[toehead93]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

All the super cars with flappy paddles don't seem to have any issue.

In all honesty I track an auto and have a blast. Remote start is clutch in any environment hot or cold. Pimping your car from the third building of class and it be warmed or cooled down is one of those life is nice extra things.

Exactly and that's because they all use manual transmissions with paddle shifter not automatic transmissions with paddle shifters. I had the A6 and tracked it too without issues and yes cooling the car in sued was nice to have.

[VADER SS L99]

Originally Posted by toehead93

Exactly and that's because they all use manual transmissions with paddle shifter not automatic transmissions with paddle shifters. I had the A6 and tracked it too without issues and yes cooling the car in sued was nice to have.

A DCT is a automatic more than it is a manual. It can shift on its own with no help from the driver and does not have a clutch pedal. To me thats the definition of a automatic transmission. How is it supercars today don't have a automatic just because you can (if you feel like it) shift with the paddles?

Make no mistake if you guys want a manual pony car you better get one on this next generation because I believe American mfg's will find a way to make DCT's less expensive than they are now and also hold more torque. When that happens the manual transmission in a pony car will die. A DCT gets better mpg and is faster than a manual or converter automatic for that matter. For those reasons alone I think it will eventually get replaced.

[KarFan]

Don't worry about the perceived performance advantage or disadvantage of either transmission choice in stock cars. Test drive both and pick what you like. Performance is useless if the driver isn't happy.

[Sintmk]

Originally Posted by thefirstcause

I'm going for the auto in my SS. Been driving manual my whole life, it has no allure for me, and feels obsolete at this point. I get kind of sick of casual conversations with friends or acquaintances when 'oh you gotta get manual' or 'too bad that car isn't manual' is the standard thing to say over and over. Even if it isn't about my vehicle, haha. Times have changed and autos are fast now which is what I care about. Too many holdovers still thinking being able to drive a stick makes them a badass or something. If you feel like manual makes you in tune with the vehicle, great, and you should choose the manual since it will be more fun. But manual isn't the default superior option any more and it really doesn't reflect on who you are as a driver if you go auto, which is the faster, modern tech anyway.

8AT all the way for me, but options are great for those that want them!

100%

If it shifts anything like the PDK then I see no reason to own a manual for my tastes. There's nothing wrong with preference, but I've driven stick most of my life (sans one Thunderbird) and I'm more impressed with the capability of the new AT setups.

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by vtirocz

This article has me leaning toward the manual (where they tracked both auto&manual and manual was a little quicker on a track): http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/..._track_retest/

The manual will also be ~$1800 cheaper! For 1/4 mile racing, the auto should have a slight edge on the manual though.

More than slight in the 1/4. And as you said manuals are faster on a track with curves. But more importantly than all that is manuals are more fun to drive.

[suzook]

Originally Posted by Eric SS

Greetings all! New here. I've always been someone who enjoyed rowing their own gears. I had a 5MT 1987 IROC-Z and a 6MT 1999 SS. Skipped the 5th gen and will be getting a 6th gen.

As most know, it used to be that there was such a performance and fun factor difference between the manual and a 4 speed auto that it was a no brainer. if you wanted a stick and the fastest of the 2 options, you got a stick. Now with the advent of these 8 speed autos with lightning fast shifts and paddle shifters, my guess is that it will be faster than the 6MT.

I have an 8AT in my current car (13 335i M Sport)and love it. However, I'm having a very tough time convincing myself that I'll enjoy an 8AT Camaro more than a stick which I've had in all the performance car's I've ever owned. But I also don't want something that is slower than an otherwise equal car.

Has anyone else switched that SWORE they would never switch to an auto Camaro? I feel like that old guy now that swore they would never drive an auto sports car

Well, my tuned 6a is as fast as my Buddy's 6mt...with the same tune...I bet the 8a will actually be quicker than the mt.

[xgnxs]

I haven't had enough (or really any) experience with these good, manually shifted automatics. Mostly just your standard, put it in drive and go automatics, and I hate not being able to shift when I want and not knowing exactly what the car is going to do when I push on the accelerator. Is it going to downshift or stay in gear? What if I want it to downshift for better acceleration but I don't want it screaming (like a shift from 5th to 4th on the highway but I don't have it floored)? The couple times I've driven an automatic with a manual mode (a friends pontiac G6 and another friends GTI - with the DCT!) I didn't push those cars enough or drive them enough to really get a good handle on using the manual shift modes with the automatic transmissions. Either way, I wasn't completely sold and I love being able to always put my car in whatever gear I want and know it's going to be in that gear until I change it.

Will the A8 be faster? Yes. More fun (tap tap tap paddle shifters)? Maybe. Deal with all my complaints about automatics? Probably.

Buuuuut would I buy one? Probably not. Just because I like shifting. I don't even mind it in traffic like some people seem to really dislike (I've also never sat in start / stop traffic for 4 hours, so take that as you will).

[Kahdir]

On the fence...

With exception of 2 out of 10 vehicles I've owned, the rest have been a manual transmission.
I plan on modding the car (cam, port/pol heads, etc.) and I'm not sure I want to deal with a torque converter.

Will wait and test drive before ordering.

