This is by no means to start a tranny war.........but I have always had a stick in my First gen trucks that I have owned. Finding a stick now a days in good shape is almost like pulling hens teeth.......but I can find automatics.

Having never owned an auto, are they worth it? Are they reliable in pulling anything you want. I am just afraid that if I buy an auto truck, that the trans wont hold up over time. Thoughts and comments ?

 

I've never had any trouble with 'em. If you make 'em strong enough to handle the HP/Torque and load you got attached then I prefer them to sticks.
Hauling livestock, the smoother shifting is easier on the animals, the clutch thing especially on a grade makes them stumble and an automatic isn't so harsh during the downshift and upshift portion.
I also like the fact my honey can sit right next to me and I don't have a gear shift stick in the way. LoL

 

I think an auto is worth it, but would rather have a stick.

 

I agree with the first statement but this right here is the only reason why I would switch to an auto on My truck

 

Autos are fine, and a good converter is for sure worth the coin.

 

What do y ou consider a "good" converter.

 

the ones i hear the most about are gorend, tcs, bd diesel, theres lots of different vendors on here im sure!

my tcs converter is the best upgrade yet!!
there pricey but well worth the price
think about it!! what good is hp if you cant get it to the ground!!!
all with better fuel economy too!!

 

i put a hughes in my 82 and compared to the stocker it will take your breath away from about 1500 to 3200

 

both are fine but the stick seems to win for me just because the price it costs to make the auto put all of the power to the ground. sticks arent much better with clutchs being so expensive but they arent up there with the auto prices.

 

I had autos in both dodge's. The 93's overdrive goes out and Chry redesigned the overdrive unit for the replacement that seemed to cause other issues. But more over, where you are as myself we get snow and ice in the winter thats not our friends when trying to stop these boats. Without ABS breaks its old school for stoping with autos, having to drop it in netrual to keeping from being pushed into whatever, and getting out of a hole is a hassle trying to eaze out with control, although you can jam D to R pretty fast for rocking it. But we have a lot of meat here to change direction that fast. Lots to think about.

 

I think it really comes down to what you want to do with the truck. An auto can be built to handle big power but it will cost some big money too. But when an auto is right I dont think you could even compare it to a stick. Just my .02

 

They definately both have their place. Personally I don't think these autos are junk. Yes the converters are sloppy and won't get your total power to the ground, But mine has held up to everything I've thrown at it, with 244,000 miles and only one rebuild that i know of which was supposedly a mickey mouse job and my tranny hasn't given me any trouble. I've gotten 307hp through my stock auto, and probably have even more now since I've upgraded some stuff on the truck. It will slip a little once in a while, when i'm really on it hard, but not too often. They definately have a decent name in my book. Yes manuals are cheaper and nicer for towing and what not. Autos are nice for racing or just cruisin along and you only have to spool that turbo once with an auto and your off. Like others said, its all what your gonna do with the truck, but you can change the tc in the auto and it will make a world of difference i've heard.

 

X2 for towing

 

A quality TC makes a huge difference like a whole different truck.

 

My bros 92, which used to be my dads truck, is a total turd, but it's a stick. The intercooler has been bypassed, it has no gauges, and the FP screw has been turned up a turn or 2. That's it. It feels like it has 80% of my trucks power.

That just goes to show me how much power I lose through my automatic.