Why Only "3%"???!!!

[hyena429]

I like a stick...But in the middle of down town seattle...Give me a auto please...Steep hills at stop lights ...with lots of rain and oil slicked roads....No matter how good you are..You will burn some clutch or alot of tire at the hill lights...So steep you feel like you're launching in the shuttle..lol...Been in a 4x4 with a stick and i stuck it in low range at one light.....I know Jim and some of the other Wa state drivers know what im talking about...lol

Agree with tubo..It is nice having a auto with my gal in the car...But me alone on a country road..Give me the stick..hehe

 

[72 R Code]

Helllo Fellow Enthusiasts; If 71-73 Mach 1's were "Performance Cars"?!....Why are ONLY 3% Manual transmission ordered cars???!!!....I would NEVER own an automatic "Performance Car"!!!!...Were there that many "Girlie Men" in the early 70's!!!!....REAL MEN NEED 3 pedals!!!!!.....Mark

I agree, I don't like automatics either. I had to order mine back in 72 to get a manual as there were none at any of the Indy area dealers. It does not bother me that most are automatics. I say have it the way that you want it. It just makes our cars with manuals more rare, not necessarily better. My first car was a Buick with a Dynaflow. That is what turned me against automatics and I have not had one since. Speaking of 3 pedals, someday I would like to drive a Model T and an old Chrysler product with the Fluid drive, just to see what they are like. They both had 3 pedals.

 

[73 CJ]

I find this thread really funny, especailly making a comment about automatics being girlie when in todays society half the people are to lazy to use their turn signals when making a lane change. But what I find most amusing is someoone living in the San Francisco Bay area calling people with performance automatics girlie men

If you LOVE Women like I DO!!!....What better place to live than the San Francisco Bay area...Where the women are STARVING 4 a REAL MAN ( ME)...that drive 3 pedal cars!!!....OHHHHHH...I just LOVE your BIG Gear shift KNOB!!!!.....Mark

 

[droptop73]

I prefer the manual in my Mustang, traffic or not, regardless of weather. A manual transmission has better gear splits and requires MUCH less power to make it turn. A stock C-6 takes about 60 horsepower just to drive the transmission, a T-5 takes about 12 horsepower. Besides... any "proper" hot rod should have 3 pedals!

From the racing standpoint a manual transmission is far superior to an automatic in all forms of racing (Pro Stock, F1, Indycar, SCCA, Land Speed, NAPCAR all are nearly exclusively manual trans). A manual transmission is also MUCH harder on parts especially in drag racing. Most bracket drag racers prefer an automatic since they are easier on parts and require less driver input. Consistency from manual to auto is really a wash in a state of the art Stock or SuperStock eliminator car.

Mostly it boils down to what you prefer, I think if someone can't drive a manual transmission they shouldn't drive at all.

 

[wwhite72]

Ford didnt introduce hydraulic clutches until around 2005, and the clutches had higher pedal pressure back in the 70's on bigger HP applications, and the top loader is not the smoothest tranni compared to a modern TK....so automatics were popular with a majority of Ford's paying customers. And the C6 was a reliable transmission for club/street drag racing.

 

[midlife]

I much prefer the manual transmission because it gives the driver more control in many different situations.

One reason why the automatic is superior for drag racing is the torque converter can give a 100% boost in torque at the starting line over a manual transmission by careful selection of the stall speed.

 

[MechEng]

What document says this? not being a smart butt, just wondering. I'll check the engine to trans numbers when I get a chance.

I hear ya and agree. The stop and go traffic jam on the interstate in a manual trans sucks! My daily driver is now an auto...first time in a long time for that to happen.

I'd be happy to provide my source! This is from the "1973 Mustang Illustrated Facts and Specifications Manual" last page.

 

[Don65Stang]

What document says this? not being a smart butt, just wondering. I'll check the engine to trans numbers when I get a chance.

I hear ya and agree. The stop and go traffic jam on the interstate in a manual trans sucks! My daily driver is now an auto...first time in a long time for that to happen.

I'd be happy to provide my source! This is from the "1973 Mustang Illustrated Facts and Specifications Manual" last page.

Thanks Michael! Good stuff. I didn't know the 73 H codes were all autos with 14k being C6s, 2 being C4s, and 41k being FMXs. All 4,228 4-speed top loaders were in the Q-code cars. This is very different from the 71 models where you could get a 4-speed with any engine except the 6 cylinder cars.

 

[droptop73]

One reason why the automatic is superior for drag racing is the torque converter can give a 100% boost in torque at the starting line over a manual transmission by careful selection of the stall speed.

But you can't "drop the hammer" at 6000 rpm!

 

[Totalled]

One reason why the automatic is superior for drag racing is the torque converter can give a 100% boost in torque at the starting line over a manual transmission by careful selection of the stall speed.

But you can't "drop the hammer" at 6000 rpm!

Transbrake.

 

[hyena429]

One reason why the automatic is superior for drag racing is the torque converter can give a 100% boost in torque at the starting line over a manual transmission by careful selection of the stall speed.

But you can't "drop the hammer" at 6000 rpm!

Transbrake.

+1 to that...My buds drag cars both have transbrakes.

 

[MechEng]

Thanks Michael! Good stuff. I didn't know the 73 H codes were all autos with 14k being C6s, 2 being C4s, and 41k being FMXs. All 4,228 4-speed top loaders were in the Q-code cars. This is very different from the 71 models where you could get a 4-speed with any engine except the 6 cylinder cars.

I find it interesting that it's listed as "Mandatory" and yet was still more of an option. More proof that you could really order a Mustang anyway you liked it from the factory.

I just wish Ford was still this flexible with the current mustang.

Nothing beats a manual for sheer thrill, but I don't think anything can compare to the simple slow city cruise that an automatic is so well suited for.

 

[mach71351c]

My 5.0 is a stick, I wouldn't have it any other way. I spend 8-10 hours a day with a 10 speed in my Pete so I get enough clutch pedal. Maybe if the parts just fell in my lap I would think about switching.

 

[cazsper]

I love my TKO-600 in my '68. I especially miss the t-56 from my '95 with a supercharged 393w. Even the California bay area traffic isn't that bad what I would want an automatic. As for long drives, if your cruising in the freeway, your not shifting that much anyways, unless of traffic of course. But I remember, the 1/4 mile guys are running mostly C-6's with manual valve bodies or a shift kit at least.

What I always found interesting was that cars with an automatic usually had a higher resale value. Of course, I had always set my cars up for road racing (coil overs, torque arm, panhard bar, etc). I guess it's all a preference.


Not that I think about it, if there's anyone out there who has a TKO but woukd prefer a C-6 for better ET's, I would be happy to take it off your hands..lol

 

[droptop73]

One reason why the automatic is superior for drag racing is the torque converter can give a 100% boost in torque at the starting line over a manual transmission by careful selection of the stall speed.

But you can't "drop the hammer" at 6000 rpm!

Transbrake.

Definitely not the same! Standing on the starting line while the engine screams on the 2 step watching the tree come down... AHHHHHH, nothing better!