Stick vs Auto

[james schaechter]

Originally Posted by oldskool

I know this will make LOTS of stick racers mad. But if you really wanna win some rounds & races, go with the auto.

I've run both, in Stock, and auto in lots of bracket races. Breakout style racing requires consistently good lights, as well as consistent ET's.

Now if all you wanna do is have some fun makin passes, or if you wanna build a killer heads-up car, that's different.

Yankin on the 4-speed was lots of fun. But I enjoyed winning, even more !

NO, I DIDN'T say a stick car can't win a race. They've won lots of 'em thru the years. Won a few myself.

BUT, it's my own PERSONAL opinion that you have a better chance of winning more rounds & races with an auto trans.

Opinions differ.

That line of reasoning may be a bit outdated. Just like saying automatics are slower. There have been a lot of improvements on automatics, sticks and clutches that might change this old school opinion. There are more things to do in a stick car for sure and I guess with all of the legal driver aids such as auto shifts one could make the case. That being said, sticks are winning at a competitive rate compared to the number of stick cars that exist.
I am sure anyone comparing equipment from a while back or used outdated equipment would find consistent lights and ets a challenge.
I don’t think that holds water any longer if a racer takes advantage of the latest technology.

Oh and to reference the HP difference. I don’t think most of the HP hits would have taken place for automatics if the indexes were the same as stick shifts in some classes. I won’t say they all line up, but many should be combined and run off the same index in my opinion.