once you get used to it, it performs fine....auto's do rob HP, but it is what it is, so you adapt. I have ran auto's in drag racing since the '70's...unfortunetly, not much you can do with these without spending big bucks...silenoids can be replaced, there were some torque convertor mods, but they have dried up...ideally a way to make them shift instantly on command, and a 3500 stall in the convertor would be great for the drag racing crowd...some have done part of this, with some success, but it is costly to have it done. So, practice, and you will do fine...I haven't found many of today's cars, including the vette I once had, shift like the old factory muscle cars of my day...you have to mod the hell out of them to get to the old days standard. Bigger clutch, better stronger shift linkage, etc...so, I will live with the auto and all it's short comings...