LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

A4 pros/cons?

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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 01:10 PM
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Default A4 pros/cons?

i heard on these cars that an auto is just as good or better than M6. obviously opinions differ but if you guys could list some pros/cons that would be cool. thanks

hopefully i can find an LT1 camaro for 3-4k and be a regular here
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 01:27 PM
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an automatic will get you lower E/Ts on the same setup as an M6, but the M6 will put more power to the ground giving you a better E/T. the 700R4/4L60E automatics are pretty strong trannies also, not nearly as strong as the T56 manual but pretty stout. I was running a stock A4 through my old Z28 and it shifted nice and hard.

An M6 is infinitely funner and a good deal stronger, and will put more power to the ground.

An A4 will get you through the quarter quicker, but sap more power.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 04:01 PM
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M6 is WAY funner to drive.... especially around the twisties & off a roll, BUT an a4 on tires, stall, and gas will get it done nicely off a dig, plus they're always consistent....
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by FIREHAWK #07
M6 is WAY funner to drive.... especially around the twisties & off a roll, BUT an a4 on tires, stall, and gas will get it done nicely off a dig, plus they're always consistent....


Another thing, this may be obvious, but if you plan on road racing get the M6.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 05:47 PM
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I would have to disagree with the 4L60E being stout. It's anything but....even with a tranny cooler, which will definitely help, you are going to start looking for a rebuild with moderate to high power.

I blew my first 4L60E with ~480ft/lbs, my second was gone after more mods.

If you plan on having a fair amount of HP (more importantly TQ) then I'd look at a rebuild from a few places that have had success with building the 4L60E. If you're looking at a high HP application somewhere in the area of >700 then I'd suggest either a TH400, 200-4R, 4L80E or T56 swap.

Building the 4L60E to hold a decent amount of power isn't worth the cost IMO as there are more viable options out there. For the price of a good build to hold 600HP/TQ you're looking at a T56 swap with a clutch that will hold whatever you want to throw at it.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 05:50 PM
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Now all that being said....I had auto's in my current and previous Camaro and loved them. Nothing like a high stall (to your application) to get you right in your sweet spot.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted by GhostZ
I would have to disagree with the 4L60E being stout. It's anything but....even with a tranny cooler, which will definitely help, you are going to start looking for a rebuild with moderate to high power.

I blew my first 4L60E with ~480ft/lbs, my second was gone after more mods.

If you plan on having a fair amount of HP (more importantly TQ) then I'd look at a rebuild from a few places that have had success with building the 4L60E. If you're looking at a high HP application somewhere in the area of >700 then I'd suggest either a TH400, 200-4R, 4L80E or T56 swap.

Building the 4L60E to hold a decent amount of power isn't worth the cost IMO as there are more viable options out there. For the price of a good build to hold 600HP/TQ you're looking at a T56 swap with a clutch that will hold whatever you want to throw at it.
I was assuming he's not looking to build a track car right away since it's pretty obvious that this is the first time he's considered an F-body before. I guess stout was the wrong choice of words, but the 4L60E (while nothing compared to a 4L80E or TH350/400) is pretty strong for a stock automatic these days.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 08:19 PM
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thing is, i don't know how to drive stick

i've driven dirtbikes and ATVs my whole life so i'm assuming it's the same concept but it's a whole nother world i'm sure

i wouldn't want to merge onto a freeway between semis w/ a manual not being comfortable with what i'm doing.

im more into trucks but i cant afford a good one right now. i'm 17 right now, just finishing up high school. LT1s look fun as hell. I'm a big fan of Parish's truck (02 silverado turboed w/ a 4L80E). i just like the idea of having the computer tuned to shift the auto at certain points, every time
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 08:20 PM
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also if LT1s are going 13s stock, intake and exhaust would keep me happy for quite a while. i dont think i'd need much more than a 4L60E if i went auto?
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 08:33 PM
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It isn't hard to learn to drive a stick....you'll pick it up in no time.

And you're right enis....not bad for stock to full bolt-ons but you move to heads/cam and eventually you're going to burn out some clutch packs.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 08:58 PM
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Originally Posted by GhostZ
And you're right enis....not bad for stock to full bolt-ons but you move to heads/cam and eventually you're going to burn out some clutch packs.


Originally Posted by jeremys
thing is, i don't know how to drive stick

i've driven dirtbikes and ATVs my whole life so i'm assuming it's the same concept but it's a whole nother world i'm sure

i wouldn't want to merge onto a freeway between semis w/ a manual not being comfortable with what i'm doing.

im more into trucks but i cant afford a good one right now. i'm 17 right now, just finishing up high school. LT1s look fun as hell. I'm a big fan of Parish's truck (02 silverado turboed w/ a 4L80E). i just like the idea of having the computer tuned to shift the auto at certain points, every time
Don't worry about not knowing how to drive stick, it's relatively easy and you'll pick it up quick, especially if you've ridden bikes and quads. Since you're 17, now is the perfect time to learn how to drive a manual.

Parish's truck is absolutely sick... I love that thing.

As far as the A4, yeah, you'd probably have a better chance at hitting 13s than you would with a manual since you'd be a new manual driver, but LT1 cars can run anything from 13.6-14.2, so don't be disappointed if you don't break into 13s right away. With a little bit of practice though, you should be fine.

I'm in the market for a new LT1 also, and the one major thing that will determine your purchase will be the over abundance of A4s on the market, and the lack of M6s. I haven't found one M6 that fits the parameters I'm searching for, but have found close to 10 A4 cars. It sucks.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 09:01 PM
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have you found any under 3500? i dont even care if its auto

edit: you're not in my area though
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 09:55 PM
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A word of advice: If you're in an automatic getting road head doing 55mph in a 35 zone, and the girl knocks the shifter into reverse, as Ricky says, "You have a lot of 'splainin' to do!"

Now $2500 later, I have a 4L60E that's built to hold 1000 lb./ft. of torque.

Moral of the story: a good investment is one that keeps your hands free for other things Also, if you're a truck guy, you don't need to know how to drive stick. I've raced dirt bikes and quads since I could walk, and now that they have dirt bikes and quads with automatic transmissions, they're 10 times more fun to drive, that's one reason Polaris ATVs got to be so popular.

While you will have to rebuild the A4 after you hit ~450 lb./ft. of torque, you're probably not going to get that far on your budget; if you have a tight budget, don't forget that you've gotta buy clutches every so often with a manual and if you don't know how to drive one, chances are you're gonna need a new one sooner rather than later. So go get an auto for 4k and have fun braggin about how you're tearing up all those wannabe guys who wouldn't know a double-clutch if Dale Jr. was their Driver's Ed teacher.
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Old Mar 31, 2005 | 10:58 PM
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hahaha thanks for the post man
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