Im not saying the AOD, or any automatic tranny doesnt have its place in racing, as they clearly do, especially when you start making big power.
If you picked e.t. up with the AOD, great, but for the average guy, its not going to happen. Maybe your engine/chassis combination (how much power are you making?) works better with an auto, or maybe Lentech really has something special with his trannys.
The difference between an AOD and a t-5 is much more than 5%. Unit, where do you dream this crap up? An AOD probably sucks up 25-30 horsepower to operate over and above a 5-speed. If you can make this into 5%, whatever, but 30 horsepower is a big difference, where as 5% doesnt sound like so much.
And how does torque mulitiplication improvments by using a more efficient converter make up for lost horsepower required to turn the AOD internally?
The results speak for themselves. Go to the track and watch the AOD cars get waxed by 5-speed cars with engine power being equal, regardless of AOD tranny mods or rear end gearing. Its easy to armchair quarterback. The AOD is inefficient and uses lots of power. The 5-speed is not. Making the AOD shift quicker and changing gear ratios and converters does not change this. Its an improvement sure, but not enough to hang with the 5-speeds, engine power being equal.
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1993 GT/AOD
'93 Mustang GT