Automatic vs. Manual in American Muscle cars - your opinion

Interesting opinions here - I would have thought the preference would be manuals far and away, but there seems to be alot of support for autos.....cool.



Anyway - here's my take. Not being a drag racer and not having any interest in drag racing (I'll take road racing, thank you very much :) ), I just don't see the point of an automatic in a "muscle" car. To me, the point of a muscle car (and I own two of them) is to have fun. I've yet to find the fun in driving an automatic. Who cares if it shifts at the perfect time, and quickly and crisply, when you think about it, the transmission is having the fun, not you. There's nothing more rewarding than shifting gears, properly, on your own, when it comes to driving. The control it gives you over the vehicle, and not just acceleration (road racers will know this) is unmatched.



My daily driver is a stick shift mustang, and it sees heavy traffic use on a daily basis, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Being able to shift is the only thing that spices up the mundane-ness of daily driving.



Every car purchase I make hinges on the availability of a manual transmission. If a vehicle isn't available in stick, I'm not interested (this includes AMG E55/S55 mercedes and the like...not that I could afford one anyways) Perhaps its my young age, or my penchant for road racing, but for me, with an automatic, you're just along for the ride.
 
Maybe someday Formula 1 will return to the old stick and clutch technology in order to slow down the laptimes and increase the "fun" in this type of roadracing? :nixweiss
 
If we are talking about bone stock automatic vs. bone stock manual I would pick the manual any day of the week, hands down. I've had both, stock and modified and the stick is definitely more fun to play with on the street and is the only way to go on a road course.



On the other hand, if we are talking about a purpose duty drag race car, a fully built automatic with a high stall is the only way to go.



This all depends on what you want and how you want to do it.



Personal tranny of choice: Performance Automatic C4 w/ 4500 stall, reverse manual valvebody, and transbrake :up



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Maybe someday Formula 1 will return to the old stick and clutch technology in order to slow down the laptimes and increase the "fun" in this type of roadracing?
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But the point of formula one isn't to be fun for the drivers, its to be the fastest. And they aren't running automatic trannies (obviously you know this, just pointing it out), they have full control over every gear change the car makes.



There's nothing worse than going deep into an off-camber corner and having your transmission decide to shift for you, completely upsetting the balance of the car. From a road racing standpoint, thats why a manual is preferred.



Just my thoughts - I'm biased towards manuals so take it for what it is.



Cheers!



-T
 
SuperBuick said:
But the point of formula one isn't to be fun for the drivers, its to be the fastest. And they aren't running automatic trannies (obviously you know this, just pointing it out), they have full control over every gear change the car makes.





Just my thoughts - I'm biased towards manuals so take it for what it is.



Cheers!



-T
Click to expand...



I am biased toward neither. I have both available for my driving pleasure needed for that peculiar day. Both tranny types excelled for the task they are needed for.

When I was in my teens,20's and early 30's you could not give me an auto tranny. Now over 50 I would not even consider a manual as a daily driver. :cool:



Actually some of the F1 drivers are lobbying for full manual trannies in order to enhance the driver's skill level back into the equation. Racing use to be more than just flooring the throttle and allowing the CPU to control everything from initial traction and shifting. A driver had to be able to care for his vehicle and only stress his vehicle after establishing that it will make it to the finish at the same time beat everyone that he thought would also finish. This included tire wear, tranny preservation, etc. Yes, I believe "real" driving, rather than just CPU controlling, would increase the "fun" of F1. Both for the drivers and us the viewer.
 
I'd only want a 6-speed whenever I pick up another 'vette. But then I wouldn't drive it daily. It'd just be when I wanted to have fun, and I think a manual is more fun.



Edwin, that's not exactly true that drivers have little control over engine life, tire life, etc. They choose when to shift (contrast Sato's average engine life with Button's), when to brake, how hard to push through turns. No doubt tech plays a big role, but the drivers do too. Put a bad driver in a great car, and they aren't gonna win anything.
 
I bought a brand new '91 Vette with an automatic and it was so boring for me that I traded it in for a new '92 six speed less than a year later (my wife made me get the same color so the neighbors wouldn't talk about me getting a new Corvette every year!). I still have the '92 and still love rowing through the gears everytime I drive it!
 
I definently think that a lot of the reason that manuals are so prodominant in sprots cars, is because it's fun. Nothing beats an auto in a drag, but a manual is so fun! I know in my Civic, and that's not that sporty at all, but you can't replace the feeling you get when you bring it up to 6000 RPM and slam it in second. You feel so "in tune" and in control of the engine. But after I drive it for a weekend, I definently appreciate going back to my Grand Prix, which is an auto. It does get tiresome to have to shift all the time, especially when starting on hills. I'v been very impressed with Pontiac's transmissions, the Grand Prix shifts hard and solid, I quite frequently have it up to 5000 RPM, while in the performance shift mode. A friend of mine has a Trans Am, and it's amazing in that car too. I was surprised when I found an auto could do that, as before I had thought that autos didn't have the torque of manuals. He's got about 500 HP in the engine without nitrus oxide, that car is amazing. It's not far from the truth to say that your nipples touch your shoulderblades (a quote I heard from somewhere lol). He's going to get juice for it, and then he will approach all he can do, with that block etc. Where he lives, he's hit 160 in races. Pretty good! He's got a 3000 RPM stall, and many other modifications he's done himself. I'd like to get a Trans Am myself, as they are amazing cars for the price you can get them used. Nothing beats the feeling of RWD! (Except maybe manual lol). RWD, that's one thing I wish I had in the GP, except for now (snow snow snow). Guess that's what sandbags are for.
 
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