Just wanting to hear from people who own or have experience with this. I have never owned a manual tranny in any vehicle, but I am looking into 00+ SS and have always told myself 6-speed all the way. (Autos don't seem right in sports cars) Anyways I keep hearing how well autos do in 1/4 mile and was wondering if they hold their own against 6-speeds? How good is the auto? Is it durable? how many miles are you getting out of ayour autos before problems or sliping?

I am willing to learn stick, especially being a sportscar, but if an auto performs the same....

 

the 4L60E is a very good tranny the only problem that i know of is the sunshell. They perform just as well if not better than the 6 speeds stock in the 1/4 and are more consistent...ive also heard the clutches in the 6 speeds go rather quickly at least the stocker.

lata
Bill

 

4L60E?

So thats the same auto in my dads 2000 Z71. Hmm cool. I may get an auto not sure. I do about 50/50 stop and go/Hwy. There are two reasons I would get an auto:

1. I can't drive a stick worth crap (but willing to learn)

2. I don't know how well I will like shifting gears all the time, especially never owning a manual.

 

4L60E is a good tranny, its not a Th350/TH400 but I have friends that have built trannys that are well into the low 10's

<------6 speeds with a Ram clutch, no issues with clutch

 

did have to replace my clutch. if you do 50/50 stop and go. def go with auto. Sticks are cool. Stopping and starting is fine. But if you are going to be in any kind of traffic on a daily bassis, you def need to get an auto. TRAFFIC SUCKS in a stick. (especially if you have a perf clutch) Its fine in something like a civic cause the clutch is very forgiving. But when you push 3x the torque a civic pushes, it takes a strong clutch.

 

Hogwash !!

If you like autos, get one - I did.

My buddy had a '99 SS w/ a 6 speed that developed tranny problems at 9K - he traded it for a ' 00 w/ an A4 - no problems out of that one.

Sticks are nice, and I would like to have one as a toy, but there is nothing wrong w/ the auto for daily use.

Plus, try putting a stall converter in a M6 !!

As far as the 1/4 - typically a 6 speed will show a higher MPH , but the elapsed times are similar. And, with modern computer controlled shifting on the auto, it's real hard to beat that manually rowing the gears.

Bottom line - get what you want, but don't shy away from the auto just because it's an auto.

Later !

Britt

 

my ws6's clutch is alot lighter then the talons so i liked that part ALOT.... also the t56 can handle a good 650-700hp which is about the same as a built auto can handle. if you like LOW rpm on the highway and 31mpg on the highway get a manual . if you drive in town and your kinda weak get an auto.

thats my take. i got a manual and LOVE it

 

Well the manual is more fun and stock for stock will beat an auto off the line, mid range and top end. Manuals also dyno with more HP then the autos do. Manuals have better gas mileage on the hwy thanks to 5th and 6th gear. So why are auto's popular at all?

Because automatics are better at the track when a good size torque converter is installed. Autos with TC launch better on average and get better 60' times. They are also less stressful on the rear end and thus save you two grand on the 12 bolt swap. The autos are much easier to drive in stop and go traffic for obvious reasons.

Since you can not drive a stick you would get better times and be more suited for an automatic. However, don't let that stop you from getting an M6. When driven by the right person they can be just as consistant at the track. If you want to shift yourself then don't let anything stop you.

If you get the M6 then make sure you put a good clutch in because you'll probably go through two a year if you drive hard on the stock one (or so I hear) and get some bigger gears (4.10).

If you get the A4 then get one with 3.23 gears (look inside the drivers door and see if it says gu2 or gu5. You want gu5). This way you can skip the gear upgrade and just get a TC with trans cooler so you can beat the M6 guys off the line.

Stock for stock the M6 is faster. Add a high stall TC and the auto will be faster. They are both are fun to drive but the autos are better at the track and manuals are better on the street. I strongly suggest you drive a M6 before you buy one. It's not something you want to mess up with. Some M6 guys have done the fatal third to second shift by accident and ended up needing engine rebuilds. Drive an M6 at least a month shifting slow but steady. Then maybe work on fast shifting.

Or just get an auto, put in TC and Drag Radials and punch the gas, hold on tight and pray you don't hit anything or anyones radar

 

Whats a good TC cost? cooler?

I still am not sure, I just hate to be new to a stick and have a performance car and not be able to drive worth a crap for awhile. How long does it usally take to learn a stick good enough to buy a SS and not screw up the clutch?

Also how much does a good clutch cost and install usually run? Im not too thrilled about the "twice a year replacement", won't that get expensive?

