Camaro2898

I've been getting ready to do some upgrades for my car. However, i'm running into a little problem. I've been getting pulled on both sides on whether to stay with my 4L60E or swap it out for a T56. I take the car to our local Flashlight Drags, which is on an air strip (probably an 1/8 mile drag) and also to Pittsburgh Raceway Park (1/4 mile drag). The car is stored in the winter, but come middle of spring until middle of fall, I have the car out. I also to car cruises and meets as much as I can. Pittsburgh Raceway park is about 2hrs away for me, and the cruises are about 1.5hrs. I've heard that the 10 bolt will take abuse from the T56 and should put in a 12 bolt or Ford 9 inch. I know some make fun of automatics, but I have been always viewed it that it is very hard to out-shift an auto. If i'm keeping my 4L60E I thought about buying a TransGo HD2 kit and 3.73 gears. I also may have to get a stall considering what cam size I get. At the end of the day, I want this car to still be a street friendly car. Any advice would help. Thanks!!

murphinator

iTrader: (2)

path of least resistance is to stay auto.

I have both and as fun as the stick can be.... for the racing your going to be doing it will save you a lot of dough staying auto , no need to buy a t56 setup , no need to buy a upgraded rear , less systems to maintain.

between the cam ( and necessary supporting mods) your talking about , the upgraded clutch and adjustable master you will need to deal with a cammed engine/6 spped combo , rear end upgrade your quickly going to dump 10 grand plus in your car by the time its set up as a durable 6 speed car thats reliable for everything your looking to do.

add a nice convertor and some suspension upgrades leaning towards traction and you will kick some **** at the 1/8 mile drags - that will be fun

got-a-ls1

iTrader: (12)

ive had both and im going back to a stalled auto. call me crazy. the 6 speed wasnt as fun as id hoped. plus i was bending wheel studs and slip yokes on a regular basis

Moon Cricket

iTrader: (1)

Looks like mine didn't post. T56 for sure, nothing beats shifting!

Macs98Z

iTrader: (16)

I've had both--stalled auto with all the performance upgrades and a built T56. The biggest thing is what do you do most of? If you are serious about hitting up the strip, stay auto. You won't and can't be as fast or as consistent with a stick. If you do a lot of cruising, go for the T56! I personally do more cruising and enjoy being able to shift the car on my own. I don't mind giving up some of the speed at the track because I don't go that often. I converted mine to a T56 last year, did a rebuild on the trans before I put it in and will soon be putting a 12 bolt rear in. You will spend some money doing a T56 swap, so be prepared. If you don't have to rebuild the trans, you'll at least need to do the rearend.

In the end, no one can tell you what is best for you. Weigh the pros and cons, and decide for yourself. There are several around here who have done the swap and love it, and some go back like got-a-ls1. Talk to people and see what their experience was and decide for yourself. If you would like to ask any questions about the swap and what all it entails, shoot me a PM.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

As you can see, I have both, and although I enjoy them both, I don't any more of a thrill from shifting a manual than I do from a perfectly timed, quick, crisp automatic shift. If I were you, I wouldn't contemplate the swap unless until you've first exploited the performance potential of the A4. I'd start with some tuning (shift points, shift time, torque management, and line pressure) and only do the Transgo if and when you go to a high stall converter. If you're serious about gears, do them first and then get your tranny tuned.