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Please help Choose A4 or M6

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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 01:09 AM
  #1  
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Default Please help Choose A4 or M6

Ok guys I have an 01 Silverado. My tranny took a dump a while ago. I need everyones opinion. I dont know if I should go ahead and do a t56 swap or stay with the 60E. If I stay with the 60E I am going to have to get a built one and I will probley go with a 65E from FLP. I know the great thing about an auto and a stall are the luanches at the track. The t-56 will have some mean pull on the sucker.

Please from experince should I stay with the a4 or go with the m6 tell me why I should or should not thanks alot
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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 01:38 AM
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go with the t-56. I have one in my Z28 and love it, I might not be able to get as good of a launch as an auto but I have a lot more fun shifting throught the gears.
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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 01:50 AM
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Originally Posted by desTRUCKtive
Ok guys I have an 01 Silverado. My tranny took a dump a while ago. I need everyones opinion. I dont know if I should go ahead and do a t56 swap or stay with the 60E. If I stay with the 60E I am going to have to get a built one and I will probley go with a 65E from FLP. I know the great thing about an auto and a stall are the luanches at the track. The t-56 will have some mean pull on the sucker.

Please from experince should I stay with the a4 or go with the m6 tell me why I should or should not thanks alot

Is this Truck going to be a track vehicle or a daily that will see SOME track use? I'd suggest you clearly define the purpose of this vehicle so the rest of us can make a better informed suggestion...just trying to help!

Option 1. If it's a daily that will see occasional track use, i'd suggest a T-56. You will appreciate the joy of driving more w/ this, i would think. And it won't turn much different times at the track. Experience and practice will make up for a lot at the track...don't just rely on the AUTO to get you good times...you gotta work for it

Option 2. If it's a track vehicle that MAY see occasional street use, I guess I'd go auto because your NUMBER ONE goal would be ETs, not "joy of driving".

The benefits are obvious when it comes to auto vs manual at the track...it's the other 99% of the life of the vehicle that I'd consider.

Hope this helps some...

- Jeff
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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 09:47 AM
  #4  
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Yes I should mention. That this is my daily driver. My goal is just to have a pretty strong running truck, hopefully soon in the 12's N/A. It wont be a drag truck. My main reason for wanting the M6 is its strength over the 60E. I dont want to have to cough up another 2500 to have it rebuild again. I am pretty sure the M6 will handle the power.

Also I just think I will have a lot more fun driving the thing, and not to mention this would probley be 1 of 5 trucks that I know of in the country running an M6. . Another thing I should mention I am hoping the truck would be a little faster due to the M6 putting a little more of that power to the ground.
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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 05:41 PM
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Unless you're gonna be bracket racing and/or runnig 9's in the quarter with it, go with the manual. More fun, can withstand more power, and will get more power to the wheels.
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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 09:57 PM
  #6  
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Default Go M6, Sucka! :)

Originally Posted by 02 Camaro SS
Unless you're gonna be bracket racing and/or runnig 9's in the quarter with it, go with the manual. More fun, can withstand more power, and will get more power to the wheels.
Based on your answers to my previous post and based on 02CamaroSS you should probably go M6. JUST remember this...being one of FIVE or so trucks out there running this setup you will probably lack a lot of the answers you may seek when doing this. Uniqueness is always but it comes with more blood, sweat, tears usually.

Two thumbs up for the M6

GOOD LUCK!

- Jeff
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Old Apr 30, 2005 | 10:55 PM
  #7  
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ok i have a 2000 ss camaro and it stared as a t56 now in the middle of a swap due to the fact i have'nt found a t56 that can hold up to any amount of prolonged abuse. i say auto due to the fact that i can appreciate mthe comment up alittle about workin for your times but honestly you will never pull a faster time with a stick (just from what i have experienced and seen) as you will with an auto.......buy the stage for from flp i know chuck the guy that builds them and i can tell you when there are people running low nines on that trany the choice is easy for me......just a thought yes the stick can be more fun to drive but there is much more heartache when it breaks like the one i had and blew it up three times.....so as you can see not a huge fan of the t56 my opinion they are junk but thats just my experience take it for what it's worth hope that helps.....peace
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Old May 2, 2005 | 07:39 PM
  #8  
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Since I am the "odd guy out", I should comment. I have a t-56. It is more fun to drive on the street than a typical automatic. I like to drive it when I FEEL like driving a stick shift. I have an automatic car for the daily driving chore. That said...

The t-56 is not so fun in heavy traffic. Not the end of the world, but for a daily driver stop-and-go traffic would get old.

It is not always possible or wise to drive in a "fun" manner on the street with a t-56. I spin first and half-way through second with a little tail swap action when I am on it. Fun, YES, will cops appreciate it if they see it? NO!

At the drag strip, the t-56 has been frustrating. On street tires it just spins them without mercy. Fun, but not good for ETs. On sticky drag radials, the car bogs off the line, which is not fun at all. I either bog or smoke the clutch. An auto is much more fun at the strip. Burnouts are easier to do, lights can be cut more consistantly, no missed shifts, no clutch issues, preloading the drivestrain is easier on it and produces better launches and lower ETs (short of a full on drag race suspension set up and transbrake use), no lost acceleration during shift changes.

