Ive heard a number of reasons that a Manual has an advantage over an automatic and that an automatic has an advantage over a manual, Which one would you have to take in to get checked out more often? And overall which transmission would last longer?

Autos last longer, in comparison manuals eat clutches. Manual's make a car quicker and more efficiant because you can always go up a gear to rev less and they usualy have one more game than the relevent manual

Advantages of automatic over manual:

1. Probably lasts longer
2. Much easier in heavy traffic
3. No fear of doing something wrong

Advantages of manual over automatic:

1. Faster
2. Incomparably more fun
3. Better mileage
4. Much less power loss
5. Much sharper, allows better car control

How long would it take to go through a clutch, and how much would it cost to replace it?

I only burned out a cluth once. It was an old and crappy seat malaga that broke its transmission. I only could get in 5-th and I was in a little trip. Everything was ok until I got in the city with heavy heavy traffic. Imagin continuos start in 5-th... When I was 1Km far from the mechanic the clutch died :p RIP.

I don't remember how mutch it costed.

How long would it take to go through a clutch, and how much would it cost to replace it?
If you live in places where you have to shift very often (like cities, small B-roads etc) then a sensible value would be 150-200 thousand km (~90-130k miles).
If you don't need to shift often (i.e. you travel alot on highways and stuff) then a clutch can last very long, like 400-500 thousand km (~250-310k miles).
Just based on what I've heard.

If you want a sportcar and drive it sporty, get manual. As already jimkk29 posted: more control, much more fun...
And the clutch... what car, what driving style...? It can go from three-digit-miles racing clutch (some drag racing probably much less) to six-digit-miles of normal soft driving.

How long would it take to go through a clutch, and how much would it cost to replace it?

depending on the "performance" capabilities of the a clutch i've seen some decent ones from $50-$100 dollars (us) obviously the cost increaces for the better the performance rating of the clutch.
when i replaced my stock one for a new stock one it was $65 to buy and $250 to install. (sorry if i rambled a bit)

If you want a sportcar and drive it sporty, get manual. As already jimkk29 posted: more control, much more fun...
And the clutch... what car, what driving style...? It can go from three-digit-miles racing clutch (some drag racing probably much less) to six-digit-miles of normal soft driving.



What about a 05 Mustang GT and it would be a pretty normal driving style with a very small amount of racing.

My clutch was $1800. But it will handle a 7000PM clutch drop.

I can drive a manual transmission car 1 mile and tell you:

If it's broken... can engage all gears (synchros optional), no missing teeth, etc.?

If it has a bad bearing.

If it jumps out of gear(s)

If no to the above, no matter its age/mileage, it will probably go 10's of thousands of miles more if it always has lube. Many early RX-7 5-speeds sound like they're full of sand, but work fine with over 200K. Turn up the stereo.

I can drive an auto any distance and tell you whether or not it works fine now. I could tell you that 5 years ago a '93 Camry 4 auto rebuild could cost $3600. A factory remanufacture was $1000 more (shop cost, installation extra.) An auto trans has more separate moving parts than all the rest of the vehicle, most of which are capable of putting you into the limp home mode.

Manual trans and clutch life depend on use/abuse and technique. If you have a pinched nerve that makes your left foot numb, a right foot made of lead, and you workout on your right(left) arm with the gearshift, drive an auto.

Speaking as someone whos worked in a car shop i have a little experience with these. Manuals last way longer but autos upshift in a split second

Other way round dude.

What about a 05 Mustang GT and it would be a pretty normal driving style with a very small amount of racing.

I wouldn't be very afraid. And if you want to do a favor to your clutch, learn to drive with manual on some other car (it's really not so hard, you should have the principle out quick, and you can also try it before you decide what to buy). And I would take the manual. But it's my preference (I'm from Europe and love twisty roads... if you just want to drive comfortly on straight roads...). And again, the clutch should be OK a long time. You maybe will sell the car sooner and won't even come to changing it. And if yes, if you don't have a problem with that buying and "feeding" (also tires) that car, you shouldn't have a problem with replacement clutch (still cheaper as broken automatic gearbox). And when talking about costs, if the clutch will manage some hard driving, did you thought about tires?

