I will be 20 this summer and my V6 has been nothing short of awsome up to this point. I am considering moving up to a 01 or 02 SS in a year or so.

I drove a friends mom's 97 Z28 M6 and it was a completely different animal. It was not nearly as easy or relaxing to drive, it really took some effort to drive where as my camaro you simply go. The clutch was heavy as hell and even though hers was not hurst, (it was standard setup) it was notchie, every gear had it's place and you couldnt try to go fast.

I dont know, it was a blast with the manual but....she drives it only a few times a year, I drive mine every day to work and school in rain and snow, (about 12-15K a year) after reading that thread of the shifting problems I am wondering if I should just get another A4.

I have no complaints with the A4 other then the fact that im not shifting and I miss out on that some times

long term, what do you guys think?

 

I would say go with the M6... it becomes second nature and you realy have a better feel for the car and the road..... also...the Ls1 clutch is not as heavy as the Lt1

 

The LS1's are lighter clutches- although this is not to my liking. I have a Centerforce DF which is very heavy, but you get used to it quickly.

I personally think you'd be a fool to drive an f body w/ the stock shifter. I have just a hurst base but you can tear through the gears if you know what you're doing.


I'd just drive the car for a week, give your self a chance to get used to i.

 

The T56 is a better tranny in the long run, the 4L60E can be kinda picky about passing through more power sometimes. I love the A4. I comute to school everyday in traffic. no clutch = no problem with knees. (Hurt left knee from last manual car ) Although, there are times where I really miss driving a manual. But, the A4 is better for drag racinging, so.......if you like that kind of thing and also do a lot of commuting, I'd get an A4. You can generally find them for 1-3K$ less than the M6. They are also easier to find.

 

As you probably know, Chris, you will get very biased answers here... Most people usually tend to strongly support what ever they have.

What I can tell you from my experience is that what ever car I am using as a daily driver, it will have an automatic transmission. An occasional driver might be a different thing.

I learned to drive with a manual tranny and drove the first 15 some years w/a vehicle w/an auto tranny, but when I got my first daily driver with an auto, I haven't looked back.

For racing, autos tend to be faster or at least they are more consistent. Reliability wise, manual might have an edge...

Please note that a properly maintained stock 4L60E is good for well over 100K miles, though. Not sure how well stock clutch, synchros etc. hold up in the T56's, but I've heard and read them breaking, too.

All in all, try and see if you can loan a car w/manual tranny for a week or so and see how you like it. There's really no other way to know it except actually driving one for a longer period of time.

My 2 cents. Good luck, which ever you decide to go with!

TS

 

I could be wrong (certainly wouldn't be the first time) but it sounds like you want an A4. You referred to an M6 as not relaxing and taking effort to drive. I drove a stick for two years and liked it alot. I have had a lot of cars since then which have all been automatics and enjoyed the convienience of them. Now I have an LS1 A4 and I regret not holding out for an M6.

I owed 10k on the camaro I traded in for my formula and they only gave me 8k for the trade. I had 1k cash so I had to finance the entire formula plus the 1k plus a 1300 dollar warranty. Needless to say at this point I can not sell my car and get an M6 without somewhere around 6k cash and a A4 to M6 conversion is 3500 to 4k from what I understand so that would actually be cheaper.

My point for telling you this is DO NOT make the same mistake I did. Get what you want. It sounds like you want an A4 to me but if you have any doubts then hold off till your sure. An A4 with good tires and a 3200-4000 stall TC is a kick a$$ combo for the strip I have been told so that will be my goal to ease my pain of not getting what I wanted.

Test drive both as many times as you need to but get what you want the first time around and you'll be

Good Luck

 

To me, autos are boring and a few tenths/mph slower than a well driven M6...and definitely at a disadvantage from a roll (i.e. on the street). But hey, M6s aren't for everyone...and they're hard to find. Oh, and no one knows how to drive an M6 well. You'd probably be better off in an A4, if you care about how relaxing the car is to drive.

So, you're implying that the 4L60E is a more reliable tranny?

Did the bias come after the car purchase, or before it? I wouldn't drive it if I didn't want it in the first place. Place me in an A4 and my opinion wouldn't change. My first f-body was an A4 Tuned Port T/A. There's no need to rationalize about why I "chose" (ended up with) an A4, because I didn't.

