Manual trans people just don't understand...
I enjoy driving a crisp manual, and I can shift as fast as the next guy, usually faster... but I'm smart enough to understand what's going on with a manual trans as well.
First off... with a manual trans, no matter if the shift takes 1 second, or 1 microsecond, the engine and the drive wheels WILL be disconnected on EACH and EVERY shift. Period. You CANNOT be in one gear as you apply the next. One gear MUST be disengaged before the next can be engaged. Under high power this leads to a LOT of driveline shock. Aside from putting undue stress on the driveline it puts undue stress on your ability to maintain traction... something that becomes more and more critical as power goes up.
Second problem with a manual. Each and every time you shift brutally fast, although still slower than an auto shift, you are murdering the syncros. Because the weight of the clutch required to hold a decent engine producing 1000+ ft/lbs of torque is going to be HEAVY, in comparison to a lighter clutch designed to hold say 500ft/lbs. Dual disc???? Forget it..... You might as well plan on sticking it in gear and leaving it, or including transmission R&R in with your routine oil change intervals... It's a catch 22. If you run a single disc, it's lightweight, and will shift decently (although much slower than an auto, even if your name happens to be Jesus) but it won't hold sh*t. And if it's a multidisc, it'll hold great, but the disc weight makes syncronizing a formidable task, and lightening quick shifts come at the cost of SERIOUS syncro and collar wear. All the while making comparitively grandma shifts next to an auto trans.
Third problem... You can't launch. Okay sure..... lets say you have a line lock, and you start in 3rd gear and slide the clutch out to make the pass. You really think this compares to a centrifugal slider or a torque converter??? Please... Next, because of that whole disengage/engage thing on each and every shift, as opposed to an auto that GAINS boost on each shift, the manual loses it. Maybe not much, maybe you don't even notice, but it damn sure doesn't jump UP a few psi does it?
Basically, manual transmissions are for tow trucks. And even that is debatable.... but I can at least see the appeal.
For hauling ass, there is no debate. RWHP for RWHP the auto wins. As vehicle power gets lower and lower approaching stock, then the manual seems like a capable trans. Simply because the parasitic loss is a bit less, and at pathetic power levels, everything is happening so slowly, and the loads on vs off the power between gears are miniscule. But you start dealing with a vehicle that's unloading the front suspension on power and a manual just starts losing ground hand over fist.
The manual trans lost it's place in this world when the lockup torque converter went mainstream.
Lastly....
There's a repeating theme of manual trans guys talking about choosing the shifts and such. Do you guys not understand what a full-manual auto is???
You act like you're totally oblivious to the ability to CHOOSE EXACTLY when and where you make FULL THROTTLE shifts with a full-manual auto.
And gassers and diesels suffer the same fate. Gasser manual cars lose to auto cars every day just the same. Except as stated above, when the power is pitiful and the bit of extra loss through the auto breaks the deal. Which hopefully isn't a valid scenario for anyone on this site....
Full manual auto FTW.
(Coming from a manual guy that swapped to a full-manual auto after exhausting all options on keeping the manual alive in a DD)