Automatic or Manual

[emcmtony]

i did some brief messing with the accel timer in track apps-i got an earth shattering 4.6 0-60, 2.3 60ft, and a 12.7 1/4 at 117 pretty much exactly what i expected. is it capable of more-absolutely. did i expect to get a 3.9 and a sub 12- absolutely not

Well....kudos to you for not lying and saying you crush a 3.9 on the daily. Many on the forums would do just that. The guys who test these cars are trained to do exactly that, get the fastest times they can. This is not the norm. 4.6 is super fast I am sure you would say considering 10 or so years ago the pros were barely getting that.
I can say with confidence that this car is more powerful than my ability to use all the power.

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[Bobn57]

Well....kudos to you for not lying and saying you crush a 3.9 on the daily. Many on the forums would do just that. The guys who test these cars are trained to do exactly that, get the fastest times they can. This is not the norm. 4.6 is super fast I am sure you would say considering 10 or so years ago the pros were barely getting that.
I can say with confidence that this car is more powerful than my ability to use all the power.

My 1970 Torino Cobra 429SCJ was factory rated around 375hp.....I have to admit I'm a bit intimidated of 460hp....just going to hang on and enjoy the ride! This will be my DD. I do 10 mi one way to work..half local roads half highway. I have no plans to beat the piss out of it. Just enjoy the ride.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I try to get to the track at least 15-20 times a year and I also do some open track racing. I know the manual is desired for the open track events but I still prefer my 10speed. It’s always in the powerband. And I pretty much do race away at every light. As far as highway pulls (and on ramps?) everyone knows the 10speed is king.


.

Long as you realize that it's the car's 10-speed that's the real king (not the 10-speed car's driver) . . .


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

Same situation with wife, Auto Mach 1 or no Mach 1...lol

Yup - it was an easy decision...

Easy decisions that were taken right out of your hands.


Says a 70-something guy whose 70-something wife still doesn't want to drive an automatic.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

I get that part. The reason I prefer the Manual is because I want to be able to control the car when in the curves, onramps, offramps etc by down shifting and upshifting as needed. I just dont enjoy the automatic doing it for me or using paddles shifters. I learned to drive on a 5 speed and have always felt a little lost when driving an automatic like needing something to do other than steer. It is clearly personal preference, but for me, I won't put the car on the track and the manual more caters to driving how I drive. Having learned and always driven a manual, it really comes second nature to me and I am not even thinking about clutching or shifting at all when I do it. I don't think about it at all, I just do it at this point just like moving from gas to brake is intuitive to all drivers, the clutch and shift become that intuitive. I am just more comfortable controlling the car by downshifting and upshifting when I think it is needed. The automatics of today are must better. I had a modern auto with paddles on my BMW that I just got rid of. It was OK, but just not the same as a true manual shifter.

This ^^^


Norm

 

[Ock]

Easy decisions that were taken right out of your hands.


Says a 70-something guy whose 70-something wife still doesn't want to drive an automatic.


Norm

Maybe - but im happy.

 

[331GT]

Well....kudos to you for not lying and saying you crush a 3.9 on the daily. Many on the forums would do just that. The guys who test these cars are trained to do exactly that, get the fastest times they can. This is not the norm. 4.6 is super fast I am sure you would say considering 10 or so years ago the pros were barely getting that.
I can say with confidence that this car is more powerful than my ability to use all the power.

yea, im sure not everyone realizes that many times cars are likely tested on a good surface, gallon or two of gas, blah blah whatever other protocols they use to get the max. i had a passenger, full tank of gas, and a trunk full of heavy stuff. this likely helped, actually, as i got at least one quarter that was over 13 due to spinning. the extra weight probably helped me get better traction. i did not heat the tires, literally just stopped, turned on the timer, put it in drag mode, and off we went ha. certainly not to say the car cant do more, and i certainly didnt give it a true honest effort, but the reality is that most people are not going to get the official "magazine tested" time. try and get a sub 3 second 0-60 on the street even in one of the high end 911 turbos or some exotic. though the awd cars i suppose certainly may have a far better chance.

i remember back in high school when i tried a 0-60 in my 95gt-granted it was me watching the speedo and my buddy with literally just a stop watch- not the most accurate method- but those cars were tested to like mid to upper 6 second 0-60 times. im pretty sure i got like 8.5 and felt deflated back then

i just remind myself that i always had the 03/04 cobras on a pedestal and always wanted one (still do) and those got like 4.5 or 4.6 0-60 stock. and that was probably a very good, honest hard core attempt, most people probably struggled to get under 5.0 on their own on the street. someone correct me if im wrong, i very well could be. so going out and giving a very half assed attempt and getting a 4.6 and a 12.7 didnt exactly break my heart.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Theoretically, the auto pulls more Gs and puts out more wheel torque per gear than the manual. While this likely won't create a huge difference in 0-60 times, it will provide more of a sense of acceleration and fun factor in the ol' butt dyno. Basically, less to do with the speed of shifts and more to do with the gearing.

