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BadNick · 02-08-2007, 12:03 PM

I have a turbo Supra and this is a common point of discussion in that group, too. And IMO it does just really just boil down to preference and intended use. Some people seem not to be able to picture shifting a car almost "subconsciously"; I do it perfectly but barely think about it; some people freak out about having to push the clutch, move the shifter, etc as if that took effort and thought and talent ...not IMO, just practice.

When I was buying, I only wanted a manual (6 speed) and so I did not even bother looking at auto tranny cars. But I knew I would be tracking my car on roadcourses a few times a year and an auto trans is just not well suited to that kind of driving/racing unless your name is Jim Hall (of Chaparral fame). Plus, even on the street or back road, I love the interaction and control that you get with a manual trans that is just not there (for me) with an auto trans.

Now I may slightly differ with some of the comments above, since in my opinion/experience an auto tranny is almost always "better" suited to drag racing than a manual tranny; with a torque convertor it almost always has an advantage on the launch from a dead stop. It really has nothing to do with how fast you can slam gears with a manual vs the auto shifting itself or you shifting the auto, it is all in the launch and first few hundred feet. Now after a roll, it's also a fact that all auto trannies have higher driveline losses than manual trannies. My 6sp is pretty typical and has about 15% to 16% loss; an auto is more like 20% or close to it. So for example if you make 100hp at the crankshaft, you loose that much by the time power gets to the rear wheels and a stick always has less driveline losses ...but you can see it's not a huge difference.

BadNick aka GoodNick depending on what I'm driving

PHR1 turbo on IM cast mani w/HKS 60mm GT WG + PHR Stg2 fuel/850cc's + gForce + MAP ECU + FJO/NTK + Racelogic TC
Tein HA's + TRDgen2 + Veilside EvoV wheels 18"X 9-1/2"F, 10-1/2"R + HKS triple disk clutch w/ HKS lwfw + Carbotech pads stock rotors

02-08-2007, 12:03 PM	#6 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	I have a turbo Supra and this is a common point of discussion in that group, too. And IMO it does just really just boil down to preference and intended use. Some people seem not to be able to picture shifting a car almost "subconsciously"; I do it perfectly but barely think about it; some people freak out about having to push the clutch, move the shifter, etc as if that took effort and thought and talent ...not IMO, just practice. When I was buying, I only wanted a manual (6 speed) and so I did not even bother looking at auto tranny cars. But I knew I would be tracking my car on roadcourses a few times a year and an auto trans is just not well suited to that kind of driving/racing unless your name is Jim Hall (of Chaparral fame). Plus, even on the street or back road, I love the interaction and control that you get with a manual trans that is just not there (for me) with an auto trans. Now I may slightly differ with some of the comments above, since in my opinion/experience an auto tranny is almost always "better" suited to drag racing than a manual tranny; with a torque convertor it almost always has an advantage on the launch from a dead stop. It really has nothing to do with how fast you can slam gears with a manual vs the auto shifting itself or you shifting the auto, it is all in the launch and first few hundred feet. Now after a roll, it's also a fact that all auto trannies have higher driveline losses than manual trannies. My 6sp is pretty typical and has about 15% to 16% loss; an auto is more like 20% or close to it. So for example if you make 100hp at the crankshaft, you loose that much by the time power gets to the rear wheels and a stick always has less driveline losses ...but you can see it's not a huge difference. BadNick aka GoodNick depending on what I'm driving PHR1 turbo on IM cast mani w/HKS 60mm GT WG + PHR Stg2 fuel/850cc's + gForce + MAP ECU + FJO/NTK + Racelogic TC Tein HA's + TRDgen2 + Veilside EvoV wheels 18"X 9-1/2"F, 10-1/2"R + HKS triple disk clutch w/ HKS lwfw + Carbotech pads stock rotors Last edited by BadNick; 02-08-2007 at 12:07 PM..