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Stick or Automatic
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Posted by: Nisstyre

Hello guys this is my first post here, and wasnt sure where exactly it would go into. My question for you all is what is better on the new mustangs. I normally go with stick on cars because in the past, sticks were faster than autos. Is that still the same on the new mustangs? or is the difference so minimal that it wouldnt matter. I live in San Diego so there is always alot of traffic.

Posted by: Rick Sample

If I were to get a knew GT, I'd have to go stick as long as it wasn't an every-day type of car.

Posted by: Nisstyre

yes it will be a daily driver.

Posted by: Rick Sample

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisstyre

yes it will be a daily driver.

Ah, ok, with that in mind, I would say an auto. Just because where I'm located, it takes a while to get to work, school, etc. Personally, I would get tired of having to shift alot!

Posted by: CODY2003

Both are good choices in the new stang. I have heard good things about the new auto.

I have a stick now, so that's what I would get. But I wouldn't throw out the auto either.

Posted by: MCRPARTS

AHH the old your auto sucks thread. I love when people say that about my 92 LX.

Until they strap in and I demonstrate the power of a warmed up TCI AOD with a 10" stall

Not sure how the 05 auto are,I'd be interested to see how they feel. With my car, I fell in love with it all over again once we ditched the stocker AOD. I'll be addin on a blower this summer too.

Posted by: badass98svt

if you are going to stick with the factory hardware, i'd have to say stick. stick, stick, stick. whether its an everyday driver or not. traffic or no traffic. its well worth it. you were wondering if a stock standard is still faster than a stock auto... an automatic can rob UP TO 10% of your hp through the auto tranny. its usually at least 10-15 hp. plus its waaay more fun. a 3 to 2 downshift is loads of fun. in fact i've owned 5 cars...4 stangs and an 82 capri rs...all standards. never owned an auto. but muscle mustangs is right a new auto (replacing the stock unit) adds some pep to the automatics. i just prefer the 4/5/6 sppeds myself.

Posted by: MCRPARTS

If I were to do it again, I'd probably go with a stick too,but I got my car for free,as a wreck,so I made the best of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by badass98svt

if you are going to stick with the factory hardware, i'd have to say stick. stick, stick, stick. whether its an everyday driver or not. traffic or no traffic. its well worth it. you were wondering if a stock standard is still faster than a stock auto... an automatic can rob UP TO 10% of your hp through the auto tranny. its usually at least 10-15 hp. plus its waaay more fun. a 3 to 2 downshift is loads of fun. in fact i've owned 5 cars...4 stangs and an 82 capri rs...all standards. never owned an auto. but muscle mustangs is right a new auto (replacing the stock unit) adds some pep to the automatics. i just prefer the 4/5/6 sppeds myself.

Posted by: Kotetsu

I have a Manual but i would like an auto just because they are better in my opinion. in the 60s when the Hemi came out autos were the only transmissions that could stay with it. the Hemi would spit the manual out because it was too much motor. keep that in mind.
but manuals are fun too drive around.

Posted by: badass98svt

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kotetsu

I have a Manual but i would like an auto just because they are better in my opinion. in the 60s when the Hemi came out autos were the only transmissions that could stay with it. the Hemi would spit the manual out because it was too much motor. keep that in mind.
but manuals are fun too drive around.

manuals transmissions have come a loooong way since the 60's!

Posted by: Guitarmike

I got the V6 with the 5 speed auto, and I'm very impressed with it. It is one of the smoothest trannys I've ever felt. If you are not punching it, you really can't feel it shift. I didn't get a chance to testdrive a stick before I bought this one, so I guess my opinion doesn't really count.

Posted by: -Mike-

My car is a daily driver so when I purchased it was an auto. I would have liked to purchased a manual due to the fun factor but back then I was just happy to have a Mustang and dealing with Houston traffic on a daily basis can give your shifting an intense workout.

I'm looking to purchase a four door sedan so I can swap a T56 tranny into the Mustang.

Posted by: badass98svt

why a t56? a t56 is a t45 with a second overdrive. its not like its another performance gear. it'll pretty much just give you better gas mileage on the highway

Posted by: Nazz

I have a T-45 for sale, it has 25k miles on it 600.00 probly needs to be picked up.

Posted by: WhitePony4.6

The new 5speed auto tranny for the new mustangs stays right with the manual. There is a very slight difference. Every magazine that I've ever seen review the car and compare the auto to the manual has managed about a tenth of a second better in the quarter mile with the manual. And we are talking about professional test drivers here. I'm sure they can handle the manual better than 99 percent of the people I will run into on the street. So the fact that the 5speed auto will take a bone stock 05 GT through the quarter in 13.8 at 104 mph by just nailing the throttle, and holding on means that there is a pretty good chance of me smoking somebody driving the exact same car I am, only with a manual, because he isnt going to turn in a 13.7 in the quarter. He'll be lucky to shoot below 14. It is true that there is a fun factor with the manual, I wont argue that. But I like to race, and I like to win. And my automatic slap shifter will take my supercharged 382 rwhp down the strip a little faster than most people can in the same car with a 5 speed manual.

