Typhoon - Auto Or Manual

[QikSmurf]

  BTA Motorsport said:

Both are a great box,really all comes down too personal preference,but I must agree with 72,could put it in better words.Good luck mate I hope you come too right decsion,remeber the BIG BOSS must be happy lol.

I'm sorry mate but they are not BOTH great boxes. The ZF is a great box, no question. The T56 is very clunky at low revs and in stop/start traffic. The amount of driveline shunt is simply unacceptable in a car worth $60k. The bearing rollover noise needs to be disguised with expensive oil otherwise it is simply embarrassing with friends in the car. The clutch take up point is too high and there is bugger all feel as the clutch engages. When I had my manual F6 I thought it was pretty good despite all the problems I had. It is fun to drive on the limit, and heal/toe braking makes the whole experience more engaging.

I wish I didn't have to drive an auto. I wish the manual was better. The bottom line is that the current auto is soooo much better than the current manual that there really is no choice.

[XR_Brute]

I agree, few cars back I had an RX7, an 86 model mind you, and that 5 speed felt better, more precise and tighter than any T56 Falcon, Keep in mind I work at a dealer and drive alot of these cars, the manual still has a bit more of a 'fun factor' edge but there is no quesion the ZF is far superior

[jetute]

although I do not have an F6... I do have a ZF and a T56 in the garage...

as good as the ZF is it is not a manual and cannot mimick a manual... any1 that says it can is full of shiat.

my wife would love an auto after driving the ZF in my ute (she has always wanted a manual which is why we bought it)

and every time I hop into my ute I SO wish I bought a manual....... after a week at work.. I cannot wait to hop into the wifes car just to get the feeling of real driving.

If you are a manual man you will regret getting an auto... and if you are an auto man or a drag strip hero the the ZF is the way to go.

moral of the story.. there is NO point in asking people... go for a test drive in both and see what takes your fancy. Both are great boxes and both deliver a totally different driving experince.

the most important part is to enjoy your final decison!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shitbmxrider]

  aiboart said:

My name is Aiboart and I am a recovering manual driver….

At one stage my fascination with manuals was such that I even taught my cute blonde girlfriend to heel and toe a perfect flash down change on a set of shot 2nd gear synchros in a front engine rear transaxle car.. now I understand that the manual box has gone the way of the manual starting crank, the manual ignition advance, the manual windscreen wiper and even manual window winders.

Mega late reply:

Alfa Romeo GTV6/75/90/Alfetta/Guiletta?

[aiboart]

  sh*tbmxrider said:

Mega late reply:

Alfa Romeo GTV6/75/90/Alfetta/Guiletta?

Very good.

It was the 2.0 Guiletta.

I had it for 8 years and it still puts a smile on my face thinking about it - it was in excellent condition and it was a fun, fun car.

Apart from the usual electrical bipolar disorder tendencies, which were ignored until they righted themselves, the meachanicals were fine and of course we never missed the #2 sychro.

Still waiting for Alfa to make an everyman car with a touch inspiration and or mad genius, be it boxer engines mated to FWD packaging and inboard brakes, or a small family sedan with rear transaxles mated to wide angle alloy twin cams and a carby per cylinder…

The current Alfa designs whilst beautiful and expensive are simply uninspired.

Roll on XR6T / Evo X MR / Atom

Regards,

aa

[velluto]

  Jman said:

Yea bionic kicks ass.

Altho I prefer it at night time... Daytime looks a bit TOO bright

If you want fun.. Go manual.

Want a quick straight liner. Go ZF.

To be honest there are time's I wish I got mine as a manual.

Except the drag strip of course

I would agree with Jman. We had a combined Ford/HSV/Mustang day at the strip in Meremere, NZ today. I have a modded T with T56 and 333 rwkw. Another guy had a F6 manual with 312. Another member has a F6 auto with 314rwkw. The two manuals did not get under 14 all day. It was quite hot for NZ. The auto did a 12.8 first run. One of the problems with the T56 is you cant finish the distance in 3rd - you need to grab 4th for the last 100-150m which also kills your time. It was a very interesting day. I still prefer the driving experience of the manual and would not swap it for an auto. I think the results on a circuit day will be the reverse with the manuals outperforming the autos. We have that to look forward to.

Hope this helps.

Velluto

PS: the auto was running Mickey Ts today too - I should record that just to keep the story totally accurate!

[Guest Spinifex]

Hi, first post. I`ve read this whole thread as I`d hoped it would help me decide. I had thought the ZF would be the better choice, but now I need a cup tea and a lie down..

[hypnodoc]

  QikSmurf said:

I'm sorry mate but they are not BOTH great boxes. The ZF is a great box, no question. The T56 is very clunky at low revs and in stop/start traffic. The amount of driveline shunt is simply unacceptable in a car worth $60k. The bearing rollover noise needs to be disguised with expensive oil otherwise it is simply embarrassing with friends in the car. The clutch take up point is too high and there is bugger all feel as the clutch engages. When I had my manual F6 I thought it was pretty good despite all the problems I had. It is fun to drive on the limit, and heal/toe braking makes the whole experience more engaging.

I wish I didn't have to drive an auto. I wish the manual was better. The bottom line is that the current auto is soooo much better than the current manual that there really is no choice.

110% agree QikSmurf my BA Phoon was a manual cause that's all you could get then and apart from the early clutch dramas it was also noisey and clunky and had bad rollover racket even with $300 worth of redline in it. Now I got the auto in the R Spec I wouldn't even consider a manual. The ZF is smooth and fast, no more left leg work, simply point and go. The lazy mans way to rediculously fast, and clunk free, acceleration

Edited 05/02/08 11:53 AM by hypnodoc

[Guest Spinifex]

Does anyone manually shift their ZF up and down? Is there any point? I`ve watched a few yuotube vids and folk seem to not touch the stick.

I had the idea I`d be able to blip it back gears when I go to my favourite fang roads.

I hate the internet, you go looking for an answer on a topic and end up finding people polarised on it.

Bugger it, I`ll get a ZF.. Probably

[bcl]

99% of the time.

I like to drive the car, feel I have more control, and don't like automatic kickdown which can get you into trouble once you modify the car.

Deep down I'm a manual driver, so being able to drive the in manual mode is one of the best things about the auto; so you get the best of both worlds.

On trips the taller 6th gear gives better fuel economy.

Brian