so you can go from 4th to 2nd in ONE motion or must you tap the shifter twice?

manuals give you more control over a car other than "which gear i pick". why do you think "most members have a MT"?

not knocking the auto, but you clearly don't comprehend the difference that a manual shifter and a clutch pedal can make.................for someone who knows how to use them. there are always going to be n00bz who can't control their car regardless of transmission choice.

jim

 

Well, I think you answered you own question. Sports Cars are for curves. Drag cars are for straight lines. Auto do work much better at the drag for consistant times. A built auto .... for the drags .... is generally better.

Sports car - 6MT



Drag Car - 2 spd Auto



I believe if you purpose build a auto with drag gears for the Z Car it would beat a 6 spd Z. However, around a road course it would still hunt and peck you to death.

 

so you just proved that you were a better driver.

if you have some n00b behind the wheel of a MT Z who stalls out, clearly you already won the race. don't assume that because someone drives a stick, that they have mastered it.

jim

 

I think that the stock Z in both MT and AT are both great and closer to equal than not equal. If people want to make Z performance comparisons it shouldn't really be between the transmissions, it should be between the drivers and their ability to use whatever skill they have, with whatever car they have as long as the performance between the cars are roughly equal. Stock Z 5AT & 6MT are pretty much equal in performance. The real satisfaction in any type of car racing is in the knowledge that you used superior skill in an equal or less equal vehicle and won. There are so many variables that can occur in any given race that the outcome can vary regardless of the tranny. I prefer to drive the AT but, I don't really care what tranny is better in whatever race as long as the race I was in was challenging and fair. I would rather lose to a superior driver regardless of the transmission than claim a win against a car or driver that I totally outclassed.

 

Right on .... You know what your talking about. I have been saying the same thing too many varibles. The only way your gonna to know which car is really faster is if you take a 6spd and MT with say 10K miles on them broken in properly. Then, have a professional driver that knows how to race autos and stick. Make sure the cars down to the air pressure are identical and take them to the track. At the track you have to run in the same lane one after the other ... three runs. Then look at the slips .... You'll have your answer.... But, has anyone done this? No..... I'd like to see a dealer run this test.... Then of course they wouldn't because then they would have to sell the cars used.

I know this is a little extreme but, the cars are so close in performance it can come down to set up / driver / racing technique.

I mean if you launch a auto without loading it up ... Your gonna lose. If you launch it with too much ..... Your gonna fry the tires and not hook. Same thing can be said about the manual driver. I have a launch technique that generally get me a better launch than other stick drivers. But, I aint telling.
I was lucky and my father showed me when we weren't old enough to drive yet. It requires the right amount of brake, e-brake, clutch, and gas at the right time and stepping it up exactly as the tree runs down.

Too many variables..... Drivers race almost ... personal opinion / feel. The stick should beat a auto if both drivers are perfect and cars are set up perfect.

 

Much better and without the need for foul language.

 

i censored myself out... and like i said sport cars and cars like the Z shouldn't even come auto...

 

the 350zs auto is bullet proof......wow keep dreaming , I think you meant a supras AT is bullet proof. I havent seen anyone run a sucessfull stock AT underneath some serious power. WIth a 350z to indicate a bullet proof transmission and make the most of there power in stock form. I think thats a little of a big statement. Since it will need to be modified in any case. Dont ya think, we dont want people reading this and thinking oh my at can handle everything you throw at it. Thats a little bold minded.


And back it up all you want, theres no reason why a properly driven MT in a 350z shouldnt beat a AT 350z in every instance but traffic patience. But there is a reason for a AT to not beat the MT in everyinstance but traffic patience and practicality.

I think egos are getting clouded by common sense, were not dealing with a DSG type system or real tiptronic system. WHere dealing with a standard TCM AT trans. cmon fellas lets wake up. Its a great AT compared to stimes 1/4 to the manual but its not a drivers race if the manual always post the best times. Even best motoring all races i can think of which modifiy auto Zs eventualy tout to drive the mt version. Its not to say that its garbage, but cmon man, lets wake up. We wouldnt be having this convo if the AT users would admit that its slower and not optimized for a road course.


We all know its more consitant for 1/4 i mean it should be since theres less human error involved , My geo storm can post more consistant times then some drivers in a 350z. But lets not get over common sense the faster platfrom in the stock form is the MT. That doesnt mean that the AT is horrendously slower . But it is slower for a fact.

Beat this topic all you want. But dont fight fact.

 

I have never lost a race to any transmission, MT or AT. There are plenty of people that have beaten me but never a transmission.

