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Here to make you auto guys feel better

  • Thread starter Thread starter vipergt
  • Start date Start date Aug 8, 2005
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vipergt

New Member
Jul 6, 2005
47
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Aug 8, 2005
#1
  • Aug 8, 2005
  • #1
OK auto versus manual war lets go.
My friend has been raggin me about my auto since I got in march and I never raced him until tonight because I got fed up with his raggin everytime he was around. He has an 03 GT with same mods as me minus predator. We go out to the highway to catch the light side by side. I pulled on him up to 3 cars to 80mph. We pull over and the look on his face is priceless so I told him he could not drive a manual like most everyday person so he says nope its that predator. So we drive back to my place to take the pred out of my car. Go back and same result but only by a car length give or take a bumper. He may get me on the interstate from 70-90 I dont know because thats when the auto sucks, but I dont think Ill do that because its to dangerous around here but if we do Ill let you guys know.Oh and were still friends thank goodness. I hate racin friends.
 

hotmustang331

Active Member
Apr 29, 2004
2,967
3
48
Bastrop,TX
Aug 8, 2005
#2
  • Aug 8, 2005
  • #2
Nice! And yea, he cant drive. The autos can really get off the line good, and if he cant launch good then you will get him.
 

Red35th

Member
Apr 18, 2003
609
2
19
Houston, TX
Aug 9, 2005
#3
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #3
Autos are tough to beat with simliar mods, you pretty much have to driver perfect.

And on spray an auto is just nasty hitting the shifts...
 

sgarlic

Founding Member
Apr 21, 2001
3,085
1
56
Aug 9, 2005
#4
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #4
An auto with a good stall and a shift kit is evil as hell.
 

RedBullitt

New Member
Jul 7, 2004
462
0
0
Morgantown WV
Aug 9, 2005
#5
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #5
yeah it is, an auto can be wicked. very wicked. all about personal preference there.
 

tomustang

Psychotic Member
Founding Member
Jun 8, 2000
3,434
2
78
McLean Hospital
Aug 9, 2005
#6
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #6
So your friend can't drive stick. Doesn't mean a stock auto is faster than the stock manual.
 

djlethalwang

New Member
Nov 18, 2004
138
0
0
Amarillo, TX
Aug 9, 2005
#7
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #7
I disagree on Autos getting off the line as good as a Manual or being just as fast for that matter..... I used to own an '03 GT Auto and there was this guy I used to work with at Discount Tire that I raced quite often. He had an '04 GT Manual and we raced stock for stock and he yanked my ass from the very start. So, bout a month later, I go get some 4.10s, a Predator, and 17x9 Black Bullitt Rims with 275 Nittos on the back, and he gets a Prochamber and 18in. Boyd Coddingtons with 295 BFG KDWs(new tread design) on the back...... Well, we go again from a stop and from a 20 roll. Both times he just pulls me right off the start and never stops pulling..... so i know there is something to having a 5-speed. I swore I was getting off the line pretty damn good, but apparently not as good as he was.

After that little experience, I decided to get a 5-speed in the next pony I owned. No regrets thus far..... and the last auto Mach i raced saw my taillights before i got out of first gear
 

tomustang

Psychotic Member
Founding Member
Jun 8, 2000
3,434
2
78
McLean Hospital
Aug 9, 2005
#8
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #8
the extra weight and drivetrain loss hold factors for an auto.
 

Dark Knight GT

I can't get it up......ok that didn't sound right.
May 26, 2003
3,653
2
56
Ozark, Missouri
Aug 9, 2005
#9
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #9
tomustang said:
the extra weight and drivetrain loss hold factors for an auto.
Click to expand...
This is true, and is one of the main reasons why automatics tend to produce slightly slower times at that track in comparison to manuals. The extra drive train weight robs the automatic of a bit more hp. Not to mention the stock shifts are kind of slow. Glad I don't have that problem anymore thanks to my mods. I love my automatic and wouldn't have anything else........except maybe a set of VT Engine Stage II heads and cams to go with it.
 

AirWolf87

New Member
Mar 14, 2004
382
0
0
L I, NY
Aug 9, 2005
#10
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #10
bro there is no real handicap in having an auto, if anything you have an advantage. They rob a little more power and the gear ration isnt as good, but that only makes a difference on paper because very few people know how to get the most potential out of a manual, so not many drivers will take advantage of your transmition. This is why most bracket racers use autos...they are much more predictable and consistent. most people slow themselves down because they cant launch or shift properly. like someone said, a shift kit, and a converter, and autos are weapons. personaly, i think the 3650 is useless for racing without a short shifter. It is so sloppy and long that it is impossible to get a fast shift or even worse miss gears.
 
K

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?
10 Year Member
Mar 30, 2005
4,749
95
134
Aug 9, 2005
#11
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #11
The main problem I have with my automatic is the unpredictable downshifts... You never know at what point in pressing down on the gas the thing is going to downshift on ya...
 
