Driving - Manual Vs Automatic

[foxkits]

I have driven trucks with 3 sticks 2 sticks one stick .
40 speeds 20speeds 13 speeds 10 speeds 5 speeds
2,500000.oo miles all 48 states 4 Provence's in canada.
And yes automatic's too.

 

[dampatnight]

My fav kind of automatic is the authentic old school torque-converter automatic trans, vs. the electro-actuated sequential trans that they put in most of the "automatics" here in EU, which are nothing else than regular gearboxes and clutches operated by a mechanism instead of manually. CVTs are so-and-so but still better than sequential - at least you don't get power gaps between one gear and the other being that there's no actual "gears" - and I've yet to try a WV DSG although it sounds as sort of acceptable compromise.

Haha, CVTs feel so strange and detached from rpm. Just wobbling around according to your demand of torque.
But I don't see your point against default modern automats. They have gotten ridiculously good over the past two decades and pretty much outperform manual shifts today. With the correct logic they react very fast when you want them to. Also DSG and/or rising gear counts get more common now.

MPG is a minor concern, I'd say. A little bit more thirsty, maybe, depending on your style of driving.

Big plus for manual cars is the price tag. Just looking at my current car they would have charged 2000 something for the 8 gear automatic transmission.

 

[PrivateBrowsing]

All about the manual transmission. I know the future of performance is the twin-clutch auto, but the manual has a sense of connection that is totally absent from the automatic.

 

[Orcaway]

American, My car is stick.

I prefer it, and will choose it over an auto whenever possible, although the Autos do get better fuel economy now days. The New DSGs are good too.

 

[ade]

I reckon the reason Europe love manuals is the fact we have a lot of small twisty steep roads which suit manual boxes

from what i tell, american hillbillies prefer manual for the same reasons (along with dirt roads and hills), but that that is all part and parcel of pick-up trucks.

as for double-clutching, real drivers don't need to clutch at all
(mind you, saying that, i've got some seriously crap oil in my box, at the moment. despite supposedly being the same specs, it seems more pot-luck as to what viscosity you actually get. alas, i can't remember which brand is the better :blushie

 

[quattrus]

I don't see your point against default modern automats. They have gotten ridiculously good over the past two decades and pretty much outperform manual shifts today. With the correct logic they react very fast when you want them to. Also DSG and/or rising gear counts get more common now.

MPG is a minor concern, I'd say. A little bit more thirsty, maybe, depending on your style of driving.

Big plus for manual cars is the price tag. Just looking at my current car they would have charged 2000 something for the 8 gear automatic transmission.

The problem is that an electro-actuated gearbox (the style you can find on a Smart, or on some Fiat/Lancia smaller models) still gives you gaps between gears, like you would get by shifting manually. Just think that when they marketed the new Fiat 500 to the USA they had to design a "proper" automatic trans and make slight changes to the design of the nose of the car to accommodate it because they realized that the sequential they sell over here in EU wouldn't have been well perceived by Americans.

People don't realize it until they try it, but once you get used to driving without power gaps between gears, you don't want to go back. Or at least that's the case for someone like me who's all for smooth driving, while people who are into vroooom-vrooooooming their car might still enjoy manual/sequential more DSG of course doesn't have the power gaps issue and I guess that's one of the reason people like it.

The upside of electro-actuated transmissions is that they don't consume more gas than the manual version because the mechanical parts are and work exactly the same, same reason why they normally are cheaper than a proper oldschool automatic.

Personally, given the added comfort, I'd happily pay the price difference to get a car that takes care on its own of what would be a big part of the driving job on a manual. Alas most EU car manufacturers up to mid range offer the automatic option on a very limited number of versions of their cars.

 

[dampatnight]

I don't know about Fiat or Lancia, but the frist generation Smart was especially known for its slow gear shifts, even by that days standards.

 

[lilBlueyKiddo321]

I drive a manual - 2005 Mazda 3. Here in Australia, pretty much any car has the choice between auto or manual, with the auto typically $1k or so more expensive than the manual. As such, there's a fairly even split of auto and manual drivers.

for an everyday drive, especially in heavy traffic like we have over here, I'll never understand people who willingly choose to have to keep shifting a million times a day when there's a way to have the car do it for you.

[…]

Besides, not having to continuously shift means you can put 100% of your concentration on the road and both of your hands can stay on the wheel all of the time, which makes for a much safer way to drive.

I disagree. You can pop a manual into neutral and take your foot off the clutch so your foot doesn't get tired. If the stop-start traffic is on a downhill, then you can just let it roll.

On the subject of safety, I think a manual is safer. In an auto, you're more likely to be tempted to get distracted by your phone, GPS, stereo system, etc. especially at an inappropriate time, because you have a free hand. In a manual, you never have a free hand, because you always need to be ready to move it from the wheel to the stick if you have to slow down or speed up. Much less tempting to get distracted.
Plus, you're more in-tune with the car, so you're paying more attention to the drive and handling of your car than you would in an auto.

 

[Mattew]

'Merican.

I can drive stick. We have several trucks that are manuals. Most cars / trucks produced now are automatic. So they're getting harder to find. Most times it's a special order

 

[Entity]

The first vehicle I drove regularly was a stick, but when I moved I stopped driving until I got a car. After that it's been a long time since I have driven stick.

 

[w0lfpack91]

lets See Here my First Was a 84 Toyota Hilux 4x4 5speed it had a 8 in lift and 36 in Swamper Boggers sadly i destroyed it with in a year. i had heard it was the most indeastructable truck ever so i proved the world wrong ( or so i thought) while yes the truck itself was destroyed the motor and tranny still chugged on and were put into my dads "jeep" tube Rock Buggy. second was my 1985 Toyota 4-runner 4x4 (basicly a Hilux with a back seat and Cab.) that had a 6in lift and 35 in BFG M/T tires with a bull bar and 9000 Warn winch.

