT is a helluva lot more fun.

Thanks man, it's gonna be a toss up-i gotta see what comes to me. If, in march/april-whatever i see with low miles being a 96 5.7 is gonna be the choice.

BTW, nice rides bro.. those are my favorite body styles for the camaros.

Manual, cuz only soccer moms and grocery getters want to drive a/t it feels some much sportyer to drive a 6 speed

hmmm.... thats funny, cuz both of my camaros are automatics. And that IROC right there, with equil power will absolutly spank your T56 and take its lunch money, cuz it aint got a prayer of shifting half as fast as that auto does. So before you go shootin your mouth off about soccer moms and grocery getters, you should probly get your facts strait.

89 I've read up about torque converters already and there's something I'm not getting...if they multiply torque why can't a performance TC be slapped onto my 91 305 tpi to give it more power? Is there any type of TC I could get just to make things a little snappier?

Manual, cuz only soccer moms and grocery getters want to drive a/t it feels some much sportyer to drive a 6 speed


Wanna Race???? My grocery getter automatic vs. your big boy six speed?

89 I've read up about torque converters already and there's something I'm not getting...if they multiply torque why can't a performance TC be slapped onto my 91 305 tpi to give it more power? Is there any type of TC I could get just to make things a little snappier?


Think of a torque converter as a non-variable fixed rate pump. The tigher the stall the more power is transfered though the converter. But also, there is more load on the engine so you have slower RPM build and what not.

By replacing your converter, it is like having a variable gear raito. People always think that if you have a high stall converter, your car won't start to move untill you hit that RPM, not true. They just are not transfering 100% of the power that it is able to. ( Unless you have a lock up converter, it will never transfer 100% of the power. Just 100% of the power it is capable) The stall rating is just the point when the converter is transfering all the power it can. So you want to pick a converter based on what RPM your power band is and cam and what not. A converter is the first thing you should go for if your are planning on running an automatic. I know this is pretty vauge, I have a bunch of books and research from my power trains one class I can look at when I get home that will explain it better.

To sum it up. They won't give you more power, they will help you utlize the power that you have.

get a manual because after a few months you will be manually shifting your automatic shifter wishing you had a manual, automatics are great and everything but in a sports car, i mean a muscle car not a miata, you will get bored with your AT, trust me everyone i know, including my brother with his 98 Z wishes he had got the 6 speed

manuals are more fun to drive.. I think, for the most part, autos are faster..
As 89 mentioned, no person can shift as fast as a computer can (especially with that corvette 1-2 servo) and with completly perfect shifts Every time, There is no loss due to human error..
The only thing keepin the manuals up there with the Autos is that the manual drivetrain will put more hp to the ground.. An auto will lose about 5% of the flywheel horsepower Over a manual..

well first thing, i've had a five speed, a slap-shift, and auto. i love manual but im not gonna cry over my 91's auto, i actually plan on a tranny cooler and possibly the corvette servo sometime in the future. i've heard alot about the peanut cam that these 305s have, but i still plan on some more basic mods plus what i have already, and im curios as to whether or not a slightly higher stall converter would help over my stock one. also have heard that performance converters are made using stock stall speeds, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know!

that grocery getter will never miss a shift...

Mines AT and it has a shift kit in it. Ive never had the urge to shift the gears myself. I will admit that shifting gears can be enjoyable but driving around a city it sucks ass.
Ill gladly stick with my AT because I enjoy how it kicks the back end loose going into 2nd and I dont have to move anything :D

I like my AT for one simple reason. I can eat a Big Mac, fries, and drink my 40 oz coke without wandering all over the road looking like I was DUI. And at the same time still convienently challenge a Stang sitting at a red light. Try that with a MT.

I like my AT for one simple reason. I can eat a Big Mac, fries, and drink my 40 oz coke without wandering all over the road looking like I was DUI. And at the same time still convienently challenge a Stang sitting at a red light. Try that with a MT.


LOL thats another good way to look at it.

it basically comes down to preference. are you going to drive it to work every day? is it a weekend car? do you want it to be fun or practical?

like others have said, if you enjoy manual transmissions (as i do), and you aren't going to be stuck in rush hour every day, i'd say get the M6. if it's a weekend cruiser, get the M6. however, if you're going to make it a serious drag machine, get the A4 and never miss a shift again. if it's going to be your primary get-around-town car, get the A4. there are a million things you could break it down to, but it all comes down to preference.

yeah but i feel more in control in a manual, and yeah some times when im driving home at night and im really tired the 6 speed sucks my a$$.
my friend has a auto with a shift kit and all the the goodies added on its even the big 4l80e in his and he has 550 rear wheel horsepower and he does spank me all the time, but he always asks me "Daniel, wanna trade transmisions"

If you want to race, go with an automatic. More consitant, easier on driveline stuff. So what if you lose 20 HP from it. The torque mulitplaction from the converter will more than make up for it. cheaper in the long run. My grandpa has a 383 nova that runs low 11's all day long and it is a four speed, he goes though a 600 clutch just about every year. Automaitics will last longer.


sure manuals are fun but, when it comes down to it, I would rather be at the end of the track than sittin there playin with my stick all day. :icon16:

well put

lol nice ending on that one hypsi

i like the auto in my T/a. 700r4's kick ass ;-)

sorry if i have offended anyone in my previous posts just poking a little fun, putting my 2 cents in. :2cents: we are just all friends here

I never drove a MT..only autos for the past 3 years. My next car, will definetly be a 96 Z28-5.7 of coarse. My question is, will an AT be much slower than a MT?? I know in a mt, naturally you get to shift past the redline, giving a more direct feel etc.

Mid 05 i'll be shopping for one, and this is a concern i have regarding this car-or even any *sport* cars with AT's. Off the line will a MT be much faster than an AT..??

Right now, i got a 4.6 V8 95 ford thunderbird, with a AT. This car is quite underpowered @ 205hp/265lb ft weighing just under 3800lbs (RWHP is probably much less). Although it aint an MT, it feels pretty powerful (god knows what a 350 would feel like-can't wait) but the gets boring-it is boring :-)

If there is not to much differance in speed in an MT 96 Z28, and an AT..let me know. I have to go test drive these pups..


Not sure what the other guys said in replies. Go with a auto and a 2800-3200 stall. You will take out many other simular F-bodies due to people thinking they can drive...but not really. The only races I lost in my car, which had a 6 speed were to cars that were slower, but I BEAT my self! Get a auto, with a nice stall, and trans cooler