On Sun, 28 Feb 1999, mrdancer wrote:
> Ever since the 727 Torqueflite first appeared in drag racing, automatics
> have been consistently faster thru the traps than manuals. Only when
> manuals were speed-shifted without using the clutch (a.k.a. Ronnie Sox)
> could they beat the autos, all else being equal. Drag racers nowadays use a
> highly modified auto tranny (e.g. - Lenco). These are basically
> manually-shifted autos that offer the best of both worlds as far as speed is
> concerned.
I don't know that I'd consider a Lenco an automatic transmission
though. If anything, I'd consider it a modified manual... Basically,
a "clutchless manual". You still have to shift each and every gear
by hand, so there's nothing "automatic" about it except for the lack
of a clutch. The driver is still in 100% control of when the
tranny shifts.
> Psychology plays a major role in whether a person prefers an automatic or a
> manual. People who drive manuals are more in control of their car as far as
> where shift points occur, and they also have a more direct physical contact
> with the driveline. People who drive autos tend to be a little more
> pragmatic, letting the driveline do its job, while they concentrate on other
> tasks, be it driving or whatever. Chrysler could easily put an auto in the
> Viper and it would most likely make the car faster and could be made just as
> durable (or more durable) as the 6-speed. However, for the aforementioned
> reasons, Chrysler went with the manual - it is more macho and sporting and
> plays a major psychological role in the overall driving experience.
I agree with your assessment that psychology has a lot to do with
the decision (in the consumer market, mainly; in professional competition,
the nature of the contest often dictates the equipment required to remain
competitive); there are also the issues of "losing control" of a portion
of the vehicle when you go with an auto. Some people just don't like that.
I disagree that an auto would make the Viper faster though. It all
depends on the application, and what you consider "fast". Top speed?
Either one would probably be about the same. Drag racing? Here the
advantage leans toward the auto. Road racing? The manual, no question.
Check out the in-car cameras on Speedvision; I have yet to see an auto in
these types of vehicles. (And this is the type of racing the Viper
is aimed at.) Manuals are faster here, and will continue to be until
an automatic can be developed which will see the curves before they
arrive at them, and get into the right gear, taking into account
the curve, the grade, and all of the other things going through a
driver's mind. (This will probably never happen.) :-)
-Jon-
.--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu ----------------------------------------.
| Jon Steiger * AOPA, DoD, EAA, MP Race Team, NMA, SPA, USUA * RP-SEL |
| '96 Dodge Dakota v8 SLT CC (14.58@93.55), '96 Kolb FireFly 447 |
`--------------------------- http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ---'
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