5spd Man Vs 6sp Man Vs Auto

[gogo]

This is obviously a personal decision and will very much depend on what is important to you!

If you are intending to modify the car - the autos are definitely quicker off the line. This is due to the fact that you can stay on the fast pedal the whole time. The more boost you are running, the greater this difference is likely to be, as the auto will stay on boost, the manual will need to spool up again after each change - the more boost - the longer this takes. As a stock vehicle - there is less difference in off the line acceleration between the autos and the manual because there is very little lag on the low stock boost levels.

This is true for straight hard acceleration (aka drags)

On a track or a windy road - this advantage is less because you are making less up changes in any stretch of track or road. The autos also need to deal will the rejected heat resulting from the losses through the auto. I would expect a manual car to be quicker, and should also offer better long term reliability under these conditions as well as better engine braking as mentioned earlier.

My preference was (and is!!) a manual - I simply find driving it far more engaging.

As to 5sp vs 6sp - I have not had any problems to date with my 5sp, however I will probably convert this to a 6 speed, as I have experienced a number of problems with the clutch which has resulted in high vibration through the drive train at high load - and now I am paranoid that the 5 speed will break. The 6sp has a lot higher load capacity. If you want a manual and you want to mod - you definitely want the 6 sp!

Good luck and happy car hunting!!

Ben.

Edited 19/09/05 12:58 AM by gogo

[blueboost]

This is obviously a personal decision and will very much depend on what is important to you!

If you are intending to modify the car - the autos are definitely quicker off the line.  This is due to the fact that you can stay on the fast pedal the whole time.  The more boost you are running, the greater this difference is likely to be, as the auto will stay on boost, the manual will need to spool up again after each change - the more boost - the longer this takes.  As a stock vehicle - there is less difference in off the line acceleration between the autos and the manual because there is very little lag on the low stock boost levels.

This is true for straight hard acceleration (aka drags)

On a track or a windy road - this advantage is less because you are making less up changes in any stretch of track or road.  The autos also need to deal will the rejected heat resulting from the losses through the auto.  I would expect a manual car to be quicker, and should also offer better long term reliability under these conditions as well as better engine braking as mentioned earlier.

My preference was (and is!!) a manual - I simply find driving it far more engaging. 

As to 5sp vs 6sp - I have not had any problems to date with my 5sp, however I will probably convert this to a 6 speed, as I have experienced a number of problems with the clutch which has resulted in high vibration through the drive train at high load - and now I am paranoid that the 5 speed will break.  The 6sp has a lot higher load capacity.  If you want a manual and you want to mod - you definitely want the 6 sp!

Good luck and happy car hunting!! 

Ben.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[cobrav8]

All good points - and the fact is - two transmissions are offered for the different personal preferences.

My car was primarily purchased to go to and from work, and to tow my race car. Both duties would probably have been better off using an auto - but - logic did not play part in this purchase, or I would have got a second hand XR8 Auto (or kept the old Auto XR8 EB).

I got the manual - as they are more fun, may never be as quick from the lights, but maybe more of a challenge to get as much traction to the ground as possible with the manual - and still plenty fast enough even standard (cause of couse I never speed just like everyone else on this site).

[ms700]

It also depends on what you intend on using the car primarily for.

I own both manuals and auto's, and I bought my T in a auto. Mainly because it spends a lot of time in peak hour traffic in Sydney, where manuals suck bigtime.

If you dont intend on spending much time anywhere in the big cities, or live on the Great Ocean Road, id be getting a manual.

Horses for courses.

[jetute]

I don't understand what you mean, what makes a manual get bet grip in a corner, or bettter drive out of one.

I feel the old auto's that could not be locked into a gear, were harder to get through a corner, but these can be locked into the gear. (maybe a bit harder on the brakes though.

manual are faster track cars.... autos are faster in a straight line.

as for the 9.9 that your talking about... that's not running a standard auto... its a 3 speed.

and the reason why there isnt a faster time posted in manual then a 12.3 is because noone has modded to take one down the quarter.... manuals are bought for different reasons... Ie, cornering etc....

would love to see how the 12.3 sec manual would go (on a track) against a few autos running either 9's, 10's or 11's down the quarter.... bring these cars back to street trim and and give them 10-15 laps around bathurst or any other race track... I know which car my money would be on

who would you back??

[wiresquire]

There's a good article about the new 6 speed at the Oz Car Directory.

I'm a manual guy, but it's got some features that are really making me think twice:

    * Brake support downshift (Automatic modes)

      Driver Recognition will enable early downshifting during heavy braking, to provide engine braking and to optimise gear selection for tip-in (throttle reapplication) response.

     

    * Gear hold around corners (Automatic modes)

      This feature will enable the selected gear to be held when the vehicle is cornering enthusiastically, to avoid an unwanted upshift or downshift through the corner. Cornering is detected by differential wheel speed and the ABS sensors on each wheel.

     

    * Gear hold going uphill / downhill (Automatic modes)

      If the throttle pedal is released when travelling up or down hills, upshifts are prevented to reduce shift busyness on grades (on tip-in when going up hill) and to assist with vehicle speed control (reduce the need for repeated brake application).

