Manual or Automanual?

Hey guys, I currently drive a 95 Accord auto, and I've never owned a manual car...but I'm pretty sure I want an '05 5MT LGT. I have had 3 cars, all auto. I'm tired of the slow acceleration, and I would like to have a fast car to maybe street race once in a while, or take to the track when I feel like I've got enough power. The only problem is that if I get this car, I will probably be living near Atlanta where traffic can be very stop and go, and hilly at times. I have driven sticks several times, and feel reasonably comfortable, and I'm sure that I could eventually be very good at it.

 

I would like to go to stage 2, but I guess my question is...

 

How easy is it to mod the 5EAT to stage 2, and can it accelerate as quickly as the 5MT? I assume the quickest way to accelerate with the 5EAT would be in sportshift mode. I'm just afraid if I get the 5MT, I will regret it when I get in difficult driving conditions, or will be constantly downshifting or burning up the short life clutch.

 

The 5EAT seems more practical, but how much power and acceleration and easy mod potential would I be losing compared to the 5MT? My friend in Atlanta has an '06 STI manual, and loves it, but he's always driven a manual...so I figure it may take me a long time to feel lik it's second nature.

 

I'm sorry if this doesn't make mush sense. It would be easier to say than type.

 

Thanks in advance.

Manual.

5EATS are slow.........Def. MT

if you have stop and go and hills probably go with the 5EAT. I'm almost same with you, all the cars ive been driving were auto, I did have a manual beater for 2 yrs, but that didnt last. I'm upgrading to the LGT from auto accord, I wanted to get auto, but I fear it might cost me problems down the road like the honda trans did. So hopefully I can deal with a 5mt LGT, there is stop and go in my area, but currently with the hours i work i dont really get stuck in traffic anymore so I didnt worry.

i have an 05 5eat coming from almost all MT cars/trucks. i wanted the 5eat because i do mostly city driving now and well.... let's just say it's better to keep both hands on the wheel while talking on the phone, attempting to take notes, etc than trying to shift.

 

have you test driven the 5eat yet? i bet if you did, you would think the it is quite a bit faster in it's stock form compared to your accord. then do an uppipe and downpipe (basic stage 2 set up) and slap on a Cobb Accessport with a protune map from PDX or TDC. keep in mind, the VF40 (stock turbo) spools up very quickly, so you have little turbo lag. as for reliability in the auto? that is dependent upon your driving habits and what you do or don't do to the car. i highly recommend adding a tranny cooler at the very least. i'm going on 2.5 yrs in my 5EAT and i race the car: drag and autocross, on a regular basis. it now has 39K miles. car runs like champ. if you don't drag the car, or beat on it, you probably run very little risk of it causing you problems. however, if you buy a used 5EAT, there is no guarantee that someone else didn't beat on the car. if it's a 5MT, almost guaranteed that the person before you did. more than likely, in the 5EAT, you have less of a chance that the previous owner was a speed freak. of course, that is just my speculation. currently, i am the only person up here in a 5EAT who races and beats on their car. there are several 5MT and 6MT owners however, that do... or at least drives them hard daily.

 

i love my 5EAT LGT. i don't plan to give it up, even though i also love 6MT.

I have a 5mt but I test drove the auto without using the auto shift and I was very impressed. If I was doing a lot of rush hour bumper to bumper traffic I would have definitely picked up this beautiful black 5eat wagon they had in the showroom. There are pros and cons. You have decided what is more important. Test drive both.

For me, there is nothing like pushing my left foot in and shifting the stick from 2nd up and to the right into 3rd.

if you have stop and go and hills probably go with the 5EAT. I'm almost same with you, all the cars ive been driving were auto, I did have a manual beater for 2 yrs, but that didnt last. I'm upgrading to the LGT from auto accord, I wanted to get auto, but I fear it might cost me problems down the road like the honda trans did. So hopefully I can deal with a 5mt LGT, there is stop and go in my area, but currently with the hours i work i dont really get stuck in traffic anymore so I didnt worry.

 

 

Thats funny man, I had an accord before and was fortunate not to have to repair my tranny, because they go out if you don't put the b&m tranny cooler on. I own a manual lgt now, granted my turbo just went out last night lol. I will say this about your accord, if you have maintained your v6, it will run to 300k, no problem. I had almost 150k on mine when I sold it, I drove the car to redline with some frequency on the auto, never had oil consumption. I've never felt a motor feel so strong at 150k on it and I did abuse that car a bit. Then my buddy who kept his after I sold mine, has 286k on the tach on original motor and tranny, granted it was tranny cooled and his car also feels like a tank. To me that is super impressive. If you buy an auto lgt and tranny cool it, you shouldn't have to worry about the tranny failure at low mileage. (low mileage to me would be below 100k) With 90% of my driving being down in rush hour, I should have gotten the auto because a manual has can be more a nuisance to drive than a pleasure depending on what type of traffic you encounter on your commute to work.... just my .02

i will say go MT

I had a trans cooler on my accord combo w/ 6k ATF drain fill intervals with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, still did save my trans. I have a 00' which is covered under the extended warrenty/recall honda issued out to the Accords, Oddesey, TL/CL, and Preludes. Mine started slipping a long time ago, but it took 2-3yrs of complaining before the dealer gave me a new trans

I started driving MT cars long ago. I had some concerns when I moved to SoCal where there are lots of hills and plenty of traffic. We have both a MT (my '07 Spec B) and an AT (my wife's Mazda Tribute) in the family. Unless I am guaranteed a multi-hour drive in horrible traffic, I take the Spec B every time.

