Newbie questions. autos/manuals

[JC Turbo]

im new to the mustang world, ive been really like'n the 05+ style. im comming from automatics which i actually like. I can drive manuals but i find them annoying at times. are the manuals alot faster then auto?

i see average times for auto are around 13.5 ? what about manuals?

also how much HP/TRQ can stock autos handle untill you have to change something, im dead set of forced induction


-thanks josh.

 

[flyboy86]

annoying??? I'm the opposite. I HATE driving a sports car with an auto, it pretty much kills the car for me. There is no argument that autos CAN be faster, but usually not. However, I think there is no competition that manuals are more fun to drive, but thats a personal preference. Take each one out for a test drive, and buy whichever one feels better to you

 

[Five Oh Brian]

Josh, 05-08 Mustang GT's are all 5-speeds (both the manual and automatic), so the gear spacing is similar. Bone stock, there's just a tiny difference between the two at the dragstrip (maybe a tenth or two in favor of the manual). That's mostly because you can launch the manual harder (higher rpm's) than an automatic. Install a higher rpm stall converter in an automatic (like I've done), and the automatic is as quick (maybe even a bit quicker) than the manual.

I'm not sure on the limits of the automatic, so hopefully someone else will chime in about that for you. I do know that Level 10 makes a killer automatic upgrade, though, if you plan on serious mods or forced induction and want a little extra "insurance."

 

[JC Turbo]

awesome, thnx for the info guys. if i want 500-600 hp what kinda of mods am i looking at getting? obviously a s/c or turbo but will i need a stronger axle or tranny? in a auto.

 

[kooldawg6]

The axles are already 31 spline. I'd follow the route five oh brian took to add strength to the auto. With 500-600 HP you can damage either trans/parts if you are rough on it. Most of the new cars won't tolerate more than 425 RWHP or so with the stock internals if driven hard for an extended time.

 

[stangdude2000]

Is the gear spacing really that similar between the two transmissions? I have only driven/been in one automatic Mustang (a six banger rental), and I felt like second gear almost didn't even exist because it was so short (or tall? I mean short as in took no time to get through) compared to my manual.

 

[kooldawg6]

The GT manual trans and the automatics take turns having the steeper ratio in each gear a couple of times. Like the manual's first gear is steeper, but then the auto's second is steeper along with the O/D. A few manuals I raced at the track, I never found out what most of them had done mod wise, but I'd beaten several of them by nearly .3-.4 seconds in the 1/4 mile with 4.10s, CAI, tune and O/R H on street tires.

 

[fobra559]

Auto's = consistent times at the race track.

Stick's = More fun to drive on the streets

 

[ranger04]

Sports cars have manuals, if not, it upsets the balance of the universe or something !! Manuals are allways quicker stockm however, auto's can be built to shift hard and fast, it's still won't be a manual. There's someting special about driving the shifter up through the hood and ripping it back through the trunk. Manuals are really fun in the twisties, clutch dumping and so fourth.

 

[ex-camaroguy]

Is the gear spacing really that similar between the two transmissions? I have only driven/been in one automatic Mustang (a six banger rental), and I felt like second gear almost didn't even exist because it was so short (or tall? I mean short as in took no time to get through) compared to my manual.

it think the V6 ones are 4sd.

 

[romans8:28]

Come on guys....... an auto in a muscle/performance car is like kissing your sister....

It just ain't right

 

[Jenns01TA]

it think the V6 ones are 4sd.

........................................

Alright guys....here is the real deal, as pointed out before the mechanical aspects of the automatic 5R55S are nearly identical between the V6 and the V8 - what makes the differences then? Electronic tuning. (Screen Shot of Spec attached).

 

[kooldawg6]

Come on guys....... an auto in a muscle/performance car is like kissing your sister....

It just ain't right

Add a tune and the auto is even better.
...then it would be like kissing your step sister...only half not right Oops, was that out loud???

 

[GusinCA]

I''ve always had autos, and I think driving manuals is a lot of fun, but I'll always buy autos. I guess the driving you do 90% of the time is just too much work with a stick.

 

[GusinCA]

I'm surprised no one has yet come out with a car that is both. And I don't mean the new paddles with DSG and all that, I mean a car that drives exactly like a stick, with a shifter and clutch, until you want auto mode, and then you can ignore the cluth and leave the shifter alone as well.
Maybe someday they'll do that with a computer of some kind.

 

[Joe Fan]

My viewpoint on manual vs auto. I really wanted a manual when I bought my GT but I really fell in love with my car when I first saw it at the dealership. And Ford was giving an extra $600+ rebate on automatics. So I thought about it and told the dealership that I really wanted a manual but I would buy the car if they gave me more for my trade-in and threw in Remote Start (which they did).

Remote Start is great, my car runs consistent times at the track and if I am tired, I don't have to worry about shifting gears all the time. I had manuals in the past and you really grow tired of shifting gears all the time if it is a daily driver like mine.

 

[boratthenig]

real men have sticks

 

[GusinCA]

REAL men have wives...

 

[fobra559]

REAL men have wives...

 

[Towelly]

REAL men have wives...

Nah.. Real men get laid......