is there a difference in terms of performance (manual vs automatic) ex: acceleration. I know how to drive automatic but if there is a difference i wouldn't mind learning manual. thanks for ur help.

 

Manuals always test faster.

 

It's all in the gearing that yields the best times, plus an AT adds a hundred or so pounds to the weight of the car (as 'automatic transmissions' are heavier).

 

they're faster....learning a manual isn't that hard. i learned in a few days before me and my friends went on a roadtrip to dallas and san antionio.

 

The auto and the manual Zs the times are so close in the Qt mile. I was surprised when I went there the first time. The auto is a 5sp vs manual 6sp.

 

The auto eats up some power to do it's job. That's just how it works mechanically. But other than that it's pretty efficient. I wouldn't choose one transmission over the other for 0-60 time, or anything like that.

A transmission, of course, just lets you control the interface between the engine and the road. So it seems to me that if you have a car that's supposed to be fun to drive, why are you going to get a less capable interface?

Aside from that, I'd still rather have a stick even with a cheap car. After having had cars with both transmissions, I'm not going back to an automatic any time soon. They tend to feel disabled and mushy in comparison, and don't give you complete control to apply the engine's power to the road how and when you want to.

 

The manual is a bit faster, and it's much more fun to drive. My 350z is my first manual car. It was very easy to learn. I practiced first and reverse up and down my driveway, which is on a slight incline. After about 20 minutes I had a decent feel of where the clutch would catch and took her for a spin around town. Never looked back. My next car will be a manual, just more fun.

 

sports cars IMO should not have an automatic transmission. takes some of the fun out of the car.

 

different strokes for different folks. for example, there is no secret that manuals add driver error, the chance of a misshift, hence why (regular)manuals are actually going the way of the dinosaur.

in indy and lemans racing they now use a variation on the manual tranny, paddle shifter, uses hydrolics to control the clutch, engine speed, and shifts. so it uses the same design principle, but not the user input. basicly a tiptronic automatic that is more efficient.

automatics are used in drag racing because they remove all error. and I believe the torque converter helps it in some way.

down sides of automatic is limited top end. your standard tranny can only handle so much power(4-500hp). even with work done to it.

manual tranny is limited only by the strength of its clutch, gears, ect, all of which can be brought up to crazy strengths, even stock, the gears will handle alot, and clutches are comparitivly cheap to upgrade.