Manual vs Auto
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Kzoo, MI
Manual vs Auto I am currently in the market for a F-body. I plan to do mods off the bat, and down the line get more agressive with them. But my problem is I dont know what to get a Manual or Auto. I want something bulletproof that I dont have to really worry about, so which would cost less to make this way?
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 151
Likes: 0
From: jackassville Florida
Get a car that suits your taste, whether it be auto or manual. Gold Pink or Black, get the car first then worry. Transmissions are a much heated debate and all depends on the driver being auto vs. stick.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Kzoo, MI
I would base my purchase somewhat off of the trans, either stick or auto I dont care. All that matters is which would be best for endurance with modification costs taken into acount. Im not aiming for a drag car, but i'd like the option of doing that without putting my trans at a higher risk then it should be.
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 151
Likes: 0
From: jackassville Florida
Anything is subceptible to abuse, there really is no such thing as "bullet proof" however there are some built tranny's I know of that give a damn good run at it or the person isnt putting down enough power/traction to even phase the build of the tranny. Anything gets wear and tear on it, whether the T56 or 4l60e, I feel this is going to turn into a slight debate of manual over automatic. Anything can be built to take severe abuse, and with either it can/will cost a penny to get you there.
I had a 2000 SS M6 and now have a 99 Firehawk A4. Don't know much about which is better for mods and holding up to the power, but IMO the M6 gets the fun factor hands down. With that said, the auto is very nice as well and I like it more and more each time I drive it. Not as much fun, but I can't tell a difference performance-wise. They ware both fast as hell. Get what you like. You can mod either one to hold the power you are going for. I get about 2 mpg less than the M6 did. Get what you like and worry about it later.
for illegal fun on the streets get the M6, but if you plan to take your racing to the track get the A4, throw a few bolt-ons at it and a 3200 or higher stall converter and have fun with it. After much abuse the A4 will have to be rebuilt, but if you take care of it with a big cooler, and the correct tuning adjustments it will last even longer. I had over 2 1/2 years and about 150+ passes on mine with just bolt-ons and converter with no issues at all. Added over 99rwhp with the addition of Heads and Cam, and 9 months and 36 passes later I starting hitting the rev limitter at the top end, and found out from some people that I was probably not running out of gear like I thought I was but that my 3-4 was probably begining to wear. So not long after that I got the trans built with new parts, and my tranny guy said the forward cluthes were pretty worn. But it never got to the point where I could tell just driving it around. But if will be different for everyone. I believe the fact that I had an excellent tuner tune my car, the addition of a deep pan and trans temp gauge for monitoring the temps, that I didn't drive my car on the street like I did at the track, and the car was lighter weight than your average 3500+ street car helped quit a bit.
Also something to think about with a 6-speed car, is you will have more wear and possible breakage of other parts like the stock rear, and drive shaft...and you will still be having to spend a couple hundred at least on a nice clutch.
Hope this helps.
Also something to think about with a 6-speed car, is you will have more wear and possible breakage of other parts like the stock rear, and drive shaft...and you will still be having to spend a couple hundred at least on a nice clutch.
Hope this helps.
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A higher stall converter is a must for any A4 driver that wants more performance in my opinion. A couple advantages are torque multiplication and they rev faster. Check out: http://www.converter.com/
From my experience, I put a PI Vig 2800 in my 2000 WS6 Trans Am when I had a cam installed. At first, I got buyer remorse. It acted like a completely different car. I have since driven it about 1000 miles and have gotten used to my car's new characteristics. Below is what I have found with my stall and a bigger cam.
1) The gas mileage is down about 2 miles per gallon after the stall converter and cam. The gas light used to come on at 275 miles, it now comes on at 245 miles per tank. For in town and driving on hills the gas milage is even worse.
2) The exhaust alot louder and the tone is more beefy.
3) The idle has a nice rumble.
4) The engine revs more when you take off. My car always takes off between 2000 and 3000 rpms.
5) Driving up hill behind someone slow sucks. My engine is revs at 3000 rpms at 30 MPH.
6) The converter locks up at 40 MPH when it shifts in to OD.
7) THE TYPICAL A4 DEAD SPOTS ARE GONE! This is a huge plus. A4s suck when you jump on them between 30 and 40. The tranny doesn't always downshift. So if your racing a manual, you can watch them jump out a car or two.
8) ITS ALOT FASTER AND REVS FASTER! If you can put up with the negatives, its a great performance mod. (probably one of the first mods for an A4 after the low-cost bolt on stuff is done)
From my experience, I put a PI Vig 2800 in my 2000 WS6 Trans Am when I had a cam installed. At first, I got buyer remorse. It acted like a completely different car. I have since driven it about 1000 miles and have gotten used to my car's new characteristics. Below is what I have found with my stall and a bigger cam.
1) The gas mileage is down about 2 miles per gallon after the stall converter and cam. The gas light used to come on at 275 miles, it now comes on at 245 miles per tank. For in town and driving on hills the gas milage is even worse.
2) The exhaust alot louder and the tone is more beefy.
3) The idle has a nice rumble.
4) The engine revs more when you take off. My car always takes off between 2000 and 3000 rpms.
5) Driving up hill behind someone slow sucks. My engine is revs at 3000 rpms at 30 MPH.
6) The converter locks up at 40 MPH when it shifts in to OD.
7) THE TYPICAL A4 DEAD SPOTS ARE GONE! This is a huge plus. A4s suck when you jump on them between 30 and 40. The tranny doesn't always downshift. So if your racing a manual, you can watch them jump out a car or two.
8) ITS ALOT FASTER AND REVS FASTER! If you can put up with the negatives, its a great performance mod. (probably one of the first mods for an A4 after the low-cost bolt on stuff is done)
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nothing is bullet proof. the a4 tranny is a little weaker than the m6 is, but the a4 is better on the rear-end than a m6 is. also with an a4 you buy a converter, and with the m6 you buy a clutch. so either way you are going to spend about the same amount of money. so it just depends on what kind of racing you are planning on doing. if it will be from a roll on the street than an m6 would benifit you more, whil if you do more racing from a stop the a4 will be better for you.