A4 vs M6

[Badillac]

Good afternoon ladies and gents,

I've been the proud owner of of 3 separate ls1-powered f bodies, and one ill fated lt1 trans am before it was wrecked (and saved my life) two weeks in to my ownership. They were all manual cars and I always swore that as long as I had american muscle I'd row my own gears, including my most recent ls2 powered cts-v.

After moving back to east TN me and the old lady's driving requirements no longer necessitate the use of 4 doors and a big trunk so I'm considering going back to an 01 or 02 WS6, but quite frankly after driving manual cars for the last 12 years I'm kinda over shifting all the time, especially since traffic has really picked up in this town. Also on occasions when we go out drinking I'd like to be able to take my car and let the significant other drive back when she's DD, and being that she can barely walk without tripping over her feet operating a 400hp manual transmission is out of the question.

I know by today's standards the a4 is a little antiquated, but how did they stack up compared to the m6 in the ls powered f bodies? long term maintenance costs? holding up to mods? (though I wouldn't really be doing a lot of this, probably bolt ons only). did all the auto WS6's come with the 3.23 gears?

Thanks for any input!

[pajeff02]

We purchased our WS.6 in '08 and I was a bit put off when we first looked at it and I saw the automatic shifter. Honestly, after test driving the car and experiencing its high fun factor, the A4 was quickly overlooked. I have since replaced the original transmission with a Performabuilt Level II and a billet 3,200 stall converter. I have zero regrets and totally enjoy the driving experience. Although the 4L60E isn't considered a strong transmission, your weak spot in the driveline is the stock 10 bolt out back.

[Too Fast]

For those who want an auto, stall it and tune out the shift management, you'll be happy. Auto trans cars had either a 2.73 rear gear or the optional 3.23. Aluminum driveshaft is the quickest way to find out if you have a OE 3.23 car, steel driveshaft is a 2.73. All factory WS6s had 3.23 gears, with the AT.

[theorangeguy]

do you plan on racing the car or just daily driving stuff?

[Badillac]

do you plan on racing the car or just daily driving stuff?

Primarily daily driver, there's a 1/8 mile track close by so I'd probably hit that up a weekend or so out of the month when the weather's nice. occasionally spirited driving through the mountains.

[theorangeguy]

Primarily daily driver, there's a 1/8 mile track close by so I'd probably hit that up a weekend or so out of the month when the weather's nice. occasionally spirited driving through the mountains.

I prefer a M6 for a daily because of the extra MPG's...A4's dont get great mileage but they are faster down the track, but your bolt on's will net you a little less power than an M6 because of power loss. Only reason I say that is because if you do bolt on's and have it dyno'd it might dyno a little less than what you are used to if you used to own a manual car.

[35th-ANV-SS]

I got my M6 for gas mileage too. I am at about 6-7 mpg at WOT.

[theorangeguy]

I got my M6 for gas mileage too. I am at about 6-7 mpg at WOT.

yea...because you have just bolt on's right...?

[Nutball]

I agree with Jeff, our weak spot is the 10 bolt. I had a 2.73 and swapped it for a 3.73. I have an A4........Along with a Frost Tune, I'm very happy.
The tune will benefit the A4 better then what it CAN'T do for the M6. I've got higher rpm shift points and pressure. Very noticeable. I want to say it shifts harder, but that's not how I want it to come across. It's more of a "precise" shift. You feel it. No lag between shifts. I've driven an M6 and as fun as they may be.....I'm satisfied with my A4.

[35th-ANV-SS]

I got my M6 for gas mileage too. I am at about 6-7 mpg at WOT.

yea...because you have just bolt on's right...?

. Technically, my setup was bolted on lol.

[98TransAmWs-6]

I got my M6 for gas mileage too. I am at about 6-7 mpg at WOT.

yea...because you have just bolt on's right...?

. Technically, my setup was bolted on lol.

Then I am bolt ons too Jon since all parts will be bolted on or in...lol.

To the OP, I would go either route to me personally and just go with which ever one you can find in the best condition.

[Firebirdjones]

Go with what works best for what you need. Generally it's much easier to find the auto's in better condition with less abuse. Personally I don't care either way if a 4th gen has one or the other. I've had several of both over the years. Either trans needs upgraded to be reliably abused so that's not a decision maker for me. I only experienced marginal differences in gas mileage with either, getting 20/26 city/highway with the auto's, and 21/30 city/highway with the 6 speeds. Not enough to make me sway one way or the other.

We were more concerned with keeping the 4th gen with the cloth interior, and didn't give a damn about which trans it had. It happens to be a 6 speed but I don't care, she drives the car, not me, I don't care for those notchy bastards myself. I much preferred my auto with the stall and tune, and was a nicer car overall, but it had leather so it went to a new owner.
The only yanker I really care for is a good ole fassion 4 speed muncie or toploader.

