Manual vs. Auto for performance?

[Gord]

Hi,

Which transmission gives better acceleration performance in the Cummins powered trucks?

I'm new to the performance area of diesel pickups, but it seems so far that most of the ones I've seen videos of drag racing all see to be auto's. I know the auto's are easier to drive for most people and have some advantages towing, but in most other types of vehicles, manuals are usually faster.

Does this still hold true for diesel trucks?

Thanks,

-Gord

 

[rubberfish]

Welcome to the site there fellow Canadian.
For dragging the auto will be considerably quicker.
You'll be able to launch with boost. How much
boost depends on your trans and your wallet.

 

[argve]

In trucks the auto is the quickest. Main reason I found is the shifter throw on is like 5 feet. I feel like I'm shoving my hand to the headlights then ripping it back to the tail lights... It just takes time to get you arm that far. When I'm blasting from the light and the mustang is in the other lane you can tell when I shift because he starts pulling away he will gain like 5 feet with every shift I have to make. Now if I had an auto it would be much less. When he shifts I only get a split second to gain something like a foot or less. They make a short throw shifter for the later model NV4500's but not mine. I have not checked into the differences between the older ones and the newer ones (1998 and newer).

 

[sle2115]

Auto is generally faster unless you get into some of the racing transmissions. No one can shift a manual as fast as the automatic can, just as Argve described, not to mention that long throw.

 

[Gord]

Hey thanks for the warm welcome guys!

Yeah, I was kind of figuring that the auto's were the quicker ones. Unfortunate since I really love rowing the gears myself.

I've been driving VW TDI's for almost 10 years now (all manuals) and just love them. I just love diesels in general. The whole sound, smell, vibration, etc. My dad is a commercial fisherman on the east coast and I grew up around boats and marine diesels. Most are big inline 6's, lots of Cummins. Both my uncles ran B59's in their boats, but that's actually a small engine these days. My dad seems to love John Deere's. His current engine is a 6.8L PowerTech (I6), makes 225hp. On the smaller side these days, but the fuel economy makes up for it. For a truck, he has a Chevy 1500 ext cab SB w/ 6.5TD and auto. Not a bad old truck, still rattling away somewhere in the 300k km's on the clock range.

I've just been finding more and more I keep needing a truck. Whether it's garden projects or moving furniture, it always keeps coming up that a lot of things really need a truck to do. My wife is not in disagreement thankfully!

My personal favorite for engines is by far the Cummins. Not that the others aren't good engines. My buddies with pickups all say don't go with a manual, but I'm just not a huge fan of autos. They don't really fit my driving style, but then maybe that's just because they're gassers.

I like to be able to stick the thing in a higher gear and let the engine pull. Load the thing up under boost and let it work. I find that most auto's when you do that automatically drop down and get the revs up. Definitely faster because it's up in the power band. I just don't like all the ruckus and shifting and can't see it helping the fuel economy much either. The other thing is being able to shift up when *I* want it to. Again, I like to load the things up on boost and make em pull. Get to 2200 or 2500 rpms, shift quick, get back on the boost, repeat. This is all from my TDI's, but others like to rev them out under lighter load to 3000 or so and then shift, more like a gasser. I just find I get better economy and acceleration keeping the rev's down and let the engine work.

So how are the trucks w/ auto's? Do they hold higher gears and keep the rev's down, or are they always downshifting as soon as you tip in a little on the go pedal?

How do most of you with manual's drive em? Shift early and step into it hard to get them on boost, or a light foot all the time?

How is the fuel economy manual vs. auto for just normal driving around?

Thanks,

-Gord

 

[rubberfish]

How do most of you with manual's drive em? Shift early and step into it hard to get them on boost, or a light foot all the time?

How do I drive? Hard and smokey.
I took the auto out and had the 5sp put in
when the whole conversion was done.
For most of the same reasons you like them.
Better control, and way better sound.

 

[rubberfish]

They make a short throw shifter for the later model NV4500's but not mine. I have not checked into the differences between the older ones and the newer ones (1998 and newer).

My NV4500 is out by one year too.
It's a '97, so no short throw for me either.

 

[argve]

Bob,

So you got the 4 foot (120cm - see I can do math ) long shift as well...

Now for my driving style...

I drive nice and easy, never punching it, never pushing it to where it overfuels (smokes). I'm really concerned about fuel mileage and longevity so I pretty much baby mine.































Yeah and monkey's might fly out my butt

I drive like Bob... Right foot has two settings... ON and OFF... There is nothing better than watching the daylight behind me turn to nighttime with a simple push of the pedal... I like to get her down to around 1500 rpms and pour the coals to her, let her just blast to around 2200 rpms then shift again... Now when pulling a heavy load I will walk her out to 2700 or so rpms then shift. I find that my temps (EGT's) are lower when I do that.

 

[rubberfish]

I drive nice and easy, never punching it, never pushing it to where it overfuels (smokes). I'm really concerned about fuel mileage and longevity so I pretty much baby mine.

By the time I was done reading that, I was
laughing so hard I couldn't finish the page.
I'll have to go back later and try.

 

[58_Dodge]

I spent 6 months looking for a stick Cummins that I liked, so if you want a truck right away, go automatic. I personally dont like the autos, they feel like sluggish, especially the Power Joke autos. There's nothing like choosing your own gears if you ask me.

And Yeah, I'm with Bob and Travis. Theres nothing like that feeling watching black smoke bellow out of your tail pipe on that silly little hybred behind you

I have a habbit of juicing it in overdrive just to see how much boost I can make. Every time I do that my girlfriend says "Is that really nessisary?"

My reply is usually somthing like, "are those pants really nessisary?"

 

[rubberfish]

I like smoke.

 

[rubberfish]

Different angle.

 

[rubberfish]

Me against Randy's TT 1st gen.
And the winner is??????

 

[rubberfish]

Sorry Gord. Didn't mean to sidetrack your thread,
it's just that smoke has that effect on me.

 

[rubberfish]

Hey 58_Dodge, I was just reading your sig.
What exhaust housing do you run?
Just wondering how do you keep your
boost down at 40 psi?