You want to win drag races? Get the auto.
You want to enjoy the car the other 363 days of the year? Get the manual.

 

Trust me, I'm enjoying my drag strip friendly 6 speed auto (and even my 4 speed auto Z28) plenty throughout the year as well but I know what you're saying, a manual with clutch in general is just more fun overall.

 

HMMM with the A6 you can put it in any gear you want, load the converter if you want then hit it switch to S mode and all shifts happen at redline, the A6 from a roll is hard to beat ask the guys out here how I know

 

The A6 is very consistent. Right now I am usually hitting my dial in within a couple hundreds of a second. I have a wx meter and a lab top to help me of course.

 

Corvette with an automatic gearbox.... go caddy go...!

BUT SERIOUSLY!!! I have a six speed cos I wanted to try it but next time I would definitely get the 6 speed auto. It's far more sophisticated and smoother to drive than the stick and better in traffic not to mention faster off the line. Simply floor the gas peddle and hang on!

 

 

Until the car gets closer to 6-700HP a manual will best an auto every time.

It's all driver.

If you drag race and can't shift well = auto
If you want to "feel" your car = manual

I think the automatic argument is more age related than any other factor. IMHO

Look at the demographics of C6 owners: Most are 45-65 which in that range most guys just wanna cruise and be cool so they opt for an auto.

25-45 range prefer manual because they can still "connect" with the car and just plain "enjoy driving a sports car".

"True" sports cars don't have automatics. ( I don't wanna hear about a paddle shift Ferrari.. a friend has one and that's a whole different ball game)

I don't remeber seeing any automatics at the track..I will look this weekend again at IRP(SCCA road racing)

 

"TRUE SPORTS CARS" don't have A/C, Nav, HUD, Bose, power windows, seats, seat heaters, etc, etc, etc.

In fact if you're old enough to remember they didn't have roll up windows, synchros on all the gears, power steering and brakes and any creature comforts.

Just think XK120-140 Jag, pre mid 60's Triumph, MG, Austin Healy, all which define the meaning of "sports car" in a purist sense.

The optioned Vette is more of a GT, the stripped Vette with optional suspension closer to a sports car.

Computers can act faster then ones mind/hand. Things change, the choice of transmission alone does not dictate how a vehicle is defined !

If you do a search you will see a thread by "Datawiz" comparing lap times for the average driver in an A6 vs a manual at Spring Mountain.

 

EXACTLY!

 

Hmmm...I seem to remember a road racer the name of Jim Hall who developed cars called the Chapparal. He used a torque converter automatic on one version and dominated the competition until they banned the car (admittedly it was more for the aero aids he used, but he needed his left foot free to operate them).

Your ageist prejudice is likewise lame. Here in NorCal, supposedly Fast and Furious territory, a very high percentage of those in the 25-45 range stink at driving stick, and drive automatics despite the number of stickers and spoilers on their cars. And they primarily cruise because they will scrape expensive rubber from their tires due to extremely slammed suspensions if they try to drive fast. "Being Cool".

Technology changes. Years ago you would have probably said only wimp weenies need synchromesh, real men double clutch. Or, I don't want no damn *&%#$@ computer in my car!!!

You were right however about the driver. A top professional would smoke your a$$ on the track no matter which flavor you were driving!!

 

What a mis-informed post.

A skilled driver can drive stick more smoothly, and more quickly (not necessarily at the same time though). If the auto is "faster off the line" why don't you show us some 60' time slips that prove it?

All other things being equal, a well driven stick on a stock or near stock car can 60' better, 0-60 better, and 1/4mile better. It get's re-proven every day at strips around the country. However, in this case -the case the original poster set up, all other things are not equal. The auto is saddled w/a less appealing final drive ratio.

-Tom

 

Syncros have proven to allow faster shifting than a regular crash box transmission. Auto trannies with "paddles" on the column have not, and that's a fact.

Driving skiil will still allow a good driver to impliment those skills, and reap pride from the results: better ultimate performance, and ownership of that. When you push the pedal in an autoshift car to the carpet, let the car do everything for you....even IF you win, where is the pride? Where is the OWNERSHIP in that experience?

-Tom

 

IMO,I don't care how many gears you have in an auto trans,the direct connection and feel between the you the engine,gearbox and the road cannot be duplicated with a torque converter on a car.

The F1 trans would be the best of both worlds.

Here is a quote from a Ferrari Ad

"The electro-hydraulically controlled six-speed manual uses only two floor pedals and two small levers located slightly ahead of the steering wheel. This means no clutch worries for the driver, but also no visceral thrill of slamming a shift lever through a close-ratio gearbox (though a conventional six-speed manual is available as an alternative)."

As far as 1/4 mile runs, it takes a pro MN6 driver to beat a bad driver driving an A6. it's 100% driver skill in a MN6.
There is more professional A6 drivers out there than professional MN6 drivers.

