What tranny should I get?

[mvftw]

It doesn't matter todays Automatics or Yesterdays Automatics. They have Torque Converters and Torque Converters slip. It can't beat a clutch setup. Your right 9 out of 10 racers use Autos, they are bracket racers which need consistant times. I don't want to get into a pi$$ing match, but Pro Stocks & NASCAR use manuals.

 

[WayneLBurnham]

Pro-Stocks and NASCAR have mechanic TEAMS

to adjust and frequently change those clutches, too.....

What's useful for professional race teams with quarter million dollar base cost vehicles expected to last at most 1000 miles before total rebuild, with twice that in ready spare parts sitting in the trailer/bay, is not definitive for people with vehicles they hope will go 50-100,000 miles before significant repairs (once finished.)

not that I "want to get into a pi$$ing match" or anything either...

The 10% a torque converter slips is nothing compared to when a clutch starts slipping....

Newer options in automatics vs. older certianly does matter - in terms of power handling, as several mentioned. It used to be the only auto that could take over 500hp for long was a Powerglide, a LENCO, and carefully maintained/"worked on" Turbo 400's and Torqueflites. There now exist 6, 8 and greater speed overdrive automatics capable of long service with over twice that power level.

The land speed freaks use these extensively. Of course these aren't as practical an example for sportscar drivers as Pro-Street and NASCAR.... :t :eyerole

P.S.: AUTOMATICS RULE!

:booty

 

[mvftw]

This is my Last Reply...I said ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL A MANUAL WOULD BEAT A AUTO, this is fact. I'm talking about pure speed. Your talking about driving for 100k miles. Yes your right, there is maintance with a manual. But for a weekend driver, manuals the way to go...Also higher resale $$$.

 

[WayneLBurnham]

We're overlooking one of the advantages to 4 & 5 speed manuals

Ah, you shouldn't swear it's your last word! This is a thread on tranny selection! There's lots of room for discussion - and I might say something you hate!

Poor dinosaurs loving to have to shift forget the big advantage in 4-speed manuals over 3 speed autos...

...and that's more gears to run through to keep in a more optimum RPM range.

That, more than any loss from slippage in the torque converter is the source of usual advantages.

"Usual" until you include in the mix 5- and 6-speed single and double overdrive manuals and 4- and 6-8 speed and even more single and double overdrive autos, some with gear splitters (not to mention lock-up torque converters.)

These can eliminate any performance-level advantages to the manuals and give greater drivability.

As far as "pure speed", you can forget that with no overdrive, in either a manual or an auto, unless you have such a low rearend or huge diameter rear wheels, you need a million HP to accelerate like a Geo Metro.

I still wonder at the overall system vs. system weight difference too. What does an M21 with clutch weigh vs. a Turbo 400 with cooler and lines and such? I suspect the auto is considerably heavier.

The 4-Speeds do bring a somewhat higher price on resale of collector, restored or survivor cars.

If my main interest was original condition C3's, I'd have to consider a 4-speed, although I think drivability would still point me to the 3 speed auto until I could uprade it to an OD auto (which is what I've done.) That may be at the root of this too - I only ever want what works best and don't care where it comes from or whether it existed as an original option even a decade after mine came out.