Engine 5spd VS Automatic

5spd VS Automatic

this is probably a newbie question...

i know/heard/think that 5spd is faster than automatic...
since i have automatic i'm just curious by how fast (max. speed) can
an automatic corolla travel compare to 5spd manual corolla. thanks.

they both have governors which don't allow you to go over 114mph........so the difference is basically quicker acceleration w/ a 5 speed

aaah so both can reach or go over 114mph...only manuals accelarate fast compare to
autos....also im not talking about souped up rollas....just a regular rollas no mods or whatsoever....

Best time I have seen for Stick Corolla: 8.08 sec
My personal Best time in my automatic corolla: 9.20 sec

The difference is pretty extreme in my opinion, but thats what happens when the stick gets 2 more gears.

THESE TIMES ARE FOR STOCK COROLLAS

2 more gearS? ...4speed auto and 5speed

2 more gears? The corolla comes with a 4-spd Automatic, 5-spd manual.

Ok It is definitly possible that I have missunderstood OD, but I thought what it did was change the gear ratio of the final gear. When Overdrive is on the car has 1,2, and 4. Without OD it has 1, 2, and 3. Hence I said that the automatic really only had 3 gears. Did I screw up how OD works?

Without OD, the automatic uses 1,2,3 and not 4th...since 4th gear is the overdrive gear....it helps the car not hunt for gears going uphills and whatnots.

With OD engaged, it uses 1,2,3 and 4th. The final drive ratio doesn't change.

i See, so the Overdrive doesn't cause the car to skip 3rd gear? for some reason I thought it did, but in that case it would make the tranny have 4 gears but my point still stands: The difference is pretty extreme in my opinion, but thats what happens when the stick gets 1more gear. lol

lol...i dont think any autos skips gears from 2-4....but ya...5speed much faster cuz u control it instead

yeah sticks are a lot faster than an automatic off the line.... i have race a guy with a auto 03 rolla for a short distance after he asked me if i had a supercharger .... i was flattered because my engine is stock i was just able to acc. alot faster because i had manual control of the transmission...

Manuals are also faster then autos because there is no power robbing torque converter on a manual. And in general they are just more efficient in their delivery of power to the ground.

For example, a manual could only have %15 power loss and an auto might have %20 power loss. Thus you get more power to the wheels with the manual.

manuals are lighter too

And they're better on gas and cheaper to fix.

5-speed for life.

This sums it up perfectly! Nice job!

definitely go with a 5-speed if you want to feel the control

I have a 5-speed '03 and I love it. I drove the auto and was about to can the idea of even getting the Corolla, but then I had the chance to drive the manual. Even though I drive in traffic everyday, I would not trade it for the world (for the price).

:roll: ...but for old farts like me who drove stick most of my life the corolla auto still kicks ass in its class hehe i left my hondas integras suv when i test drove the auto corolla hehe


lazy me specially on hills hahahaha :wink:

for some reason i like the torque /acceleration of this car and it's bone stock =)

dang you guys must be short ... or have short legs ... i have an auto and i can't imagine how terrible it would be to have to bend my and hit the clutch ... i'm driving using the bottom half of the steering wheel and the chair 1 notch from all the way back .... too bad they didn't put telescoping feature in the xrs .... would be a smart move

lol ur right i am 5' 10 and im having hard time with the driver space lol..

jaz gud i have an auto ... for stick i guess if u get racing seat profile
it wont be too bad

I'm 5'11" and ya, it does get a little cramped on long drives. Nonetheless, I've gotten used to it. There are quite a few advantages to the manual transmission. Lighter weight, less drivetrain power less, extra gear. But the most important aspect of the manual transmission is not just how fast you can launch in a straight line, but how much control you have over power. Driving an automatic, even with OD off, your gears are computer controlled, which means it will never equal the natural ability of a good driver in a manual transmission. This means that for drifting, autocross, and the like, which require constant gear shifting as you enter and exit corners, manual transmissions are the only way to go. You need only flick your wrist and drop gears to get the power you need, whereas an automatic does not allow such precise and immediate response.

precisely,, i drove stick since 1986 and i know what u mean....

i just got old and lazy traffic and i drive mostly side street w/ millions of stop lights


peace out

Auto 4spd here, I still love the feel of this car. I have so many future plans for me and my rolla 8)

I'm going to test drive a 5spd 03 rolla s someday!

im 6' and i drive the 5 spd 03 corolla with just enough room... the seat are uncomfortable but that my only complaint in the comfort area....

my car went in for some warranty work and they gave me an 03 corolla auto... i hated it compaired to my 5 spd. it lagged that take off feel. kinda felt like to much power was wasted thru the trans.

i think the auto is quicker at the launch when you do the torque stop or power breaking whatever you guys call it (left foot on brake and right foot on accelerator)... the auto i think is quicker at the launch cuz once that red light turns green...release the brake pedal and all that power stress that was on those wheels is ready to go. as for stick...depending on how you launch...anyway...there's still that lag time for your clutch to deliver the complete power from engine to the gears. thats why the car "hops"... am i right on this?

but once that 5-spd catches on to the higher rpms on 1st gear, then switches gears...thats when the 5-spd burns the auto like nothing. for me...i see it this way...auto vs. 5-spd: the auto has a really small supercharger and the 5-spd has a small turbo. the auto does deliver a great deal of power all throughout the rpm range...and the 5-spd gains its "winning" power against the auto towards the higher rpm. what's your say?

Manual, hands down when it comes to take off and control. The auto may get a slight jump, but with clutch control of a good driver, the manual will beat you. I personally have the rpms around 3k and the clutch slightly "grabbing" if I want to take off fast. Of course with the S/C it requires a little more finessing for the extra power...

Im with rolla_dink on this one, anyone that really knows how to drive a clutch is gona show the auto some pure ownage. The auto might get half a carlegnth right off the line, just cuz all he has to do is stopm the pedal, but in less then a sec the 5 spd is gona shoot right past the auto.

And the hop thing your talking about, if were thinking of the same thing... is called wheel hop, im not exactly sure what causes it, but i think a lot of things do(like tires and suspension), but the clutch has nothing to do with wheel hop.