Speaking as someone whos worked in a car shop i have a little experience with these. Manuals last way longer but autos upshift in a split second

Other way round dude.

Exactly. I'm pretty sure that I (you) can shift quicker with manual than a normal automatic can. But, maybe in this discussion, we could mention also sequentional gearboxes (I know, that is not an option for a stock Mustang) but that is a gearbox that can shift in some milliseconds (thanks to hydraulics and electronics...). You could find that mostly in top racecars and there are some street versions for cars like Ferrari or BMW (I think the BMW E36 M3 SMG was the first road car with it). And don't exchange it for those automatic gearboxes with possibility to change gears (like in many bigger cars, for example from Audi...)

Real Sequentials have next to nothing in common with autos...

Exactly. I'm pretty sure that I (you) can shift quicker with manual than a normal automatic can. But, maybe in this discussion, we could mention also sequentional gearboxes (I know, that is not an option for a stock Mustang) but that is a gearbox that can shift in some milliseconds (thanks to hydraulics and electronics...). You could find that mostly in top racecars and there are some street versions for cars like Ferrari or BMW (I think the BMW E36 M3 SMG was the first road car with it). And don't exchange it for those automatic gearboxes with possibility to change gears (like in many bigger cars, for example from Audi...)

I takes 1 second for an auto to shift. It takes you about 5 to put in the clutch, shift gears, let out the clutch. Thats why a lot of the guys nowadays are switching to autos. Back in the older days manuals were way better but technology (atleast here in the us) is so advanced that an ECU is smarter than you no matter how good of a driver you think you are. IT's logic. Drive a new 5 or 6 speed auto and compaire it to a manual of the same car. You may like driving a manual (i dont my last too cars were and they get to be pains in the @$$) and you may like the feel of them but find me evedence that you can shift fast than 1 split second and i'll be quiet. BTW Ever heard of the old mech's saying once you get an auto leak you always have an auto leak. Ask any mechanic, any real mechanic and they'll tell you that manuals last way longer than autos. You could say that a manual wears out a clutch but thats the clutch thats not the tranny. But autos have torque convertors so it goes both ways. So im telling you as a proven statisical fact we have replaced and fixed way more autos than manuals and we worked on about the same amount of both.

I takes 1 second for an auto to shift. It takes you about 5 to put in the clutch, shift gears, let out the clutch. Thats why a lot of the guys nowadays are switching to autos. Back in the older days manuals were way better but technology (atleast here in the us) is so advanced that an ECU is smarter than you no matter how good of a driver you think you are. IT's logic. Drive a new 5 or 6 speed auto and compaire it to a manual of the same car. You may like driving a manual (i dont my last too cars were and they get to be pains in the @$$) and you may like the feel of them but find me evedence that you can shift fast than 1 split second and i'll be quiet. BTW Ever heard of the old mech's saying once you get an auto leak you always have an auto leak. Ask any mechanic, any real mechanic and they'll tell you that manuals last way longer than autos. You could say that a manual wears out a clutch but thats the clutch thats not the tranny. But autos have torque convertors so it goes both ways. So im telling you as a proven statisical fact we have replaced and fixed way more autos than manuals and we worked on about the same amount of both.

Come on, 5 seconds to make a gear change with manual gearbox?!?!?!

No, it's not logic. Automatic gearboxes are not made or used for sport, or even race cars, but more for comfortable cars, so logical is, that they are easier to drive and not quicker.

I don't think I'm the best driver in the world, but yes, I think I can drive and I'm a competition rally driver. So, I made a lot of quick gear changes and talked to a real motorsport team chief mechanic.