2

2001sleeper

New Member
Nov 22, 2004
136
0
0
Aug 9, 2005
#12
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #12
autos all the way
 
T

tjm73

Founding Member
Aug 3, 2000
2,418
2
48
Rush, NY
Aug 9, 2005
#13
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #13
djlethalwang said:
I disagree on Autos getting off the line as good as a Manual or being just as fast for that matter..... I used to own an '03 GT Auto and there was this guy I used to work with at Discount Tire that I raced quite often. He had an '04 GT Manual and we raced stock for stock and he yanked my ass from the very start. So, bout a month later, I go get some 4.10s, a Predator, and 17x9 Black Bullitt Rims with 275 Nittos on the back, and he gets a Prochamber and 18in. Boyd Coddingtons with 295 BFG KDWs(new tread design) on the back...... Well, we go again from a stop and from a 20 roll. Both times he just pulls me right off the start and never stops pulling..... so i know there is something to having a 5-speed. I swore I was getting off the line pretty damn good, but apparently not as good as he was.

After that little experience, I decided to get a 5-speed in the next pony I owned. No regrets thus far..... and the last auto Mach i raced saw my taillights before i got out of first gear
Click to expand...

A properly set up auto will whip most manuals all day long all other things beign equal. They'll be more consistent and they will launch and shift harder and faster. They actually have a mechanical advantage, but it is hidden in the sloppy, soft factory shifts and the soft factory torque converter settings. They are also less harsh on parts (ie.....axles and u-joints).

I was a devoted stick man....'till I rode in a high powered, manual shifted 500 inch Caddy engined TH400, matched torque convertered S10. It was an experience that forever changed my feelings about automatics. My next toy will have a manual shift valve body and a proper torque convertor. Most likely in a C4 or 4R70W.
 

djlethalwang

New Member
Nov 18, 2004
138
0
0
Amarillo, TX
Aug 9, 2005
#14
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #14
Well i'm not necessarily saying that autos are worthless, because I know that they aren't. If I was running some major power and capable of running 10 sec quarter miles, yeah i'd have an auto..... but my only complaint is that you have to spend extra money and do more stuff to an auto to make it keep up with or even beat a standard. I had a Predator on my GT and had the shift firmness and all that set as high as it would go and it shifted a lot harder but made no real difference in getting more power to the ground. I realize with an actual shift kit and stall it might have been a closer race between me and my friend, but as it was he spanked my ass like I was driving a V6 pony...... Now that I have 16 more valves and two more cams things are quite the opposite now....
 

back_in_black

New Member
Apr 12, 2003
460
1
0
frederick, MD
Aug 9, 2005
#15
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #15
You gotta love KB and an auto, beats the hell out of tearing up the car trying to power shift down the 1/4 mile, and I plan to be in the 11's without a stall or shift kit.
 

dkshadow

Banned
May 12, 2003
952
0
0
TEXAS
Aug 9, 2005
#16
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #16
Eh people who just ***** about a transmissions are gay. I know when I raced other Mustangs Id rarely lost with my auto.
 
B

big T

New Member
Feb 25, 2004
265
0
0
Hawaii, oahu
Aug 9, 2005
#17
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #17
tomustang said:
the extra weight and drivetrain loss hold factors for an auto.
Click to expand...
If im not mistaken, a stock auto only weighs 10-20lbs more than a manual. Now drivetrain loss is what sux through an auto...I think they lose 10rwhp vs a stock manual as well. Anyway the dbate continues...
 
B

big T

New Member
Feb 25, 2004
265
0
0
Hawaii, oahu
Aug 9, 2005
#18
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #18
djlethalwang said:
I disagree on Autos getting off the line as good as a Manual or being just as fast for that matter..... I used to own an '03 GT Auto and there was this guy I used to work with at Discount Tire that I raced quite often. He had an '04 GT Manual and we raced stock for stock and he yanked my ass from the very start. So, bout a month later, I go get some 4.10s, a Predator, and 17x9 Black Bullitt Rims with 275 Nittos on the back, and he gets a Prochamber and 18in. Boyd Coddingtons with 295 BFG KDWs(new tread design) on the back...... Well, we go again from a stop and from a 20 roll. Both times he just pulls me right off the start and never stops pulling..... so i know there is something to having a 5-speed. I swore I was getting off the line pretty damn good, but apparently not as good as he was.

After that little experience, I decided to get a 5-speed in the next pony I owned. No regrets thus far..... and the last auto Mach i raced saw my taillights before i got out of first gear
Click to expand...
Thats why a higher stall converter is needed for an auto to even things up. Manuals can launch much higher than autos and thats why they get the jump off the line...SOMETIMES, anyway.
 

02LaserRed2V

New Member
Jul 30, 2004
379
1
0
Augusta, GA
Aug 9, 2005
#19
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #19
o3redfire said:
You gotta love KB and an auto, beats the hell out of tearing up the car trying to power shift down the 1/4 mile, and I plan to be in the 11's without a stall or shift kit.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Not to mention autos keep pulling during shifts.

I do think centris are more beneficial on manuals. I could be wrong though, since I haven't driven one.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,255
17,939
224
Massachusetts
Aug 9, 2005
#20
  • Aug 9, 2005
  • #20
Like I always say...

"When you were pretending to drive as a little kid, did you ever pretend to shift out of Park?"



J/k I know Autos can be fast, and i don't get when people whine about having one. My 5.0 is an AOD car and i always got **** for it.

It's personal preference...and when it's available, id rather have a stick over an automatic anyday. My preference
 
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