Auto vs Stick

[edgar7654]

how much faster is stick vs auto in a gst...
ive only driven standard this would be my first automatic
thank you and god bless you

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

After learning how to drive a stick in my previous car, I can't imagine ever buying a Slushbox again. Driving a stick is fun as hell and gives you more control over the car. I want to tell my car when to shift, not have it decide for me. Give me a 100hp old ass Nissan Sentra and I'll still have fun with it as long as its a 5-speed.

Plus, they don't call the clutch pedal the Man Pedal for nothing.

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[Bluefire16]

It comes down to consistency.

Many drag guys use autos because they will always hit their shift. We have all seen the videos of someone launching and missing, either running real low times or downshifting by accident and blowing the motor.

How many autos have done this? Either way, i love my auto, i have a custom triptronic set up, and its great.

 

[WolfsFang]

rofl, everyone talks about drag racing :< where is the auto cross? try running auto in that and see how fast your lap times are.

 

[avenged5]

It comes down to consistency.

Many drag guys use autos because they will always hit their shift. We have all seen the videos of someone launching and missing, either running real low times or downshifting by accident and blowing the motor.

How many autos have done this? Either way, i love my auto, i have a custom triptronic set up, and its great.

Im not trying to hate on automatics in any way. For daily driving theyre very convenient. I was just saying drag racing becomes a lot easier if you just have to launch and steer. Im not a fan of drag racing either way. Just stating my opinion and thats all it is is an opinion.

 

[907gs-t]

I run an Auto in my 98 GS-T & a 4-speed stick in my 80 Z/28 & i love them both but my GS-T is my D.D. but that's just me.

 

[69_luv]

Wow I just had to get my 2 cents in on this one. Like this hasn't been

My mini cooper is manual, all my DSM's have been Auto's, is one more fun than the other as far as the engine and acceleration, NO. Fun is all in the individual. If you think an auto is boring then so be it.

I can't imagine trying to run full boost in a manual FWD. My GS-T had a duel stage, 1st at 18psi for 1st gear launches hit 2nd gear and flip the switch for 24psi. I set my 1st stage for the highest psi that I could brake boost and not spin the tires, hit 2nd gear and try to keep the tires between the lines. There is something about putting your foot on the brake, see that boost needle go up, light go green and launch perfect almost every time. Meanwhile the guy who says he knows how to drive dogs it, spins the tires, or misses a shft and I wave to him in my rear view mirror while eating my big mac, and sipping my coke.

It doesn't take much money for John over at IPT to set your auto up to kill the manuals, I allready had him do one of my auto's, and with-out a doubt he will have this one too. I would put an IPT against a Shep any day of the week.

The original question is which one is faster. I think the real answer is going to be the auto, it shifts faster, it is more consistant, and it removes most of the driver error out of the equation. But hey what do I know....

 

[Blue Talon Boy]

I like manuals for the simple reason that I'm in control of the performance of the car along with engine braking and not fully relying on the brakes to slow the car down - which an auto will eat front brakes up three times a much than with a manual due to the factor of engine braking.

DSM

I agree with him. Working at auto parts store I can attest to this fact. By far I see the same car back for brakes and it has an auto in it. Manuals don't burn up the brakes nearly as fast. That being said if you aren't engine braking then there is no difference. Every car I have owned has been manual and havent had to replace brakes in any of them in over 100,000 miles.

As far as faster? No way to say. Depends if you are drag racing (i.e. 0-60) or highway drag (i.e 55 or 60 roll for a distance). If you pair 2 equally built cars and run them against each other in a race from both a dig and a roll 100 times the manual is more likely to miss a shift. The auto never will...

Edit: My DSM is a stick and I love it!!!

 

[chronister76]

I have auto 1g awd , my neighbor has 2g gst manual , hes always rev's it up when he goes bye !! Get a stick

 

[jrohner]

Driving stick makes you more of a man. And a more intelligent driver.

As for speed, it depends on the driver and the transmission. A performance auto will beat a stock 5-speed. And vice-versa. An experienced stick driver can shift within .005 seconds of an auto.... It just depends on you and your control over your feet.

You can shift a DSM transmission in 5 thousands of a second? OK...

A human can't really do anything in that amount of time.


Also, autos that shift hard can actually get a slight burst of acceleration on shifts, a manual STOPS accelerating when you're between gears.

 

[1fastlaser]

I had fun playing with a c6 zo6 with a bunch of bolt ons from a roll...everytime he shifted I pulled further and further away...I thought the auto would be slower, but its definatly faster.

 

[Ego4sho]

women love when you are good at playing with your stick

 

[69_luv]

The person above me made a great point, sports cars are not offered in autos- they are manuals. There is a reason for this.

