Yeah my timing is set at 34 degrees at full. I also took out the spare tire and jack and other little stuff. Soon I will be deleting the smog and AC. I also think I'm buying a shifter/tranny off one of my friends so I will be able to go back and get some more respectable numbers.
Grasshopper. You have alot to learn. I would gladly line up with you at the track and show you how much I will jump you on the line. I would retard my timing so my trap would be the same as yours. That would make a believer out if you with autos. Other than spinning (in which I wont), I have no outside factors that would determine the race like you.ie: missing gears. On the highway from a 30-40 roll, yes the stick has the advantage. I had a stick in my SS. That is when i knew Auto was for me. With the same mods as I had except his was an auto, My buddy ran 11'60's at 118 mph. I ran 11.80's at 120 mph. There just isnt enough track to catch an auto because auto gets outta' the hole so hard.
You're on the right track but you don't give enough credit to driving ability. Not pointing the finger or anything, but even though YOU are faster with an auto than a stick, doesn't mean that a stick is slower. A good driver can match an automatic any day. Those outside factors can be eliminated by a good driver, leaving only the one off rare occassions that mishaps happen in that an auto would have any edge at all.
Example? Well i race a friend's car for him....it's a mildly built 347 that was first raced with a built AOD. It had a shift kit, 3200 stall. Sure, on street tires the car was easier to launch without spinning, but again, my ability to drive a 5 speed can (and did) overcome this, as we picked up a half second just by switching to a T5, which ironically enough can't even be speed shifted because the syncros are going out.
The ONLY major exception to an automatic being undeniably superior to a manual would be in a super high powered racecar, such as a 7 second car, where the sheer speed at which the driver would have to shift to react to the RPMs would be difficult to match when comparing to an auto. BUT, the poster of this thread is running a mildly modified car, much MUCH slower than a 7 second car.
If you drive consistantly you can pick up a couple tenths just by removing the AC and all associated junk. Saves weight, reduces belt parasitic drag and aids in weight transfer to the rear wheels. Besides, you've still got 270 AC.....open 2 windows and drive 70mph I can't see driving my car in the summer with the windows up....just doesnt seem right. If it's too hot to drive with'em down, then it's too hot to drive it.
If you drive consistantly you can pick up a couple tenths just by removing the AC and all associated junk. Saves weight, reduces belt parasitic drag and aids in weight transfer to the rear wheels. Besides, you've still got 270 AC.....open 2 windows and drive 70mph I can't see driving my car in the summer with the windows up....just doesnt seem right. If it's too hot to drive with'em down, then it's too hot to drive it.
Grasshopper. You have alot to learn. I would gladly line up with you at the track and show you how much I will jump you on the line. I would retard my timing so my trap would be the same as yours. That would make a believer out if you with autos. Other than spinning (in which I wont), I have no outside factors that would determine the race like you.ie: missing gears. On the highway from a 30-40 roll, yes the stick has the advantage. I had a stick in my SS. That is when i knew Auto was for me. With the same mods as I had except his was an auto, My buddy ran 11'60's at 118 mph. I ran 11.80's at 120 mph. There just isnt enough track to catch an auto because auto gets outta' the hole so hard.
Apparently you didnt see the point I was making. Why take a stock 5-speed car, rip out the 5-speed build an AOD which costs a good bit of $$ and throw it in, when he could simply buy a clutch, and have his issue fixed for 1/4 the cost. If he had an auto in the car Id say go for it, but for a DD that rarely sees the track, why build an auto with a converter and MVB...
Also if you have the same mods, run faster times, knock down mid 20 mpg (seen up to 27 on the highway) and have spent a total of $550 on the tranny, then awesome. But me personally, I like to bang my own gears, get compliments on my driving, have total control, and run fast times because of me, not only because the car is fast! I dont like autos but I have been around racing long enough to know they are great trannies and yes they will out perform sticks when we talk faster cars and more money.
And when it comes to all out race cars. Give me a proshifted 5-speed with overdrive removed. Slam gears without the worry of missing them!
There is just too much to be said about a guy who can drive a stick shifted car, that cant be said about a guy going down the track in an auto.
it's small and probably not noticed aside from weight and weight transfer, but it's there. Remember that the shortest distance of travel is always the most efficient for the belt to travel. If you make a ton of power anyways, it's not a big deal to keep AC, but if you're looking for extra power for cheap, it does help to ditch it.