hey just wondering everyone's opinion on this. i know that for the most part, a manual transmission will beat an auto, simply because you can shift faster. but a friend of mine was telling me that with all the modern cars with "advanced" transmissions, they're so advanced that its almost impossible to shift faster than the computer does anyway. What do u guys think?

 

the reason a stick is quicker is 1) the launch choosing the engine speed that you want to launch at. 2) the cluch and flywheel are locked, rotating at the same speed. in a honda as most cars the tourque converter is not locked does not spin the same ratio. You also lose wheel power in a auto due to this

 

Automatics are more parasitic than manuals. You lose more horsepower to the wheels with the same engine. Not to mention the shitty gear ratios which arent exactly ideal for performance. Automatics take alot of control away from the driver, you cant hold the car in a gear during a turn or upshift an extra gear to help in the snow...there are countless advantages. The automatic is quite a piece of modern engineering, 11,000 patents, but not what you want for performance. Unless you are building a big block tubbed Chevelle thats only going to see the strip.

 

looks like manual wins by a nose! unless it's on the strip

 

oh yeah, manual get higher top speed because of extra 5th gear correct?

 

under this theory though the manual is still faster if people were good enough to drive it. i highly doubt though that people are too slow for the six speed.

 

I prefer manual. Yeah yeah, I know I have an automatic, I know I will not convert it. I know I know. However, like everyone has said, the gearing in a manual is better, and you do have more control over the car. I kept mine auto to see what could be done with an auto Honda. My new project is a 5 speed though.

 

auotmatic is good for drag, if set up right, manual is good for road course

 

i heard there was some kind of a "kit" you could buy for your transmission. Damn, i forgot what it was called. i'll have to ask someone and then post it on the board again, but anyways, It supposedly sets up your transmission so that the computer in your car shifts faster, and more aggressively....or something like that, you know what i'm talking about?

 

http://www.levelten.com/computer_pts.htm

 

so..with that on the car, how would it compete against a manual?

 

hey, just thought i'd ask again, cuz i guess somehow this thread got to the second page , and i know it'll never get answered if i dont type somehting ot make it go back to the top of the list. Anyways..with that modification to the transmission, to how would it compete against a manual?

 

Too bad the V6 Accords don't come in manual.

 

Manual.. ive owned 3 cars and they have all been manuals

 

Well, you would still have a gearing disadvantage, but it would help out a lot in the turns. It basically makes it a sportshift.

 

Any normally aspirated low displacement engine (read: Honda) is going to be "faster" with a manual. These small engines need to spin fast to make power, and hence all the power is in a fairly small band at the top of the rev range. We need close gear ratios to keep the motors up there. The more ratios/gears you have, the closer your ratios can be. Manuals almost always have more ratios than autos.
This totally changes for turbo and large torque monster motors. An auto Supra TT set up for drag racing is usually faster than an equivalent manual, because with the auto, the driver just keeps the throttle wide open while the auto does the shifting and the turbos stay at full-spool. Pony cars with gobs of torque down low don't need close ratios to extract the best acceleration from their motor's power band.
Lastly, the best thing about a manual is that, with the clutch engaged, it is a solid mechanical connection from the engine's output shaft to the transmission's input shaft. 100% of the engine's power is getting through to the tranny. An auto uses a torque converter. It consists of an impeller (connected to the engine's output shaft) and a turbine (connected to the transmission) submerged in fluid. It is around 90~95% efficient. Autos do have a lockup clutch that engages at a few thousand RPM though.

 

oh ok, i see..so with something like the TT supra, is the auto better for drag racing only? or would it be better all around?

 

For a TT Supra, for drag (and if you're lazy, daily driving) only.
For the street and surely on the track, though, a manual gives you SO much more control over the driveline and how it affects your car. Stuff like better engine braking for trail braking and weight transfer, very little driveline slop, the ability to pick and gear and RPM, and again, more ratios to choose from. Throttle modulation is difficult to impossible with an auto.

 

automatic on a stock car is faster than the manual...The automatic is always faster untill mods. are done and the car redlines at different rpms. A automatic stock accord will beat a manual if the cars are the same, in year and miles. i have driven both and the manual is more fun execpt honda cluches suck try VW but the auto is faster....

 

Automatic Hondas faster than their manual counterparts? Not on this planet.

 

Yea they are... You can not shift as well as the car can..So yea they are..

 

ok this has to be the worst comment/question I have EVER heard someone utter,...EXPLAIN you have one chance to explain or I tear you a new *** with ACTUAL fact

 

wow do most of you guys down a 6 pack before you post? some people are pretty rowdy/hostile in here... lol

 

I think it's just you. you're too slow. I have driven both myself and the manual is faster than the automatic. If you have like a camaro or somethin' it's a different story. my friend has some sort of kit on his automatic z28 and his rpm's only drop by 500 when it shift's while on a manual you will be loosing 1000-1500. honda auto tranny's are not fast.

 

sometimes only sometimes you can get a auto pretty quick