Stompy

I'm looking to get a new mustang, but receiving conflicted responses on whether I should get an automatic or manual.

I don't know how to drive a manual, but have someone willing to teach me, however my '05 is an auto and have heard, "OMG, you got a Mustang in an automatic?!" as if it's some type of blasphemy.

As I understood it, autos shift faster than manuals, but I'm being told manuals are more powerful. Then again, people are also saying the opposite. Some are even saying, "honestly, it boils down to preference."

So is one more powerful or better than the other? Obviously an automatic is gonna be a bit more, so if I could, I'd rather go manual (and if it has more power, then great!).

Powerful as in... I don't wanna gimp my car. If I'm gonna be spending money on a GT then I wanna get as much out of it as I can (Not that I'll be driving fast and crazy all the time, but I'm sure you know what I mean)

Thanks so much in advance.

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tinfoil

It's preference as you mentioned. It just so happens that I won't buy anything that doesn't come in a stick. I like the added control. I would suppose it's possible for a tiny bit more power to hit the wheels with a stick, but I can't imagine it's an appreciable amount. That said, I'm a unix geek, not a car nut, so YMMV.

That being said, learning to drive stick on that 'stang could be interesting!

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powerclown

Depending on the driver, manuals have the potential to shifter harder from gear to gear giving it better acceleration. Automatics are better for massive, smokey, brake torques (unless you're extremely quick with your feet). Manuals can be a lot of fun to drive around with too, as you have total control of the gearbox and big V8's make cool sounds and sensations on the downshift. It's up to you, do you want to learn how to drive a manual? I imagine the clutch is pretty light in that car, so it would probably be easy to learn. Manuals are the 'purist' form of shifting, just make sure you know what you're doing or going to bust up your shiny new car real fast.

desal75

Manuals do put a bit more power to the ground because automatics have a torque converter.

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Jinn

It's a matter of not just personal preference, but of usage.

If you like to drive like a race car driver (to the floor when it goes green, seeing how fast you can take a corner, seeing how fast you can go up a hill, determining your quarter mile from light to light, burning rubber) then you want an manual. It gives you a bit more control over the torque, power, slip, and acceleration than an automatic transmission.

Additionally, if you do a lot of towing (unlikely with a Mustang) or winter driving, you may prefer a manual transmission because it allows you to slowly down shift, using engine braking to slow your vehicle when road conditions (or trailers) prevent you from slowing quickly.

If you're using it as a daily driver, from home to work and maybe the grocery store, then you may prefer the automatic. It allows quick jaunts with less dedicated attention to the car itself. If other people will be driving your car at all, automatic may also be a consideration; less and less people know how to drive 'standard' transmission vehicles.

The final consideration is personal preference; what pleases you more? More comfort or more control? More involvement in driving or less? Torque or consistency?

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BadNick

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
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Carno

I love my manual transmission truck. They are not hard to drive despite what some sissies think. Like BadNick, I love the extra interaction and control that you get.

I don't even have a fast vehicle, but I still love have a manual trans.

Plus it's easier to impress girls if you have a fast car with a manual transmission.

BadNick

Sorry, I couldn't resist "fixing" your post because there is something to be said for having a less busy hand available at times.

desal75

I drive a Subaru station wagon but having the stick in it at least makes it "feel" sporty. Cars like Mustang's should only come in manuals.

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Redjake

If it's a V8, I would definitely go with a manual transmission. It's a must. If you were going for the V6 model, I'd stick with the automatic transmission.

One disclaimer: Although manual transmissions may put more power to the ground, 0-60 and quarter mile times on many new vehicles today are going to be either exactly the same or a tad quicker with automatic transmissions. A lot of manual drivers THINK they are going faster and making quicker times, but you simply can't beat the speed of changing gears in an automatic. It's seamless. The only way you can compare with an automatic is if you have years of experience with driving manual cars, and can shift as fast as an F1 driver.

For instance, many of 2005-2006 GTOs (400 HP LS2 engine) with automatic transmissions will keep up with a manual tranny at a drag race. No matter how fast the shift. It's because the auto trannies aren't weaklings; they are beafed up sport transmissions that can handle hard acceleration. Manual would be much funner, and I would purchase a manual transmission, but automatics are extremely hard to beat on quarter mile times and 0-60 times. This is only with sports cars, for the most part. Example: A Dodge Neon will accelerate faster with a manual transmission, because its auto tranny isn't a sports tranny.



To sum it up: Autos can be as fast or faster than manuals unless you have years of experience driving sports cars; with a V8 engine, it's worth getting a manual just for the control and "badass" factor!

If you do a lot of "stop and go" driving (i.e. stop lights, heavy traffic) I would heavily advise against a manual transmission.

If your daily drive is usually stress-free, go for the manual. It's a lot of fun!

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ChrisJericho

I only drive manual transmissions. Initially when I was young I learned how to drive with automatics, and yes there was that certain fear factor of the sticks. But once I spent the time just getting used to the manual transmission (thanks to my uncle's 80's mazda pick-up truck and deserted parking lots) I found the driving experience much more pleasurable and interactive.

That being said, because I live so close to work I normally take the bus and my stick shift WRX doesn't have to face the grueling stop and go Seattle traffic. If you're going to be using the 'stang for stop and go commuting, getting an automatic will save you some butt pain from shifting constantly.

I would advise you learn how to drive the stick anyway, cuz people are just going to keep making fun of you for not knowing =D . Then after you learn you can decide whether the stick is right for you.

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Scorps

Its a V8 its got to be manual

Deltona Couple

Not always true. Torque converters have an internal componenet called a stator that actually is capable of multipling the torqe, bringing it back to the power band you desire. It's not a perfect world, but yes, they do still aloow the HP to get to the wheels.