It feels like driving two different cars.

Here is an engineer explaining:

Trust me, I understand all of that. Maybe as well as the EE guy. I've been investigating the very topic of vehicle forward acceleration - mathematics included - since 1968. I'm not making any of that up.


Personally, I couldn't care less about hole shots or burnouts or chasing the next step up in forward acceleration sensations. Momentary excitement is a weak-sauce substitute for overall satisfaction in your own driving and the skills that you develop.


Norm

 

[331GT]

My 1970 Torino Cobra 429SCJ was factory rated around 375hp.....I have to admit I'm a bit intimidated of 460hp....just going to hang on and enjoy the ride! This will be my DD. I do 10 mi one way to work..half local roads half highway. I have no plans to beat the piss out of it. Just enjoy the ride.

they put it down and handle it very well. im hoping for 500 rwhp in my 95-ill be much more cautious in that than i feel like id be in 500 rwhp in an S550. maybe part of that has to do with stock SN95 brakes/suspension compared to PP1. i just cant imagine driving one of these 800,900, 1000 rw+ cars that are not uncommon anymore. triple digits come very quickly with "only" 460

 

[Qcman17]

What's everyone's thoughts on Full Throttle vs Part Throttle racing?

 

[FinitePrimus]

Personally, I couldn't care less about hole shots or burnouts or chasing the next step up in forward acceleration sensations. Momentary excitement is a weak-sauce substitute for overall satisfaction in your own driving and the skills that you develop.

If that's what makes you happy, that's what makes you happy. Different strokes for different folks. That's the joy in the hobby. I drove manual for over 25 years though about 6 different cars from Mustangs, BMW, Dodge Stealth, Mit Eclipse, Pickups, etc. so I get it.

The only point I was making is a manual Mustang and automatic Mustang (18+) are two very different driving vehicles, each with their own driving characteristics and fun factor. Different people get pleasure from different aspects.

 

[Sivi70980]

If an EcoBoost can beat a GT350 at part throttle, it must be the superior way to race.

Is part throttle even racing? Reminds me of a childhood "friend" with a BMX bike when I have a 21 gear mountain bike. He would try to tell me I can only use 1 gear when riding around and of course I never did such a dumb thing. I would also be waiting for him to catch up till finally I just never rode bikes with him anymore. Oh the days where you were "friends" because you lived on the same block...

 

[Bobn57]

Easy decisions that were taken right out of your hands.


Says a 70-something guy whose 70-something wife still doesn't want to drive an automatic.


Norm

I tried to teach my wife (then girl friend) back in 1982 how to drive the Torino Cobra. It had a very heavy pressure plate. Took a lot of force to push in. She didn't do too well so that ended that.
It was a killer getting stuck in bumper to bumper shore traffic. Oh I miss those days

 

[ChitownStang]

I tried to teach my wife (then girl friend) back in 1982 how to drive the Torino Cobra. It had a very heavy pressure plate. Took a lot of force to push in. She didn't do too well so that ended that.
It was a killer getting stuck in bumper to bumper shore traffic. Oh I miss those days

Tried teaching my wife many times over the 6 years with my 15gt. But then she didn’t daily drive the car so it never stuck.

 

[Silver Bullitt]

I ended up with the manual because my wife made me get it. Seriously, we test drove both. When testing the A10, she looked over at me and said, “You wouldn’t seriously get an automatic in a car like this would you?” I just replied, “No ma’am.” I let her drive it home from the dealer. I did my best to keep up, but she already had it parked in the driveway and was walking around admiring the car when I got home. She had a big old grin on her face and said, “She sure does get up to 100 pretty quick, and I was still in 3rd.” There’s a reason I’ve been married to her for 35 years. That’s a keeper right there.

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