6spd manual vs. Automatic

[Joseph1082]

I know this has probably been adressed before, but which do you think is FASTER (not more fun). I bought a m6 cause I was under the impression that it was the faster of the two... but others in a nuetral forum said autos are always faster because a human cant shift instantly... but I think the BW 6spd is a lot better of a tranny than the 4l60e, any thoughts?

[Zwrangler]

yes with a shift kit i'm fairly certain an auto is faster than the manual. The 1/4mile times for auto and manual f-body's are very similar, a shift kit would put the auto on top. Also, one of the reasons they say auto is faster than manual is because the transmission shifts at the optimum (best) points to shift, whereas a human during a race may not shift at the exact right rpm.

[Phylum]

Hey Zwrangler - where can I get something like that for my auto v6? *grin*

[Joseph1082]

I think you can order a Transgo shiftkit online for $100... I was going to get one but I bought a stick instead.
I think the m6 is faster for a couple of reasons...
1) More Gears means less drop in RPMs after shifting.
2) M6 has 4 gears before overdrive, A4 only has 3... and extra power gear colud mean a lot.
3) M6 came stock w/ 3.23 or 3.42s, I'm pretty sure the auto came w/ 2.73s which will slow it's ass down.
4) Even if #3 isn't accounted for, i.e. both have 3.42s, I still think #1 and 2 are enough to make M6 faster, plus, in this case it will also have a higher top speed... just a bonus

If there are any engineers reading this and you know about gear ratios, please reply, the M6 has a better ratio than the A4 in every gear but 1st, so this should mean an A4 will only pull on a M6 in when they are in 1st. Just my thoughts.

[HotBoys09]

[quote=Joseph1082]
2) M6 has 4 gears before overdrive, A4 only has 3... and extra power gear colud mean a lot.[quote]

I do not have an answer to your question, but I thought that all but the last gear was overdrive?? ex = 6-Spd, 5 gears + OD, please someone respond I would like to know if I'm wrong.

[ridge_runner]

yea ive always thought that too...

[Phylum]

Originally Posted by Joseph1082

I think you can order a Transgo shiftkit online for $100... I was going to get one but I bought a stick instead.
I think the m6 is faster for a couple of reasons...
1) More Gears means less drop in RPMs after shifting.
2) M6 has 4 gears before overdrive, A4 only has 3... and extra power gear colud mean a lot.
3) M6 came stock w/ 3.23 or 3.42s, I'm pretty sure the auto came w/ 2.73s which will slow it's ass down.
4) Even if #3 isn't accounted for, i.e. both have 3.42s, I still think #1 and 2 are enough to make M6 faster, plus, in this case it will also have a higher top speed... just a bonus

If there are any engineers reading this and you know about gear ratios, please reply, the M6 has a better ratio than the A4 in every gear but 1st, so this should mean an A4 will only pull on a M6 in when they are in 1st. Just my thoughts.

Do you suggest that I try to get a manual swap done on my vehicle? Heh is it possible to keep the first gear from the auto and stick it into the manual?

[Zwrangler]

Originally Posted by Phylum

Do you suggest that I try to get a manual swap done on my vehicle? Heh is it possible to keep the first gear from the auto and stick it into the manual?

woaw, no don't go and waste your cash changing your auto to a manual. Seriously man, the auto is just as fast if not faster than a manual. You can get a transgo shift kit for real cheap as joseph 1082 pointed out. And yes, you can make 1st gear selectable in your auto. Its a simple mod, if its a 4th gen that is............ wait a minute, you drive a v6 anyway.
A manual conversion would cost you a lot mate. after paying for the conversion you'd end up paying just a bit less than if you were putting in a v8 into your engine, which will give you much more performance then a manual v6 believe me.

[1992RS]

Here is why I like manuals,
1. no torque lost at the converter
2. I controll when she shifts, and auto is preset and has good and bad points
3. I can actualy shift harder myself than the auto(chirping tires wins me over every time)
4. I have more gears to pull me through.

Now as far as I know, especialy with the M6 there is no real over drive gear. All gears can be slung through. It is a bigger gear yes, but not an overdrive gear. I drove a 2002 SS and slung all 6 of them in the quarter to get 13 seconds. If you know what your doing a manual is faster, but an auto is always more consistant.

[Joseph1082]

I thought overdrive simply meant a ratio lower than 1 (i.e. higher gears) 4th in the 4l60e is 0.70:1, in the M6 5th is 0.74:1 and 6th is 0.50:1, I thought this makes them both overdrive.
My old v6 was auto, while my LS1 is stick, so I've tried both tranny options... even though the V6 is significantly slower, I'm judging the performance relative to the other gears... in the auto, 1st and 2nd were strong, but once you hit third there was a significant loss of power. This sin't present in the manual because it has a gear inbetween (3rd in the auto is 1:1, as is 4th in the M6). I just want to make sure I did not buy the slower version of this car, the whole reason I got the M6 was cause I thought sticks are faster.

[FormulaLT1]

Originally Posted by 1992RS

Here is why I like manuals,
1. no torque lost at the converter
2. I controll when she shifts, and auto is preset and has good and bad points
3. I can actualy shift harder myself than the auto(chirping tires wins me over every time)
4. I have more gears to pull me through.

Now as far as I know, especialy with the M6 there is no real over drive gear. All gears can be slung through. It is a bigger gear yes, but not an overdrive gear. I drove a 2002 SS and slung all 6 of them in the quarter to get 13 seconds. If you know what your doing a manual is faster, but an auto is always more consistant.

Electronically controlled Auto like the 4l60E under WOT will use optimum shift points within a hair of redline to keep you in your powerband and with a shift kit which manually increases line pressure the auto can shift pretty dam hard and seeing as you don't have to pull your foot off the gas I consider that better than a power shift , Also unless your planning on racing 130 + speeds the extra gears will be no help to you

[1992RS]

Yeah, well......damn. Ok You've got me there. But if the driver's worth a damn then it shouldn't make much difference.

[FormulaLT1]

Most cars Auto Vs stick , its a driver's race could go either way but some cars like the 5.0 Mustangs 87-95 , The manual tranny's dominated by alot

[z28 boy]

Joseph, u r right for the most part but the newer A4's came with 3.23's and ocassionally the 2.73's. However the M6 does come with the 3.42's. I don't remember the exact ratios but i do know that the A4 has a better 1st gear but after that the M6 dominates.

1992 Rs, My tires chirp the 1-2 shift and the 2-3 shift in overdrive without going into the redline and its an a4. I have to agree with Formula LT1

[1992RS]

I'll give you that, but I can chirp my tires through all gears..but who cares about that..there both damn good tranies and with the right driver both will desimate all. Nice car by the way..I'm in love all over again.