I need to buy a new trans and I was thinking of converting over to stick shift. what would be the equivalent to a high stall converter for a stick? i dont know nearly as much about stick as i do autos. if you are interested i am running the zzz crate motor which comes with aluminum l98 heads and a 235/235 cam, a stock tpi, new 373 rear, eddy headers, flowmaster cat back, stock cat, k&n filters, 58mm throttle body. what would my times be near with each, assuming im decent at stick but not awesome. thanks a lot. also, what (besides nitrous) could i do for not that much and expect big gains with this setup. i was thinking intake (hsr, lt1, ?). thanks again.

 

and by the way, the packet about my motor says that with a very similar exhaust and a holley 750, the ratings were 350hp/385tq at the crank. changed to a stock tpi i figure that means a bunch less hp and a little more torque.

and also, the auto i am thinking of getting is a really built up raptor level 3 trans built to handle 600 hp and comes with a tci 2800 stall converter. is this too much stall for street use?

thanks again.

 

If your new to sticks, Id say stay auto. The T5s your cars came with were weak and wouldnt hold up very long (for the most part) and a T56 would cost a LOT of money! Also then you have to learn how to drive the car which takes a long time to get really good! Auto is easier...

But I will never race an auto again!

 

A good auto with a stall and you'll be alot happier, especially if you're not familiar with a stick. 2800 would be fine for street use, my 3200 is a little soft but ok for the street.

 

yea but stick seems a lot more fun. and im not too concerned about speed. i mean i dont wanna loose every race i encounter, but it seems like more fun. what kind of losses can i expect. i have also been thinking that if i am lucky enough to bump into a t10 that would be plently strong for my engine, but no overdrive. but its not as bad as a no overdrive auto, cause i can just hold the clutch in when i dont need to give it gas.

 

if this is a daily driver go auto

if it is a cruiser it is your choice a stalled shift kit auto is general faster but a t56 gets better gas mileage and more fun for spirited driving but gets old in traffic

 

A th350 and a stall of your choice would do you nicely for all your drag racing needs. Only convert to a stick if you just want to bang gears.. it won't make you any faster and will probably slow you down unless you're REAL good at shifting.

 

When I got an auto the first thing I thought was I am really going to miss the standard. I was wrong. If you have a quick car its going to be fun no matter what. Either way works. I think the auto is definitly easier to race with, the manual was fun if your in the mood for it. Everyone gets lazy sometimes in the early morning going to work. Not sure what one would be quicker I would say the auto beacuse it shifts almost perfectly to get the most out of every gear, but if your a good driver then you can do it yourself.

 

The auto vs stick debate has too many variables to say which is faster. In each combo it differs. There are so many different gear ratios in each tranny, whether the stall is perfect, whether you can bang gears or not. I can say in my cars case the stick is probably faster unless I put a race auto in, and lose a lot of streetability...

In some cases auto works better. I for one will never go back to an auto (I have driven 10 second stick cars, cant beat it) but for someone who has one, he might miss it after putting a stick in!

Id say do what you like, if you want to drive the car, then get a stick, if you want the utmost out of it then get the auto!

 

For high power applications an auto is better. For your motor I would want a manual trans. Assuming you can speed shift or powershift your car would also be faster. The GM manual tranny's had far less parasitic losses than their autos. I would not go with an old 4 spd or a modern T5 for that matter. I would look at a richmond or tremec 5/6 spd or a T56. With the T56 you can run a steep rear gear and have the benifits of good fuel economy on the street. The T56 is a great for daily driven applications. You do not need to use every gear and it shifts smooth with very little clutch effort. For street cars that sometimes see the strip a manual is the only way to go. If you have an all out drag car than I would look into a properly set-up auto.

 

Yeah that sounds right. 3 or 4 speed auto drag cars are very commom around here at the track.

 

They are...


But SOOO boring. Watching (more so driving) a 9 or 10 second stick shifted car is ten times better than an auto!

 

yeah yeah bri, we know how much you love the "stick"

 

I also love to bang gears!

But in the world of cars, standards are much more fun to watch, drive, and take more skill... which is why its the only choice for some people!

 

well like i said im not too concerned with ultimate performance. i just wanna have some fun. maybe take it to the track a couple times a year. but i dont want a dramatic loss from the auto. if its not that big of a difference id go with stick. i cant afford anything like that now, but if i got to a t5 now, going to a t56 later would not be nearly as hard. i found a rebuilt world class t5 full swap for 350 in my area, so ill prob get that and get someone on here to install it. i already have a couple people that have done it before that say they will help me. definantly no 3 speed. thanks for the input guys/

 

350 for a WC setup is a steal, I sold my NWC swap kit for more than that...

Don't forget about less HP used to run the box / less weight / simplicity.

