They are a waste IMO. If you get the big 24K tranny cooler and limit/eliminate hot lapping then you should be fine. Most people with 3000-4000 stalls never get the deeper pans and do just fine (myself included).

Generally speaking, M6 F-bodies trap higher but stalled A4's ET quicker. So for pure street or auto courses the M6 will definately be faster. But for drag racing the auto will be quicker not to mention far more tolerant of the 10 bolt rearend.

 

Already on the way, thanks!

 

Quicker for alot of reasons.
Less drivetrain loss
More gears to choose from
ability to launch harder" AUto without a stall"

I owned a Auto a4 LS1 for a few weeks..Literally,and it ran a 13.5@104 stock wich isnt bad. But my stock 6 speed trapped 107 more then not and ran 13.3 Easily on street tires.

It really boils down to a preference and I have owned more auto's then sticks "4 4th gen auto's and 2 4th gen M6 auto's" and prefer manuals.
But I dont race for money and if consitancy is a concern buy an auto. Manuals are susceptible to human error.

 

Very true.

 

While I've seen a few good stick drivers (like a 13.7 second STOCK LT1 Z28 ) I've seen several BAD stick drivers (high 13, low 14 second LS1's, 14 - 15 second LT1's, Mustangs, etc.).

On a bad day, with 2.73's, my '02 has run 14.0's around ~105 mph ... kinda depressing. BUT, on a good day, and with the 4.10's, I've run 13.02 @ 107.

Let the Mustang guys laugh at your "base" Z28/Formula with an automatic all they want, but if they'd put their money where their mouth is, they'd be in for a rude awakening. While the 4L60E may not be "bullet-proof", it still works a hell of a lot better than any Ford AOD tranny (and any Small-Block-Chev runs better too).

The only cars I'm not confident around are other F-bodies (LT1 or LS1), 'Vettes, or force-fed Mustangs.

 

The 4l60E is a great transmission for a stock or mildly modified car, but if you plan on breaking the 450 hp barrier I'd go with the manual or if you simply prefer the automatic get a th400. That being said, if you plan on running at the track, its just like everyone else says, auto=more consitent, manual=higher trap speed. I'm going to be putting a big ol' sigle turbo on my car next year and go Supra hunting, but before that happens I need to change the tranny and rear end . If I had a 6 speed I'd only need to change out the rear (and clutch).

 

That's true to a point. The stock 4L60E is not going to like power levels beyond 400 rwhp or so. But a Rock-on, FLT or Rossler 4L60E (I'm just naming the top 3 as I am sure there are other builders) can and has worked well with 500-600 rwhp cars.

Beyond 600 rwhp and I think you need to look at the TH350, TH400, 4L80E or any other heavy duty transmission that is track proven. Having the high trap speed and big dyno numbers are nice. But what is most important to alot of 1/4 mile track junkies (like me) is the ET. Two weeks ago I beat a M6 C5 LS1 Vette at the track. I ran 12.5 @ 108 to his 12.6 @ 111. His trap speed shows he had the faster car. But with the help of a 3500/2.5 STR converter, computer shifting and a 1.7 60' I proved to have the quicker car.

 

My internally-stock 4L60E is working just fine

 

Yeah you can lay the SMACK down on a manual FORD Mustang... (not a SC Cobra) but a stock 01 and down cobra and any other GT mustang all day LONG.

 

Do you drive your car on the street? How's the mileage with the 4.10's... expressway must kill you.

 

Let me put it this way, since i've had my A4 pretty much stock camaro the only car i lost to was a brand new black Z06 which laid the smackdown on me on the highway, other than that nothing comes close. Just last night i raced a new roush 2 mustang gt and i destroyed him from 30mph roll and 70mph roll, LS1's are faster than 90% on the cars out there so don't be ashamed and go show those guys whats up.

 

Daily driver, dude! The highway mileage actually isn't that bad ... still get around ~230 miles to a tank on average, same as I normally got with 2.73's . I think it's all my right foot's fault!!

 

Haha, I can't even break 200.. I seem to only put in 12.5 - 13.0 gallons though at each fill-up.