     

    * Gear hold, fast-off throttle (Automatic modes)

      Upshifts are prevented when the throttle position sensor detects the driver has instigated a rapid lift off of the throttle pedal (fast off) and maintains the current gear until the driver tips-in (reapplies throttle pressure). It also helps prevents shift busyness in sporty driving and inhibits the ‘running away’ feeling when cresting hills.

A good read...

[blueboost]

I don't understand what you mean, what makes a manual get bet grip in a corner, or bettter drive out of one.

I feel the old auto's that could not be locked into a gear, were harder to get through a corner, but these can be locked into the gear. (maybe a bit harder on the brakes though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

manual are faster track cars.... autos are faster in a straight line.

as for the 9.9 that your talking about... that's not running a standard auto... its a 3 speed.

and the reason why there isnt a faster time posted in manual then a 12.3 is because noone has modded to take one down the quarter.... manuals are bought for different reasons... Ie, cornering etc....

would love to see how the 12.3 sec manual would go (on a track) against a few autos running either 9's, 10's or 11's down the quarter.... bring these cars back to street trim and and give them 10-15 laps around bathurst or any other race track... I know which car my money would be on

who would you back??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, the fastest 4 speed auto, is only 10.4 @ 135mph but, on the street, I think the diference is even greater then we are seeing on the (drag) track.

but I agree with you on the laps around bathurst,

[jetute]

I don't understand what you mean, what makes a manual get bet grip in a corner, or bettter drive out of one.

I feel the old auto's that could not be locked into a gear, were harder to get through a corner, but these can be locked into the gear. (maybe a bit harder on the brakes though.

manual are faster track cars.... autos are faster in a straight line.

as for the 9.9 that your talking about... that's not running a standard auto... its a 3 speed.

and the reason why there isnt a faster time posted in manual then a 12.3 is because noone has modded to take one down the quarter.... manuals are bought for different reasons... Ie, cornering etc....

would love to see how the 12.3 sec manual would go (on a track) against a few autos running either 9's, 10's or 11's down the quarter.... bring these cars back to street trim and and give them 10-15 laps around bathurst or any other race track... I know which car my money would be on

who would you back??

True, the fastest 4 speed auto, is only 10.4 @ 135mph but, on the street, I think the diference is even greater then we are seeing on the (drag) track.

but I agree with you on the laps around bathurst,

...Do I understand you correctly? are you saying the auto will have more of an advantage on the street then on the strip? over the manual. or less of an advantage on the street?

[blueboost]

I don't understand what you mean, what makes a manual get bet grip in a corner, or bettter drive out of one.

I feel the old auto's that could not be locked into a gear, were harder to get through a corner, but these can be locked into the gear. (maybe a bit harder on the brakes though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

manual are faster track cars.... autos are faster in a straight line.

as for the 9.9 that your talking about... that's not running a standard auto... its a 3 speed.

and the reason why there isnt a faster time posted in manual then a 12.3 is because noone has modded to take one down the quarter.... manuals are bought for different reasons... Ie, cornering etc....

would love to see how the 12.3 sec manual would go (on a track) against a few autos running either 9's, 10's or 11's down the quarter.... bring these cars back to street trim and and give them 10-15 laps around bathurst or any other race track... I know which car my money would be on

who would you back??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, the fastest 4 speed auto, is only 10.4 @ 135mph but, on the street, I think the diference is even greater then we are seeing on the (drag) track.

but I agree with you on the laps around bathurst,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...Do I understand you correctly? are you saying the auto will have more of an advantage on the street then on the strip? over the manual. or less of an advantage on the street?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

what I ment was, it would seem a bigger dif on the street,

when Adam or Craigs car leaves the line on the street, (400rwks) (say with standded dunlops just to pick a tyre) they will still leave hard enough to run between 11.9- 11.5,

but take a like Brian's ( BLC's) car with 500rwks, ( not running down his car, it is built for a dif purpose) it would smoke the tyres what ever he done, and the other cars would be gone.

1 sec at 400m is about 10 cars(aprox) so if you loose by 2 sec's on the street, 20 cars can feel embarrasing, more so then loosing to the same amount at the strip.

as I said before though around bathurst it would be around the other way, that is if the auto finished at all.

[Bain]

what I ment was, it would seem a bigger dif on the street,

when Adam or Craigs car leaves the line on the street, (400rwks) (say with standded dunlops just to pick a tyre) they will still leave hard enough to run between 11.9- 11.5,

but take a like Brian's ( BLC's) car with 500rwks, ( not running down his car, it is built for a dif purpose) it would smoke the tyres what ever he done, and the other cars would be gone.

1 sec at 400m is about 10 cars(aprox) so if you loose by 2 sec's on the street, 20 cars can feel embarrasing, more so then loosing to the same amount at the strip.

as I said before though around bathurst it would be around the other way, that is if the auto finished at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Youre going under the assumption that the manual person is just going to stomp their foot to the ground and produce lots of wheelspin.

Anyone who actually knows how to use a manual wouldnt be doing this...