MN6 + bad driver = bad et's
MN6 + good driver = good et's

A6 + bad driver = good et's
A6 + good driver = good et's

 

This tired argument has come up several times in this thread. Yes, technology changes and there are MANY examples where technology helps our cars perform better, yet still meet increasingly tough requirments.

Listen up here. For you folks touting the A6 and being "more technologically better" (I honestly don't know what you're baseing that on), here is "Technologically advanced" for you. I'm going to give you a glimps of the future and what a technologiaclly advanced transmission/powertrain REALLY is.

It's a CVT; Continuously Variable Transmission. Snowmobiles have used them for over 40 years. The highest form of internal combustion power transformation (Transmission) is a computer controlled, servo motor, stepper motor, or hydraulicly actuated CVT. Since the gear ratios are infinite, the CVT can allow the engien to operate at the most efficient RPM for ALL CONDITIONS. Operating off the ECM that reads gas pedal position, vehicle speed, engine load, RPM, etc, the ECM manipulates the actuator (which ever the preffered method is) to place the CVT in a ratio that allows the motor to run at peak efficiency. What is that? Well it's a single RPM. What ever that motor has been tuned to. So now we can start using little tiny motors w/high RPM power peaks. We can do that because our CVT and ECM can put the motor in that sweet high RPM range when ever it needs to; when ever the driver requests more power.

I've barely tapped into the potential of this drive system but see where this is going? Where is the fun in that type of drive system? In a snowmobile, it's fun because the type of terrain you operate on is such that you could never keep the motor in the right RPM range. Even if you were the "ace shifter" of all history, six gear ratios just aren't enough for a small, very peaky engine operating on rapidly and instantly changing terrain/loads. In short, it's hard enough to ride a sled well in the back country in deep powder...without having to think about shifting a where your tach is. But on a paved road, the ultimate transmission (which is already here in several car models) is nothing but BOOOOOORING. BUT...it IS the most "technologically advanced"! Do you still want it?

-Tom

 

Where is the pride? I take LOTS of pride in knowing that my automatic is possibly the third quickest stock C6 (yes, behind two manual cars) in existence, there's plenty of OWNERSHIP (and it was a great experience ) in that LOL.


In racing, the bottom line is the winner...regardless of his (her) transmission (or the supposed pride derived from shifting) the winner wins the race, period.

 

My best 60' in my stock A6 is a 1.88 which is still off the mark of the quicker manuals that have posted their times. I know that with some transmission/torque management programming that number could improve as well.

 

Personaly, I dont understand where some of you guys are coming from when it comes to us A4 and A6 guys. Im 23 yrs old and I live in California (Bay Area to be exact) and I have had cars with great power. The car that I miss most was a Manual Trans 91 Mustang LX with a paxton supercharger and several other bolt-ons. I have had two Ws6 trans am's and now own a C5 and next month I will be buying a C6 A4 or A6.

What I have noticed about Manual's from my brief muscle car career is that sometimes the power that is put out is not real. Meaning that because you can feel a hell of a lot of torc at the wheels (expecialy when down shifting) doesnt mean that your car is faster than that of a A4. Yes your car is more fun, but with the correct wheels and a Torch convertor the race is over. Even without a T/C the race can be nerve wrecking for a manual driver. Its just not as consistant. I was sooooo upset all the time cause I knew my car had more power (at least I thought because it feels faster) And I have been told by GM reps that I shift very very well. So its not my driving.

All I am saying is that its on your preference. I need consistancy in my vehicle. Even if its not as " FUN" as a manual. I absolutly possitively do not like lossing. I like crussing, and sometimes us Auto guys like to see Vipers and other compititors on the highway, and we completly loss ourselve out there. Atleast I can put my vette in gear and focus on the road. I have had thousands of people compliment me on my great highway driving in my C5 A4. I can just imagine what its going to be like when I get my C6.

Lay off us A4 and A6 guys fellas. We all have vettes. Stop the hate.

 

I think some confusion exists on the idea that an auto or a manual is a better drag race car. If you are bracket racing, which for a C6 that is in general the only race out there. Not to much heads up races at the drag strip for 12 second cars.

Anyway the auto is better suited for bracket drag racing because of the consistency you are able to achieve in ET.

The manual is of course a little faster than the auto in a heads up race. The only heads up racing I know of for a C6 at our drag strip would be side bets during time trials or at test and tune night. For me that is not my cup of tea. I like to enter a division and race a lot of cars, more fun in my book. You can use a six speed manual for bracket racing but anyone who has done it will tell you it is not an easy task to win consistently.

With the A6 or A4 though you can run within a couple hundreds of your dial in all night long.

 

Well I street drag and I can say that even on the street manauls arent consistant. Ive seen great drivers hit and miss. And to me, people who dont like A4 and A6's are those who either never had a A4 or A6, or those who refuse to drive one. Just my thoughts

 

Well I street drag and I can say that even on the street manauls arent consistant. Ive seen great drivers hit and miss. And to me, people who dont like A4 and A6's are those who either never had a A4 or A6, or those who refuse to drive one. Just my thoughts and experiences