[OFFICIAL] Manual v. Automatic Thread

[Memphis370Z]

Just thought I would weigh in on the discussion.

Originally Posted by airikrankin

auto can shift faster than manual but you are pointing the car and hitting the gas, not really racing. someone with no driving experience would get the same 1/4 mile time. if everyone raced autos it would be car vs car, not driver vs driver

Originally Posted by airikrankin

Racing auto in a straight line, pointless. Just curious as to why someone would choose auto if they planned on racing it and was able to drive a manual?...Auto vs man...auto wins, your not going to be able to shift faster than an auto or be nearly consistent. But in the end do you feel that your the reason you won that race?

Your comments seem to imply that drag racing, in general, is pointless. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. For a lot of the guys that I grew up with, drag racing (street or track) was the gateway that led them to road racing, off road racing, and oval track racing. I've found that each type of motorsport offers its own unique challenges and learning curves, which is only compounded by the drivers choice of equipment.

As you pointed out, if one wants to go from point A to point B, an AT is a great choice because it shifts quicker. If I want to win a 1/4 mile race, to me, choosing which tranny to use is no different than selecting any other part on my car. I drove cars with MTs for nearly 30 years and won my share of races, but most of my losses came at the hands of AT-equipped cars with similar set ups - WHP, weight, etc. Just sayin'.

Originally Posted by airikrankin

...As far as saying all new sports cars are going auto and manuals are obsolete, this is true because not only are they automatic, there are many other features that keep the car on the road and under control. Allowing bad drivers to be good drivers with the false belief they were the reason for their track times, ignoring everything else that kept them from loosing it around a turn....

Do you ever use SRM when you drive your Z?

Originally Posted by airikrankin

Perhaps i view things differently, i bought my z as a toy. Anytime i take it out it is for the fun of it. Bought mine 3yrs ago only put 10k miles on it. Its just not practical for anything else other than spirited driving.

My Z is a DD and I find it quite practical. It's comfortable, starts when it should, and goes quick/fast enough for me when I ask it to. My previous car had a backseat (albeit small) and in twelve years of ownership, I can count on one hand the number of times that I had more than two people aboard. Practicality is subjective and ever-changing.

Originally Posted by JWillis72

I can tell you I have never gone into a turn on a race track and thought " wow a clutch pedal would make this fun!", if you think a 7AT is boring then I'm guessing you haven't driven one hard. Using a clutch isn't rocket science or hard to use, the paddles are just faster.

Agreed.

When I bought my Z last September, I didn't necessarily set out to buy one with an AT, but once I drove the MT, I wasn't that impressed, plus I read about the problems with the CSC and didn't want to fool with that. I can't say one is better (whatever that means) than the other, just different. I was ready for something different, so I chose the AT.

All this noted, I am not trying to stir the pot, nor am I attempting to vehemently argue that one type of tranny is better than the other. Just sharing my comments, especially given that I drove MT cars for so long and have only had my Z for less than six months. Thanks for reading.