Ok so I constantly go back n fourth on what I should have got when I bought my truck. I really didnt have a choice as I was buying a used truck and was my first time finacing a truck so I bought it from a local dealer in Reno NV. I was 20 at the time I bought it. My old truck was a 4 speed manual 84 f250 with a 460 that I later swapped in a ZF 5 speed for better milage. My current truck is a 02 F250 SC SB auto. I have tossed about the idea of trading it in for a 6 speed. But I only find truck with more miles then mine and less options. Mines an xlt but i have a 6 disc. changer power pedals lifted about 4 inchs with 35's. I was wondering if anyone who has owned both an auto 7.3 and a 6 speed 7.3 could give me any real world opions on what they think is better. I plan on buying an older camp trailer next year at minum 27 feet. So im debating on keeping my auto which has been working great for the past 17,000 miles or so I put on. It had 61,000 when I bought it now has 77,000. Or getting a 6 speed if i can find one that is close to what i have now. I found a 2002 7.3 SC long bed with a 6 speed and a 122,000 miles or so. But not sure I want to trade in my lower milage truck for it. So I was hoping for some opions on the diffrences behind a 7.3 before I do any other looking

 

I wish I had bought a sixer just for the cool factor/simplicity. On the other hand I don't mind not shifting around town I guess they'res never a happy medium, since you can't have it both ways unless ford comes out with a triptronic type trans.

 

It is a purely personal thing. stay with what you now have, do a couple of longevity/shifting mods, GET A TRANNY COOLER, change oil often, live happily forever.

Tommorow is going to be fun for me and the 6 spd in the snow. the first 3 gears are too low to keep any traction on the ice forecasted, and when the kid in the rice rocket comes by, you gotta run him in at least second or all you do is shift. The only time I smile is at the fuel pump, and when I'm in granny 1st idling along on the northbound 395 parkinglot. the other thing is that I've NEVER been stuck somewhere behind a broken manual tranny.

 

Man ain't that the truth. I know I wish I had one when I'm towing. But empty no..I was really wanting one a while back. Then I had the opportunity to drive my Dad around in his 6 speed for a few days (bad arm couldn't shift). By the time that was over and I got home, I was glad to drive my auto again.

They both definately have their place. If you tow alot or live in the real mountains of north america then a 6 speed is it. If you occasionaly work your mule and mostly drive around on flat ground or your truck is a seriously overkill grocery getter then the auto is cool. And BTS will make it even cooler....

Of course this is just my opinion and my 2 cents. But, I hope it helps.

 

personally i would much rather have a manuel, i do plenty of hauling to need it, i know for a fact that it gets at least 3-4 mpg better, and i think that manuals are better.

and 122,000 miles is not that much for a PSD, my buddy has 207,000 miles on his STOCK clutch and he use to haul a bobcat around everyday

 

My dad has a 02 with an auto, and I have a 99 with a 6-speed. I hate to drive his truck. Driving it makes me thankful that I have a manual and the ability to control shifts!

 

Me neither. My friend was feeling that the trans was acting wierd. Suddenly it broke. Stick shift. It can happen with any trans. My diode in the auto locked up. Toasted trans but that was Ford's fault. Anyways, I drove 100 miles with shifting from 1-2 tops. So, how do you consider that either trans hasn't left me stranded? Both have broken aways from home.

Somehow I think it is dating from the old days where the manual trans was perfected and the auto was just coming on so it was weak. So it became that an auto was a weaker trans, etc, etc. If I really wanted to control the shift, I think it could be done with a manual valve body.

 

I actually contemplated on selling my truck this past summer for a supercab six speed. I'm glad i didnt however. With my TC lockup mod, i can drive my truck (and i normally do) like a 4 speed manual transmission. If i don't have to come to a complete 0 stop, i can lock the TC and then shift down to 1 and almost come to a stop before it stalls. I let out of the pedal to hear the shooowwww when it shifts, and then i get back into the pedal. I like the feeling of pushing on the loud pedal and feel like im going somewhere. My seat fabric tensiometer gauge almost pegs in second gear with the TC locked.

 

On an autocross, I can see the value of the stick. However, for towing loads or just putzing around, what is the real value of a stick other than to feel manly because the kids think that stick=performance and auto=woman's car? For a drag strip, few, if any can shift with the consistency of an auto. For the autocross, the auto with a manual valve body MAY come close to the worth of a stick. Other than those instances, is there any real value of controlling which gear the trans goes into?

 

Why is manual better for towing? Just curious. I can see it get better mpg for a small car which doesn't have much power but I really didn't see the difference once we get over the 400HP range in say a GM F-body car.

 

You control when the truck shifts into the next gear. Mainly, power control.

Some have argued that you can drive an auto and shift manually with same results. I am tired so I will let someone else chime in as to why that is not true.

1,2,3/OD or 1,2,3,4,5,6 --> geez......

goodnight everyone

 

Driving my truck, there are plenty of times when I yearn for a stick. It's just a joy shifting through the gears. Both Superduties I had driven before buying my truck were manuals, but this is what I ended up with, it being everything else I was looking for other than a manual. The only time I'm really happy that I have the auto is when I feel like accelerating hard and fast and don't want to keep letting up to shift.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.
And even with two more gears, I've found myself still wanting a spitter so that I could have 12 gears.

 

So the advantage of stick is that you have 2 more gears? Would the gear vendor overdrive unit make up the difference?

 

Yes, except I like the design of the US Gear unit a lot better. There's some weakness in the Gear Vendor design that prohibits you from using it in reverse while engaged.