[KCMO454]

I have always loved driving my 4-speed cars but on a side note just hearing the M22 in low gear is a treat in itself.

 

[blm]

Last July I bought a brand new Mustang GT with a six speed manual. When one buys a new car it comes with a full tank of gasoline. Well I had to drive the Mustang to the gas station while the salesman followed in another car because nobody at the dealership could drive a manual transmission.

 

[John R]

I'm a manual transmission person whenever given the choice, but more a 6-speed than anything else. I've had/have 5-speeds too, just that extra OD is nice to have. With a torquey engine, can still use 6th in town, or at least around here where 45-55 mph "streets" are sort of common.

 

[HKalin]

As far as Five and Six speeds go I only had a few in some of the newer Muscle Cars I owned and past 4th gear it quieted it down to the point you didn't hear the Muscle Car sound anymore and that was with full Flowmaster exhausts on the cars

.

 

[Cnx1969]

FINALLY, someone hit the nail on the head!

But muscle cars also came with automatics and an automatic in one would feel like driving a muscle car with one. 🤔

 

[Rich-L79]

Last July I bought a brand new Mustang GT with a six speed manual. When one buys a new car it comes with a full tank of gasoline. Well I had to drive the Mustang to the gas station while the salesman followed in another car because nobody at the dealership could drive a manual transmission.

Oh good golly.

 

[z27]

FINALLY, someone hit the nail on the head!

Well now everybody has had their sayso now i am going o put in my nickels worth. I got my drivers license on a 50 chevy coupe stick six. Since that time every car i had except for winter beaters and family cars have been I love them. Nothing shifts like a Muncie and there is nothing like hanging a set of gears. unfortunately the days of doing that in an isolated part of town a quickly coming to an end . also we did not have the traffic we have now fifty years ago. i love my second gen Camaro but my left leg aint what it once was and i am pushing 70. If i were to build a car today i would build it with a 350 or 400 turbo. if it had a 3;31 or 3;55 rear gear. if it had a taller gear i would use a 4L 80 E and have it built then install the biggest tranny cooler i could find.You can build an automatic to have fun and take abuse it has to be built right and you have to keep the fluid cold.My friend Chuky has a 383 powered fire bird with a 400 turbo that was built right he has a 2,500 converter and all kinds of mods. It shifts automatically through the gears. the more the throttle the harder it shifts at WOT its as hard as any stick power shift . You can hold every gear as long as you want and can down shift it also. that 400 is a dandy and not one stitch of problem with it. i would have to say its still as good as the day it was installed and he wails on it all the time. The next car i build will have a 400 because i have one in the garage under the bench . Too much traffic these days. A lot changes in 50 years but some things we like to keep the same.. Alex

 

[DZAUTO]

I have always loved driving my 4-speed cars but on a side note just hearing the M22 in low gear is a treat in itself.

ORIGINALLY, the M22 was ONLY a close ratio. There was NEVER such a thing as a wide ratio M22.
In recent years, various aftermarket gear sets have become available for the Muncie, INCLUDING a wide ratio (M22W) gear set. Answer to my long time desire to have an M22. SOOOOOOOOOOO, I bought an M22W gear set-------------------pure vanity on my part--------------------I WANTED THAT M22 WHINE, BAD!!!!
Over the years, I have accumulated plenty of parts to build a few Muncies, so I pulled all the needed parts off the shelf, including a mint main case and tail housing and built (FINALLY) a whiney M22 for the 70. I am not aware of ANY automatic transmission that has the M22 whine.
Yes, I will continue shifting all my cars until I take a dirt nap.

Oh ya, and for those auto lovers, yes, we do have 2 cars with auto trannys--------------------an '02 Impala SS and a '12 Tahoe which we bought new----------------ONLY, repeat, ONLY because they were not available with a stick.

 

[BillyGman]

Me. F-body T56 ratios are awesome paired with 4.11s in my Chevelle.
80mph at 2000rpm in 6th cruising speed getting 18mpg.
140mph at 5700rpm and still pulling in 5th on the front straight at Road America
75mph at 7200rpm banging the rev limiter between cones on autocross

It's perfect for everything.