I have lost races because of one or more of the following. 1)Better Driver, 2)Outclassed Car and/or 3)Unfavorable Conditions. Stock Zs are just too close in the second catagory to make a difference.

 

Nice S60R, i seen many of you guys a while back with those cars at the course make lunch meat of M3s man, very nice car chipped if i must say.

 

I can eat an e46 for lunch consistently and even unsuspecting 911s here and there. Most of them won't even admit that the got beat by a Volvo.

 

Ahh the irony. Anyways, no real point in making an issue out of it unless it gets put to the test, i.e. "facts" by dictionary definition.


There's the common sense this thread was looking for.

 

trust me , i know i had many pass me back when i had my 287 Z at pocono. But u guys are getting competetion from audi .There RS series is getting crazy with them 340 v8s and 420 v8s. Massive potential for the same price . I must admit volvo came out the box with the S60R but thats another thread lol.

 

Man when u drive a auto the driver doesnt really matter lol. Who can click the shifter the fastest hahahah. Nah i know there is a lil technique to launch the auto but seriously the drive doesnt do much but mash the gas.

 

well if you would like find a AT in florida that would like to race me . Im more then willing to race one stock for stock. To prove a point. I have proven this along time ago at pocono to my boys then. Well one of them was a Z auto from staten island with a 150 wet shot lmao. But i wouldnt mind putting this to rest if a stock AT Z would race my z. I have spots where we can go. Remember a win is a win.

Check this out ill even make sure he power brakes to give him a proper AT launch in manuel mode. Since i have done this before and dont want no other varibles. Last time i did this, power braking showed better times in the Zs at then just flogging it in manumatic mode.

 

okay rblover i understand the auto is a no no for a road course. What im asking you is what do you think would win in the 1/4 with to good driver with the same exact setup just one manual and one auto. By this i mean but the manual differential gearing in the auto and also do a tune for the throttle body valve of the launch. If you want to read more about the auto and the throttle body go to technosquare website. the 6 speed has much more aggressive gearing and also has an advantage with the throttle body opening on launch but these things can be changed in the auto then call it a race on a drag strip of course not a road course. Actually im surprised the auto is so close in performance with the manual in the 1/4 with these disadvantages.

 

Go for it man...you're the only one with something to prove


Just seems like common sense to me...these aren't 1970's autos. There's a big Z community here, we are always driving/cruising with each other. As far as stock Z's, I never get pulled on and neither do the MT's. Boasting that a transmission in a sports car like this is dramatically better than its other is pretty ridiculous in this day and age. But whatever floats your boat bro.

 

I agree 100%
For drag racing Auto is more consistant and most of the time faster then manuals.
In other types of driving auto is not best. No control on a road course would suck.

IMO manual is the way to go as it is a sports car, but diff strokes for diff folks. i cringe when I see an auto Porshe too, but yea well. not my money

 

These threads are so repetitive.. to each his own.

My brother and I both have 07 enthusiasts.. same thing.. except for our trannies. He's auto and I'm manual. From a first gear roll, they are about even throughout 1st. Once 2nd and third hit, my manual starts to pull. Nothing drastic.. slowly slowly pull. Maybe 1-2 car lengths to 80 if we both took off in first the exact time. The auto Z can hold it's own. I've lost before due to driver error too.. the auto 07's rev match and take off. I'm a decent manual driver, wouldn't consider myself "great" but just decent.

Honestly, can't go wrong with either one. I prefer manual strictly for driving experience (Love manuals). He prefers auto due to the stupid **** clutch problems / tranny problems associated with the Zs. His car is buttery smooth and quiet while my tranny makes clutch chattering noises and throw-out bearing noises, all the same time having notchy gears.. also making noises.

But.. downshifting through a turn and coming out chirping gears makes me forget about my noisy tranny.

 

I agree with you it is possible that a auto can beat a MT in the 1/4 ,I def do agreee. I realize the closesness of the times, But never the less the MT are faster if both drivers are skilled. But there close , very close to say that if the MT messes up at any point of his 1/4 the race can be won by the auto.

I def agree with you on that. This is more evident on a street race where auto Zs usually take a stock mt because of the above varibles. I do beleive its very close , and for consitancy in the 1/4 my money would be on the auto. But both driven properly the MT should come out on top however little it may be. Cool. But alot of people cannot drive stick, or are too confident with there lack of talent etc.. I thought i knew how to drive stick, thats until i paid 250 for my first road course and got beat by a car that was half the power of mine and roughly the same weight. Where as a auto, wouldve beaten me for sure. So def a auto can beat a MT it wouldnt surprise me sayint that. Majority of times, its driver vs driver.