Auto or Stick

[hopesmasher]

Is this a DD or summer fun car? Mine is a summer fun ride so its all about the manual for me. My DD choice would probably be an auto just for convenience. I also dont take it to the track.

 

[Shane361]

Nothing like a manual.

You have more control of the car and it makes the car feel more like an extension of
yourself.

And no auto's are NOT faster than manuals.... autos are faster than the
human that is switching the gears
And btw... I have beaten more than one auto in my manual when we were both stock. I get to choose where my shifts are in the powerband

Yes though generally speaking a track car with auto will
get better times.
Street seems to have always been a different story to me.

As far as getting tired of a manual, I just don't see how that is possible!

You can program autos to shift at any rpm...say when you stop making power in that gear. Takes out all human error.

Standards cant hold the power an auto can...but we are talking alot

Autos are more consistent.

I have "also" destroyed standards with my 02 supercharged GT with 2800 stall, built tranny and 4.10 gears.

As mentioned...autos are faster and better for the track..just not as much fun.

 

[Blacksmoke]

You can make a standard hold as much power as you need.


The auto is not faster than the manual... the auto is just faster than the human that is switching the gears in the manual.

Again... the auto is more consistent than the HUMAN driving the manual.

Say what you will but really it is the driver that will make the difference in the end.
Just like I said... I have beaten autos that have the same mods as me, and when we both were stock.

Generally speaking though... the auto will make it to the finish at the track sooner than the manual yes. Bare in mind how many people do not drive their manuals
to their potential or near it though.

 

[Shane361]

You can make a standard hold as much power as you need.

Wouldn't one hold more..or are they exactly alike? What is the average 1000HP car running?

The auto is not faster than the manual... the auto is just faster than the human that is switching the gears in the manual.

Again... the auto is more consistent than the HUMAN driving the manual.

So its faster...I mean..unless it's NOT a human driving the car.

Say what you will but really it is the driver that will make the difference in the end.

Driver has alot to do with it..but one is faster than the other..one just is.

Just like I said... I have beaten autos that have the same mods as me, and when we both were stock.

Exactly....

Bare in mind how many people do not drive their manuals
to their potential or near it though.

Possibly True

...

 

[Injectordude]

Thank for the info guys.

From my personal racing experience, if your using a street type clutch setup, the stick will be faster with a good driver up to around 400hp, beyond that I feel a good automatic will be faster.

I have personally owned around 40 v8 mustang, ranging from 200hp stock to 1200+ hp not stock.

My curiosity was more about peoples feeling with the automatic in a 2011.

 

[Germeezy3]

OP what are your goals with the car, handling...drag strip...daily driver?

And the 6 speed auto with close gear spacing and a 1:1 5th is a lot different and the gearing is very similar between it and the 6 sped manual. Its not like comparing a 5 or 6 speed to an old school 4 speed auto. For drag duty a geared, and stalled auto....at any power level over stock is a sure bet...for road racing and for canyon running a manual will be more fun.

 

[Blacksmoke]

...

I guess what I am trying to say is that yes... at the track usually the
auto is the winner.... but there IS something in knowing that the fact that it got to the finish line is not due to the car being a "faster car" as opposed to
a stock honda vs stock v8 stang... but it is due to the fact that the driver did not have to DO as much as you did in order to reach the line quicker.

Its not the CAR really... get it?

Plus there is something about knowing you ran a good run in a manual vs.
the way an auto is driven down the track.
If an auto with the same mods beats you... the car did not beat your car
the car beat YOU. That's how I see it.

 

[Blacksmoke]

OH let me add this... it is IMPORTANT.

As far as the 2011's go.
People ALL OVER are saying the 11's FEEL VERY sluggish in an auto.
They say the manual feels a ton better and feels like it pulls MUCH HARDER.

No way I'd consider going with the auto in the 11 unless it was a PURE track car.
Even then I would probably end up with the manual.

Your best bet is to go out and drive both of them and you WILL see what
I am talking about.

 

[Injectordude]

They car will be used for DD and Drag strip.

 

[fdjizm]

Manual is more fun, respectable in a muscle car and you feel one with the car and it takes skill to drive, automatic will be better for track use of course since you just point and shoot, not hard to mess up but I would still think automatics are for pussy's

I just get more of a thrilled experience in shifting my own gears as opposed to "going along" for the ride in an automatic.

 

[VTXFrank]

I got the manual because I just love slamming through the gears and I plan to Auto-X more than Drag. Also, I love getting out on the streets and just having a blast in my car.

If you Auto-X, nothing but a manual should even be considered.

If you drag the 2011 GT, I would chose the auto.

I can't think of too many professional drag racers using a stick. PowerGlides all the way!!! I will be more of a casual drag racer with this car since it's also my DD, so I got the stick. Also, I don't live in a heavily populated area either.

If I were going to be Drag Racing more than once a month and/or I lived in a heavily populated area, I would have gotten the auto. The manuals have had some issues with pressure plate bolts backing out and until Ford gets that figured out for good, I wouldn't depend on the stick if you're all about the drag races. The rumor is that if your Stang was built after June 1st or so, you shouldn't have the issues with the manual. But still, an auto performs better at the drag races the large majority of the time because it eliminates much of the human error factor. Not all of it of course, but auto's don't miss a shift like humans do.

