Manual vs. Auto

[TedNacious]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but hope to be around for a while, as I am looking to purchase a car (GT Limited)for the first time. I've never driven a manual, so I am considering it. I have a few questions that I would really appreciate answers for with regards to the GT:

 

1. Is there a considerable difference in this car's 0-60 between mt or eat cars? I know with the s60R which i was considering, the MT time was about 5.6sec but the AT was a whopping 7.1, a huge difference. I want to enjoy the power of the GTL, but is it possible to with automatic?

2. Is turbo lag much worse with auto than manual?

3. Is the electronic override on the automatic effective, and how much is it like a manual without a clutch? would 0-60 times using this function be better than 0-60 times letting the automatic just roll by itself?

4. For you owners out there, what do you have and do you regret your decision?

 

I know I have a lot of questions, but thank you for your time

 

Ted

[godwhomismike]

I have an auto or as known on here as a 5EAT

 

1)

MT = 5.4-5.6

AT = 6.2-6.4

 

2) It'll go from little power to a nice swift kick in power - it's fun

 

3) The manual mode is good here and there, I use it sometimes to engine brake sometimes, or sometimes to drive in manual mode. There is a 500-700 rpm delay, so you have to shift a little early for it to shift where you want it to. In sport and manual modes, it'll sometimes make it to 7100 before the rev limiter kicks in.

 

4. I do not regret my decision - too much traffic too often - manual would've been a royal pain in my ass. I like my auto.

[spacejunkiehsv]

I used the search function and found a whole lot of 0-60 threads. Give it a shot. Just look up towards the top of the page, you'll see it over toward the right side of the highest blue bar. I'm not trying to be a butt. I'm just assuming you are new to web forums. A lot of guys have a lot of input to their personally recorded 0-60 times. They usually include their list of modifications at the time too.

 

My current car, which I'm trying to sell is a 6 speed manual. I've had plenty of cars with manual transmissions before too. I just hate it when I get stuck in backed up traffic and having to shift gears contantly. If you've never driven a manual, and you don't live and breath just to drive hard or constantly road race, I'd recommend that you get an automatic. When I get my Legacy GT, it will be with an automatic. From what I've read on here, which is a lot, the 5MT's are slightly faster than the 5EAT's, but you have to row through the gears to eek out that slightly faster time that you'll only record at a 1/4 drag strip or when racing other cars on the freeway.

 

Also, if you're driving an Accord right now, the amount of speed your gaining even with an automatic Legacy GT will be enough to make you grin everytime you floor it.

[godwhomismike]

5MT = nasty clutch stink

[chenc544]

1) Depends on how you launch the car. The 5EAT with power braking launch could be within 0.5 sec of the 5-spd to 60. Most magazine numbers of 5EAT doesn't use this method.

 

2) I test drove both the 5EAT and the 5-spd and what turned me off was the turbo lag of the 5EAT during normal driving.

 

3) Forget about the manual mode. You will just about never use it. I had a similar system in my old Celica. I played with it for the first month I got it and then rarely use it again.

 

4) I have a 5-spd and I don't regret it. Then again if you have to deal with a lot of traffic in your daily commute I would get the 5EAT no question.

 

I would suggest that you get a friend to teach you how to drive a stick first. See if you actually like driving one and then go test drive both the 5EAT and 5-spd LGT. Make your decision after the test drives.

[TedNacious]

Thanks for the advice guys. The accord I drive is a V6 240HP auto, which is pretty fun and somewhat powerful, though not powerful enough for my liking. It sounds to me that the automatic is the way to go...IF driving a stick in heavy traffic is really that annoying (i wouldnt know). When I graduate from college I might end up living in a big city, so should i play it safe and go 5EAT?

[TedNacious]

Plus, .5 sec is a lot! It's what separates the 0-60 time of a gallardo from the time of a WRX sti...that .5 sec is worth about 120,000 bucks... haha.

 

is the turbo lag really that annoying with the automatic though? ive never driven a turbo

[godwhomismike]

if you don't know how to drive manual, never driven a car with nearly that much power, etc etc - you're gonna wind up with a Legacy wrapped around a tree in 3 months

[godwhomismike]

Sport mode and regular drive modes are totally different

[spacejunkiehsv]

My last automatic car was a 2004 Accord V6 sedan. If you think you will live in or near a large or medium sized city soon, you would probably be happier overall with an automatic. I base that solely on traffic backups and the stop-n-go you end up doing. If performance was THE MOST IMPORTANT factor to you, you would most likely not be considering the Legacy anyway.

 

I recommend going with an automatic. If you have a gut feeling, just go with it. It usually doesn't let you down.

[VTsullyman]

I love manual cars. They are more true to actual driving and you can control you car better overall. That being said i got the 5EAT because i wanted a middle ground between the two. The "sport shifter" mode is fun for sprited driving and i use it sometime goign around town. I know the 5EAT will help you sell it if you ever choose to. Its a hard decision overall. Go drive the cars and really see if you can deal with ther difference.

[HansGT]

Don't forget the driver is a giant factor.

 

Road and Track got a 5.2 0-60 with a stock manual. You can also get a 8.2 if you suck at driving.

 

Bottom line....with the same mods a manual will put more power to the ground as the auto losses more power through the drivetrain. Also, the auto is going to be a little heavier. Lighter = faster. (I know were not talking a lot of weight...but)

 

It just depends on what you want. For me I like having more control.