Course I am a middle-aged guy who likes to relax in my daily commute...you may not be.
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Old May 2, 2005 | 08:44 PM
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Auto are for people that can't drive !!!!!! Stick shift is the way to go. Anyone can get in a auto and floor it then keep the car start. Now try that with a stick and you will see its not as easy.The real question here is, Are you a sissy or are you a driver ?
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Old May 3, 2005 | 10:15 PM
  #10  
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Wow, thanks guys for all your help on this one. Really I am torn about this one. I just have numerous factors that keep my decision going back and forth on this one. One day I am thinking T-56 and the other day I am thinking built 65E. I will tell you one reason that is splitting me a lot on this, is the fact that I will lose my middle seat. By losing the middle seat I wonder if it would look nice and clean still with the stock truck seats (one thing about me is that I am all for bad *** but yet simple style. I know that it would look bad *** maybe with some vette seats or some GTO ones in there, but I dont have the money for this right now.

If you guys could convince me even more this is what I am thinking it really comes down to that would make me decide, which tranny will hold more power and which will get me at the line faster? Damn this is hard.

Is there anyone else out there that has done this swap and has regrets/or none?
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Old May 4, 2005 | 04:28 PM
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look i'm not kiding when i say i have granaded 3 t-56's trashed not just broke the gentleman up top said sticks are for drivers but the question you have to ask yourself is this what are you going to cut a better times with and what is easier to drive yes they are fun i don't dispute that but longevity wise an auto will withstand more abuse in the long run.......also ask yourself this if you were a drag racer doing say 8 second quaters would you run an auto or a stick don't see to many 8 second cars using a stick lately......anyway i had a t-56 and destroyed it 3 times take it for what it's worth but the 4l60e I had built has lasted 2 yrs and not a problem and my ride is'nt exactly slow nor is it the fastest thing in the world lets just say it holds it own........sticks are for drivers i agree but autos are what cut cleaner times period and i know that anyone with a half a brain will not disagree so when racing what wins more races i ask i think consistency is the key also traffic just sucks in a stick thats part of the reason i swaped in chicago no f'n fun....... hope that helps....darrell
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Old May 4, 2005 | 09:23 PM
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I just had my 93 TA converted to an m6 and I love it. It will see the track 20-30 times a year and I will drive it to work in the summer as much as I can. the A4 was great at the track, but I missed driving a stick. I will have to learn how to race an m6 at the track!
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Old May 4, 2005 | 10:05 PM
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Do you tow at all with this truck? I dont think the T56 is rated to tow much if anything. Look at the SRT10 pickup.
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Old May 4, 2005 | 11:04 PM
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No i dont tow at all in this one. Right know I figure I am about 5000 more or less, I think less. With an auto I would never tow either due to the stall.
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Old May 11, 2005 | 10:34 AM
  #15  
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go with the auto not as fun more reliable
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Old May 16, 2005 | 10:19 PM
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dang it guys, just when I decided to go with the auto (blkmgc01 had me convinced), I think once again I am leaning on the t56. I am in the truck section were I spend most of my time and there are guys that are blowing there built trannies. I dont know but i dont see many of you f-bodies blowing the a4 as much as the truck guys are, but maybe it is because i dont spend that much time over here.

But I am thinking either the 80E (which I dont want cause it will rob so much power from me, but damn tranny is bullit proof), or the t56. I just wanted to keep everyone posted, on this decision.
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Old May 23, 2005 | 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by desTRUCKtive
dang it guys, just when I decided to go with the auto (blkmgc01 had me convinced), I think once again I am leaning on the t56. I am in the truck section were I spend most of my time and there are guys that are blowing there built trannies. I dont know but i dont see many of you f-bodies blowing the a4 as much as the truck guys are, but maybe it is because i dont spend that much time over here.

But I am thinking either the 80E (which I dont want cause it will rob so much power from me, but damn tranny is bullit proof), or the t56. I just wanted to keep everyone posted, on this decision.
i say go with the t-56 just because i would love to have had one in my old 5.3 reg cab. sure it will spin the tires easier but it would be fun, all i had to do was push the gas and go, i would have loved to have 6 gears and get sweet gas mileage. as for strength, if blkmgc01 has grenaded 3 of them at that power level than either they werent built very well or he should posibly examine his driving techniques imo, i have over 150 passes in the 10's have fried 2 clutches and launch at 6500+ every time and im still on my 100 percent factory gm tranny and it has 0 problems and shifts smooth, however i have missed very few shifts ever and i dont powershift without clutching. a properly built t-56 will hold up fine if you dont drive it like a ***, you can beat on it just dont be using it for downshifting and grinding gears and doing no clutch shifting.
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Old May 24, 2005 | 02:49 PM
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I like beeing able to put the power where I want it, when I want to.
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Old May 24, 2005 | 04:56 PM
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built fine,thing is i just don't wait for the clutch, i use it but it's just not fast enough for me besides ya just can't shift a stick as fast as an auto that's what i'm going for is consistency and my sig does'nt give all the mods due to the fact alot of guys in my area are on this site alot so i like to keep stuff an the dl : and yes i am a little hard on em but thats just me to each their own ya know it's cool just trying to give an opinion thats all the guy asked for and mine is they're junk take it for what it's worth peace out oh yea and i don't miss shift ever might not have broke so many if i did

Last edited by blkmgc1; May 25, 2005 at 12:01 AM.
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