Automatic Vs. Manual

[chevydrummer76]

Sometimes an auto can be good though. The auto 350 tranny in my 76 chevy truck is a very strong reliable transmission. I have also added a B&m Shift Kit and have a Hurst ratchet shifter on the floor. It shifts a lot harder and quicker than a manual shifter would.

[freakonaleash1187]

i have heard that with older cars, automatics are better to have than a manual.

[panzershreck]

ive actually never heard of the e-brake trick before... though this is mostly to do with the first vehicle i had ever driven and drove for a good year was and old toyota pickup with a broken e-brake that wouldnt engage (so from step one that option was never there so i just learned not to use it when driving)

[bloon]

I would get a manual as your first car so as you can learn to drive properly and perhaps sometime down the track you can get an auto. I mean anyone can drive an auto.

[justacruiser]

Originally Posted by freakonaleash1187

i have heard that with older cars, automatics are better to have than a manual.

Actually, that depends on the use. With an old 4x4, manual, they have much lower gearing that way, with an old car, or at least an american one, I'd go with an auto. The 3spds back then didn't add anything to the driving experience and the 4spds weren't much better.

[Zwrangler]

let me give some advice. The grass is always greener on the other side. If you get a manual there will always be times you wished you got an auto, and same goes for the auto.

[MR2Driver]

Automatic = Practical, Hassle Free
Manual = More fun, Hassle in traffic, and you have to worry about clutch repair.

When it comes to racing, more often then not the auto is slower or but always consistent.

[Joseph1082]

Just want to pose the question... which is faster, i've heard many say the auto is better for drag racing... but i always thought manual was better. Less power loss, better gear ratios. Am I wrong?

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by Joseph1082

Just want to pose the question... which is faster, i've heard many say the auto is better for drag racing... but i always thought manual was better. Less power loss, better gear ratios. Am I wrong?

Nope. Manual will be faster 99% of the time.

[70z]

Originally Posted by freakonaleash1187

i would much rather get a manual because they are a lot more fun. plus, like moppie and jay said, automatics make a cars performance go down.

Manual is more fun to drive. A four speed with a short V-gate shifter is fun. As for power loss, not nessesarily so. I've owned both, stock and not so stock. A PROPERLY BUILT 350 or 400 turbo with the right converter will out run a manual. There's no way you can shift as fast as an automatic. Just run a manual shift through the gears then an automatic. go back and check the tire marks on the road. Way bigger gap with the manual. That's time you're not using power. 4 speed that's 3 times you have to shift NO POWER. The power loss of the automatic is more than compensated for by the faster shifting. I should note I have had an automatic and a manual in the SAME car and the automatic was faster. I was once a die hard manual fan until I was told I couldn't shift as fast as an automatic. When I finally switched I was sold. I can't tell you how many times I've raced someone door to door until they had to shift. Then it was by by manual.Then, if you have enough H.P. under the hood 1000 or more, and your car is light enough 2,500 lbs. or less, it is best to run a 2 speed automatic like a powerglide. Powerglides have fewer moving parts than a turbo and so rob less H.P.
Now if you move up the food chain to a LENCO then I'd say THAT manual would out perform an automatic. They use a clutch off the line, then shift like a manual but without the need to push in the clutch @ each shift point.
Then the ultimate would be the TOP FUEL tranny. They don't have a gearbox, only a reversing gear similar to the one on a boat. Instead of that a clutch of centrifugal type that locks up in steps is what is used. This is done with a clutch-cannon that is controlled by a pneumatic timer that is activated at WOT. The cannon is backed up during the run until the clutch is fully engaged. That normally occurs at about the 990 foot mark. The clutch resides inside a bulletproof housing of titanium.

[Joseph1082]

Ok, but what about normal street cars, automatic trim vs manual... which is faster. I just bought a manual becasue i have been under the impression that they are faster, or at least have more usable gers and better gear ratios, which in turn makes them faster. And there are a few guys I know who seem to shift just as quick as an auto.

[70z]

Originally Posted by Joseph1082

Ok, but what about normal street cars, automatic trim vs manual... which is faster. I just bought a manual becasue i have been under the impression that they are faster, or at least have more usable gers and better gear ratios, which in turn makes them faster. And there are a few guys I know who seem to shift just as quick as an auto.

It depends on the trans. Some are better than others. I had a v-gate shifter on a rock crusher 4 speed and thought I shifted pretty fast. Engine @ full throttle, the tac would only jump about 500 RPM between gears but I still wasn't shifting as fast as the 400 turbo with just a shift kit and 2,800 stall converter and H.D. clucth pack. Bone stock the automatic will probably hesitate some between shifts. I would never use a bone stcok trans. for racing. Not that it can't be done, I just wouldn't do it when it's so easy to upgrade them for racing.

[Joseph1082]

Well... I mean, you're on a different level there... I just want to make sure I didn't make a mistake in my purchase of an LS1 Camaro 6spd... It has to be faster than the auto version, which is only 4spd, and 3rd gear is a 1 ration and 4th is a .7 ratio, both of which suck, so the only two usable gears are 1st and 2nd, while on the 6spd, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are all numerically higher (lower) than a 1 ratio.

[freakonaleash1187]

a stock automatic transmission sucks. the only way an automatic might beat a manual is if you get a performance at. stock at's dont shift at the optimum point for racing and lag a little bit in shifting. plus, with an automatic, it isnt near as fun as a manual.

[Joseph1082]

One more question... will a Stall converter and a shift kit make an auto better than a manual?