They've obviously never been to a track to see what transmissions most hardcore drag racers are using.

The 4L60E is a very good transmission. It's durable, fast, keeps the engine in its powerband nicely, doesn't shift too soon, and it's pretty modifiable from what I've heard.

Stock, most Ford and import auto. trannies are not made to go behind engines like the LS1 or LS2. My friend purchased a '01 Mustang convertible V6 auto. a few months ago (yeah..., I know . I urged him to get the V8 model, but he said the auto. trans. V8 felt the same as the V6, so he bought the V6 for better mileage. That car's tranny really holds back some of its potential, unlike two identically equipped LS1s with a T-56 and a 4L60E which are extremely close in 1/4-mile performance.

I had to give a co-worker a ride somewhere and the first thing he asked me was if my car had a shift kit in it.

As far as the WS6 or SS comments go, most people seem to believe that appearance = performance. If you were to take a stock red WS6 and put a plain-looking Z28 that's highly modified next to it, I guarantee you most will think it won't stand a chance against that red WS6.

What we're all trying to say is don't be ashamed that your car is an automatic. 3/5 F-Bodies are and GM wouldn't have done if the auto. was a slouch.

 

I just raced an M6 WS-6 last night and I was neck and neck from 40 on up, then from about 30-35 roll I was pullin on him. It also has to do with the driver, I know I wouldnt do well with an M6 as Ive never driven one...

 

Thanks for all of the inputs fellas. I am by any means ashamed of my new toy. It just had me a little fired up because of their ignorance. I wish one of them would step up to the plate and run with me one time. /hell i even offered to give them a 1 car head start.

 

i have a stock stall, no tranny work, only mods are in sig. my best is 11.87@ 118mph. average of all tracks visited is 12.0 @ 117. i dont have to worry about missing a shift. ive beaten stock/ lightly modded 03-04 cobras (stick) and they dont talk trash after that
like already mentioned, its the driver, and how the car responds. they say a high stall can cut off .5 off a a4 time, hope thats true, low 11's here i come.......soon

 

Wow, how do you do it?

My best time is in my sig. with all the mods I have done. I thought for sure headers would put me in the high 12s. I launch at 1,000-1,100 RPM and cut a 2.0-2.1 60' most of the time.

 

Huh? You can still get a "higher stall" converter in a stock 12'' size....

Size is exactly what it is, the size of the converter.

 

I was trying to simplify a very misunderstood part of the car.
Yes you can internally modify a stock sized converter to flash higher but not much. It'll be only a matter of a few hundred RPM where as a smaller converter is a couple thousand RPM. A smaller converter is going to be capable of a higher flash aka more slippage aka more "stall" than a larger diameter converter. OF course where a converter flashes is dependent on how much torque the engine can develope and the weight of the vehicle. Plus with a smaller converter you'll have the added benefit of less rotational mass that the engine must spin, by the tune of ~20 lbs .

I'll use an SBC as my example since thats the main experience I have with converters. Stock "stall" is ~1600 RPM (IIRC). A nicely modified 12" converter will only yeild an additional ~200-800 RPM flash (depending on the converter and your set up) where as a 10" is capable of up to an additional 1100-2200 RPM.

Now the stock LS1 converter will flash at about the same RPM. The guys who have been running .5 sec quicker ET's with the converter alone are running in excess of 3200 RPM "stalls" Do you want to inverst your $ in a converter of the same size to pick up 200-800 more RPM of "stall?"

In any event. The concept of getting a "bigger stall" is technically incorrect.

So, still think the size of a converter is just the size???

 

Rated stall and flash stall are two different things

The point I was trying to make is just because you go with a smaller converter doesn't automatically mean it's a different stall speed.

 

Thats why rated is always in a range.

Actually, a smaller converter is naturally more loose. So yes it'll have more stall.

 

Nevermind, I see what you're saying but my point is flying right over your head.

 

sure

 

Read his sig more carefully. He has stage 2.5 heads and a medium big cam.

I have smaller heads with about the same cam with a big stall and run consistantly in the low 11s at 118-119mph

 

Tell you what else i just learned to love about my A4 yesterday. Autocrossing. With my A4 and 2.73 rear, all i gotta do is leave it in 1st. I don't know about you lower 48 guys, but the auto-x tracks up here are usually fairly small and we don't see much above 50mph. So, while everyone else might be busy banging gears, i get to concentrate on driving.

 

Do yourself a favor and run a transcooler.

 

Are the deep tranny pans with colling fins beneficial or a waste?