A4 vs. MN6
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,467
Likes: 8
From: 972 and 405
A4 vs. MN6
Okay so everyone knows there is less drivetrain loss with a manual gearbox compared to an automatic. I haven't driven an MN6 as spiritedly as I have my own car, but has anyone driven both an auto and manual car of similar condition and noticed too much of a difference in performance?
-Alex
-Alex
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 36,838
Likes: 438
From: Manassas Park VA
St. Jude Donor '07-'08,-'13-'14, '16-'17
Manual cars typically out perform their automatic brothers because you can more easily throttle steer and engine brake...
As far as stop and go, a stock A4 comes with 2.73 or 3.15 gears, vs a MN6 3,42, so yes there is a noticeable difference there as well.
Peace
Chip
As far as stop and go, a stock A4 comes with 2.73 or 3.15 gears, vs a MN6 3,42, so yes there is a noticeable difference there as well.
Peace
Chip
__________________
..................Click for
..................Click for
Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 400
Likes: 0
From: Corpus Christi, TX
I havent noticed a big difference in performance. I just find it more fun to manually shift through the gears when im doing some "spirited" driving. Now when im sitting passenger, i still get put back in my seat whether its a an A4 or M6.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,467
Likes: 8
From: 972 and 405
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 24,987
Likes: 26
From: Kerrville, Texas USA Hook 'em Horns!
CentralTX Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
Other options are 3.73 are 4.10s but I think those are too steep for an A4. That however is just my humble opinion. Some other person who is more knowledgeable on this may post some better info.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 24,987
Likes: 26
From: Kerrville, Texas USA Hook 'em Horns!
CentralTX Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 24,310
Likes: 0
From: Canon City Co
St. Jude Donor '11,'13
"I voluntarily took 60 days off from OT"
Both my C5s are automatics with 3.15 gears...My C6 Z06 is a 6 speed of course, with 3.42 gears....If I could have gotten an automatic in my Z06 I would have.....I get VERY tired of shifting......Also, the A4 has a final drive ratio of .7 to 1 if I remember right...whereas the 6 speed has a 5th gear ratio of .7 to 1 and a 6th gear (final drive) ratio of .5 to 1......This causes the engine to "lug" in 6th gear, unless youre doing triple digits (JMO)...Even with 505hp on tap it still "lugs" then engine at normal hwy speeds..At 60 mph in 6th gear Im only revving about 1200 rpm....because of such, I seldom shift out of 5th gear in my Z...I dont like to see rpms below 2000 unless Im idling!!!
Last edited by The NNIAL8R; May 21, 2008 at 11:34 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,791
Likes: 44
From: Loudon/Lake Mary Tennessee/Florida
I agree Cozmo. I have been a member here for a while and I still see new threads that have interesting and valuable info in them and yet they get hit with the 'beating a dead horse' icon.
One frequent thread is "what tires should I buy?" Even though it has been asked a million tires it is still interesting to see the replies and different points of view. I am always interested in opinions regarding stall converters. I read every post I see like that.
Alex there is nothing wrong with the question - post away.
One frequent thread is "what tires should I buy?" Even though it has been asked a million tires it is still interesting to see the replies and different points of view. I am always interested in opinions regarding stall converters. I read every post I see like that.
Alex there is nothing wrong with the question - post away.
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 17,681
Likes: 11
From: Central Jersey
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
simple answer is what the car is being used for?
Drag Racing- Automatic
Road Racing- manual
heavy traffic-automatic
It comes down to preferance and what the car is being used for. There is no right answer on this one.
Drag Racing- Automatic
Road Racing- manual
heavy traffic-automatic
It comes down to preferance and what the car is being used for. There is no right answer on this one.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,179
Likes: 2,306
From: Wesley Chapel, FL Las Vegas, NV
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,467
Likes: 8
From: 972 and 405
I was asking purely on a performance aspect, but you are right. Actually I should have been more specific. When reading the articles about test drives and acceleration times, mags such as R&T and Motortrend always opt for the manual(understandibly) so when they get those 0-60 numbers, I was wondering how much a difference in performance the auto is marginalyzed by the manual.
-Alex
-Alex
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,799
Likes: 1
From: Northern Virginia
St. Jude Donor '08
Okay so everyone knows there is less drivetrain loss with a manual gearbox compared to an automatic. I haven't driven an MN6 as spiritedly as I have my own car, but has anyone driven both an auto and manual car of similar condition and noticed too much of a difference in performance?
-Alex
-Alex
In terms of acceleration I would say they are about the same, although the auto seemed to give you a more kick in the seat of the pants feel. If what you care about is straight line acceleration the auto is the better route to go. If you care about overall performance then the manual should be your choice.
Overall, I like the manual better because you drive the car rather than it driving you.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 404
Likes: 0
From: KY
If you want magazine 0-60 times then this is what you'll get.
MN6 - 4.7 sec
A4(3.15) - 4.9
A4(2.73) - 5.1
As you can see the MN6 is generally tested as the fastest. Partly because of the gearing advantage and partly because in the right hands and manual can snick off a quicker more power efficient shift.
However, in the wrong hands a manual can be considerably slower.
MN6 - 4.7 sec
A4(3.15) - 4.9
A4(2.73) - 5.1
As you can see the MN6 is generally tested as the fastest. Partly because of the gearing advantage and partly because in the right hands and manual can snick off a quicker more power efficient shift.
However, in the wrong hands a manual can be considerably slower.