Once you get used to a V8 RWD stick car, there's no turning back! It's as addicting as crack!

 

YOU are going to make your car alot slower at first if you dont know how to decently drive a stick...if i were you i would get a nice stall and a sick *** auto. its guna take time to get used to driving a stick...but i love stick but good luck with whatever you get

 

Why is everyone talking about shifting well? You all must be 14 or something. It takes like two hours to learn to drive a manual.

 

i have driven stick before. but only twice. only stalled out once and that was the first time trying to hit reverse. i got first perfectly the first time though. but yea, it got pretty easy pretty fast. i bet in a week i wouldnt even be thinking about it much anymore. anyhow i think im getting the t5 sounds way more fun then the small amount of acceleration i will lose. thanks a lot for the input guys.

 

It takes alot of practice to hit shifts perfect for going down the quarter mile, and to learn to launch one. And then you'll still mis-shift occasionally. Consistancy just isn't there for a manual, so if you ever want to bracket race or are serious about the track a manual is just a bad choice. An auto is much better.

For the street in just a playtoy car that occasionally goes to the track I'd highly suggest a manual.

And I can drive a stick very well actually, thanks

 

i know we're talking about how he needs to shift well but, correct me if i'm wrong, the stick should be faster when driven correctly due to less power loss through the tranny and lighter weight. Its just a matter of driver ability. With an auto you just mash the gas and go, with a stick you have to launch it at the right rpm, powershift,ect.

 

are you forgetting about the torque amplification properties of a large stall and the solid shift of a trans go shift kit

 

I have an auto, and would prefer a manual. Like already stated, for all track purpose, an Auto is where its at.

But being in the driver seat, I have found that a stick is twice as fun. You just cannot beat the first time you powershift correctly.

 

Yep, it's called test and tune. That's the same as saying that you shouldn't ever buy a new car because you'll have to get used to it at first. It's not like the guy is going street race it for money right out of the mechanics garage.

 

i guess this kind of changed to in general. i stated that i wouldnt use it for the track much at all, but a lot of helpful advice here. did you say amplify torque with a converter? how does it work exactly? thanks.

 

At the track it depends on your purpose... In the group I race with (and Mustang racing in general) the 9-11 second classes are dominated by stick shift cars. There has only been one auto in the past 3-4 years that has done anything but lose. When everyone has built to the same rules, every ounce of power is needed, and sticks dont absorb as much from the drivetrain...

The autos dominate the bracket classes, and the 8 second and faster classes (unless we talk clutchless 5-speeds) but for the "slower" cars the sticks are the way to go!

Learning how to drive stick, and being really good at it are two different things. Learning it can take 5 minutes, and with a couple days under your belt its second nature. Learning how to launch, powershift, and get every ounce out of the car takes some more time and practice, but definately something that can be done fairly easily!

Now a lot of people wont beat on their cars to get the best times out of them, and that works... for them! But I would choose a stick over an auto ANY day, in ANY car!

 

autos are also easier on the fbody weak link the rear end

if this is a week end cruiser a manual is the way to go

but daily driver or built drag car an auto is the better choice



http://carcraft.com/techarticles/80098/

that explains stalls

 

a T56 with the proper gearing and good driving will be quicker than a high stall 700r4... cuz the gear ratios suck.

if you want auto and want to drive it around town and get good mileage.. then get a 200r4. they got closer ratios.


a stick can match a th350/400 with a stall, but it takes alot more driver skill on the launch. if your good, you'll see more power hitting the wheels and you might be quicker overall. atleast maybe your trap speed will be quicker

and from a roll on the street, gear selection is nice to have with the manual and trap speed is what you want to increase, so a manual would be better

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm guessing that a good amount of them don't use autos is because the Ford AOD sucks. Thats just what I've heard so if I'm wrong please let me know.

 

Stock the AOD sucks, but when you build them they are fine. And we are also talking C4s here (which are decent trannies as well). Its just the fact that you need every ounce of power, and a stick provides less drivetrain loss. And if you can bang gears (make a stick car sound like an auto) then that little more power is going to help you win!

 

C4s are nice trannies. My cousin is running one in his 351 notchback. Anyway, What color and options did u order on your 2006?

 

Vista Blue/Black leather,
IUP
5-speed
Before it gets delivered its getting a fiberglass hood with a 68 shelby style scoop on it, and white stripes (similar to what the old shelbys had).

Its actually my brothers car (Im still in college, no new cars for me) but I will be taking down the track some. Maybe get him to bring it to some of our races. Then get some mods on it, and see what it will do!

 

Awesome. PM me when it comes in, I would love to see pics.

 

Already on order, they said mid March... Either way when it comes in, even though its not mine, should be fun to get to drive it and beat it a little!