Also going for the Auto's in these new Stang's are the ability to tune the transmission shift points and pressures. If you couldn't do that, I would be saying stick, but since you can, I say auto for the drag racer.

Finally, there have been plenty of people replacing clutches on their 2011's from drag racing and burning them up with just bolt-on's. But I've not heard of an auto getting the bands ripped out of it yet, even with F/I.

 

[MikeVistaBlue06]

I would still think automatics are for pussy's

Yeah yeah yeah...bite me!

I like my automatic because I am in traffic a lot and I like to take it to the track on occasion.

When all is said and done, an automatic can outshift a manual any day of the week with one hand tied behind its back. I never thought twice about buying mine with an automatic. You can't out shift the computer in a manual unless you try power shifting it which in most cases will lead to a fucked up manual transmission.

Just put it in D and press the "play" pedal!

I have a power adder (SC) and my tuner tweaked the shifts so they will snap you neck at WOT. He also tweaked the RPM at which the shifts take place. I think the next thing for me is a 2800 to 3000 rpm stall converter, and then have my tuner lock the converter after the 1-2 shift @ WOT and keep it locked for the rest of the shifts @ WOT.

There are a lot of "knobs" on an automatic that can make them very fun to drive on the track as well as keep you from going apeshit when stuck in traffic. My only gripe is that I wish the automatics had a 0.6:1 OD gear in them for the highway. That way I could bop around town with OD off and only use it for highway driving.

My . Also, search and see how many have done swaps from manual to automatic verus automatic to manual...

HTH

Mike

 

[VTXFrank]

Also....something I forgot to mention. If you like using the center console cup holders, go with the auto cause it's a bitch to use them with the stick. I ended up getting a cup holder that hangs off the door.

 

[swat 79]

The auto isn't faster then the stick, it's just more consistent. Stock for stock the manual is somewhat faster, however not as much as previous generations. At the track, the auto is more consistent, but the manual can pull better times as you the driver gets better.

The manual doesn't lose as much power, and it is MUCH more fun to drive.


Ultimately, the only real reason to buy a auto is if you live in a city or are doing bracket racing, otherwise the manual is a better choice.

 

[GeorgeInNePa]

OH let me add this... it is IMPORTANT.

As far as the 2011's go.
People ALL OVER are saying the 11's FEEL VERY sluggish in an auto.
They say the manual feels a ton better and feels like it pulls MUCH HARDER.

No way I'd consider going with the auto in the 11 unless it was a PURE track car.
Even then I would probably end up with the manual.

Your best bet is to go out and drive both of them and you WILL see what
I am talking about.

Buy a tune that alters torque management and shift points, then the Auto is an animal.

 

[wazslow]

If I had to do it all over again I would get the auto. They are quicker and are holding up great!

 

[wazslow]

OH let me add this... it is IMPORTANT.

As far as the 2011's go.
People ALL OVER are saying the 11's FEEL VERY sluggish in an auto.
They say the manual feels a ton better and feels like it pulls MUCH HARDER.

No way I'd consider going with the auto in the 11 unless it was a PURE track car.
Even then I would probably end up with the manual.

Your best bet is to go out and drive both of them and you WILL see what
I am talking about.

Put a tune in it and its a night a day difference. The 11's have clutch/trans issues for some. Mine is fine so far.

 

[herbie3417]

i have the standard and if i had to do it all over again, i would still get the standard. i have had no problems with the clutch pedal at the same time i haven't taken it to the track for a run (i have had it up to 7,000 rpm a few times though) And if the clutch pedal goes its either A) can be replaced with the new ford clutch that they produced "without the problem" (not sure haven't heard anyone say that it did/did not fix the clutch problem) or B) it sucked in the first place so lets use it till it breaks and get something better. the cup holder is a good point but i solved that with a no drinking policy in my car. I drive in stop and go traffic everyday. i still love the standard but basically if you hate that then go auto.

When you boil it down auto or standard its still a 5.0 and its still an animal and a absolute joy to drive. good luck with the decision

 

[Germeezy3]

There is some misinformation being thrown around in here, the Auto 2011's are running quicker where as the manuals are running faster...but its very close mod for mod. There is more to an auto than just shift speed, with the torque management removed there is almost no tractive force loss to the ground between shifts...with a stall converter you then get more shift extension and there is no tractive force loss between shifts.

For a drag car a stalled 6 speed auto is going to be quicker than even a power shifted manual if both are driven with the same skill and the same traction levels. And not everyone is a power shifting fool that can do it and not break transmissions. Another thing to keep in mind is as the power level rise an auto " shocks " the tires much less than a manual does and its easier on driveline components.

 

[lostsoul]

I have not been a fan of autos.. but if the 2011 tranny holds up to boost, and my wife will let me get one.. I might go to the dark side.. besides I'm tried of 2.0 60' even with DR's =-/