I've heard similar comments. Most Soarer owners cire about 5-10rwkw less for autos. The stock auto ecu does retard while changing gears, but I don't think this will rob a lot of power. I'm assuming that there is a greater power loss in getting power to the wheels as auto's have more moving parts to sap power. Some of this might be fixable by rebuilding the autobox with a firmer shift and parts.