6 speed vs. automatic
Thread Starter
4th Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,473
From: CT
You bet! The Coyote is pumping out some power and the '11 GT is actually hanging with 6.2L Camaros, and with 1.2L less displacement! Too add, the Coyote powered 'Stangs are around 200 lbf lighter than the Camaro, I think at all counterpart trim levels.
What I mean by counterpart trim level is:
The Camaro base SS (or what some call "SS1") to the base Mustang GT (non-premium)
The Camaro SS2 to the Mustang GT Premium.
As for the tranny that is actually made in-house in the US, the 6spd auto, the 6R80, is definitely made in the US by Americans! And interestingly, the 6R80 is only $1000 more than the Chinese made MT82.
There is some disconnect here, because everyone is always saying "Its cheaper to make things in China!" but the MT82 is only $1000 less? If it is so much cheaper, the manual option should also reflect that, but it doesn't.
But for those of us with the MT82 manual (I am included in this group), I am sure that there will be upgrades available, and for those of us with problems, I am sure there will be fixes that will include putting in these improved parts.
My assumption (I stress ASSUMPTION because I do not know for sure) is that the MT82 fixes could include upgrade parts seen in the '12 Boss.
I assume this because the Boss will produce significantly more power with the optional TracKey (the optional key with the more powerful tune) and of course, the Boss stuff has been upgraded to take that power increase.
Just what these upgrades are on the '12 Boss is still a mystery, save for what has already been published. But nothing was published yet about the Boss' own trannies. Hell, the stats of the optional TracKey tune is not even known! (No announced HP, no announced torque rating, not even a dyno graph of the Boss running on the TracKey tune!).
What I mean by counterpart trim level is:
The Camaro base SS (or what some call "SS1") to the base Mustang GT (non-premium)
The Camaro SS2 to the Mustang GT Premium.
As for the tranny that is actually made in-house in the US, the 6spd auto, the 6R80, is definitely made in the US by Americans! And interestingly, the 6R80 is only $1000 more than the Chinese made MT82.
There is some disconnect here, because everyone is always saying "Its cheaper to make things in China!" but the MT82 is only $1000 less? If it is so much cheaper, the manual option should also reflect that, but it doesn't.
But for those of us with the MT82 manual (I am included in this group), I am sure that there will be upgrades available, and for those of us with problems, I am sure there will be fixes that will include putting in these improved parts.
My assumption (I stress ASSUMPTION because I do not know for sure) is that the MT82 fixes could include upgrade parts seen in the '12 Boss.
I assume this because the Boss will produce significantly more power with the optional TracKey (the optional key with the more powerful tune) and of course, the Boss stuff has been upgraded to take that power increase.
Just what these upgrades are on the '12 Boss is still a mystery, save for what has already been published. But nothing was published yet about the Boss' own trannies. Hell, the stats of the optional TracKey tune is not even known! (No announced HP, no announced torque rating, not even a dyno graph of the Boss running on the TracKey tune!).
I would pay the extra grand for the 6R80 tranny all day!!
5th Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,404
From: Texas
Yeah, and after reading just how well auto trannies are doing at the drag strip, including the 6R80, I am actually becoming more and more convinced that an auto tranny with a good shift-point tune is way superior to someone actually rowing the gears.
I read in a 'Stang mag were 12 Coyote 'Stangs were taken to a drag strip, and the top half (top 6) cars were all auto except for one manual.
And these were not slow times either: the fastest was 9.41sec quarter, and the 6th (slowest of the top 6) ran 11.25 sec quarter.
Every car above him ran 10's and 9's.
3 out of these top 6 cars had the 6R80 auto. The other two autos were C4s. The one manual was a Tremec TKO
The only way a manual can beat an auto with a good shift point tune is literally for the driver to be very very good (professional grade even). The one guy out of the top 6 with the manual used a TKO-600, and he ran a 9.84sec. He is a professional modder, and I bet a professional driver too.
I read in a 'Stang mag were 12 Coyote 'Stangs were taken to a drag strip, and the top half (top 6) cars were all auto except for one manual.
