I am planning on getting a camaro in the very near future. I was wanting some feedback on your guys opinion of the A4 and the T-56. What are the pros and cons of each? Are any of you dissapointed with your choice? I would like to get a 6-spd cause there fun but I do alot of driving and i'm afraid the fun would wear off pdq. Any feedback would be appreciated

 

A4

Pros

Easy on the stock 10 bolt rear end (A4 cars can get 11's and still not break it)

Easier in heavy traffic (no clutch to keep pressing in and out if you deal with traffic jams)

Faster at drag racing (If you add a high stall Torque converter then they beat the M6 with similair HP. They still trap less but ET lower).

A4 Cons

Not as fun (many people feel a M6 is more fun for driving around town then a stalled A4)

Less RWHP (the A4 eats slightly more HP in the drivetrain causing the M6's to dyno and trap slightly higher)

Dead spots (The A4 has dead spots with the most noticable at 35 mph. If you gun it as 35 it's a slug because it will not downshift to first. A decent torque converter will fix that however but the stock TC has dead spots)

Weaker tranny (it's fine for stock and bolt-ons but once you hit 375+ RWHP the 4l60e is not going to last long and a stronger tranny is definately going to be on your christmas list)


M6 Pros

Fun! (lots o fun shifting yourself on twisty roads with no traffic.)

Better MPG (Drop it into 6th gear in the highway and 30 mpg is obtainable where autos are maybe 24)

More power (M6 eats less HP in the drivetrain thus allowing them to dyno better and trap higher MPH then the stock A4 counterpart)

Stronger tranny (T56 can easily handle 400 RWHP with an upgraded clutch where as the 4l60e has problems running that kind of power)

Gears (the M6 comes standard with 3.42's and the A4's get 2.73's or 3.23's)

Full control (they make better autox and roadcourse cars because you can downshift at will to any appropriate gear to find the powerband. Basically you can downshift and have no dead spots)

M6 Cons

Hard on the rearend (once you get 12's with slicks you can kiss the 10 bolt goodbye and you'll be shopping for a 2k ish 12 bolt rearend)

Maintenance (if you drive em hard you'll need a semi regular clutch replacements as well as wanting a new shifter and skip shift eliminator right off the bat)

Not as good for drag racing (they rule road course but at the drag strip they can't keep up with high stalled/heavy duty automatics. Plus you have human error in launching and shifting that make the drivers less consistant for bracket racing. Still good but a high stalled auto is better)

Possible to bend rods (A number of M6 guys have done the dreaded third to first during a race while redlining the shifts. They tend to bend the rods where autos have a computer shift which obviously never misses a shift or picks the wrong gear by mistake. Mind you experienced drivers don't make that mistake but a number of not so experienced drivers have)

Thats about it. I'd say M6 is more desired most of the time so A4's are more abundant in the car market. For drag racing get an A4. For just fun around town or road course racing get a M6. For anything inbetween weigh the pros/cons and decide based on that or the best deal you find on a car in general.

Good Luck

 

I like my A4 because its my daily driver. I wish I had a button to switch between auto and manual though :/ If i had a manual i bet i'd be saying i wish i had an a4

 

I'm lucky enough to own both. I love the M6 in the turns. but just about everywhere else I like the auto better. I love the look on a Mustang guys face they find out they just got beat by an auto. Most ford people think auto can't be faster than stick.

 

M6's are faster then Autos , On the highway and in the quarter .
They are way more fun and get way beterr gas milage . You can add 410's and still get better gas then the auto , while having way more power in every gear.
I have had both , And so has most of the people I know . Almost all prefer stick's .

 

How do we know what you like?

For me, the M6 is far and away the best choice. Especially since the A4 is not much of a tranny for a performance car. Many, many people have broken them. Most of the M6's that break are in super hi-po cars taken regularly to the track. My stock M6 took my 4,100+ lb combo into the low 10's and still got ~17mpg in highway crusing. Not gonna happen with an A4. I am currently running a TH400, because I have configured the car more as a drag car with the current setup. But a 4L60E? No way.

Rich Krause

 

I love my M6.
4.11 rear gears and I am barely at 2000rpms at 70mph.

 

if its a weekend warrior or bracket race car and you want consistancy over a challenge, A4.

funwise, gas mileagewise, autoX or road race wise, M6

Ive looked at other cars Ive liked before and after I bought mine, but an autotragic would just not go well with me for very long on the street.


it all comes down to use of the car and preference

 

Rich,
Just a couple of questions:
1. Is your car's rear end stock? If not, what's there?
2. Which would be faster-your car w/ an A4 (beefed w/ appropriate TC) or your car w/ the "stock" M6, and you driving?
Thanks!

 

Moser 12-bolt, 33-spline axles, Eaton posi.

The T56 is a strong tranny but doesn't take kindly to speed shifting. But if one were willing to speed shift it, I suspect it would be both quicker and faster than an automatic. A race converter sucks up a lot of hp. OTOH, there is no way the A4 could be beefed up to the point where I could use one. So I went for the TH400 as the most practical "bullet proof" solution. So, with the TH400 I am running faster than the M6, but the car is making more power and I did not speed shift the T56.

Rich Krause

 

i'm in the same boat, i want the fun of a stick but the auto is so much easier to race with and daily drive. i can spray right out of the hole with my auto i know if i put a t56 spraying out of the would be out of the question. i'm actually leaning towards a turbo 400 my 700r4 just can't handle the power i keep burning clutches and bands not very fun diggin out the ole tranny once a year or more

 

I didnt spray a big shot, but the t56 didnt seem to mind iwhat i gave it out of the hole. the only thing that ever minds is that damn 10 bolt. but hopefully this year the t56 wont mind some real power

i just dont consider auto trannies as daily driver material, so we'll have to keep pushin the m6 for all its worth

 

I hear mixed reviews on speed shifting . I have a friend who speed shifts his T56 all of the time , for the last 3 years . He is in the 12's making at least 340 HP. I also read a magazine article once saying that the T-56 was plenty capable of taking speed shifts .....But I had a dual friction clutch on My Z w/a heavy flywheel " steel , 35 PD's " and I was speed shifting , I missed 3rd , went into 5th , and screwed the output shaft . sheared a gear pin , and chiped teeth off a gear . Wasnt pretty . I guess it was bound to happen with a clutch that dont give and a 35 PD Fly spinning at 6300 RPM's ..EDITED

 

I have a friend with a similar story. Was enough to convince me not to do it.

Rich Krause

 

darrens99formul's original post of pros and cons was pretty much dead accurate. If you are a teenager, get the M6 so you can impress your buddies. If you like winning races, get the A4 and a midrange convertor and never worry about the glory boys and their M6s. For heavy city driving, get an A4. For extended highway use, get a M6 because they just loaf along on the highway and get better highway mileage.