Automatic or Manual

[tdstuart]

Nothing against autos. I drove an auto GT for 14 years. Even if I had paddles, I wouldn’t have used them. Seems like cheating. I have paddles in my 2020 Explorer XLT. Used them once……just didn’t feel right for me that’s why I’m getting my stick back!

I like the paddles but I wish I had a true dual clutch as the shifts are a little slow. And it’s a pain when slowing down fast as you have to constantly hit the paddle instead of just pressing the clutch in. But makes autos a lot more fun atleast for me.

Sponsored

 

[Norm Peterson]

It's all preference, and I don't understand why anyone cares what someone else drives.

It's not about caring what anybody else prefers. It's about the inevitable "because it's faster" and the implication that that reason is supposed to be everybody's overriding reason for making their transmission choice.

For those that say the auto makes the car faster and it's not the driver who can take credit, that's true of just about every part of the car.

If you go faster with a V8 than a 4-cyclinder, it's because of the engine, not the driver. Or if you go faster with a Tremec than an MT-82, it's because of the transmission, not the driver Why buy anything that provides greater performance?

The choice to get a V8 over a sixxer or a 4 is strictly yours to make. Same would apply to Tremec vs Getrag if/where that choice was available. There isn't any automation or artificial logic (developed by somebody who's not-you) making those decisions for you.

Greater performance that demands more of me as a driver to extract that performance is one thing. Not just straight line performance, either.

Greater performance that takes me out of the decision-making loop for things I'm fully capable of keeping up with in real time . . . almost feels like cheating. That's me.


Norm

 

[Bobn57]

Bobn57
Nice 68', I had a 67' fastback when I was a teenager, 302, dual quad tunnel ram, 5.13's, doing 11.90's at LIONS drag strip.... Yes, LIONS drag strip, for all us Fossils out there.
Love to know how you progress with it, as you go along.

Thanks. bought my first 68 fb in 1978. Put a bunch of cash converting from 2bbl to 4bbl and top loader 4 speed. first attempt at body work…removed about 20lbs of bonds from driver side quarter. Rest of car was the same. Wound up parting it out…mostly drive train to my SnapOn dealer and scrapped the rest. The one in avatar was my best friends. He bought and restored it in 77..1969 351w, 4:30 gears, top loader 4 speed. It was on the road until 10 years ago.. unfortunately it didn’t age well. He gave it to my son two years ago. We stripped it down and put in new floor pans, inner outer cowl, front frame rails etc. have all new door skins, fenders and quarters ready to go..it will be a tastefully done Shelby tribute restored. All modern brakes, suspension etc. Rebuilding the 351W and adding 5 speed.

 

[Bobn57]

Thanks. bought my first 68 fb in 1978. Put a bunch of cash converting from 2bbl to 4bbl and top loader 4 speed. first attempt at body work…removed about 20lbs of bonds from driver side quarter. Rest of car was the same. Wound up parting it out…mostly drive train to my SnapOn dealer and scrapped the rest. The one in avatar was my best friends. He bought and restored it in 77..1969 351w, 4:30 gears, top loader 4 speed. It was on the road until 10 years ago.. unfortunately it didn’t age well. He gave it to my son two years ago. We stripped it down and put in new floor pans, inner outer cowl, front frame rails etc. have all new door skins, fenders and quarters ready to go..it will be a tastefully done Shelby tribute restored. All modern brakes, suspension etc. Rebuilding the 351W and adding 5 speed.

 

[Arthonon]

It's not about caring what anybody else prefers. It's about the inevitable "because it's faster" and the implication that that reason is supposed to be everybody's overriding reason for making their transmission choice.


The choice to get a V8 over a sixxer or a 4 is strictly yours to make. Same would apply to Tremec vs Getrag if/where that choice was available. There isn't any automation or artificial logic (developed by somebody who's not-you) making those decisions for you.

Greater performance that demands more of me as a driver to extract that performance is one thing. Not just straight line performance, either.

Greater performance that takes me out of the decision-making loop for things I'm fully capable of keeping up with in real time . . . almost feels like cheating. That's me.


Norm

Referencing the rest of your post in relation to the bolded section, if you choose to get a V8, it's your choice - you picked it to get the additional performance. Once you have a V8, you are out of the decision tree on why it's faster than the 4 cylinder, it just is. Nothing you do as a driver is responsible for it being a more powerful engine - you're out of the loop on that.

And for the topic of someone else's logic, what about throttle response settings, all controlled by a chip, and tunes that can affect that? It's all someone else's logic. Are you going to get a carbureted engine so you can control that too? Same with the Magneride suspension, or ABS programming.

Shifting a manual can be fun, and I am planning on getting a different car with a manual for that.

