Manual or Automatic transmission..which do you prefer?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

My daily driver = automatic.

My Hot Rod = 5 -Speed. Yea you can't out shift an automatic but damn its fun trying.

I won't lie, I wish the '67 had a manual in it, but the wife wouldn't let me get it without an auto in case she wanted to drive it.

If you have the horsepower and the wherewithal, nothing beats a manual for pure exhilaration. That said, that doesn't make most of the old saws about the 'benefits' of a manual any more accurate.

That said, throwing a shift-kit in a 700r4 makes a torquey little beast in its own right. Sure, it downshifts into the wrong point in the power band if you're in 4th, but if can break the back end loose at 30 mph using nothing more than my foot when it drops down to first, so there's that...

[ModSocks]

Paddle Shifted Automatic.

Best of both worlds.

We just finished off a car (Likely, our last full build we'll ever do) that was a paddle shifted 6 Speed Auto. 392 C.I with a single Turbonetics GT-K Turbocharger making about 700HP at the wheels.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Paddle Shifted Automatic.

Best of both worlds.

We just finished off a car (Likely, our last full build we'll ever do) that was a paddle shifted 6 Speed Auto. 392 C.I with a single Turbonetics GT-K Turbocharger making about 700HP at the wheels.

It's still not quite as satisfying as feeling that mechanical 'thunk' as you hammer through your shift points, but the flappy paddle is a nice middle-ground for most applications. And most of them will keep you from being too stupid and/or dropping from 5th to 2nd by overshooting the gate.

[MIAdragon]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Paddle Shifted Automatic.

Best of both worlds.

We just finished off a car (Likely, our last full build we'll ever do) that was a paddle shifted 6 Speed Auto. 392 C.I with a single Turbonetics GT-K Turbocharger making about 700HP at the wheels.

Disagree, my CTS-V is a PSA but its no where near as fun as the 6pd. Quite a bit quicker but less enjoyable.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

Disagree, my CTS-V is a PSA but its no where near as fun as the 6pd. Quite a bit quicker but less enjoyable.

Stock or modded? Every place I can find a 1/4 mile for a CTS-V shows the manual to be quicker. Been researching them a lot, as I'm in the market for one.

Most every manual iteration of any car I look at is faster than its automatic counterpart.

[MIAdragon]

Originally Posted by Silock

Stock or modded? Every place I can find a 1/4 mile for a CTS-V shows the manual to be quicker. Been researching them a lot, as I'm in the market for one.

Most every manual iteration of any car I look at is faster than its automatic counterpart.

Heh its not stock. The auto is FAR quicker than the manual. Here is a quick list. Its a little dated but you get the point.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

Heh its not stock. The auto is FAR quicker than the manual. Here is a quick list. Its a little dated but you get the point.

If you’re into drag racing manuals can be hard to launch, especially when you’re making big power.
Motorcycle Drag Racing buddy bought a Pontiac GTO when they came out with the 6.0L LS2 in ’06, which is basically a Corvette chassis with a Pontiac body. When he went to buy they had two cars one with a 6 speed manual transmission the other an automatic. He said he wanted the manual but when he went to test drive it he gassed it hard and said it just spun tires like crazy and wouldn’t go anywhere. So he bought the automatic saying that when he turned the traction control on and gassed it hard the tires howled in complaint but it shot the car down the road very smartly.

[COchief]

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

Heh its not stock. The auto is FAR quicker than the manual. Here is a quick list. Its a little dated but you get the point.

I would love to have a CTS-V wagon that would run 9s, it would be so awesome and ridiculous at the same time.

[MIAdragon]

Originally Posted by Silock

Stock or modded? Every place I can find a 1/4 mile for a CTS-V shows the manual to be quicker. Been researching them a lot, as I'm in the market for one.

Most every manual iteration of any car I look at is faster than its automatic counterpart.

Not so much anymore. Take a peek at the new Mustang 5.0 the auto is consistently 3-4 tenths quicker. The new autos are wicked efficient.

[Frazod]

If I lived in bumble**** nowhere I'd have a stick. They are fun.

They are not fun, however, when you're in heavy suburban Chicago traffic 95%of the time.

[DaFace]

I can understand the love of a manual if you really are an "enthusiast," as the OP refers to. However, from a purely practical standpoint, there's almost no reason to drive a manual these days except to save a bit of cash on the car and repairs.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I can understand the love of a manual if you really are an "enthusiast," as the OP refers to. However, from a purely practical standpoint, there's almost no reason to drive a manual these days except to save a bit of cash on the car and repairs.

Sorry to disagree, but those aren't necessarily true anymore either.

The 6 speed option on the Challenger was $1100 more IIRC, not sure if it still is.
Also, I dread the day my Ram needs a new clutch disc, and it WILL happen. Many automatics go very deep without any repairs.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Sorry to disagree, but those aren't necessarily true anymore either.

The 6 speed option on the Challenger was $1100 more IIRC, not sure if it still is.
Also, I dread the day my Ram needs a new clutch disc, and it WILL happen. Many automatics go very deep without any repairs.

Yeah, it's true that even those aren't guarantees anymore.

[Beef Supreme]

I have owned way too many vehicles in my life and most of them were manual transmission, but then I got older and lazier, and it's easier to eat while driving with an Automatic.

[Valiant]

I don't know, my automatic sonata with shifter bars is certainly fun.. And will toast most stock manual cars without blinking that are not above 80k..