[RONS98TA]

I bought an auto 12+ years ago. I have a 3200 stall, moser 12 bolt with 373 gears and Frost tune. It drives awesome and feels great. I also had the trans built for high h/p so it can handle my "bolt on's" also. (cam, headers, D1Sc, and a few other mods) I agree with what oters have said. Find the nicest car for the best deal. Then refresh the trans (weather it be a man or auto) and you should be good to go for years to come.

[1998 T/A]

Don't do it...drove an a4 for bit (friends car) begged for my m6 back.

[Badillac]

Wow I appreciate all the feedback - I'll admit as I've been driving around back home the last couple of weeks it's been very satisfying to blow through the gears like I did when I was a kid, but then once I get into town and everything comes to a screeching, grinding halt I'm reminded of why I'm looking for an auto in the first place.

There's a real nice 02 white a4 ws6 up in Johnson City I think I'll be checking out in a weekend or two, who knows maybe it will be so vanilla and plain I wont be able to stand it.

Good news is if I change my mind there's an equally as gorgeous red 02 ws6 with the m6 about 5 miles from my house that I pass every day - might have to swing in there instead!

[theorangeguy]

Wow I appreciate all the feedback - I'll admit as I've been driving around back home the last couple of weeks it's been very satisfying to blow through the gears like I did when I was a kid, but then once I get into town and everything comes to a screeching, grinding halt I'm reminded of why I'm looking for an auto in the first place.

There's a real nice 02 white a4 ws6 up in Johnson City I think I'll be checking out in a weekend or two, who knows maybe it will be so vanilla and plain I wont be able to stand it.

Good news is if I change my mind there's an equally as gorgeous red 02 ws6 with the m6 about 5 miles from my house that I pass every day - might have to swing in there instead!

I dont know why...but I love red and white WS6's "white more than any". Probably 2 of my favorite colors for our cars.

With that said, its not like your driving in Atlanta traffic over there lol im sure it can get "thick" but I'd still recommend the M6 over an auto...I think you'll be happier in the long run because at the end of the day everybody loves to dump a clutch and row through some gears every once in a while

AND...if you ever hit the mountains, you're gonna want to control your gears...auto will limit you there. Speaking of mountains...me and a buddy will be hitting the dragons tail this weekend if you're in the area...just throwin that out there.

[Badillac]

I dont know why...but I love red and white WS6's "white more than any". Probably 2 of my favorite colors for our cars.

With that said, its not like your driving in Atlanta traffic over there lol im sure it can get "thick" but I'd still recommend the M6 over an auto...I think you'll be happier in the long run because at the end of the day everybody loves to dump a clutch and row through some gears every once in a while

AND...if you ever hit the mountains, you're gonna want to control your gears...auto will limit you there. Speaking of mountains...me and a buddy will be hitting the dragons tail this weekend if you're in the area...just throwin that out there.

Depends on what day - I live about 30 minutes from there but I'm hitting the knox classic this Saturday (as a spectator, not a competitor) and then a friend of mine is getting married. At least he's getting this crap out of the way before football season starts. Sunday is a completely different story, it's wide open.

[theorangeguy]

Depends on what day - I live about 30 minutes from there but I'm hitting the knox classic this Saturday (as a spectator, not a competitor) and then a friend of mine is getting married. At least he's getting this crap out of the way before football season starts. Sunday is a completely different story, it's wide open.

Sunday is probably going to be the best day for anybody because of weather. He's driving over from Charlotte and im heading in from Nashville. Trying to figure out if I want to go through Gatlinburg or Maryville...we're staying in Fontana, NC right on the other side of the state line "we've got a camp over there" but we wont be getting there until Saturday afternoon sometime. Looks like its gonna rain some on Saturday so that almost rules that day out...might be drinking at Fontana Village if it rains too much

[Badillac]

Sunday is probably going to be the best day for anybody because of weather. He's driving over from Charlotte and im heading in from Nashville. Trying to figure out if I want to go through Gatlinburg or Maryville...we're staying in Fontana, NC right on the other side of the state line "we've got a camp over there" but we wont be getting there until Saturday afternoon sometime. Looks like its gonna rain some on Saturday so that almost rules that day out...might be drinking at Fontana Village if it rains too much

Ah, I hadn't looked at the weather. Going after the dragon when it's raining or soon after it's rained is a bad idea if you want to have some fun with it, though the views are still nice if you're just cruising. I'm very familiar with the area, we used to spend a couple of weekends a month up there back when I was in school. If the weather doesn't go south I'll head up there Sunday afternoon and look for a trans am raising hell.

[theorangeguy]

Ah, I hadn't looked at the weather. Going after the dragon when it's raining or soon after it's rained is a bad idea if you want to have some fun with it, though the views are still nice if you're just cruising. I'm very familiar with the area, we used to spend a couple of weekends a month up there back when I was in school. If the weather doesn't go south I'll head up there Sunday afternoon and look for a trans am raising hell.

I already told my buddy I wont be doing much of anything if its wet or raining ...I know better. I'll keep my eye out for a caddy