can a four speed transmission be a good thing?

Question

i have a completely custom 1985 pontiac fiero and i just put a turbocharger on it. i was just wondering tho, wat is so great about a 4-speed transmission. please list the pros and cons for racing and just everyday driving. thanks in advance,

Kaden

Answer 1

I own a shop, a drag car & truck, and think this; what's good for racing is not always good for street use. Finding a transmission that works in both arenas is what one wants if they race, and drive the vehicle on the street. Pros: A four speed when combined with the lower geared diffirential, works great for racing. It allows one to keep the engine in its power band, and is really the choice on the race track. Cons: The 5 & 6 speeds use smaller gears, thus they are not as solid as a four speed would be. The four speed can take much more torque than the others, and comes in real handy to give that extra power needed to get the vehicle moving where power is most needed. You can't get any of this out of a five, or six speed transmission. Sure the 5 & 6 speeds give you more top end speed, but falls short on the bottom end. For everyday driving you can't beat the 5 & 6 speed transmissions, but for racing, you can't beat a good 4 speed.

Glad to help out, Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

The disadvantage of four speed manuals is they don't have an overdrive gear, which means your Fiero will be cruising on the freeway at about 4000 rpm. You must be careful of the way the gearbox is set up, to take advantage of the engine's horsepower and torque curves. Otherwise you'll need to rely more on rear end gearing than overdrive cars do.



So, worse gas mileage at crusing speeds, worse open-road driving experience. (In my humble opinion.) Racing? Don't know; depends on the specific tranny.



And automatics? *Shudder* Don't talk to me about automatics.

Answer 3

Back then, 4 speed was good.

These days, it is bad.



The more speeds, the quicker the car and the higher the top speed.



Now, most automatic cars come standard with a 5 speed.

More speeds also give better gas mileage.

Answer 4

Pro, automatics get killed when you add horse power & drive it hard. Con, you've no overdrive.