Originally Posted by Rob M
Originally Posted by Heb80
As for the automatic climbing RPM's quicker than the manual, that is physically impossible. The lower gear ratios of the manual will result in quicker RPM gain. The lower ratios are a result of having an extra gear in the manual.
In theory this would seem correct. However, the automatic transmission will have internal slippage. So it makes sense that the rpms in the auto can climb faster than for the manual. The lockup feature on the torque converter eliminates slippage but only under certain conditions such as cruising speeds, top gear, etc. When accelerating in the lower gears the lockup feature is inactive and there will be varying amounts of slip.
The torque converter will slip under normal driving and light acceleration, but under full throttle hard acceleration I do not think the torque converter slips. That would induce an awful lot of wear.