Automatic Vs Manual Question.

Ive been looking for a good 5.0 mustang for a long time now but i can only find automatics. I dont mind it being an auto exept for one thing, people always say the auto is a lot slower than the 5-speed. I gues my question is, if 2 mustang 5.0l both had exactly 350whp/wtq and one is auto, one is manual, what one would win a 1/4 mile race if both drivers were of average skill? And what about if shift kit, stall converter, and other upgrades were made to the auto?

well 5 speeds r a lot faster then auto.'s but there r things u can do to auto's to make it faster like computer moduals and shift kits. if u cant find a manual and u dont want a auto. then just do a search on www.autotrader.com

and http://www.mustangtuning.com/sct-xcalibrator-2.html just shows u some things u can do with a auto. with a computer tuner

Thanks for the web sites.
About how much faster are the manuals than the auto? like 1/2 sec or so if they were both at 350whp? or is it more than that?

also what about a manual that is a convertable?

it depends on the transmision but on a mustang in the 0-60 stock a little less then a sec. with a professional and a lil more then half a sec. with a average driver and a convertable in the 0-60 would take a about a extra .15 secounds with the extra weight.

and why do u keep saying 350 hp.

Just remeber, if you want a reall 1/4 mile car, auto all the way.

I am building the best of both wolrd, a manual auto for my car :D

as much as i love stick, i gotta agree with skylineUSA. autos can be SO much more consistent. BUT like he said, thats for an all out 1/4 mile car. and yeah, why DO you keep saying 350rwhp?

hes saying if they are putting the exact same power to the ground, which one would win. well im goin witht he auto on that one, becasue if they are putting hte same amount of power to the ground, you can outshift a computer.

I'd have to go with an auto on this one too. While stick is sweet and fun to drive the whole process of shifting maually is slow you loose momentum which decreases 1/4 times. An automatic shifts and goes there is very little delay and it stays higher in the power range too.

thats with putting the same power to the ground though, the whole deal with why autos are slower is that they dont put as much power to the ground, so if both cars had say 350bhp then the manual would probably be a little faster because of less drivetrain hp loss.

if anyone had a auto and had 350 hp out of a 5.0 they would most likely make the auto faster then a manual

thats with putting the same power to the ground though, the whole deal with why autos are slower is that they dont put as much power to the ground, so if both cars had say 350bhp then the manual would probably be a little faster because of less drivetrain hp loss.

Isn't it something like 30% of the power is taken by the automatic trans on a standerd factory trans?

no its like 10%. 15 at the most

no its like 10 or 15%

Ok I wasn't really sure I just heard some people talking about it and I wanted to know for sure. Thanks

well if it has a c4, those are notorious for taking a lot of power.

What are you driving Stang. Auto or Manual and how is that working out for you?

i have a manual and i love it

What does your stang have in it and what mods have you done to it?

well see i dont have anything near 350hp... i just got the 190hp 220tq v6. but i can tell you that the same type of mustang as i have with a auto is slow as balls, runs like a 16. mine is a mid 15 car. although i havent actually run it at a track myself.

All autos are not created equal, meaning drive line loss is different between any of them. A C6 auto will have about 10% more loss than a C4, and a powerglide will even have less loss than a C4.

Give 350hp as the standard, it would be very close with a C4, but with a C6 the manual should win every time, as long as the manual is shifted correctly.

C4 loss is around 22%, but that also depends on the power put down by the engine, the more power, the more loss. Ballpark figures of course.

A T5 will have around 17%, but once again, it depends. Going synthetic helps a lot as well.

Like I have said, if I am building a 1/4 mile car with over 400rwhp, I am going with a C4. Not mention, they are cheaper, and easier to drive on the street with really big hp levels, as long as you don't mind swaping out the converter from time to time.

is there anything else besides oil and a torque converter that could get more rwhp? and could u drill wholes in the auto transmission to get more transmission fluid to make it shift faster and harder?

is there anything else besides oil and a torque converter that could get more rwhp? and could u drill wholes in the auto transmission to get more transmission fluid to make it shift faster and harder?

Drill holes? Watchu talkin bout, Willis?

Get a manual valve body, all the pressure all the time, also it depends on your toque converter.

If you want more rwhp, go boost and turn up the psi:D

i was talkin about drillin wholes in the valve body. my dad said he used to do that in old cars to make it shirt faster and harder and i was just wonderin if u could still do it with the newer cars cuz i havent heard of anyone doin it.

i was talkin about drillin wholes in the valve body. my dad said he used to do that in old cars to make it shirt faster and harder and i was just wonderin if u could still do it with the newer cars cuz i havent heard of anyone doin it.


You do that with some of the aftermarket shift kits, I did that with a B & M Transpak. It's just some modifications needed while installing the kit. Some of the holes needed to be widened, in order to increase pressure.


If your interested in that, here is the link
http://www.bmracing.com/index.php?id=products&sid=2&cat=13

BUT get someone DAMN GOOD at AUTO's to work on it!!!! Out of the 13 or so auto's that I installled it in, I personally fubarred 1 of them, all because I was in a rush, and got to cocky....

Like silver said, widened :), not just holes ;)

If you run a manual V/B, there is full pressure on every shift. I picked up my reverse manual V/B for $100 on the corral, so you can get good deals.

i have actually heard about that hole thing too...

You do that with some of the aftermarket shift kits, I did that with a B & M Transpak. It's just some modifications needed while installing the kit. Some of the holes needed to be widened, in order to increase pressure.


If your interested in that, here is the link
http://www.bmracing.com/index.php?id=products&sid=2&cat=13

BUT get someone DAMN GOOD at AUTO's to work on it!!!! Out of the 13 or so auto's that I installled it in, I personally fubarred 1 of them, all because I was in a rush, and got to cocky.... do they have it for a 02?

do they have it for a 02?


Yes the application number is 40266 - Ford, 96-'04 4R70W and it is called the Shift Improver Kit. You also want to get the Cast Aluminum Pan 40291 which if I remeber was another 3 more quarts of tranny fluid. Also get yourself a Hypertech or some type of hand held programmer. Last but VERY important, get a tranny cooler. If you do all that, your tranny will stay cool, shift firmly and last longer.


** Edit, even if you do nothing at all, atleast get the tranny cooler and pan. You will thank me in the long run. **