Get a manual for autocross and road course, control is key.

Automatic for traffic or drag strip, both easier without a clutch.

With an auto, you will never experience a well executed heel & toe downshift. Truly a joy in a Vette.

 

This is the first A4 Vette I have ever had.....the 3 others were manual...
But you know, I like this A4....

It is cute and it is fast........with more speed coming soon... :D



[Modified by bruce1, 9:00 PM 2/6/2002]

 

I was 41 years old when I bought my C5. I had never driven a stick in my life but ordered the MN6. It has been so much fun to drive. Even in traffic, I don't mind it at all. I have never for a day regretted getting the manual tranny. I struggled with the decision originally, but after two years of driving the manual, I don't see myself ever buying an automatic transmission in a performance car. If you haven't done so already, try driving a corvette with each one and decide for yourself. Good luck with your decision.

 

Somebody always brings that one up :smash:

 

This guy makes the most sense. I was going to put it another way. It's like buying a black car. If it talks to you, and you just "gotta have it", then get it. If not, buy another color cause black's a pain in the butt for those not dedicated to it. Same thing with manual transmissions.

By the way, I have a black car, and my Corvette is a MN6. It "talks" to me.

 

Next year's MN6 will be offered with manual engine timing on the steering wheel, manual fuel pump for the passenger (why not let them have some fun), and hand crank for starting. Just kidding.

 

Just look at my sig also, except I can do 12.85 (using only K/N conical with 800 miles on odometer) with my left elbow resting on the window and the right arm doing the steering!

I admit, rowing through the gears sounds great to the ears with a good sounding exhaust, but those days are behind me now. Anyway, it's always a hoot to beat a stick car with an automatic!

 

The Tranny Wars! Who won, who won???????????????????

 

I have owned 8 vettes, all man. trannys. I've owned only 1 vehicle with an auto in the last 25 years and that was in a truck that I planned to use for towing. If you are not old or infirm, get a manual and enjoy a faster, quicker, BETTER driving experience.

The automatics are a major comprimise for a high performance car. You give up control (try driving an auto on a high speed road course), power (autos have a greater drive train loss, maybe as much as 5%), and driving experience (choosing your own gear and clutch technique is exhilerating).

Put me behind the wheel of a bone stock MN6 Vette against a bone stock auto and I'll trash the auto everytime. 0 to 60, 1/4 mile, 70 mph roll ons, etc. The only MN6 guys that get beaten by a comparably stock or modified auto are guys that haven't yet mastered their stick :eek: Autos have their place, just not in my Vette. :smash: But really, BUY THE STICK!!!


[Modified by Rippied Z06, 2:39 PM 2/7/2002]

 

Remove the HUMAN factor and which car is TECHNICALLY faster?

Tom
USAF Retired

 

My gut feel on the twin K/N is that the enhancement effect of the junction of the two filters is probably not well known. I bet a lot of in-depth engineering did not happen on this part. It looks neat, but I have been stung many times by neat looking gadgets. I like to keep it simple.

I am going to try a slightly bigger (longer) conical later this spring or summer just to experiment around with. I bet I come up with just an effective cold air setup as something costing a bunch more. I would imagine there is a trade off on surface area of the filter vs. losses produced by the connecting pipes, etc.

I guess my problem is I try to relate what is happening on these cars to my profession. I am a RF engineer (for the last 35 years) and a lot of this stuff on airflow, etc, is real analogous to RF signal flow, etc. I won't bore people so I will stop. Many times, just the simple stuff works the best and cost the least.

 

Hey All,

Thanks for all the great feedback! Sorry if this topic has been done to death (I only looked at the recent posts before asking, not the archives), but I'm glad I did. The advice in this thread was really useful.

I had a couple of questions to anyone who might still be reading this one. First, "NewVetteLover" and some others mentioned that the A4 can be made better with a torque converter. I always thought the torque converter was the fluid coupling between the engine and the transmission for automatics. Are you talking about replacing the stock torque converter that comes with the Vette? How much would this cost?

Also, other people mentioned that for the MN6, they didn't like the stock clutch and replaced that. How much did that cost?

I'm still undecided. I think someone like me would get better performance out of an A4 (at least in the short term) but I like the idea of being more involved with my driving experience with the MN6. From what I've heard, I think I'd enjoy both, but in different ways and for different reasons. So I'm going to stick to my original plan of trying to test drive both....

By the way, a preliminary count suggests that MN6s won the tranny war on this thread, but not my much......

 

Changing the torque converter involves some loss of GM vehicle warranty. The C5 owners that have done this change apparently feel they can afford to lose this part of their factory warranty. You may want to do a search on the CF to see what is being said about the torque converter changes others have made. Yes, we are talking about changing the fluid coupling inside the transmission.