I've read a lot of posts on this board about people racing other cars, and often it's asked or stated that a car was manual or automatic. My question is, how the heck can you tell such a thing while driving in your car?

 

Good question!! I guess you can tell it is a manual when you shift and for that second the car front end kinda dips foward. The only other way I think you really know is... you roll down your window and ask them, auto or stick? heheh!!

-Alan

 

If you're next to 'em at a light or sometimes even on the highway you can look inside and check out the shifter.

 

Maybe if your driving a truck.. but that would definitley not work in the S

 

yeah..definately not in the S. about that whole front end dipping thing, that makes sense, but if you can closely watch the front end while driving/racing then doesn't that imply that you're getting beat? I think it'd be a lot easier to watch the front end if the car is in front of you cuz your eyes should be looking ahead, rather than being in the rear view mirror.

 

No brake lights on at a stop light, slower shifts (lets face it, auto's shift smoother and there isn't that lose of space inbetween shifts like there is in a stick), and if you're running from a roll and you hear his car rev up and stay at that RPM range until you race, then he just downshifted

 

Okay, how about two-hands on the wheel at all times?

 

umm you can hear the car shifting unless the other car is a lot quieter than your car

 

You can hear the shifts, see the car lurch forward, etc.; many things to tell from.

 

Listen for the blip on the downshift.

Oh, you're talking about straight-line racing that any monkey could do. Never mind.