However, there is an implication by many here that those that get autos are not really "drivers," and that's the issue I have. Formula 1 and Indy Car are all using DCTs, which are essentially paddle-shifted cars that don't require the driver to do any clutching, so are they not real drivers? Or pretty much every new Ferarri owner now? The A10 is not as good as a DCT, but it's probably close enough that most non-pros won't see a performance difference.

For the record, I am not claiming that *I* am a "driver," just that I think you can be, and still drive the A10.

I did a test, and even recorded a video, of me down-shifting using the paddles on the A10, and I'd say the down-shifts were pretty much immediate. And it won't upshift until you do. So you still have control, it's just not using a third pedal. Again, if that's not your bag, fine, don't get it, but I think you should have at least driven the auto in question before stating how it works or doesn't work.

 

[carguy1701]

I'll be one of the contrarians and say I'd probably go for the auto. Stick shift and I have a...complicated relationship. Every MT car I've driven (99% of which have been for work; I fix cars for a living) has felt like it was a chore to drive, rather than fun. OTOH, 99% of the MT cars I've driven at work can (charitably) be described as shitboxes, so there's that. I'd test drive an MT car before I make a decision, but with past experiences as a rough guide, I'm just not sure I'd want to live with a manual.

My friends all think I'm nuts either way for wanting an auto Mustang V8.

 

[Stangygt]

I just want to get everyones views on Automatic vs Manual Mustangs and your views on 6speed vs 10speed

Just to be honest ! I race 2019 2020 stick vs my 10 speed ….I beat them worst than I beat them scat packs 392

 

[blueskies925]

Adding an MGW short-throw shifter, switching to BG fluids, and on top of that adding a Raceseng weighted shift knob made all the difference in the world in enjoying the MT-82! Because stock from the factory seriously sucked and I hated it. So many annoying lockouts and slow clunky shifting ugh, but now it's smooth and crispy baby! (Getting a E85 tune didn't hurt either with how slow the car would take off at lights lol) Automatic may be more convenient and practical, but that's not why you buy this car in the first place lol... Get a 2nd car for that. Also, it's a great deterrent for thieves who can't drive manual

 

[Bulutt]

Bought a Bullitt so choice was made for me but would not have bought it if it was automatic.

 

[Bobn57]

I'll be one of the contrarians and say I'd probably go for the auto. Stick shift and I have a...complicated relationship. Every MT car I've driven (99% of which have been for work; I fix cars for a living) has felt like it was a chore to drive, rather than fun. OTOH, 99% of the MT cars I've driven at work can (charitably) be described as shitboxes, so there's that.

My friends all think I'm nuts either way for wanting an auto Mustang V8.

Fully understand. I was on the fence a long time before ordering the MT. Part was pressure from my son....the other was self made I have a 10mi commute, half local streets, half hi way. I have no plans to race it or track it....just easy driving. Drove my o6GT auto for 14 years as DD. Needed a change!

 

[vincep99]

Manual all the way

Much more fun and engaging

And if you don;t buy one, you only have yourself to blame for them becoming extinct

 

[realzeek]

Manual still up 58% to 41%. Theres still a lot of love for that 10 speed auto

 

[Arthonon]

Manual still up 58% to 41%. Theres still a lot of love for that 10 speed auto

I didn't vote because I can see advantages and disadvantages either way, so I think it's just a personal choice. My two previous Mustangs were manuals, but one factor in getting the A10 was the the change in gearing for the '18. Had the Tremec been available, it would have been a tough choice.

 

[carguy1701]

However, there is an implication by many here that those that get autos are not really "drivers," and that's the issue I have. Formula 1 and Indy Car are all using DCTs, which are essentially paddle-shifted cars that don't require the driver to do any clutching, so are they not real drivers?

I mean, if we're being honest, most top-tier motorsports series haven't had H-pattern manuals for some time: F1 started switching to sequential gearboxes en-masse in the early 90s (hell, by the middle of that decade, if you still had an H-pattern manual, you were at the back of the grid), Indycar switched in the mid 00s, sports car endurance racing switched in either the late 90s or early 00s (depending on which series and class you're looking at; I know the C6.R and C7.R had sequential boxes, and I wanna say the C5-R did as well); only major series that still uses them is NASCAR (and that won't be the case for much longer, at least for the Cup series, since the new car uses a sequential gearbox).

I highly doubt anyone who races or has raced in those series would not consider themselves a true driver just because they didn't use an H-pattern manual.

 

[shogun32]

I highly doubt anyone who races or has raced in those series would not consider themselves a true driver just because they didn't use an H-pattern manual.

yeah but we the fans do. /JK

So, where are the damn sequentials for the common-man? The nice thing about sequentials is that they are considerably stronger, simpler, and clutch-less shifts are trivial. Ignoring the gearing advantage, the A10's claims of shift-speed are negated with a sequential.

Sponsored