I have less experience driving so I like automatics, but my friends are into street racing so I get laughed at. Are manual transmissions really that much better?
In the past manual transmissions were always faster, in the hands of a skilled driver. Now, with newer technologies, this isn't necessarily so. The latest Porsche 7-speed PDK transmission provides significantly better 0 to 60 times than Porsche's 6-speed manual, in their fastest cars. If your friends street race, you're the one who should be laughing. There are plenty of tracks around where you can do the real thing -- either high-performance driver's education or actual racing -- without endangering other motorists, children playing in their neighborhoods, or stray pets that someone loves. Take your car to the track and find out for yourself what you think of different transmissions, car layouts (front engine versus rear engine), etc. There is only one cure for inexperience, at shifting manually or anything else -- practice. If you don't have a manual transmission to practice on, borrow one, with permission from the owner. By the way, there are STILL situations where I believe a manual will outperform an automatic. Snow and ice can be significantly compensated for by a great driver who knows what to do with a manual transmission. Automatics are designed, generally, for good road surfaces.
Depends on the skill of the driver, and the power your engine has. If you have enough H/P, you win, regardless. The guys with manuals are going to miss shifts on occasion, but with an automatic you NEVER miss any shifts. Back in the old days, I had a pretty hot '57 Chevy with a 4 spd tranny. The guys with the Dodges and Plymouth 383 V8/torqueflite automatics used to make me look real bad.
stock yes a manual is better for racing than a manual. some cars are even offered with more horsepower with the manual transmision like the rx8. however a properly built auto trany is hard to beat at the dragstrip. my buddies firebird has a 350turbo tranny with an aggressive shift kit, a 3500 stall converter, and a transbrake and he smokes stick shifts all day long. in the time it takes for someone to push in the clutch, shift, and let out the clutch he's already well into his next gear.
