Graeme Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Ok, i am in the process of building up a 350 want to make about 400-450hp. I will be driving it on the street and the odd track day but i am not sure which way to go a or m tran. I used to have a 5 speed which can handle 300hp so it will have to go. I found it great on the track but at time gave me the shits in traffic. Please help me decide and what auto would suit this setup? Thanks Graeme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corzette Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Highway/Strip = 2004R or 700R4 has overdrive. Strip only T350/400. Chevy right? Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iaconsultants Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Automatic transmission: Well 1/4 mile track the Automatic will be the quickest without a doubt. You are nearing the maximum power that you should try to put through the automatic transmission. It is easier to drive and very consistant. Gas mileage will be good as long as you get one with an overdrive. You can manually shift the automatic which will get some (very slight) of the manual feel. If you have a wife (like I have) or girlfirend that does not really want to learn how to drive a standard, well that will make it more difficult for her to buy into and share in what you are doing. Believe me it is a lot more fun if the lady in your life says lets make it faster and its okay to spend the money for the better engine and twin turbos. Standard Transmission: On a road course the Standard should be the quickest but that is more driver skill. This should get a little better gas mileage on the highway. The standard is generally stronger and could handle it if you decided to go more power than you have listed so far. The standard in my opinion is more fun to drive, but that is a personnal call (trying to convince my wife the same thing). Basically you will have to make a comparison list and the answer will be there even if sometimes you don't want to see it. Good luck. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Automatic transmission: Well 1/4 mile track the Automatic will be the quickest without a doubt. You are nearing the maximum power that you should try to put through the automatic transmission. It is easier to drive and very consistant. Gas mileage will be good as long as you get one with an overdrive. You can manually shift the automatic which will get some (very slight) of the manual feel. If you have a wife (like I have) or girlfirend that does not really want to learn how to drive a standard' date=' well that will make it more difficult for her to buy into and share in what you are doing. Believe me it is a lot more fun if the lady in your life says lets make it faster and its okay to spend the money for the better engine and twin turbos. Standard Transmission: On a road course the Standard should be the quickest but that is more driver skill. This should get a little better gas mileage on the highway. The standard is generally stronger and could handle it if you decided to go more power than you have listed so far. The standard in my opinion is more fun to drive, but that is a personnal call (trying to convince my wife the same thing). Basically you will have to make a comparison list and the answer will be there even if sometimes you don't want to see it. Good luck. Robert[/quote'] Automatics can handle alot more HP than that, which is more than can be said for manual trannies!! It seems almost sacriligious to have an automatic in a sports car, I guess the challenge is to design an manual trans that can handle the torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 I am torn with that same decision. Being a Sports car guy for years I feel it is almost sacrilegious to have an automatic in a sports car. My car is a daily driver, I live in Atlanta, USA and have to deal with major traffic everyday. My present setup is a 5 speed and at times in traffic I wish it was an automatic. Like others have said, you have to look at your biggest need and desire for your car and go with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleh Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 why not swap in a tip tronic ? this question was on my mind aswell. i figured with a tip tronic atleast i can change something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONGO510 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Okay, I'll bite. What the heck is a Tip Tronic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Tiptronic is used by Porsche also known as auto stick by Chrysler and known as other names in other brands. It's basically the ability to shift an automatic car manually + or -, up or down then just shift it back to "D" after your done playing. It's like a manual transmission with an automatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Sounds like a new name for an old game (Ratchet Shifter). As for the question, both have their benefits. The auto is an easier swap and a built one can handle a lot more power than what you're proposing, but if you want a manual that bad do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getZ Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 It works about the same as a ratchet shifter. Except with electronic tranmissions you can also change how hard the system shifts. Where are you going to find an tiptronic tranmssion for a small block chevy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 One consideration regarding transmission torque-carrying capacity is whether you plan on regularly running the engine at WOT, or if the spirited jaunts will be rare. If the car will see a dozen passes down the quarter mile, every Saturday for six months a year for 10 years, then certainly a strong transmission is required. But if (as for example in my own case) the track would be visited once or twice a year, for a couple of time-trials just to collect a time-slip or two, then it stands to reason that even a gearbox that’s marginal at 300 hp should survive the occasional 500 hp. In that case, torque capacity really shouldn’t be a concern. The higher-rated transmission would be more expensive, heavier, harder to fit, harder to service, and harder to shift. But if you do plan on regular drag racing, then indeed the gearbox strength issue becomes moot, and the slushbox is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwik240z Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 I am torn with that same decision. Being a Sports car guy for years I feel it is almost sacrilegious to have an automatic in a sports car. My car is a daily driver, I live in Atlanta, USA and have to deal with major traffic everyday. My present setup is a 5 speed and at times in traffic I wish it was an automatic. Like others have said, you have to look at your biggest need and desire for your car and go with that.[/size'] I will throw in my 2 cents. When I started my LS1 swap, the LS1 motor I bought came with an automatic trans. I have always believed that a sports car has a manual trans and I love rowing through the gears. I talked myself into believing that I could be happy with an automatic in my 240z and went as far as installing it into my car with the LS1. Well as I got busy at work, my car just say on jackstands in the garage and I kept on thinking about the auto trans. I finally decided that my Z had to have a stick shift. I bought a 6 speed and installed it on the car. Now that my car is on the road, I am so glad I went with the 6 speed. I love to shift. My daily driver has an auto-stick that you can shift manually. It is not the same. Nothing like being able to side step the clutch and do a nasty burnout or rev the motor and match the down shifts. No to mention hitting 2nd gear and having the car start to slide out from the back. Go with the manual. You will be happy that your car is still a sports car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 580_Z Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 Now for my 2 cents... I totally agree with qwik240z. I'm in the process of acquiring parts and planning the attack on my 260z small block conversion. I know that the JTR manual states that an auto is the way to go... and it seems it would be easier, especially if your car currently has an auto already. But in my case, I never had a second thought as to whether or not I was going to go with a manual (t56 or richmond is still up in the air though). It just feels like you're more a part of the car when you're shifting it for yourself.... imho. If you're not comfortable with a manual, then go with the auto... it's your car... build it your way. The most important thing is to have fun with it... Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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