TTO: a force to be reckoned with.

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by tin-man

I need some advice from anyone who has an automatic tranny and are willing to share their driving experiences particularly when slowing down going into a curve.

I had the good fortune to spend a day at the GM test track near Mesa, Arizona some years ago. I spent more than an hour that day flogging a 1989 Corvette auto around an oversized autocross track they had set up. I'd make one pass through the three minute size course then hit the long straight for a minute to cool the brakes and do it again. I used up a set of tires during that hour. The Corvette had an automatic transmission and antilock brakes. The GM driver who showed me how to drive the car said the key to quick times was to trust the antilock feature and brake late and hard. The automatic transmission seemed to always be in the gear I wanted when I wanted it. I don't recall it ever adversely affecting my entry into a turn. I left thinking that an auto transmission car would likely be quicker around that course than a manual, especially if I were the one driving it.

One other comment - You're wise to have great respect for the potential to lose control of a Cobra. But don't go overboard. If you plan to drive the car hard, or you doubt your ability to resist the urge to open it up from time to time, then your caution is warranted. But if you take it easy while you're getting accustomed to it, and you save your spirited driving for autocross events and the track, you should be fine. Even on the track, there's nothing that says you have to enter every corner at 100% of your car's capability. If you enter a corner using 75% of the car's grip and mishandle the power or brakes a little, you've got a pad that can allow you to learn from your mistakes without going off the track.