 

Suffice it to say that having an enjoyable driving experience every time I get behind the wheel makes up for occasional annoyance in traffic. You said you wanted a car to really drive and have fun with. If that is what you really want, an MT car is for you. Trying to have a good time behind the wheel with an automatic transmission is like spending a Saturday night with an inflatable woman. No matter how realistic the "experience" may be - it just ain't the same.

 

MT forever!

+1 for MT ........ talking on your cell phone and driving 40 in a 55 and cutting people off FTL!

Hey guys, I am bumping this old thread bc I am back in the market for the LGT. I have been in college the past 2 years and kept the Accord a little longer. It now has 242K miles on it, and runs perfectly. I am REALLY stressing on whether or not to get the manual or auto. I have driven my friend's 05EAT, and it was fun... but I wonder if I would have more fun in the 5MT.. Idk.. I am afraid I might kill myself or hate the manual once in a while. But, I want a fast, fun car that I can take to the track once every couple months or so. I am just afraid the LGT will be hard to drive bc I've read about how easy they are to stall, how "choppy" they are, etc.. I'm pretty sure any manual Honda (Prelude, TL, TSX) would be much easier to drive than the 5MT, but it would take a lot more work to make them as fast as a stock LGT..

 

How fast does a stage 2 5EAT run the 1/4, and how much faster does the stage 2 5MT run it?

 

Thanks

Lord, not this shit again.

 

5EAT has the potential of running just about the same, provided you launch the sonofabitch.

Stage 2 is a very grey and broad category. You can have two identical cars and one can be significantly faster simply due to what tune you are running. Hell, a Stage 1 car can outpull on a Stage 2 car that is running a crappy/conservative tune.

MT vs AT, mod for mod, several tuners have told me they run just about as hard on the street. At the track, like I said, it's about the launch. You should be looking at the trap speed as well, not just the time.

Consider the fact that the 5EAT takes more money at Stage 2 because while you CAN run the stock 5MT down to the clutch (at least for a while), you gotta help out the 5EAT by at least installing a tranny cooler. So the investment can range from a simple tranny cooler to having to do a valve body mod which is around a thousand bucks.

The auto is a pretty good unit and not that big of a compromise. If you want balls to the wall, get the MT.

Given equal drivers the manual is going to be faster and probably more fun at the same time. Definately sounds like you are on the fence becasue you dont know how to drive a manual. You will get used to it pretty quickly and when you master driving a subaru smoothly you can drive pretty much any manual smoothly, except maybe an 18 wheeler.

Keep in mind the automatic shifts at full boost and WOT. You would have to do flat foot shifting ALL the time on the MT to get the same result. So there's that advantage going for the AT. Consistent results with no mis-shifts or falling behind between shifts.

Get Manual or regret it forever. Auto sux. By the way, what is this "street race" you speak of?

Get Manual or regret it forever.

True. Every single 5EAT owner out there is currently regretting their purchasing choice.

True. Every single 5EAT owner out there is currently regretting their purchasing choice.

 

As a 5EAT owner, I'll back this. I had been driving manual for nearly 10 years, much of it in pretty heavy nj traffic. Thought I had enough of it, plus my gf wanted to be able to drive it?, so I went with the 5EAT. Now I will not say I truly regret the decision (enough to sell), however my next car will likely be an MT again. My girl actually has been a fan of my car, so when her car is due, there's a chance i'll give her the lgt and i'll buy a spec b.

 

I'm still torn about the 5EAT vs xMT issue - however I'd give you a nudge to the MT side.

Having a manual keeps my attention on driving because I really can't pick up the cell phone or eat and drive, or much of anything for that matter.

Get the manual - drive the car, don't let it drive you

Having a manual keeps my attention on driving because I really can't pick up the cell phone or eat and drive, or much of anything for that matter.

Get the manual - drive the car, don't let it drive you

 

yeah, I worry now because I have found myself texting while driving lately and I don't want to do it anymore!!!

 

I just worry because it sounds like this is the most difficult stick to drive for a first time manual owner

 

Maybe I should get an Acura NSX?

As a 5EAT owner, I'll back this.

I was being sarcastic

I was being sarcastic

 

Well regarding EVERY 5EAT owner, I'm sure there are those who love their AT. But after years of having that control, I just find myself getting frustrated that the car cant see that a hill is coming up and it's time to downshift...

I've been driving nothing but MT as well. I too am considering going back to MT should something happen to the current car, but that's not because of this AT unit as a unit in and of itself. I find myself driving in manual mode more often than one probably should. I mean, doesn't that defeat the purpose? It is nice however to have a choice. If only the torque converter was configured more for performance and less for comfort ...

 

I honestly do not understand the utility of these threads. There are pros and cons to each type of transmission and it is too much of a personal preference. It usually degenerates into AT sucks, MT this that. I think the only people that chose an AT and regret it is those that made an uninformed purchasing decision.

I think the question is prompted by the unfamiliarity with the performance of the AT on the newcomer's side. No, it does not lag significantly behind the MT and can be just as bit as fast, but it takes a somewhat different tuning road to get to the same point.

Drive both and see which you like.

And that should be the conclusion to all the MT vs AT threads.

As I mentioned in another post long ago, I test drove an AT and I was very impressed. If you’re in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic on a daily basis or have to deal with a lot of steep hills in slow moving traffic you'll wish you had the AT. It not like when you pull out of driveway you’re on an autocross course or you're going to be launching at every stop light.

Test drive both then decide.