Of course personally I would MUCH rather have a manual in a V8 Mustang. I like the total control you have over the gear selection, not to mention a good driver can do some SERIOUS burnouts with a stick!

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Psycho Dad

That's my opinion as well. In a performance car, stick is mandatory for the fun factor IMHO.

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politicophile

Presumably, if you are interested in buying a V-8 Mustang, you're some kind of car enthusiast. This being the case, I would strongly suggest you get the stick. If, on the other hand, you are not interested in performance, I'd downgrade to a V-6 auto. V-8's and manual transmissions go together like... two things that go together well.

Stompy

Thanks for the replies!

I ended up getting the manual just because I figured it'd be more fun. It's been quite amusing having to learn how to drive it

I mean, I've stalled a lot, but have yet to grind gears or anything. I'm *very* careful with how I'm driving it as to not screw up the trans or anything. Occasional stalling, tend to rev higher in 1st than I'm probably sposed to, but catching on pretty quick. Sealed the deal on friday and drove a good amount in it so far.

Now, one thing I've wondered, does fuel type matter? Let's say 87 octane vs all the other "higher quality" gass you see at the gas station.

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politicophile

The octane rating on gasoline indicates the gas' resistence to premature detonation, or "knocking". Your best bet is to see what your owner's manual recommends. That particular engine isn't inordinately high-tech, so I would guess the recommendation will be for 87 anyway. High test gas does nothing to increase power: its only function is to prevent highly stressed engines from knocking.

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Redjake

High octane gasoline will most definitely increase power. It's usually only at the "power band" or "peak power RPM" in engines. For example, a Dodge SRT-4 with the Stage 3 Turbo kit produces around 310 horsepower with 93 Octane gasoline, but if higher octane gasoline (over 100) is used, it boosts the horsepower to 350. Found the source:

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BadNick

In case you ever want to turbocharge or supercharge your Mustang, some of this might apply

Politicophile gives the reason why, whereas Redjake makes a point but without any explanation of why ...otherwise it would be clear that the reason the turbo car made more power was only because of reduced knocking on higher octane.

An engine ECU will pull timing when it detects knock and that causes a pretty drastic reduction in power. So if you use higher octane, there is less timing pulled (because of reduced knock). You can also run higher boost but most factory ECU's don't increase boost automatically with more octane though pulling less timing can also have that effect. In my turbo Supra the ECU will not automatically increase boost with higher octane, but I can turn up my boost controller to whatever I want (if I turn it too high for the octane the ECU will pull timing) and when I run racegas I can boost much higher and make more power; in my case roughly 500rwhp (@ ~18psi) with 93oct and over 600rwhp (@ ~28psi) with C16.

ChrisJericho

Congrats on getting the manual! You'll look back and be very glad you did!

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ziadel

stressed?

its to prevent premature detonation in high compression engines

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politicophile

premature detonation = knocking

highly stressed = high compression... or high boost

We're on the same page, I think.

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desal75

It's always been my experience that a car that recommends a certain grade of gas from the factory will not produce any more power if you use a higher octane. Everybody is pretty right in saying though that if you mod the car with forced induction or a higher compression it is a good idea to then run a higher octane.

I had to yell at my Mom to stop putting it in her Tahoe. She was convinced the engine would last longer if she ran premium. I also had to yell at my Dad to start putting premium in his Celica GT-S after he got sick of paying extra for it.

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Seaver

Go with what the manual suggests. As stated here the octane difference is how easily (or difficult) the gas is to pre-detonation.

Pre-detonation is where the heat and compression of the piston detonates the gasoline before the piston is at the peak height. This puts a lot of pressure against the motion, causing a lot of stress on the piston/gears/etc and pushing against the motion (giving negative power temporarily). Higher octane gas resists this, however pre-detonation is only a problem in performance engines which compress the gas to higher pressures (and therefore heat) than a regular engine would. If your engine does this, it will say in the manual. If it doesn't (and you have no modifications to it), then you would be simply wasting money on more expensive gas than you need.

And congrats on your standard transmission. My first two trucks were manual, then for graduation my dad bought me an automatic. While at times I am thankful for it (lights at the top of a hill for instance), my left foot still feels bored 4 years later.

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blizzak

Speaking practically, the difference between having an automatic transmission and a manual transmission in terms of power is very little. It's true that an automatic transmission can offer you more torque off a dead start, which actually makes it better for towing, since you would end up burning your clutch more from dead starts with a manual having all that weight.

But a manual transmission offers you better fuel economy and more power in the long run because the engine is actually transmitting it's power directly down the drive shaft; you're not pumping oil. Of course, automatics also get better if you have a lockup clutch. I would hope that automatics would be getting the axe soon with the fact that CVT's, planetary gear sets, and dual-clutch transmissions are all so awesome and can apply to lots of different markets. Automatics are the worst for fuel economy and arguably the most complicated to build/least reliable.

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Daemon1313

Higher octane fuel does not directly net you any more power. What it does do is allow you to tune the engine more aggresively. In the case of the stage 3 kit for the SRT-4, it comes with 2 tunes. One requires 93 octane and the other requires 100 octane. You put 100 in and run the 93 tune, you won't see any gain. Put 93 octan in and run the 100 tune, you get to see how big of a hole a connecting rod makes in the engine block when it blows apart.

Another example being my Cobra. I had it retuned from the 91 octane factory tune to an aggresive 93 octane tune and I netted close to 20 rear wheel hp.

With the 3-valve Mustangs GT's if you up the tune to use 93 octane you will gain about 30-35 hp on average.

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