[vtirocz]

Originally Posted by vtirocz

This article has me leaning toward the manual (where they tracked both auto&manual and manual was a little quicker on a track): http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/..._track_retest/

The manual will also be ~$1800 cheaper! For 1/4 mile racing, the auto should have a slight edge on the manual though.

Originally Posted by Fraxum

More than slight in the 1/4. And as you said manuals are faster on a track with curves. But more importantly than all that is manuals are more fun to drive.

It depends on how you define slight. Here's a comparison of acceleration on the Corvette Z51 with M7 and A8 (data from Car and Driver tests - links below). I agree that the auto is faster in the quarter mile, but if you look closer that's all in the launch (or at least 0-30mph). After 30mph, the A8 does not accelerate faster than the M7 based on this data set.

I'm leaning toward the M6 on the camaro, but will test drive both. I'm interested to see if the A8 has adequate cooling for track use. Does anyone know if the M6 has a trans cooler?

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...-z51-intro.pdf
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...onvertible.pdf

[OldJedi]

I have a slight advantage for this question owning a manual 2012 ZL1 M6 and a 2015 Z51 A8. I have tracked my ZL1 at several tracks and truly enjoy it. I tracked the Z51 a couple of weeks ago and it did alright but tranny temps were close to red line. Another Z51 A8 on the track at the same time had to off track early for over heating transmission. I have tracked Z51's with rev match and truly loved it. I have tried to learn heel/toe but could not master the technique. So my suggestion is if you are going to drag race or just general cruising go with the A8. I can tell you the A8 lays down lightning fast shifts that no manual can match but it is does have an over heating reliability question for track use.

For track use and old fashioned fun you just can't beat a manual. You won't be able to out shift the A8 but it is truly the best tranny for track use. Rev match makes you as good as the best heel/toe drivers. Good heel/toe drivers can just turn it off. It just depends on how you plan to use your car the most.

[VADER SS L99]

I still don't see why you can't use a auto for road course use if you wanted to. If its because you want a more engaging experience so be it, get a manual. Don't get a manual based soely on stock auto trans temps when that can be easily fixed. My 4th gen needed a big aftermarket cooler. My 5th gen needed a aftermarket cooler and I am sure my 6th gen with 8 speed will need one as well. I don't even road course my cars but have always put aftermarket trans coolers on my auto GM cars. I would expect nothing different with this new car. GM never has put a very good trans cooler on their auto cars so its no surprise that it needs one again. Its a few hours of work and at most a couple hundred bucks for a auxiliary cooler that will keep trans temps in check.

I personally don't like my auto trans temps to exceed 180* in normal driving or more than 200* with occasional performance driving. Keeping the temps in this area will ensure long life and a happy auto trans even with big power.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Eric SS

Greetings all! New here. I've always been someone who enjoyed rowing their own gears. I had a 5MT 1987 IROC-Z and a 6MT 1999 SS. Skipped the 5th gen and will be getting a 6th gen.

As most know, it used to be that there was such a performance and fun factor difference between the manual and a 4 speed auto that it was a no brainer. if you wanted a stick and the fastest of the 2 options, you got a stick. Now with the advent of these 8 speed autos with lightning fast shifts and paddle shifters, my guess is that it will be faster than the 6MT.

I have an 8AT in my current car (13 335i M Sport)and love it. However, I'm having a very tough time convincing myself that I'll enjoy an 8AT Camaro more than a stick which I've had in all the performance car's I've ever owned. But I also don't want something that is slower than an otherwise equal car.

Ask yourself just how likely it'll ever be that you'll be matched up against that otherwise equal car in a real-life situation. Until that actually happens, why would that even matter?

As far as most of us are concerned, there's always going to be somebody's car that's faster. Or they're better drivers than you are. Or both.

Originally Posted by Jeffro19

Everybody has their own opinion on an auto or manual trans. Like someone said before doesn't matter if the auto is faster I will always own an manual sports car. The driving experience to me is much more engaging than a automatic. Leave automatics for trucks <snip>.

Fixed. Family cars shouldn't only be AT, and for most of the same reasons (never mind that 'slower' or 'faster' in a family car has even less relevance than it might in something overtly sporty).


Norm

[GMfan454]

Thank you OP for referring to these cars as pony cars. The term "muscle car" is so over used and does not apply to camaro and mustangs.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by VADER SS L99

I still don't see why you can't use a auto for road course use if you wanted to. If its because you want a more engaging experience so be it, get a manual. Don't get a manual based soely on stock auto trans temps when that can be easily fixed.

I personally don't like my auto trans temps to exceed 180* in normal driving or more than 200* with occasional performance driving. Keeping the temps in this area will ensure long life and a happy auto trans even with big power.

A 20 or 30 minute HPDE session will build a lot more heat than "occasional performance driving" that isn't track time. The second and following sessions will likely start out with the fluid still warmed from the earlier session(s).

There is some possibility of automated up- or downshifts occurring at unexpected moments, which will have some effect on rear tire cornering grip and slip angle. Having to drive to avoid such occurrences represents a distraction.

Maintaining AT fluid temperatures at or below 200° at a track day sounds like wishful thinking to me . . .


Norm