Posted by: BIGJ

stock 05 vert with auto ran 13.7 on the 1/4 mile.....do the math
go with the auto if you are in traffic, save the left leg

Posted by: OldFart

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisstyre

Hello guys this is my first post here, and wasnt sure where exactly it would go into. My question for you all is what is better on the new mustangs. I normally go with stick on cars because in the past, sticks were faster than autos. Is that still the same on the new mustangs? or is the difference so minimal that it wouldnt matter. I live in San Diego so there is always alot of traffic.

WITH A STICK YOU'RE DRIVING - WITH AN AUTO YOU'RE JUST RIDING!

(With the possible exception of those that make substantial and expensive after-market changes to their automatic for drag race purposes. But for open track or performance road driving - you never even heard of anyone with an automatic. So it really depends on what you want out of this car.)

Posted by: bullitt5177

5 speeds are the best!! I have driven a 5spd 2005 sixer. The clutches are decently heavy in them, but they're fun to drive!!

Posted by: ANGELMAV

He never mentioned taking it to the track, for those that have never driven in Cali the traffic sux. If its a daily driver and you arent going to race it then I say go for the auto, youll wish you had the first time your stuck in traffic. That said I always prefer a stick but I rarely have to drive in traffic and would have a different tune if I lived where he does and needed a daily driver.

Posted by: OldFart

Quote:

Originally Posted by ANGELMAV

He never mentioned taking it to the track, for those that have never driven in Cali the traffic sux. If its a daily driver and you arent going to race it then I say go for the auto, youll wish you had the first time your stuck in traffic. That said I always prefer a stick but I rarely have to drive in traffic and would have a different tune if I lived where he does and needed a daily driver.

A good point. But if traffic is that bad why not just give up the whole idea of having a car that handles well and has pretty good performance right out of the box and just get something comfortable in traffic - like an SUV that lets you set up high and see all the traffic or a Town Car that is really comfortable and quiet.

The point is the Mustang is a performance car and you won't always drive in traffic - some days you will just drive and enjoy the experience. You make some sacrifices for that experience.

I lived in Houston for 15 years and currently live in Orlando and yeah the traffic does suck. But I still wouldn't trade my stick for an auto because when I'm not in traffic - I'm driving - not riding!

Posted by: Proia

I have raced in a quarter mile stretch many times with my 05 V6 automatic Stang. Ive been up against many races. I have never lost a race. 90% of all the people I race have a stick. I raced a Lincoln LS V8 280Hp 280 ft pounds of torque….i won that race too….my cars all stock…its going to have a K&N cold air intake pretty quick…and ill probably put a chip in it too.

I don’t know if that helps or not…

Tony

Posted by: badass98svt

you may have never lost a race, but bacing 4 cyl. doesn't help. the ONLY v8 stang that you would have a chance with is a 96-98 GT.
and i DOUBT that LS was racing. LOL

Posted by: cruiser28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisstyre

I recently ( well last April) purchased an '05 convertible GT for my wife ( our 25 th) and after a long thought process purchased an automatic.

We live in New Jersey ( don't laught now.. ) with a lot of traffic. She's the primary drive so.....

Although I don't get to drive her that much it's still a lot of fun. But, if it was just me...... get the stick !!

As far as speed goes ... the auto jumps a lot between gears out of the hole. A stick would be faster. Just my opinon.

Posted by: zstang

I got the automatic, mainly because of avialability at the time (sticks were hard to find with the options I was looking for, and didn't want to wait 3-4 months order one). I drove both a stick and auto before purchasing, and while the stick was more fun, the auto is quite decent. The auto shifts well both taking it easy and pushing it. If you end up doing a tune, you'll likely change the shift points and get more out of it.

Get a stick if you can, it's a mustang after all. If your 'better half' will be driving, get the auto to keep it out of the ditch!

Posted by: SpeedFreak

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruiser28

Although I don't get to drive her that much it's still a lot of fun....

Are you talking about the wife or the car?

Posted by: 1969Vette

the auto does shift very smoothly in newer stangs, and supposedly an auto with a shift kit is faster than a stick... i got an auto in my '04 becuase it was going to be my daily driver until I got the neon soon after, and also because it was a convertible and I mainly drive fairly slow and just cruise.

if I were getting a hardtop I would go with stick.

I kinda wish it were stick now alittle, since it isnt my daily driver anymore, but like I said, since its a convertible and a v6, it really doesnt matter when im doing the speed limit or alittle under most of the time.

you lose more power in an auto due to drag, and an auto also weighs more, so a gt hardtop, mach 1, bullit, cobra, saleen, etc. I would get a stick, definitely.

Posted by: dustindu4

The new auto tranny is okay up until 400hp then it doesn't last long after that

Posted by: nomad_dave

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisstyre

I bought the stick with my most recent 'Stang but all of the others I've owned were Autos. There really is nothing like an Auto when sitting in traffic all day. Also makes it easier for the wife or significant other to drive too. (that's the bad news.) The only difference really is the fun factor. Either way the car is just a great car regardless what type of tranny is in it.

Dave V.