 

[LiLFionna]

4 gear automatic ftw. Aisin transmissions will last forever in my opinion.

 

[w0lfpack91]

and Second Off what i really Enjoy doing it showing up my friends who all have Autos in driving. we hae a highway calle the Trace which is all switch backs and Curves and mild rolling hills runs right between Two lakes LBL KY for those in the area, but we have a compitition to see who can do the whole road from I24 to the Tennesee State line the fastest with out using the Brakes my 5.0 mustang with the 40 Series Flowmasters and rapid gear changing and reving sounds as i gear Jam are orgasmic amoung all the ricer Fart cans of my friends

 

[quattrus]

I disagree. You can pop a manual into neutral and take your foot off the clutch so your foot doesn't get tired. If the stop-start traffic is on a downhill, then you can just let it roll.

On the subject of safety, I think a manual is safer. In an auto, you're more likely to be tempted to get distracted by your phone, GPS, stereo system, etc. especially at an inappropriate time, because you have a free hand. In a manual, you never have a free hand, because you always need to be ready to move it from the wheel to the stick if you have to slow down or speed up. Much less tempting to get distracted.
Plus, you're more in-tune with the car, so you're paying more attention to the drive and handling of your car than you would in an auto.

The first point depends on the kind of traffic that you drive into. Here being in traffic doesn't mean just sitting jammed in it without moving. You move, and then you stop, and then you move, and never at the same speed, so it's a continuous starting/shifting/stopping/repeat. And that can go on for a hour or more at certain times of the day. I had my feet aching from that more times than I can count, and I do put the shift into neutral every time I'm not moving. Then it could be that people aren't bothered by it, that's an entirely subjective matter. The few times I dare taking out my automatic oldtimer in a normal day of the week I feel like I'm driving in paradise.

About safety, drivers who will get distracted by those things while driving an automatic will do the exact same while driving a manual. It's enough to go around here and see how many people drive with the cell phone in their hands, despite it being forbidden, and despite driving a manual car. Again, it's not a matter of what type of transmission you drive, it's a matter of what kind of driver you are.

 

[ade]

The first point depends on the kind of traffic that you drive into. Here being in traffic doesn't mean just sitting jammed in it without moving. You move, and then you stop, and then you move, and never at the same speed, so it's a continuous starting/shifting/stopping/repeat.

that's typical over here, too.
i'm a Trundler, though (first gear at tick-over and let the torque do the work: as the idiots accelerate away, i just trundle along and by the time i catch them up, they've got to set off again). often, you can trundle all the way through a jam without touching the accelerator or the brakes.

 

[ZombifiedKitty]

I usually notice of anybody I ride with, people driving stick tend to be more engaged with what is actually happening on the road. I learned to navigate traffic in an auto Subaru then moved into my first vehicle which was a '93 Toyota 2WD pickup. I've occasionally driven a friend's '87 version with a 4 speed. Currently own an '03 Ford Focus ZX5 manual and also drive a '98 Toyota 4WD. More than a couple hours of stop and go does start to really wear on me and make my left foot ache, but generally I put more of a buffer ahead of me that actually helps traffic flow better if I don't get cut off.

Auto is not lost on me though, I enjoy it for severe stop and go traffic and also towing heavy trailers. I had a courtesy car for a while, newer Hyundai Elantra I think it was, that actually had a nice and responsive programming for the slush box that I wouldn't mind owning actually. They seemed to get the balance right, knowing when to shift early or late depending on where my foot was. It didn't excessively row through the gears or have a bunch of lag and jerk when it hooked up. It's just kind of sad that it's the first one that made me feel like I was actually in control of the car and not just riding in it. It may not be anything material or measurable but a laggy jerky automatic does bad things to my confidence in the vehicle's and my combined abilities.

 

[quattrus]

that's typical over here, too.
i'm a Trundler, though (first gear at tick-over and let the torque do the work: as the idiots accelerate away, i just trundle along and by the time i catch them up, they've got to set off again). often, you can trundle all the way through a jam without touching the accelerator or the brakes.

I do that too when possible, saves gas and brakes indeed!

 

[tiny]

I disagree. You can pop a manual into neutral and take your foot off the clutch so your foot doesn't get tired

Eek! That would be illegal in the UK as it's (supposedly) dangerous as you're not fully in control of your vehicle.

that's typical over here, too.
i'm a Trundler, though (first gear at tick-over and let the torque do the work: as the idiots accelerate away, i just trundle along and by the time i catch them up, they've got to set off again). often, you can trundle all the way through a jam without touching the accelerator or the brakes.

I don't drive now, but I was a trundler too! There's something quite soothing about gliding gracefully to a stop behind the car in front using only your gears instead of the brakes. It actually helps clear the traffic jam to drive smoothly. Many tailbacks are caused by bunching -- that's why they introduced variable speed limits on some motorways.

[video=youtube;8ivycTcNvJQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ivycTcNvJQ[/video]

I remember one of my earlier driving escapades in a random traffic jam at 3AM. To relieve the boredom I tried to control the speed of the car using only the choke.

Oh! And I remember another traffic jam that was so slow moving that, as I passed a fish & chip shop, I was able to run out, have my fish cooked to order, and get back in the car and the traffic had only moved on two car-lengths.

 

[Kenn]

that's typical over here, too.
i'm a Trundler, though (first gear at tick-over and let the torque do the work: as the idiots accelerate away, i just trundle along and by the time i catch them up, they've got to set off again). often, you can trundle all the way through a jam without touching the accelerator or the brakes.

I do the same... until some idiot cuts in front of me.

I do that too when possible, saves gas and brakes indeed!

And clutch!