So with a 4.10/4.11 rear gear ratio, do you really ever use 1st gear? What I mean is, wouldn't first gear be more useful with a 3.55 rear gear ratio? In which case, having the 3.55 gears or even 3.08 gear for that matter, would make your double overdrive 6th gear kind of overkill, no?

 

[AZMARK]

I like manual trans for play time and open road driving. The auto for city driving.

 

[BillyGman]

Too much traffic these days.

YES!! Waaaay too much traffic. It's gotten to a point where the only time I can enjoy driving is at 1:00am during the week, due to the light traffic at that time of night. It's a good thing I gave up drinking a number of years ago.

 

[GoFast Beaumont]

So with a 4.10/4.11 rear gear ratio, do you really ever use 1st gear? What I mean is, wouldn't first gear be more useful with a 3.55 rear gear ratio? In which case, having the 3.55 gears or even 3.08 gear for that matter, would make your double overdrive 6th gear kind of overkill, no?

ill second Derek on the double OD setup. This is partially a leg up onmost autos today.

I am a 3.73 gear with a 0.50 OD as well a 2.97 first gear on a 28” tire. I cruise at 1700rpm for 80mph. Launching and city driving couldn’t be better. Track time I spent on suspension setup to launch a SLR and a 4100lbs car. Brother, gas is pricey, as well this is the easiest on valve train parts. Less cycles for the miles driven. In my world this is reality as I don’t own a car trailer.

it’s all in setup for the combo you built. We can all agree to that!

 

[RAMBO]

If you have to ask you just won't get it...

 

[BillyGman]

Brother, gas is pricey....

I hear ya!!!

 

[LaVelle]

I agree that sticks are fun to go beat on now and again, but then again auto's pretty much rule the performance world with today's technology. (Need a deep wallet though)

Personally, I quit running a stick shift in performance applications a couple of decades back when clutch and transmission parts came flying out of a small block 63' Chevy II that I owned back then.

The Lemans with the full manual T400 isn't what you would call a boring old automatic to drive.

 

[BillyGman]

....Personally, I quit running a stick shift in performance applications a couple of decades back when clutch and transmission parts came flying out of a small block 63' Chevy II that I owned back then.

Do you mean that you had a clutch explosion that sent parts through the floorboard?

 

[LaVelle]

Do you mean that you had a clutch explosion that sent parts through the floorboard?

Let's just say if it wasn't for Lakewood scatter shields, I'd probably be walking funny.
Had a pressure plate come apart on a high rpm 1 - 2 shift.

 

[Grock-co]

I have my 66 4 speed and a buddy of mine has a 69 auto, both cars are basically stock 396 cars. His automatic is way faster then my manual, off the line I have him but the time wasted with; clutch shift clutch shift clutch shift. He would pulled away and is gone with his automatic. The same is true in traffic, with the rolling backwards on start and the slow acceleration shifting compared to the automatic cars on the road today. I think there is no debate anymore the automatic is king and will remain so better is every aspect, and has been so for a very long time. Just no one wants to admit it to themselves.

 

[lookback]

Learned to drive in a stick car years ago. That is all I wanted to drive. Auto were for old folks. That was till I drove a 67 Chevelle with a TH400, my first auto trans driving, loved it. Slush box still and yes I am old. My 69 Nova 350 4 speed, with a Borg and Beck HD Truck 11" 3 finger pressure plate, my leg would shake holding clutch in at the light in city traffic it was a killer. But let go and hang on. No diaphragm type pressure plates for me. I am sure they have gotten better since the 70's. Do they even sell Borg Beck type anymore? I like the look of a 4 speed in the car, but Ill pass on driving it especially in city traffic open high way your good, country roads ok to. Love the TH400 with brake, reverse manual shift VB, 4500 stall.

 

[Texas Squirrel]

Let's keep it family friendly and not insulting to large sections of the population.

Just so people know, I didn't write this comment. It was written by a moderator that didn't like what I said and my comment was removed. I don't think that what I said was "insulting to large sections of the population" but a moderator did. I apologize if someone was offended.