Auto Or Manual Box?

[twi$ter]

Hi board! Anyone have any preferences or advice on which to go for? Currently looking to buy my first Supra but undecided on which to go for.

I have NEVER driven an automatic and common sense tells me this ain't the car to try in but will definitely consider if the auto is recommended.

Any info appreciated. Cheers.

[twi$ter]

Ok, having read through more pages of the board I can see the auto or manual debate is a well argued continuing issue! In that case I'll be a bit more specific and ask is the Supra too much of a beast to learn to drive auto in?

[Leeky]

Good Bad points on both boxes.

Manual

Good Points -

Instant Gear Selection

6 Gears

Slightly quicker 0-60 (if your a proper race driver)

Slightly higher top end (if you have the balls to do 185mph)

Good for over 500bhp

Bad Points -

Very Heavy Clutch

Clutch can and most likely will wear out quickly if you race about

Constant hassle of changing gear

Automatic

Good Points -

Sooooo easy to drive

Lets you keep both hands on the wheel where they belong with this much power

Can change gears faster than any professional can

Bad points -

Cant rev it as high off the lights

Can change gear when you dont want it to

Personally i would go Auto. So many more to choose from if you go auto. Just as quick as the manual and its so much easier to drive.

[twi$ter]

Thanks for the info :)

I think I'm leaning more towards the auto box as the slighest bit of traffic really pi*ses me off and I don't think I'd fair too well with the "very heavy clutch".

Just a little unsure about learning to drive an auto box for the first time in such a powerful car. Heard talk of not being in right gear for proper control in corners etc.

Am I worrying about nothing?

[adi]

yes.... you're worrying about nothing..

the autobox is a joy to drive.. even if you want to drive it quickly.. it performs in every situation. you'll soon get the hang of when to use the stickshift, the power buttons, when to dorp down manually.. etc etc. You WILL hate it at first.. but spend some time learning how to use it and you'll soon realise the advantages...

There is so much more to an auto than rev and go.

[mad welshman]

got to agree with adi........the auto is a absolute joy to drive.

up untill buying my auto uk tt i always drve a manual. in fact i still own a manual as well. soooooooo easy too jump between the two cars.

also. the manuals are as rare as :censor:

ive only ever seen 2 uk tt manual cars.

hopefully we have all been a little help.

mw

[Adampeck1]

Ok mate im gonna disagree at the risk of being boo-ed as im no longer a supra owner but my rx7 Type R was an auto (with all the gimmicks, gear drop, manual over ride and rev hold etc) when i bought her as are lots of them, i spoke to many many people for advice and every time i got a "yeah the auto's are great, trust me" lark.

now unfortunately it seems to me that people with auto's just feel they have to big them up because they're so ****** off they bought one in the first place and it seems to make them feel better! sorry but true! name me one person (with a manual licsence) who would chose an auto over a manual if the two identicle cars stood in front of you!

now to be fair i have never driven an auto mk4 supra but my rx was crap putting it bluntly. i had never driven anything so boring, so i went full expense and got it fully converted to a manual transmission and as if by magic its now one of the most fantastic cars ive driven, so i cant imagine it would differ much with a supra of similar power.

I think really at the end of the day it depends on the reason of purchase and whether your a "Driver" or not! if your buying the car because it looks nice and goes quick and has a bit of pose value then the auto will be a dream but if you really want to put a smile on your face every time you get in it then theres no competition to which you should buy!

my advice would be dont do it !!! i really regretted it from day one.

please correct me if im wrong.

Adam

[twi$ter]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I really need to get out there and start test driving to get a feel for the auto box. As much as I would love a tt I am on a budget of about 5k for my first supra so I'm going to be starting off with n/a motor. I take it these aren't quite as rare in manual form as the tt?

[Leeky]

Ok mate im gonna disagree at the risk of being boo-ed as im no longer a supra owner but my rx7 Type R was an auto (with all the gimmicks, gear drop, manual over ride and rev hold etc) when i bought her as are lots of them, i spoke to many many people for advice and every time i got a "yeah the auto's are great, trust me" lark.

