Rawr256

I'm kind of on the fence right now on ditching the T56 and going with a 4l80E setup. Not really so much for track times but just to possibly get the full potential of the car. I can count how many times I've run the car at the track on on hand in the last two years as times aren't a super big deal to me.

After driving the G8 with a good chunk of power it has, it almost feels like a luxury to not have to shift when canyon carving on the back roads and just planting the throttle and the power hooks up and the car goes. Keep thinking in my mind part of that is the power delivery of the LSA vs the turbo. More than once I've caught myself getting on the freeway and briefly hitting a "oh snap!" moment when climbing into boost unexpectedly.

Anyone made the switch and regret doing it? Part of me thinks I can enjoy it with similar to the G8 but another part of thinks I would regret losing the freedom of the extra gears and selecting my own gears. Then I go back to the thought of just buying another high mileage auto Fbody and just going nuts on that and leaving the current car where it's at.

The BallSS

iTrader: (9)

What's up rawr! A buddy of mine went 4l80 after nuking his t56 at 700+rwhp. He did miss the shifting but the auto pulled way harder then the manual and with that much power on tap it didn't really matter what gear he was in as the car would take off regardless lol. I could see where the auto would be nice but I love banging gears waaaaay too much regardless of how much faster the auto is. I had TH400 with a 600hp BBC 454 in front of it and it was a riot. Mat the gas during the 1-2 shift and watch the tires roll smoke lol. Autos with big horsepower are still really fun.

NitroFumesAteMyBrain

I dont know man. I just got done street tuning my tc78 m6 car and theres no way im ever going auto again.

boostedxs

this is kinda like asking which shift **** is most comfortable, you'll get all kinds of responses.I'm running a tick tr6060 and wouldn't have it any other way, mostly because I enjoy shifting and because I'm good at it. yes the auto will be more consistent and will almost always yield better times at the track. both can be built to hold some serious power. when i was n/a i ran into alot of guys on the street that had faster cars than me,but I was able to outdrive them so take that for what it's worth. it's really more about how you like to drive. for me I'll never switch to an auto but that's just me..

denmah

iTrader: (2)

exactly ^^ depends on your goals and what the car is for, i always build economical cars that run decent times, part of that equation is 100 dollar automatics out of the junkyard

dburt86

iTrader: (2)

bro, im with you. My car would break less and be much faster and way more consistent with an auto, but im not ready for it yet.

But i can tell you that i just got done street tuning my first auto in a turbo LS truck with a MS3/microsquirt, and it was pretty freakin cool.

Being able to adjust converter lockup, shift points and line pressure was def pretty cool.

But not that cool, lol.

SteenH

I went the m6 to a3 before boost, which was actually what kick started my turbo build. Even n/a I was so pleased with the way it worked and now with boost its a total monster.

The only downside to mine is turning 3k at highway speed, the 4l80 solves that issue though.

Best of luck figuring it out! A big stall converter beats dumping clutches any day.

Nitroused383

iTrader: (10)

I will let you know soon but I honestly dont think I will miss the 6 speed and all its problems. I fully expect to gain a full second and some mph in the 1/4 all with better driveability.

Rawr256

Ya, no more missed gears would be nice. After hearing about Zach's car and how it ran is kind of hard to pass up doing the auto swap.

I get the whole thing about it's like asking which gear **** is better, I am still using an autozone special I broke my first night out at the track that I have said for years I need to replace.

Maybe I will see where I'm at after doing the 9". I think part of my lack of interest running it at the drags is I know everything is long over due for giving out on me and I don't want to be "that guy" that ruins half the day for everyone when something scatters, then there is the fact I'm not the worlds greatest shifter when it comes to the drags, if anything the video of my wife dusting me in the G8 from the get go shows that.

boostedxs

sounds like you've already decided an auto might be best for you since your not happy with your shifting. another thing to keep in mind is generally an auto will be easier on your rear end. I've managed to destroy multiple 12 bolts behind a 6speed. finally had to pony up and gave mwc a call. Went with s-track and upgraded center section and haven't had a single problem since. with that said, there's several auto guys at my local track running 12 bolts and they hold up. damn 6 speeds just wanna break ****. but when your built right and you can drive, their fast period.

Nitroused383

iTrader: (10)

^ I wrecked my 4.11's with my 9" and slicks at the track. I spent a lot of time to get a near perfect gear contact pattern with no noise at all. After a few track visits with 6000 + rpm dumps the gears made more noise after every pass. Same thing with my 3.5 gears, used to be so quiet now they rumble and whine it makes me hate driving my car. Not only do the gears make a lot of noise but the solid mounts on all the required suspension parts combined with the unsprung hub of the mcleod rxt twin disc really take away the quiet street car aspect of it. People ask me if my T56 has straight cut gears in it and it might as well after beating the crap out of it.

Oh ya and lets not forget how easy it is to twist the splines of a "1000hp" driveshaft slip yoke. The proper billet chromoly slip yoke isn't cheap. Oh you want to cut better 60', well now your 31 spline axles are no longer up to the task. Next your stock mainshaft on your t56 is twisted and you need to sink more money into to upgrade to the viper input shaft, guess what now you need a new clutch to match the splines. A turbo 6 speed car is fun on the street but your drivetrain needs to be damn near bomb proof to enjoy it at the track.

boostedxs

OP said he doesn't drag much at all at the track so using full out slicks and dead hooking probably won't be happening for him. if your destroying a fabbed 9 inch on the street and it's set up properly then you must have a hell of alot more power than i do... and yes sir you are correct, stock t56 won't last long at all under those kinds of conditions. definitely another thing for him to consider.

rybern

iTrader: (5)

I jumped into my first muscle car a few months ago with the purchase of my 2000 SS. I really enjoy driving the stick shift and felt a little bit unmanly till I went to the dragstrip for the first time. Car is stock with only a lid and MagnaFlo muffler. First run was a 13.6. I had better ET's than cars that I knew had more power(new Challenger RT and new Mustang 5.0). I also had a better ET than a buddy's 2002 SLP MT. I feel better about the auto, but do sometimes wish it was a MT. OTOH, if I had a MT, there would certainly be times that I would wish it was an auto.

L92 fox

iTrader: (2)

I just went with a t56 magnum in my 700 whp full weight procharged Trans am and I absolutely love it. My set up is a s60, s trac, 35 spline axles, t56 magnum, rxt clutch, pst 3.5" driveshaft, stock shocks, Strano lowering springs, umi control arms and torque arm. I'm using a 28" et drag. This past weekend I ran my best times ever with sidestepping the clutch at 6800 Rpms. The car loved it. I am pulling 1.4x 60fts and going 10.40s in 2000+ da. This was also only my second time ever taking ANY stick car to the track. I've always had autos in the past. I'm learning on a 700+ whp car, it's challenging but very rewarding. I'm so glad I went with the s60 and t56 magnum, they seem like a bullet proof combo.

abogenschutz

I just converted mine (full weight 02 SS) from an A4 to M6, I have 700 RWHP. I didn't like the electronic transmission deciding what gear I needed to be in, especially on the street. An occasional, unexpected and very violent 2-1 downshift because there was not quite enough RPM before the A4 decided to upshift, then downshift once you find WOT while pedaling for traction.


If you decide you want to convert to A4 I have all the parts you need :-)