[spacejunkiehsv]

Don't forget the driver is a giant factor.

 

Road and Track got a 5.2 0-60 with a stock manual. You can also get a 8.2 if you suck at driving.

Excellent point

[TedNacious]

That is a great point....but let me try to understand clearly.

so 5.2 is the best time one could get with the manual? With perfect shifting and rpms? is the 5eat 0-60 figure based on just flooring it, or also perfect driving? I mean, is it possible that during casual driving I could actually get better times out of 5EAT than a manual that I'm not trying to burn rubber with?

[mccorry]

I purchased a MT LGT... it is my first manual. Once you get the hang of it... it is a blast to row the gears.....

[godwhomismike]

Test drive it and check it out.

[john_knoxville]

1) Depends on how you launch the car. The 5EAT with power braking launch could be within 0.5 sec of the 5-spd to 60. Most magazine numbers of 5EAT doesn't use this method.

i'm not certain launch is the only time there is a difference. if auto suffers from addn'l drivetrain loss, then this may be felt across the entire powerband, not to mention not having full control over your rpm's (i.e. passing speeds may suffer as well). manual in traffic is not such a big deal (unless you are going uphill), since this car has enough power to simply let off the clutch slowly and it will go forward (i.e. no gas pedal needed). rowing gears = fun > work

[godwhomismike]

not when it take like 10-15 minutes to drive a mile

[HansGT]

That is a great point....but let me try to understand clearly.

so 5.2 is the best time one could get with the manual? With perfect shifting and rpms? is the 5eat 0-60 figure based on just flooring it, or also perfect driving? I mean, is it possible that during casual driving I could actually get better times out of 5EAT than a manual that I'm not trying to burn rubber with?

 

No. 5.2 is a great time. Add sticker tires or tighten up the suspension and that number will further drop. Add power mods..watch it drop again.

 

Most 5EAT power break to get the quickest times. They are quick cars, you'd be happy with either MT or AUTO.

 

MT should be able to out muscle the auto except way down low where the Auto puts out a tiny bit more torque....were talking under 2200PRM...who stays there for long? Once boost builds the MT will pull on an auto due to drivetrain losses, etc. Remember it's not going to be a huge difference. A missed shift and it's all over for the MT.

[TedNacious]

OK, good advice. What I'm trying to avoid here is the S60R problem. I dont want to lose 1.5 secs off the manual 0-60 time simply because i'd rather be lazy and drive an auto. If LGT 0-60 times are relatively close, I'll save the headache of heavy traffic and just get the EAT.

[HansGT]

OK, good advice. What I'm trying to avoid here is the S60R problem. I dont want to lose 1.5 secs off the manual 0-60 time simply because i'd rather be lazy and drive an auto. If LGT 0-60 times are relatively close, I'll save the headache of heavy traffic and just get the EAT.

 

remember it doesn't cost a lot to have 300hp in the legacy. so you can always mod.

[TravisS]

Glad I searched first.

This is exactly the thread I was going to post

 

I'm actually coming from an '01 Accord LX couple, 4 cyl 5 speed manual. Basically, the lightest of the 4 cyl accords. 0-60 is around 7.5 seconds, at least when I had it modded.

 

The 6.5 seconds of the auto is more then sufficient for me, 1 second is a HUGE difference. Not mention I don't plan on keeping it at 250 HP for long... 250 WHP maybe (actually a modest 300 engine HP is my goal), which means even more fun.

 

The big reason I'm looking at the 5EAT is I need a car my wife can drive. I've tried a few times to teach her how to drive a manual, but I can only stand grinding gears for so long.

 

But wow, a sub 6 second time from the stock engine with the manual sure does sound

[HansGT]

Glad I searched first.

This is exactly the thread I was going to post

 

I'm actually coming from an '01 Accord LX couple, 4 cyl 5 speed manual. Basically, the lightest of the 4 cyl accords. 0-60 is around 7.5 seconds, at least when I had it modded.

 

The 6.5 seconds of the auto is more then sufficient for me, 1 second is a HUGE difference. Not mention I don't plan on keeping it at 250 HP for long... 250 WHP maybe (actually a modest 300 engine HP is my goal), which means even more fun.

 

The big reason I'm looking at the 5EAT is I need a car my wife can drive. I've tried a few times to teach her how to drive a manual, but I can only stand grinding gears for so long.

 

But wow, a sub 6 second time from the stock engine with the manual sure does sound

 

The big thing you accord guys are going to notice is the torque. A stock GT will dyno at about 195-205whp and 215-225 wtq. The more accurate stock crank figure is more like 250hp/275tq. That's significantly more torque tahn honda....and you'll feel it.

[Nachowang]

I went from a manual to an auto and back to manual (now) and I've gotta say sometimes it is ALOT easier having a auto specially in the tri-state area. Trips to the city would be alot less painful.

[RabidMonk]

The 5MT is faster, but not by that much. The performance is close enough that I wouldn't choose based purely on 0-60 times. If you don't enjoy driving with a clutch, it will bug you every day you own the car. Alternately, if you love driving with a clutch, the lack of control and non-ideal shift decisions of the automatic will bug you just as bad.

You really should drive them both and decide which you like better. This isn't a decision that you can safely make by reading the opinions of others.