Stick verses Automatic (Stock Eliminator)

[Dwight Southerland]

Originally Posted by Jesse Knapp

I believe there's more work involved (driver) with a stick than the auto. That statement alone is a good reason there are much more autos than sticks. I said it myself, the easy way is the automatic.

Exactly. It's always been curious to me that if you add that automatics are easy to drive, and then they get to run buttons and transmissions that shift themselves. Talk about a lazy way to drive. What do you guys do while you go down the track? I guess the next rule request for automatic cars will be to allow someone to drive the car for you so you can play video games. Good name for them - "automatic cars".

[Adam Strang]

Greg,didn`t the same guy say "automatics are for women and wimps"?....LOL

[SSDiv6]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

Exactly. It's always been curious to me that if you add that automatics are easy to drive, and then they get to run buttons and transmissions that shift themselves. Talk about a lazy way to drive. What do you guys do while you go down the track? I guess the next rule request for automatic cars will be to allow someone to drive the car for you so you can play video games. Good name for them - "automatic cars".

Here you go... a remote controlled dragster or Hemi 'Cuda...

[gmonde]

my car started life as a 4 speed car,t-10 centerforce(lock up clutch)this thing was consistant with a bone stock 390,then we install the solid cam 10:5 -1 407 with a doug nash 5 speed ,that was a blast and still pretty consitant but ,due to lack of funding and parts breakage we went with the automatic,now you would think that driving an automatic would be easier but i was alot better with the stick cutting lights than the automatic,the left foot,leg of my body seams to have more a natural reaction than the right foot mashing the gas ,not till mid season of racing the automatic i was doing better with the tree,but a learning curve none the less ,if i had the cash to run a competitive drive line i would have a stick set in a minute,so i think most of here certainly would rather race a stick but i think racing reality sets in and tells your self run what you can afford gmonde

[L79racer]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

Exactly. It's always been curious to me that if you add that automatics are easy to drive, and then they get to run buttons and transmissions that shift themselves. Talk about a lazy way to drive. What do you guys do while you go down the track? I guess the next rule request for automatic cars will be to allow someone to drive the car for you so you can play video games. Good name for them - "automatic cars".

What do you guys do while you go down the track?

I asked my friend with an automatic and he said "I look at my 60' on the board" He said dont you? I said no, I'm too busy shifting and steering.

[Jeff Lee]

Chris, The "hit" on a gear change is adjusted primarily thru counter-weight. So to answer your question, yes, todays clutches are not only less violent off the line, but also on the gear changes.
As also stated, you have to throw out the methods of yester-year. But it's amazing not only who, but what companies can't do so. There lies the problems with the perceptions of clutches being difficult.
I've got ten years on my Jerico and have yet to have a worn or broken part. I take that back, I did change out the front bearing retainer once. I just sold a complete set of Jerico gears and they looked brand new. I've changed ratio's in my Dana 60 several times and have never seen a gear that wasn't in perfect condition as it came out.
I have a 634 HP SS engine running in front of a Stock Eliminator chassis (Cal-Track bars & springs, stock frame rails, Advanced Clutch, 9x29.5 M/T's). I have 1.38 60' times and best of 10.02 @ 132.01. Oh, and that's at 7800 RPM launch / 7500 RPM shift. That would not be possible with "old school" clutch in my opinion.
I'm in the process of ladder-bar / sway bar / coil-over and mini-tubs, still factory frame-rails & a dual 7" clutch.

[Jesse Knapp]

I read, posted earlier on this thread, that the automatics have an advantage with the radial tires. Why doesn't a stick car run them? Is it that the tire is too stiff for the launch? Just guessing here. Jesse

[Rory McNeil]

Jesse, although I have never tried the Radial slicks with either car, my understanding is that the radial has to "dead hook". I know automatic guys who pick up over 1/10 with the radials, BUT if they spin at all off the line, they do not recover like a bias tire. Several class racers here carry a set each of radials and bias. For faster qualifying and heads up runs, they use the radials, but for the normal shoe polish stuff, they run the old bias tires. It seems also that the radials go away quicker than a bias tire, at least on a faster car, so this also allows the radials to be "saved" for when needed.
Like Jeff said, a well prepped stick car doesn`t have to hurt parts. The Jerico in my 10.0ET Fairmont is a unit that I bought used from Terry Sherrill`s old Corvette SS/AM car about 9 years ago.Other than replacing the input shaft and bearing retainer to fit my FE Ford engine, the trans has never been touched until we changed the gear ratios inside the trans.But nothing inside the trans has been replaced due to breakage, or even wear. I have a Strange chrome moly driveshaft, still perfect, and a 35 spline Dana 60 with used 4.88 Pro gears from my buddys old bracket car, and when I popped the cover last year, they still look mint.I don`t rev my engine like Jeff, but I have launched as high as 6600, shift at 6200, and goe 6700 thru the traps.Other than a couple of pilot bearings coming out of the crank, the only thing I`ve broken in all this time was a fingernail!

[Jesse Knapp]

Another question for this topic. What about cost between the two? Since I raced superstock I do know the cost of a glide, with all the bells/whistles, and a good ATI convertor. I ran mine for two yrs. thinking how well it was holding up. As I learned more about my engine it went quicker and the 60' numbers quickened. First time it went 8+ under I broke the planet set. They aren't cheap. So I know a planet set will not go too long, with serious power thrown at it. Other than that I had no other problems (breakage). What I am asking is I guess two fold. One is cost comparison between the two complete setups and the other is breakage and clutch replacement costs. Someone posted on this thread their clutch lasts two yrs. That's pretty good. What about the Jerico. Is Jeff's statement about his the norm? This is really interesting. Jesse

[Jeff Lee]

$3500 last time I looked for Jerico and Long shifter. $1500 more for G-Force or trick Jerico (roller bearing assembly)
$2100 for Advanced or even McLeod single disk (10" Advanced, 10 1/2" McLeod)
$2900 for Advanced dual 7" clutch
(all above clutches are complete; pressure plate, disk, flywheel. Advanced is WAY lighter than McLeod and is customized to individual needs)
$350 McLeod or Lakewood or QuickTime bellhousing, sometimes $500 depending on application.

If you follow the directions you can get a season or two on the clutch. Setting everything on kill all the time and / or not following the directions will cut clutch life dramatically.

Where the auto trans gets real expensive is when you have two or three $900 convertors stacked up. Plus the cost of the trick tranny at $3500 to $5000.

Trickest tranny, clutch and bell would be $8250.

I've got the least trick Jerico, (had) the Advanced single disk clutch, long shifter and Lakewood bell for a total of $5950 approximate. That's all 95% of the racers require.