Latch

iTrader: (8)

Drag racing is still racing, regardless of whether you find it exciting or not. I'm sure that road racing is a bigger thrill and by far more challenging than drag racing, but not all of us have the money to replace our car if we lose our brakes at 130+ and slam into a tire wall. Would I like to road race one day? Sure. But since I just take my car to street legal night at the local 1/4 mile track every other weekend or so, and daily drive it the rest of the time, an automatic is perfect for me.

I've beaten cars at the dragstrip that I had no business beating, simply because they were manuals and I'm an auto. One in particular I remember was a C5 Z06, then there's been a number of LS1 F-bodies that had more mods than me and they ran slower times. Okay so they had more fun going down the track than me, but in the end, I got the white slip and they got the yellow one. And I don't have to constantly worry about breaking the 10 bolt on every launch.

Sorry, just had to jump in and defend the auto!

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

No, I don't think they did. Winning is definitely more fun.

608kZ28

maybe you need to do the driver mod at a drag strip.

if you cant shift your car for 13 seconds (or whatever your times are) in a straight line, then you probably cant do it with turns

TransAmWS.6

I agree completely, anyone who knocks on autos is an idiot, plain and simple.

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

autos are better for racing no doubt.


manuals still have their place however.

Orange Juice

iTrader: (3)

Drag racing with a manual just takes more skill. Last year was the first year that I had put any effort in going quickly in a straight line. It isn't as easy as it looks and definately a manual takes way more skill to go fast. I have done a number of lapping days and if you can do some laps on a track without too many walls your first time out it is a blast.

bluehawk2

iTrader: (74)

You will find that a lot of cars that make a lot of power on a dyno simply dont run the equivalent number at the track. Sometimes making the power is the easy part of making a car fast at the drag strip.

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

Amen. When I was a younger man, that fact put some money in my pocket on Saturday night.

blk/slvr02ss

iTrader: (21)

Cooler weather is good for 2 tenths but your mph seems down !I would say 11.55 @ 115 in a - DA .

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

The DA was 2119 on my fastest pass.

lemons12

iTrader: (71)

Speeds car is right on, maybe even running better than expected.

As for manual VS auto.
Fun is all opinion, period. Stalled auto vs manual for fun factor... Stalled auto for a long shot IMO.
Drag racing... Stalled auto trumps manual every which way.
AutoX.. Manual trumps auto.

This is a site where most are straight line drag racing...

I would rather win in my slush box than lose in a manual... Winning is more fun PERIOD.

Starz T/A 17

iTrader: (6)

I would not go as far to say there better for racing, just that there more consistent because it takes out some of the human error. With that said 9 times out of 10 a stock manual car with the same auto car the manual will win. Although when you start modifying them it changes everything such as a stall, or gears and tires for a manual.

At the end of the day this whole auto vs. manual thing has been beaten to death. Both have their goods and bads and it all comes down to preference

senicalj4579

iTrader: (41)

Right on

Also I learned just how much DA makes a difference last year. My car in +2265 did 13.197 and in -1245 it did 12.638. This was same car and mods in sig with stock stall.

I love my stalled auto for drag and love it the same on the street at a stop light. Shoot, its better from all speeds now than before. Only times I wish I had a manual is from a high speed roll or for the mpg.

blk/slvr02ss

iTrader: (21)

The 6 Speed Auto is the best all around w/ the Paddle shifters it like u getting both a auto and a stick !

Tobias05

iTrader: (1)

That's why I own both a manual, and a stalled auto

redtan

iTrader: (5)

I agree with this in the f-body world, but when you pair off a modern A6 vs. a modern M6, I think that outcome will be the other way around.

Not sure with the vette, but the G8 A6 has more aggressive gearing in the first 4 gears than does the manual. So given that it has the same amount of gears there's no way that an average guy will outshift an automatic.

Sure a 6 speed f-body has a distinct advantage over the 4 speed auto, it's simply because of the lack of gears in the automatic. Even out the gears so there are no deadspots and the engine always stays in it's powerband and it's over for the manual.

V68Sweep

And there you have it

Many times the driver is more important than whatever power you're putting down (respectively of course).

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

If someone prefers a manual, that's fine. It's a personal choice.

However, if they feel the need to bash the auto cars, this tells me they are using the stick in their center console to compensate for a different stick that might be lacking.

Personally, I find manuals bothersome and annoying to drive for my application/region; but you won't find me bashing others who prefer them.