PlaneCrazy

My first f-bod was an auto 94 Formula, my second and current is a 96 Z28 - 6 speed.

I will never buy another auto again. This car is like 2394382 times more fun with a 6 speed.

redthunder96

My first car was a '96 Camaro V6 with an auto.. Loved it, but now I have my '96 Z28 with an M6.. I love the manual so much more.. Granted I also have a lot more power, but even when driving slow, it's a much more fun driving experience..

If you love your car and don't want to go looking for a new one, go for the tranny swap.. But try to find someone who's done it to see everything involved.

And if you do get an M6, DEFINATELY get an aftermarket shifter (Pro 5.0 or Ripper), you'll love it.

darrens99formul

If you like drag racing at the track then keep the auto. Put a 2800 stall in it with shift kit and tranny cooler. Then upgrade to maybe 3.73 gears. Your times will be faster and more consistant. Your car will be a lot more responsive and fun to drive on the street as well. If however your not that interested in drag racing then get the M6. Do the swap or sell the car and buy another. You'll never be happy with your auto unless your gonna really get into drag racing.

But if you keep your auto then definately get a torque converter. It'll be a whole new car and you'll wonder how you ever drove on a stock converter for so long. Yank makes great converters but TCI is IMO the best bang for the buck converter out there for performance vs $$. For under $500 you can get a nice 2800-3000 stall that will get rid of the dead spots, knock close to half a second off your 1/4 mile time and roast your street tires (may need drag radials to handle the hard launches).

Good luck with whatever you decide. Either way your gonna be happier with your car.

robb4964

More consistant , yes . Faster , NO WAY . Actually , it depends on the driver . But autos are not as fast as 6speeds with equal mods . And on the highway , even a auto w/better 1/4's can get owned bye a 6 speed .
Get a stick if your not using the car for racing purposes only . You wont regret it . They are faster and funner . Plain and simple . I have driven many of each and owned both . My LT1 auto wqs a slug compared to my LT1 6 speed with 2 times the milage .
And as far as the tranny swap goes ...Just get another car . Its not worth the headache . If its performance you want , just beef up your auto like Darren said . But I have 2 friends who did the swap and both said they wouldnt do it again . But thatas them . What ever you do , hope you end up in what makes you happiest .

darrens99formul

M6's are faster then autos, that's true. Until you add a properly stalled and decent STR torque converter. Then the tide shifts to the auto. This does not make the auto faster, just quicker. So on the highway the M6 will still own the A4 with equal mods because they still trap higher. But at the track the high stalled auto with equal mods will trap less but ET less as well. This only applies to the properly stalled cars because if you get a weaker stall and or weaker STR then your advantages will be deminished.

But with at least a 3000 stall with a 2.2 STR and good tires your gonna own the average M6 driver in the 1/8 mile. At that point the M6 is reeling you in however, because over all he is still faster. By the 1/4 mile mark your still ahead but not by near as much as you were at the 1/8 mile. If you continued this race the M6 will eventually pass you and continue to walk you till you shut down. This is why A4's and eventually A3's or A2's dominate the track. And once you start adding bigger power stuff like heads and a cam then you can go with even higher stalls and STR's for even more insane launches. Of course now you need a 12 bolt but that had to happen eventually. Again they are not faster, just quicker. They dyno less and trap less then the equally modded M6 but they can ET quicker if properly setup.

But for roadcourse or autox the M6 is the ONLY way to go. And for highway punches the M6 is the ONLY way to go. Heck for highway traveling like going on vacation, the M6 dominates the mpg. It's not that a M6 can't be good at the track. Look at Taner. He has mid nines with a M6. But the average person can not drive a M6 to it's full potential particularly on the launch. This is especially true of the vast majority of young college aged kids I see running at the track on TnT night.

As far as sticks being "funner" goes, that is subjective to personal opinion. However, the vast majority does agree with you. But some people find stalled autos more fun. That does not make them wrong, just different then you in thier interpretation. I agree that M6's are more fun. My personal goal is to make a A3 trailer queen/track monster that I pull to the track in a bolt-on M6. Best of both worlds there.

Brent94Z

I've got both the M6 and A4 in an F-Body. They both have their place and are both fun to me. I now have a 2800 stall and that completely changes the car... actually makes it even more fun. I'd recommend something like a good 2800 stall for ya. With my 2800 stall I can rev at cars next to me almost like I was in my M6

Buffdaddy

m6!