 

I agree sounds like you want an A4.. I will say that I prefer an M6 eventhough I drive an A4 car for one reason, M6s are hard to find in my area, eventhough 4 months after buying my car, a local dealer did get an M6 01 Formula.. Trust me if I would have had a choice on either M6 or A4, I would have jumped for an M6 but oh well. One thing is nice when you hit Traffic an A4 is nice since you don't have to worry about shifting but the M6 is just in my opinion a lot more fun to drive!

Go figure I have an A4 in my z28 but my project will have an M6 when I am done with restoring it... If you like to just jump in and drive the car w/ out worrying about a clutch, then get the A4, besides from what I have been reading is that either of these cars are fast, it just depends on a couple of areas, 1. How available are M6s in your area(kind of like West Coast are is full of 67 - 72 Chev/GMC LWB Trucks for cheap and the SWB are more expensive because they are the most desirable, where as East Coast wants the LWB trucks and the SWB trucks are Cheaper Go Figure) and 2. Do you just want an A4!! I just say get what you want and don't let anyone tell you differently..

Charlie

 

if the person really knows how to drive the manual will be faster than the auto but if ur just an average joe then the auto is faster. unlike what some ppl think the t56 is a NICE NICE NICE tranny (heck the viper has one if that tells you anything) and can take abuse as long as you know how to drive (i just replied to a person that probly doesn't know how to shift so his tranny is messed up).

i personally bought a manual and am going to get am 8.8 or 9 inch rear this winter. its all upto you and what YOU like. just remember the clutch packs on the auto's like to go out

 

No. I am just stating my experience w/114K+ 4L60E on my old LT1 and what I have heard/read about the T56.

Nowhere did I say either one of them is more reliable than the other. Or did I? If I did, that was definetely not my intention.

That's all...

 

Well I have to agree that the manual will be faster then an Auto for Top Speed, but then I have to add this fact as well, Can anyone out shift a computer ?? Nope not possible, that is why an A4 car will have better times then an M6 car but when you notice the MPH, then the M6 has a higher MPH but actually I prefer a Manual myself but I will admit that I cannot shift faster then a computer though...

Charlie

 

autos are for wussies

**DUCKS**

just kiddin guys!!

hey someone had to say it, right?

 

No, that's not why an A4 will have better times than an M6 car. Assuming a competent driver, shifting isn't really a factor at all. A higher trap speed means you have more to work with. The ET is in the 60ft, and that's why many A4s have an advantage on M6s at the strip...but what happens when both get equal 60fts?

Aside from the RWHP differences, you're also overlooking the gear ratio differences. The A4 and M6 transmissions are very different. Because the M6 has 6 speeds, it can afford to have a higher ratio in every gear except 1st gear:

1st: 2.66 3.06


2nd: 1.78 1.63


3rd: 1.30 1.00


4th: 1.00 0.70


5th: 0.74 ---


6th: 0.50 ---

 

It seems this really is about personal preference. I have rersearched transmissions till my eyes almost popped out trying to decide if I want to invest in a TC and trans go kit or pay the money to have a shop do the dreaded A4 to M6 swap.

The majority of the people out there seem to agree on these points:

M6 (with good driver) will beat A4 in 1/4 mile.

A4 (with high stall TC) will beat M6 in 1/4 mile.

A4 is easier to drive in stop and go traffic.

M6 is more fun to drive in free flowing traffic.

M6 (equally modded) will always beat a A4 on the highway at 100+ speeds.

So I have to decide whether I would prefer better 1/4 mile times and the ability to eat a burger while my computer shifts or slightly less 1/4 mile times and having to wait till I get to a cruising speed before I can pick up that burger.

Then again someone on another forum once said He enjoys eating his burger in the A4 while beating your M6 in a race. I about fell out of my chair laughing. I really want the M6 but for less money I can get a TC and get better 1/4 mile times. Tough choice.

 

The only way you will be 100% happy would be to have one of each!

I have an Automatic, and most of the time I love it. My daily driver is a Honda Civic EX with a 5 speed, and it is fun to throw that thing into the corners with a manual transmission. Sometimes I wish I could do some of those things in my T/A, but then other times, Im glad I dont ever have to worry about missed shifts, or not having a 100% perfect shift when Im getting on it.

As you can see, there are pluses and minuses to both transmissions. It comes down to which is more important to you.