And I don't know, who is moving to automatic, but I didn't registered some real sport or race cars to race with automatic and not manuals or sequentials (and have you ever heard of something like hewland gearboxes, its manual, but you don't have to operate the clutch, even faster).

If you look on the acceleration data for the same car with manual and automatic, how much of them are faster with automatic?

Why there are so few torque converters is Ferraris, WRCs... when, you say, it is quicker? (Many drivers would save much time with that difference, or?)

"Manuals might be fine if you want to play boy racer but who needs it? I can play boy racer with the auto just as well. In straight line performance in the quarter mile give me a auto any time. I can stall it up using the converter and launch hard then use the torque multiplication qualities of the auto to get me off the line quicker I can shift hard and not punish the clutch adjust how violent a shift I want using the modulator valve and play with the torque converter qualities and "brain " programming all I like if I'm that way inclined at not super costs.

I also have manual cars and have had lots in the past I even have a 6 speed behind the 460 cub V8 in my Cobra but if there was a good 5 speed auto available to handle the hugh torque of this motor that's what I would probably run.

So there you have it the auto side more go for your bucks from the start, reliability and no damm clutch to fry, slip, shudder, shatter or bleed."- http://www.landsharkoz.com/tt/ttmanvsaut.htm

Yeah, five seconds a gear change, for sure, if you are a granma for sure you can change between gears in 5 seconds.
Ben, just look out for automatic racing cars, and after look for manual racing cars... Auto/manual relation is like 0.

Yeah but im not looking for a racecar and niether happy boy. For day to day driving and for someone who is not a racecar driver auto is better!

Im not a racecar driver but I like drive sportly from time to time. I prefer to drive a 150hp manual than a 200hp auto.

I takes 1 second for an auto to shift. It takes you about 5 to put in the clutch, shift gears, let out the clutch.
LLOOOLLL 5 seconds????? :eek: Are you a rookie, or perhaps a 158 year old granny? Every driver can shift in less than half a second, and if you shift as fast as possible you shift in ~0.2 secs!!

Autos are more confortable if you're old or something, but a good manual is a whole new lever of driving.

I will not buy an auto, at least not for the next 20 years or so.

Im starting to think ben never drove a manual car.

On a good day most competent drivers can shift in half a second or less. Most high end sequential transmissions shift in about .32 seconds.

"Manuals might be fine if you want to play boy racer but who needs it? I can play boy racer with the auto just as well. In straight line performance in the quarter mile give me a auto any time. I can stall it up using the converter and launch hard then use the torque multiplication qualities of the auto to get me off the line quicker I can shift hard and not punish the clutch adjust how violent a shift I want using the modulator valve and play with the torque converter qualities and "brain " programming all I like if I'm that way inclined at not super costs.

I also have manual cars and have had lots in the past I even have a 6 speed behind the 460 cub V8 in my Cobra but if there was a good 5 speed auto available to handle the hugh torque of this motor that's what I would probably run.

So there you have it the auto side more go for your bucks from the start, reliability and no damm clutch to fry, slip, shudder, shatter or bleed."- http://www.landsharkoz.com/tt/ttmanvsaut.htm



You cannot rev match, heel/toe shift or trail brake in an auto and those are all pretty important on a race track.

Most high end sequential transmissions shift in about .32 seconds.
Even less, actually, maybe like .15 or .2 seconds.

Even less, actually, maybe like .15 or .2 seconds.

The enzo was .32 seconds per car and driver.

Ben, just look out for automatic racing cars, and after look for manual racing cars... Auto/manual relation is like 0.
I agree with you guys, manual is better but i can sure as hell think of some damn quick auto racing cars. Like every Chaperal

Whats a "chaperal"?

Sorry, its Chaparral and its probably the fastest cornering car ever without a wing
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.php?file=car.php&carnum=91

The enzo was .32 seconds per car and driver.
That sounds too much, EVO measured the BMW SMG with graphs, satellites and stuff and they found out that the whole process of upshifting takes about .2" in the fastest programme. Downshifting takes alot more, though.