What the F are you smoking? Supra's. came in auto's, and the preferred transmission. Mustang GT, Camaro SS, C5, and C6 Corvette, all come with auto's. I think half the people in this thread that are saying stick is better and auto's are not ment for sports cars haven't owned an auto in a sports car...
But hey if you think an manual is better, you are entitled to your opinon!

 

[avenged5]

I thought racing was not just about who's got the faster car but who's the better driver as well? Might as well be racing in auto pilot.

 

[1fastlaser]

I can honestly say I love stick, and still love stick. I went through 5 rebuilt transmissions, sheering gears, wearing out twin disk, paying for towing. Ever get stuck in traffic with a stick car with a 6 puck or a twin disk....it sucks. I just got stuck this past weekend in traffic coming home from the shore in the auto. It was a pain, but it was not because of the car.

I will be building a ppg 5 spd car when I have the cash, but it just was not in the cards right now. Even going auto was hard for me to do, but its worth it to me, maybe not someone else. There really is no better or worse unless you wanna line up with someone with the same setup and get you ass cracked by a auto. But then again you might do other things with the car. I still have so much fun with the car.

I also have a evo with bolt ons so I still get my stick on .

 

[Ego4sho]

True auto does shift faster and has many advantages over stick, but for me I much prefer stick because you can make the car sound insane!!

 

[vinnio]

I thought racing was not just about who's got the faster car but who's the better driver as well? Might as well be racing in auto pilot.

You say that like there's nothing involved in driving an auto. Yeah sure, its a little harder to launch a manual (especially if you don't know the physics of a clutch). But its not like you just mash the gas and get a great launch in an auto. There's timing, throttle control and brake control. It takes practice too. Auto pilot my

To be honest, whichever transmission you go with NEITHER will be fast until you put time, effort, and money into them AND the power plant in front of them.

Auto has its advantages, Manual has fewer. (straight line that is)

 

[johnmarines]

I have a 98 gst auto sitting around 500ish whp. I definatly agree auto is the way to go in a fwd. I may start off alittle slower at launch but I will catch up while your shifting though 3 gears. The tranny started slipping right around 350ish whp. I ended up ordering a IPT rebuild kit and already had a IPT shift kit installed and all I can say is WOW. SHifts super fast, doesnt even allow the BOV to open. Im sitting at 30psi most of the pull. If I had a choice between auto and manual I would choose auto. Not because I own one but when your sitting in traffic bumper to bumper rolling about 1mph in stop and go traffic... my left leg is steadlly relaxing instead of holding down a clutch, while my right foot is gently resting one the acc. I know alot of people will say there dsm is not a daily driver but the way I look at it is.. I built my car drive.. not sit in the driveway/garage only to be driven every other wekend. Do I have a second car... yes I do but i grab the keys to the dsm..why... because its a BLAST to drive. I live in houston... if you ever commute on the freeway in houston or any major city during rush hour you will defiantly want a auto..

 

[avenged5]

You say that like there's nothing involved in driving an auto. Yeah sure, its a little harder to launch a manual (especially if you don't know the physics of a clutch). But its not like you just mash the gas and get a great launch in an auto. There's timing, throttle control and brake control. It takes practice too. Auto pilot my

To be honest, whichever transmission you go with NEITHER will be fast until you put time, effort, and money into them AND the power plant in front of them.

Auto has its advantages, Manual has fewer. (straight line that is)

Ok maybe the autopilot thing was a little blunt. I was just pointing out the fact that driver involvement doesn't stop at the launch. One missed shift could cost you the race.

And i agree 100%. I would take an automatic over manual any day for daily driving, especially in traffic. You can bet my leg gets tired in nashville rush hour traffic.

 

[TSimage]

All this cry baby bullsh*t and there isn't much difference between the top built manuals and the top built Autos. You ratchet shift the Auto and simply power-shift the Dog boxes.. Neither one requires you to use your leg to shift, so that is a mute point all together.


Bottom line is as I described it earlier. Auto is faster. Period. Auto breaks less. That's it. Auto is cheaper to arrive at a consistent and reliable performance point by roughly 1/3 the price. End of subject.

If you like your manual, great, good for you. But know it isn't better than an Auto unless you are talking about racing around a track. DD to Drag racing is all much superior on an Automatic platform.

And this is coming from a person who has had turbo sizes upto 42rs on things such as stock manuals, all 100% new part OEM replacement trans, TRE stage 3++ from a sh*tty Act 2600 upgraded to an XTD4 6 puck and then to a PTT twin disc, Shep Dog box with Evo PTT, etc etc etc. Once I got to the point where the transmission was so strong that every other working mechanical part pretty much wanted to explode and kill me the next time I pissed them off launching too hard and starting piecing together the needed driveshafts, axles and looking at Shep T-Case prices (that use to cost more than most of your cars ) it just wasn't fun anymore. When Jake came out and we talked followed by him blowing his up, no way I was going to do something so foolish.

