xr8 ute:manual or auto?

[mossy1]

I'm looking for a AU II xr8 ute at the moment and was wondering what is the best option a manual or auto?

[Casper]

Originally Posted by mossy1

I'm looking for a AU II xr8 ute at the moment and was wondering what is the best option a manual or auto?

What ever you prefer really, both have positives and negatives. Depends on what you want to do with it.

[Peuty]

Manual, but I am biased. If you buy an auto I will be forced to....well....forced to do something to you......

[MRJUCY]

It depends on you & what you want from the car, I prefer manual the first gear in Ford autos is too long & it makes them feel sluggish.

[S3SR]

ive heard autos are better if your planning and pumping a few hundred more horses under the bonnet

where as a manual is alot more fun, better econ apparently, and not so common anymore

but i guess it depends whats available

[CMYAU3]

before i got the au i had a manual for 2 years. got the au, was great for about 2 weeks and then you wish you hadda got the manual. get the manual the autos have shizen take off. but if you r after 1/4 mile time and get a good stally for it they r pritty quick.

[mossy1]

Thanks for the replies, I think I've made my mind up and a manual sounds like the go. It will probably be more fun to drive but there isn't very many of them for sale compared to autos.

[b2tf]

if you find a good one in auto, dont let it put you off buying it. Mine is auto and is still a bucket of fun to drive.

[BLACKAUXR8]

It was said above that the auto can handle more power. This is true if you spend the money on it and build it properly. Theres a guy on these forums Sledgehammer and he has a stock T5 manual in his AU S1 and is running well over 400 hp through it and has been for a couple of years. Put the right oil in the manual and dont rev it to 4000rpm and dump the clutch and you wont have a problem.

I have an auto in my s3 XR8 and yes first gear is long and feels sluggish. It just gives you more incentive to mod the car and make it take of faster!!

[mossy1]

I don't want to send much money on modifying the car cause I've spent way too much in the past on turbos and motec and coilovers.... the list goes on.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by mossy1

I don't want to send much money on modifying the car cause I've spent way too much in the past on turbos and motec and coilovers.... the list goes on.

famous last words :hihi:

sell you mine for $23,000

[GlennBA]

Go the manual mate..

[StealthAu]

Hey Glenn, I was thinking about an old thread re manual v auto, and recall you stating an improved track time after converting to a manual. Just curious as wether this improved time was before the change of fuel rail and reg when you car was running lean? Lucky this thread popped giving me a chance to ask

[StealthAu]

Originally Posted by mossy1

Thanks for the replies, I think I've made my mind up and a manual sounds like the go. It will probably be more fun to drive but there isn't very many of them for sale compared to autos.

In stock form I agree, the manual would be more fun, but for something with a bit of power an auto with a big stall can't be beat. Anotherthing to keep in mind is AU manuals are t5's. Need I say more?

[GlennBA]

Originally Posted by stockoau

Hey Glenn, I was thinking about an old thread re manual v auto, and recall you stating an improved track time after converting to a manual. Just curious as wether this improved time was before the change of fuel rail and reg when you car was running lean? Lucky this thread popped giving me a chance to ask

It was before i changed to the XR fuel rail yeah. Still went just as good though.

Now i'd better pee off before i'm told how wrong i am and how much more fun an auto with a stall converter is

[StealthAu]

So in reality, the improved 1/4 time may not have been because it was a manual and a sole result of it running leaner?

[BLACKAUXR8]

I have heard i dont know whether it is true or not. But some people on here have quoted up to 30-40 rwhp differences after putting a manual in there XR's. This is a big difference hence the reason i was sceptical whether it is true

[GlennBA]

Originally Posted by stockoau

So in reality, the improved 1/4 time may not have been because it was a manual and a sole result of it running leaner?

I had ran it after it was fixed up and it ran similar times with a fuller tank of petrol and a bootfull of subs.
It did have an XR6 ECU though, not a forte one so i think that might make some difference.

[BLACKAUXR8]

If your not planning on spending huge amounts of money on mods and just want a nice car that goes well i'd go the manual. They are more fun in stock form

[mossy1]

Originally Posted by b2tf

famous last words :hihi:

Can't argue with that

[StealthAu]

As stated above they both have there good points, so your best bet is instead of looking for a manual or an auto, look for a car you like at a good price. There would be no point in driving out of a car yard in a flogged manual that cost an extra couple of k then the spotless auto (or vise versa) just because it has the dessired transmision

[JefXR8]

Originally Posted by b2tf

sell you mine for $23,000

Ill sell him mine for $16,000 :

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by GlennBA

Now i'd better pee off before i'm told how wrong i am and how much more fun an auto with a stall converter is

Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!

But its true! : :

[mossy1]

Originally Posted by b2tf

if you find a good one in auto, dont let it put you off buying it. Mine is auto and is still a bucket of fun to drive.

I think thats a good idea, I should keep my options open.

[loxxr6]

If you're not going to go mod crazy then pick the manual.

The big drama with the manuals seems to be the ability to crack the firewall and pedal box. It's a prob a $600-$1500 fix depending on where you go. It's a real pain in the ar$e.

[robbo_yobbo]

3 words - MAN, YOU, ALL

now say them all together!

-Manual, it wont put you to sleep when your driving it,
-it wont chew up as much of your precious power,
-they go faster (ducks head in anticipation of the responses from the auto fanatics),
-You have more control over how your car drives,
-if you ever get a flat battery they can be push/roll started, which means you can leave your car parked with the CD player on for hours if you need music down at the beach/bush/river to keep the crowd entertained, (or take it to drive ins -lol- who does that anymore) without worrying about starting it later on,
-Theres less of them around which means they'll hold thier value better (doesnt mean much if you intend on keeping it),
-They have the manual "cool factor",
-you can short gear if you need to keep your exhaust volume down around the fuzz,
- theres plenty more reasons Im sure, but did I say that they're just better??

[Mark One]

Originally Posted by stockoau

So in reality, the improved 1/4 time may not have been because it was a manual and a sole result of it running leaner?

I believe I've read that a manual i6 is 0.2 of a second faster than a manual. Now I just have to think where I read it.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by Mark One

I believe I've read that a manual i6 is 0.2 of a second faster than a manual. Now I just have to think where I read it.

Irish Carsguide?

[Mark One]

I thought it was common knowledge that before 6 speed autos, manuals were usually faster.

[fordAU]

Originally Posted by b2tf

Irish Carsguide?