And these were not slow times either: the fastest was 9.41sec quarter, and the 6th (slowest of the top 6) ran 11.25 sec quarter.
Every car above him ran 10's and 9's.
3 out of these top 6 cars had the 6R80 auto. The other two autos were C4s. The one manual was a Tremec TKO
The only way a manual can beat an auto with a good shift point tune is literally for the driver to be very very good (professional grade even). The one guy out of the top 6 with the manual used a TKO-600, and he ran a 9.84sec. He is a professional modder, and I bet a professional driver too.
Thread Starter
4th Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,473
From: CT
Yeah, and after reading just how well auto trannies are doing at the drag strip, including the 6R80, I am actually becoming more and more convinced that an auto tranny with a good shift-point tune is way superior to someone actually rowing the gears.
I read in a 'Stang mag were 12 Coyote 'Stangs were taken to a drag strip, and the top half (top 6) cars were all auto except for one manual.
And these were not slow times either: the fastest was 9.41sec quarter, and the 6th (slowest of the top 6) ran 11.25 sec quarter.
Every car above him ran 10's and 9's.
3 out of these top 6 cars had the 6R80 auto. The other two autos were C4s. The one manual was a Tremec TKO
The only way a manual can beat an auto with a good shift point tune is literally for the driver to be very very good (professional grade even). The one guy out of the top 6 with the manual used a TKO-600, and he ran a 9.84sec. He is a professional modder, and I bet a professional driver too.
I read in a 'Stang mag were 12 Coyote 'Stangs were taken to a drag strip, and the top half (top 6) cars were all auto except for one manual.
And these were not slow times either: the fastest was 9.41sec quarter, and the 6th (slowest of the top 6) ran 11.25 sec quarter.
Every car above him ran 10's and 9's.
3 out of these top 6 cars had the 6R80 auto. The other two autos were C4s. The one manual was a Tremec TKO
The only way a manual can beat an auto with a good shift point tune is literally for the driver to be very very good (professional grade even). The one guy out of the top 6 with the manual used a TKO-600, and he ran a 9.84sec. He is a professional modder, and I bet a professional driver too.
Auto's are always more consistent on the track....I still prefer the driving experience of the manual tranny. A manual shift seems like there is more of a connection with the car and road. I'll stick with an auto for my pick-up.
5th Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,404
From: Texas
For the Shelby GT500, I know the manual version is the TR6060.
But I am not sure what the auto tranny option is. It could very well be the 6R80, or it could be the ZF.
I am not sure.
The 6R80 I know for sure is in the GT, and I think in auto tranny optioned '11 V6 too!
But I am not sure what the auto tranny option is. It could very well be the 6R80, or it could be the ZF.
I am not sure.
The 6R80 I know for sure is in the GT, and I think in auto tranny optioned '11 V6 too!
Thread Starter
4th Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,473
From: CT
Ok...Shelby doesn't offer an auto.....unless that changed for "12".
5th Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,404
From: Texas
Welcome, fellow NAFTA member and FAIR trader!
Yes, the Coyote is made in the Windsor plant, all of them for right now as far as I know. I do not know if the Romeo plane in Michigan will also make the Coyote, they are busy cranking out all sorts of other engine blocks.
Yes, the Coyote is made in the Windsor plant, all of them for right now as far as I know. I do not know if the Romeo plane in Michigan will also make the Coyote, they are busy cranking out all sorts of other engine blocks.
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 42
From: alberta
1st Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 80
From: NV
Last edited by Big_T_Judge; Feb 19, 2011 at 04:03 AM.
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 18
It's really all about personal preference. To me, the automatic just doesn't have the same fun factor the manual delivers. I had an '88 Toyota Camry as a second "beater" car a few years ago and with the 2.5 V6 and 5-speed it was surprisingly a fun and almost sporty little car to drive around in....the same could not be said if it would've been an auto. As for my Trailblazer and pretty much any SUV or truck....auto any day, but a manual is just part of the sports car experience. IMO An auto in a sports car is like riding a hot chick with a rubber....fun as hell, but it just doesn't give you the same feeling
