NewPony'05
New Member
you better check the "manual" box on your order form, unless you shift like an uncoordinated one-legged donkey (which many people do).
RICKS said:But you can usually put more power to the rear wheels with a standard gearbox.
RICKS said:BUT, if you want the quickest ride possible, you better check the "manual" box on your order form, unless you shift like an uncoordinated one-legged donkey (which many people do).
AndFuelFor..All said:Translation, if you're not making any torque, like the ricers do, then you'll definitely need a manual gearbox.
AndFuelFor..All said:The problem is that manual gearboxes have an extremely long clutch pedal travel. Having to lift your heel off the floorpan to shift is unacceptable! I don't see why this has to be so. And it is for this very reason, I would never actually pay real money for a manual gearboxed car ... ever. Long live automatics.
You gotta be kidding me...... I've heard of lazy, but this is sick.The problem is that manual gearboxes have an extremely long clutch pedal travel. Having to lift your heel off the floorpan to shift is unacceptable! I don't see why this has to be so. And it is for this very reason, I would never actually pay real money for a manual gearboxed car ... ever. Long live automatics.
G0NEn60 said:Is this a joke?
There are performance advantages to automatic over manual gearboxes.
65conv50 said:Sorry.... no. There are NO "performance advantages" to a trans that is more complex and uses fluids to replace direct mechanical connection. In the hands of a competent driver, the manual is ALWAYS faster. Key word in the above "competent". 99.99% of drivers do not qualify for that word.
Easier, yes. Quicker, no. All a stall-speed converter does is raise the rpm that the converter starts to engage the drivetrain, and modulates that power (however you may have it calibrated) until full lock-up. All of this can be duplicated manually, with a 100% mechanical clutch & pressure plate and your left foot. It's just more difficult to duplicate the same results time after time for consistency sake, which is what drag racing is all about. So, no, there's nothing "quicker" about a stall-speed converter that you can't duplicate entirely with modulating gas pedal and clutch pedal to achieve the exact same launch characteristic. I'll agree that the F1 tranny is a quicker setup, because F1 transmissions are NOT traditional automatic transmissions in any respect. They do not use torque converters, they don't use fluid to change gears or modulate torque in a manner such as a traditional auto does. They are essentially manual gearboxes, engaged by an electronically controlled and operated clutch, where all shifts are accomplished through electronic controls. It's quick and almost seamless, and does not suffer from the increased parasitic drag that the traditional auto does, but it has NOTHING to do with the traditional automatic transmission offered in the new Mustang GT, which I think was the premise of this thread.With an automatic and a big stall, you can launch a car much easier/quicker than a human can launch a manual.
G0NEn60 said:Is this a joke?
Have you ever driven a manual, while understanding whats going on inside that transmission? There are performance advantages to automatic over manual gearboxes but your claims are not making sense. When you say long clutch pedal travel....do you mean that the length is slowing your shifts? Or that you are too lazy to want to lift your leg? It it was the former then, unless you are driving a Ferrari with the paddle shift, an F1, or some type of $15K automatic gearbox, then most drivers can ring out quicker shifts than the optional automatics that are available on most cars. I think the new Audi DSG shifts quicker than we can but it takes time from the button press to the actual change in gears. Until we start seeing F1 style tranny's in our cars.....then we will always be able to shift faster. A select few cars can post quicker 1/8 and 1/4 times but this is because its a lot easier to put the power down, not because of the shifts. They usually have to add things like big stalls and shiftkits that lower the life of the automatic, but to each his own. Oh and by the way, even though you don't have to use a clutch on every shift, the F1 style trans is much closer to a manual gearbox than an automatic. They have clutch pedals in them and you do have to use it to not stall the car on stops and take-offs.