What about the auto? How well do they hold up mileage wise? Would I need to run a good synthetic tranny fluid? So in the long run would an auto be cheaper?

Thanks, Keep em coming

 

I never had any problems with my stock clutch in my '98 M6...30K+ miles with occassional street and drag racing.

The M6 is the stronger tranny. Yeah, we've all heard of a friend of a friend who has had tranny problems...as if the M6 has problems but the A4 does not.

M6 cars are generally quicker and faster than A4 cars when stock or with minor bolt-ons. But that's only if you REALLY know how to drive. I know how to drive, but I haven't met many others that do. This is why you will typically see M6s and A4s within a few tenths of each other at the drag strip. Additionally, it's M6 cars that usually are the 14 second LS1s.

When you put a higher stall TC in an A4, the scales definitely tip the A4's direction. The cars need tranny coolers and other aftermarket parts to keep the tranny in good shape, but they don't need to worry about swapping the rear end assembly. You probably won't mod your car enough to worry about swapping the rear end, but you never know. We're talking about sub-12 second 1/4 mile ETs.

I recommend that you go with an A4. For you, it will be faster and quicker than an M6. It may not be as much fun to drive, but racing it will be more fun (and less embarrassing).

 

I learned how to drive stick at the dealership lol back in the day~1995ish i wanted to purchase a mustang...found the one i wanted 5 speed Gt but told the salesman ok this is the final price all you need to do is teach me to drive stick...we drove around the lot for about 30 mins in the rain...finally said i got the hang of it and drove it home that night once again in the rain. So as far as it being hard to learn ahh if your not a dullard youll catch on quick...getting it into reverse and 1st gear are the hardest part...also some track time would help it took me about 3 times to the track to master powershifting and all that crap...first time down grannyshifting i was running high 15's...powershifting with 3.55 gears added i ran low 14's the second and third time out....youll get the hang of it but it does take time...and on the street its even harder as public roads arent as forgiving as prepared track surfaces. Trannys can last up to and over 100-150k miles with no track use...with track use maybe 100-200 runs on a slick before the sunshell self destructs. Thats if the rear doesnt go first.

lata
Bill

 

The auto is great. I can get the tires to chirp in third.

 

It would probably take you less then a month to get used to driving a stick. It's not that hard to learn how to drive it. However it would likely take considerably longer to get good at launching and racing a stick. Some guys never get real good at it while others become pros.

If you drive normally most of the time (granny shifting at 3500-4500 rpm's) and don't put too many HP adding mods on then your stock clutch and rear end will be fine. When I said you could go through two clutches a year I meant if you added a decent amount of HP mods and do a lot of red line shifting or power shifting. The stock 10 bolt rear is also fine for a M6 until you add sticky tires and a few horses Then it's time for an upgrade.

As for a TC and tranny cooler you could expect to pay $500 for a Midwest and another $70 for the cooler. If you want a top of the line TC then you can get a Vig for $700 or Yank for $900. Add another $250 for install. So if you go with a Vig3200 (excellent street/strip converter) you would spend about 1k total. Just make sure you have a performance shop do the install if possible because they can tune the computer afterwards if it is needed.

If you really want an M6 then get one. You can learn to drive one easy enough. If you go easy on HP mods then just upgrade the clutch when it wears out and you'll be fine.

If your mostly just gonna have fun around town then get the M6 and learn to row gears. If you want to line up at the track and get a lot of runs in each year then get the A4 and put a torque converter in and drag radials on the back.

Either way good luck and have fun.

 

clutch cost $500, when i had mine put in, i had the whole tranny rebuilt while i was at it, ended up 2k total. Don't worry about screwing the clutch up while you learn to drive. (unless the car u look at has over 40k miles on it) I'm sure you have friends that can teach you. If its over 40k, it should still be okay to drive it hard, just don't try to do any tricks: burnouts, doughnuts. My first stick was a 93 RX7 twin turbo. These cars aren't hard to drive, and they are a blast. Plus You'll get looks everywhere you go, especially if you have an SS with T-tops or Convertable. Oh, and ChrisLS1Bird, he knows what hes talking about: especially where he said that you won't get good times until you learn how to drive. Someone before told me that driving stick is one thing, but racing stick is another. No one will teach me how to race stick, so I have do trial and error. (Not recommended).

 

Two cool things about not having an M6 car:

1). No missed shifts - ever.
2). No bent pushrods - ever.

Get want YOU want in a car. After all, it is you making the payments, not the idiots who say to get stick.


Milo.