Auto or Manual honest opinions please

[northey]

I drove a hotted up 308 with an aussie 4 speed for years. It was very fast but that box won't stand much punishment. Nor will the diffs.
I broke a lot of both. And I knew I had to be careful with it.

The 308 responds very well to good porting, cam, carb and extractors. The 4 speed box is crap and so is the diff.
The V8 box is the same as the 6 cyl - only different ratios I think.

The trimatic, done by the right person is a great auto. They were well known as crap in the early days though. It will be kinder on the diff than a manual box. The chev is a great option but then you make more power easier (because there are more parts available); you'll need a turbo 350 or 400 and then you'll need a 9" diff. A faster car but a lot more expense.

The holden drive trains in HQ's used to be easily broken in 6 cyl cars as well; it's only time.

[EBFalcs]

Originally Posted by bazzalong

not sure what the problem is with the BA's, but you guys have it real good, hydro clutch, twin cam, and a turbo option.

i drive an AU XR6 manual, every day, and i love it.
i have a heavier rated clutch, with old school cable technology.


my advise, go with what you want, if you like auto, do auto, but go for the T700, the fourth speed helps with the economy, but for the manual, you need to get the V8 box, otherwise you will be throwing money down the drain, and they are a to change out by yourself, you definantly should go for the four speed box, because with a three speed you run out of legs at about 120kph, depending on your diff gears, and petrol is not cheap now, so think economy as well as power.

happy hunting

mate. it doesn't matter weather you have a three speed manual or 4 speed top gear is the same ratio.

[Ryan]

For fun, definately Manual.

It all depends on what the car is going to be used for aswell.

The only Autos I liked, was my old man's V8 VL Calais, which had a worked 3 Speed and my uncle's Auto BA XR8.

Other then that, I dont like Autos at all.

[xbgs351]

Originally Posted by EBFalcs

i deffinately dont want it for corners, and old HQ on corners, i might as well pushe the thing into a tree or off a cliff, atleast i won't be in the car then and it will still have the same fate

If you are prepared to put some thought and effort on a HQ's suspension you can have a very nice handling car. Have a look at the lap times that HQ race cars with asthmatic 202's do on curvy circuits . They are similar to showroom HSV's and GT's.

[chevypower]

Real world situation:

City driving - most people prefer autos. Changing gears all the time in stop/start isnt that exciting

Highway- well it doesnt really matter cos the car is cruising in top gear anyway

corners (as someone else pointed out) you might prefer a manual, but that is only if you are doing some sporty accelerating and braking (in most cases this can only be utilized properly above todays speed limits - i can hold the speed limit on most corners, and i live in the Dandenongs.... I say the automatic in 99% of cars