Yes, its fun to have a manual, but what isn't fun are the headaches and price that comes with owning one. You WILL break your car faster and more often with a manual, and that's just the fact of the matter. You'll never see someone with a fast car talking about autos being "sissy" because it normally takes a person with some type of intelligence, reasoning, and logic to attain that feat sustainably.

 

[burningforce]

If you want to go all out get a built auto, plain and simple it takes out driver error in the equation.

 

[WolfsFang]

All this cry baby bullsh*t and there isn't much difference between the top built manuals and the top built Autos. You ratchet shift the Auto and simply power-shift the Dog boxes.. Neither one requires you to use your leg to shift, so that is a mute point all together.


Bottom line is as I described it earlier. Auto is faster. Period. Auto breaks less. That's it. Auto is cheaper to arrive at a consistent and reliable performance point by roughly 1/3 the price. End of subject.

If you like your manual, great, good for you. But know it isn't better than an Auto unless you are talking about racing around a track. DD to Drag racing is all much superior on an Automatic platform.

And this is coming from a person who has had turbo sizes upto 42rs on things such as stock manuals, all 100% new part OEM replacement trans, TRE stage 3++ from a sh*tty Act 2600 upgraded to an XTD4 6 puck and then to a PTT twin disc, Shep Dog box with Evo PTT, etc etc etc. Once I got to the point where the transmission was so strong that every other working mechanical part pretty much wanted to explode and kill me the next time I pissed them off launching too hard and starting piecing together the needed driveshafts, axles and looking at Shep T-Case prices (that use to cost more than most of your cars ) it just wasn't fun anymore. When Jake came out and we talked followed by him blowing his up, no way I was going to do something so foolish.

Yes, its fun to have a manual, but what isn't fun are the headaches and price that comes with owning one. You WILL break your car faster and more often with a manual, and that's just the fact of the matter. You'll never see someone with a fast car talking about autos being "sissy" because it normally takes a person with some type of intelligence, reasoning, and logic to attain that feat sustainably.

sounds like you cant shift. you stating you have had these big turbos dosent make you a good driver. i know many people that have high HP cars that drag in manual and DD in it. i never see them QQ about rebuilding their transmission.

 

[zTurb0]

i like manual so my gf cant drive

 

[GIRman67]

I don't rag on auto's ### yes they do have their own place in racing because yes they don't get lag in every gear because you don't take your foot off the gas, you have the ability to get a button shift system for auto dsm's so you can still have a good amount of control over the shifts...(if you don't mind button mashing to go from 4th to 1st quickly), and they are less stressful to drive in heavy traffic with "slow" drivers that always happen to be driving at the same speed that is between dogging the tranny and over revving; mine is 25mph 2nd and 3rd.
but I drive a manual for 2 reasons...I went through 2 trannies in my last car because I always slammed the brakes at full highway speeds and would also push the auto shift stick directly in park at highway speeds as well. I royally screwed auto transmissions and then said no more I can't afford a new tranny every year. So I stick with the stick out of pure necessity and let my girlfriend drive either my manual dsm or her auto cobalt.

auto's are great for drag and great acceleration but manuals are more fun and the habit is hard to get out of

 

[avenged5]

it takes out driver error in the equation.

Well that was my point. Pretty soon we'll take the driver out of the equation and use remote controls. . Lets just all get a tesla roadster and only have one gear.

Im not doubting anyones ability to drive nor was a trying to bash anyone. I was simply stating my opinion on the matter. Which is more or less what the OP asked with his broad description of his goals.

 

[TITS]

Auto vs Manual. I think its funny that a lot of guys on here keep saying a manual is faster. Once the car itself is fast you just can't shift 5 gears in that short amount of time without hurting the quickness of the car. An auto will win out every time (not talking about from a roll). Theres a reason why all new 'sports' cars are coming out with 6-8 speed autos, it's because they're simply faster. Faster shifts, preloading the drivetrain and high stall launches, no driver error, and (nowadays) better gearing than most manuals. There are the rare manual cars now that do have better gearing than the autos but not many.


My question, that no one seems to answer, is for a DSM... only for a dsm (still lookin at which car I should buy, trying to learn as much as I can about these little cars).... is the boost launch worth it in AWD with auto???? It has to be a sick launch with tons of power, and that manual is fun and all but it's hard to compare it with preloading the drivetrain and taking off like a rocketship with AWD


...and this site has the most anal rules all over every time I post, there's all these rules staring me in the face

i like manual so my gf cant drive

this is actually a great point. I couldn't imagine my gf driving any of my cars I would have some kind of anxiety attack