I'm contemplating swapping out my 700R4 for a stick. My setup is in the sig. I need a new trans anyways, as my stock 700 decided to take a crap. Do you guys have any actual results as to stick vs. auto for 1/4 mile times? I know the majority of the people on here say auto is faster because it shifts quicker. But I'm just looking for times to back this up. Thanks in advance.

 

Manuals have less parasitic loss so technically they will put more power to the ground. However a properly setup auto with a high stall convertor and a good shift kit should hang with a stick. In the 1/4, if you're comparing a stock 700r4 to a stock t5 you're probably looking at a .1-.2 difference (asuming they're both in good working order).

 

What he said, except an auto won't "hang." It'll outright be faster when setup right.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ight=auto+swap

 

A manual transmission will be faster if properly set up, hands down. This is why all the street car associations hit the manuals with a weight penalty. As stated before the parasitic loss is less than a three speed or four speed automatic trans. Also there is no converter slip at the top end so you will have more mph at the same rpm in high gear. The reason people go to automatics is that they are usually more consistent time after time for them. Most people will not shift the manual correctly and will lose time just from not being cordinated enough to drive it right. This comes from the bracket racing mindset. What people run into when going to a manual trans is that they do not buy the best stuff for their setup due to cost or the maintance associated with keeping it properly tuned. It is easier to drive a stick setup for mid 10 sec. car on the street as it will not slip and create heat build up when cruising the highway. A torque converter does not like to get hot and will cause the auto to slip and eventually wear out. There is alot to think about when choosing what trans to run due to the cost of each, but just remember you get what you pay for.
Just to let you know I did the switch in my car from an auto to a stick and picked up .15 and 3mph first pass. Eventually the car ended up being .3 quicker and 5mph faster. It was also easier to compensate for bad track surfaces or street races by slipping the clutch and keeping the rpm's up or by leaving at a lower rpm and bogging the motor down to not spin the tires. The car ran consistent mid 10's on motor and was a street car. The engine ran cooler when cruising and was easier to drive on the street. Not to mention the fun factor of shifting.
Just my 2 cents.
Ken

 

How can you "set up" a manual transmission? What you get is what you get and thats it. Going from a stock automatic transmission to a manual will yeald gains, but going from a manual transmission to a properly stalled transmission will yield even greater gains over the manual. If you're that worried about the minute amout of slippage then get a lock up torque converter, which just about every third gen came with from the factory.

 

You can setup manual trans in different ways. You can buy a trans that you can change the gear ratios inside. You can use different flywheels for different launch characteristics, different weighted ones will affect the launch and the rate at which a car will go through the rpm's. Also you can have an adjustable pressure plate to setup how hard the clutch grabs. Not to mention the different types of materials of clutch discs. A clutch car is infinately adjustable when compared to an automatic. With an automatic you are pretty much stuck with the stall that you get unless you spend for a Neil Chance bolt together converter and then you can still only change the stall by a few hundred rpms. Also the fact the car is locked up going in high gear lets you have better mph with the same rpm as compared to the automatic. If an automatic was superior in performance don't you think Pro Stock would run them along with the Pro Mods. The reason most racers run automatics is they don't want to have to worry about the clutch wearing out and checking on the wear of it every so often, and adjusting it to always acheive maximum performance time and time again. A stick is more work but yeilds a better performance when maintained.
Ken

 

Autos are better suited for the track. They can be built to withstand more than a manual and only need to go straight with the engine at WOT. You will have the right converter to do that. For anything on the street where RPM needs to vary instantly and you need a gear that matches that exactly, a manual is the way to go. Kinda hard to get going exiting a corner with a 3000 stall at 1000rpm if you are not ready for it.

 

I agree, that's why I said they both have their advantages and disadvantages. If I was going road racing I would have a manual.

 

automatics are better and faster

 

Regardless of which one is "faster" (alot of which is dependent on the driver, esp the stick), an auto car will always be more consistent, which is what wins in drag racing; not pure speed. The best a stick car can do is match an auto for consistency, and that would require a driver that's basically a machine. Not even I, a dedicated stick enthusiast, would claim anything close to that.

Apart from that, a manual gives the driver MUCH more control over the car in situations other than WOT straight-line level acceleration; for example, when using the engine as a brake going around a corner and down a hill. Plus, although it's more "work", it's also more fun, for someone who wants to be "involved" in controlling the car.

 

7 years from the dead to say that

 

God I loved when people do that lol

Dunno if it matters now but my friend had a 700r4 in his gta with a freshly built 350 and I used to give him a hard time with my 305 rs with a t5, for drag auto is gonna be better but for road racing sticks gonna help, it just depends on the driver IMO I don't do autos, drag or street ill take a stick

 

The automatic with the right torque converter, rear end gears, and tires, will do what most people want, and it is easier on the "geartrain". Automatics on the street will do better in most cases on the launch, but not as well from a roll. The automatic will eat more horsepower than the manual transmission, but with the torque multiplication of the torque converter, it can "makes up" the difference of the loss. That is why you will see on a good running automatic with the right torque converter do as well as the manual in ET & MPH at the track in the "somewhat" the same class. Even though I have built automatics for the last 33 years, I prefer to drive a "stick". In my day, I was very good and fast at powershifting with the right clutch, shifter and a modified Muncie or Super T-10 transmission. Back then cars came with much stronger rearends, and would hold the power of the manual transmission on the street without breaking. 7.5" rearends are not the best for a manual setup, but are fairly good at holding an automatic with the right torque converter without breaking and they eat very little in terms of horsepower. Since very few people can "powershift" a manual transmission successfully, without breaking something, then the automatic is the "best" choice here for the vast majority of people, much less problems and better consistency.

 

7 years from the dead to say that

Yup!