I can see where your coming from. The thing about the Supra is the Auto box is almost identical to the manual 6 speed in performance.

I used to spit on Autos. I looked at about 6 manual supras at least before i drove an auto. One was enough, its SOOOOOOOO much easier to drive than a manual version. None of the super heavy clutch rubbish.

Dont get me wrong the manual is the real deal when it comes to racing etc as you need to keep the revs just where you want them. But using the car day-to-day you cant beat the auto.

Sitting in the traffic or bombing it down the country roads. Its no wonder that two thirds of the supras were autos.

You really have to drive both and see which is better for you. Its like no other automatic i've ever driven, its like a big go kart

[Martin F]

now to be fair i have never driven an auto mk4 supra

and there endeth your credibility in that post.

If you've not driven a MKIV auto supra then you are not really qualified to comment. Its one of the best auto boxes produced and even under spirited driving is unlikely to let you down by being in the wrong gear, unlike other auto's.

To twi$ter - you really need to drive both to make your mind up as they both have their pro's and con's. Also take a read of the article i wrote http://www.mkivsupra.co.uk/Technical/auto.htm

[Martin F]

Good Bad points on both boxes.

Manual

Bad Points -

Very Heavy Clutch

Not sure i'd agree with that.

Admittedly its not as light as a Yaris, but its not particularly heavy when compared to other 3.0 manual cars.

[Leeky]

now to be fair i have never driven an auto mk4 supra

and there endeth your credibility in that post.

If you've not driven a MKIV auto supra then you are not really qualified to comment. Its one of the best auto boxes produced and even under spirited driving is unlikely to let you down by being in the wrong gear, unlike other auto's.

To twi$ter - you really need to drive both to make your mind up as they both have their pro's and con's. Also take a read of the article i wrote http://www.mkivsupra.co.uk/Technical/auto.htm

Damn im glad i just went to that link.

I never knew about exactly how the overdrive worked. I thought 'overdrive on' was the more powerful option and that 'overdrive off' was for economy.

Silly me getting the settings round the wrong way

Explains the 1/4 mile times i was getting at santapod, was getting times equal to that of my old st205 gt4 (approx 14.3, but then again i am crap at getting non 4wd cars off the line).

Hopefully i'll get those 13 second times in October when we are back at the pod :D

[shaf2000]

having been a passenger in both a manual and auto tt, comparing the 2 at the same time from the lights and then switching over. i found that the auto was a lot better. reason being:

1. gear change was very quick, if the manual fluffed for a split second, the auto had him

2. the auto driver had greater control round corners as he had both hands on steering wheel, whilst the manual driver had to up and down shift

3. from the lights, if the manual didnt get his revs right, he would either bog or wheelspin, the auto didnt suffer the wheelspin problem as much

all in all, they are both great cars and i would have thought havin the manual was better as you could predict to a certain extent when the second turbo kicked in.... but now i think, i would definitely go for the auto. just plant your foot and off you go

[Jimlad]

I've been looking at Supras... tbh I would go manual if I had an Auto and Manual next to each other.

Changing gears is half the fun of driving... lol.

Heavy clutch ? My clutch isn't super light anyway, so wouldn't bother me too much.

[Martin F]

1. gear change was very quick, if the manual fluffed for a split second, the auto had him

2. the auto driver had greater control round corners as he had both hands on steering wheel, whilst the manual driver had to up and down shift

3. from the lights, if the manual didnt get his revs right, he would either bog or wheelspin, the auto didnt suffer the wheelspin problem as much

Hmm all three of those points relate to driver capability.

If you had a pro driver (which i am not) then those points would not really apply. However for repeatability for us lesser mortals the auto box would probably provide more consistant results.

I think the only place where an auto will always have the advantage (regardless of how good the drivers are) would be on the drag strip.