are you a manual elitist?

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
i don't want a fake neutral clutch pedal. i like to be able to modulate the clutch. a clutch is not an on/off switch.

puck clutches tend to be.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
You don't really seem to understand the motor industry that well. The North American market demands mostly Auto transmissions, but the rest of the world does not. The clear demand exists for both.

In your world the car manufacturers will end up simplifying everything in a car till we all have to buy some generic blob. Great for economies of scale, right? Choice is bad, right? I'll take the first ticket to the next dimension in that case.

Well yes and no. The reason you see manuals so prevalent outside the US is mostly due to the smaller engines they are coupled with...it's more a road tax thing requiring a manual to support the smaller liter displacement.

Around the world the top marques of the luxury segment are all non-manual. Even some of the top performance marques are leaning to non-manual transmissions a lot of the time.

I do prefer a manual myself, much like I cut my grass with a reel mower and don't use air tools on my rides.

I think it was the latest EVO that some professional driver stated that the computer controlled trans was better than he could be consistantly....

 

[alkemyst]

I don't agree that manuals are more reliable today. The inevitable clutch replacement always exists, modern automatics tend to last the vehicle lifetime now with proper maintenance. Most drivers shift improperly enough to cause a significant shorter lifespan of their clutch. I am surprised two of my manual cars (one my wife drives) are getting ready to turn 100k.

 

[secretanchitman]

i drive an automanual (bmw steptronic), but i wish it was a manual SO BADLY!!!

 

[DarkThinker]

I am the worst form of Manual elitist there is.....boo me if you wish....years ago I was working at this place....I know from the parking lot I pass by, that there is this A/T G35 that some employee drives.....one day while on the way home I noticed the same G35 stop right next to me on a red light.....I was bored then and had an empty long stretch of road @ 4 AM so I started revving hehe if you are wondering I was in my daily driver a `96 Honda Accord 5 spd with a 4 Cyl 2.2L F22B2....I thought what the heck it's not like I am taking on a car I am supposed to be able to beat.......so the guy started revving and revving...Green light comes in and we were both off...to an excellent sprint no excessive drifting or anything just trying to get the best acceleration out of our cars....but guess who beat who? I did It was an awesome sprint to my highway ramp and I was winning it all the way.....I am sure his jaw dropped like mad, but I am sure had he had even more distance his G35 would have beaten me on the long run....but till today I keep wondering to myself,
Was he that crappy of a driver? OR Was his A/T That crappy to him? OR am I such a good effin MT driver?

I would appreciate some technical insight into this from some of you who really know what a G35 can do.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
Was he that crappy of a driver? OR Was his A/T That crappy to him? OR am I such a good effin MT driver?

I would appreciate some technical insight into this from some of you who really know what a G35 can do.

He wasn't racing. That's your answer.

ZV

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
Was he that crappy of a driver? OR Was his A/T That crappy to him? OR am I such a good effin MT driver?

I would appreciate some technical insight into this from some of you who really know what a G35 can do.

He wasn't racing. That's your answer.

ZV

lol he probably had it in reverse. That's the funny thing with manual transmissions. People with slower cars will think they can beat a faster car cus they have manual and the other has auto. I hear it all the time.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: GoatMonkey

Originally posted by: PricklyPete
Yes...I admit I am. My neighbor has a S4 and everytime I run by there I think of how he wasted his money since it is an auto.

I don't really get why you would feel that way. He obviously bought what he wanted. If he were buying it for you it would have been a waste of money, but for him it was perfect. I can see how you would think "I would've gotten something different". That's different.

It's like saying, "my grandmother's an idiot, she could've built her own computer with SLI 280GTX cards for the same price! She totally wasted her money!" What would your grandmother use that for? She bought what she wanted.

Just remember that your grandmother probably thinks you're an idiot for buying an electric stove instead of a nice gas stove, or something like that. Your neighbor probably laughs to himself over some of the stuff you own.

if her PC came with onboard video and cost the same as a dual whatever cards you just mentioned, then yes, I would think she got ripped off.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
Was he that crappy of a driver? OR Was his A/T That crappy to him? OR am I such a good effin MT driver?

I would appreciate some technical insight into this from some of you who really know what a G35 can do.

He wasn't racing. That's your answer.

ZV

lol he probably had it in reverse. That's the funny thing with manual transmissions. People with slower cars will think they can beat a faster car cus they have manual and the other has auto. I hear it all the time.

Ermmm did I say that? I said ....

I thought what the heck it's not like I am taking on a car I am supposed to be able to beat

Read man READ....that is why I was asking if he was that crappy of a driver...because I was assuming he should have been able to blast my car but he didn't quick enough even though he was pushing his car too....pffft

 

[GoatMonkey]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
Was he that crappy of a driver? OR Was his A/T That crappy to him? OR am I such a good effin MT driver?

I would appreciate some technical insight into this from some of you who really know what a G35 can do.

He wasn't racing. That's your answer.

ZV

lol he probably had it in reverse. That's the funny thing with manual transmissions. People with slower cars will think they can beat a faster car cus they have manual and the other has auto. I hear it all the time.

Ermmm did I say that? I said ....

I thought what the heck it's not like I am taking on a car I am supposed to be able to beat

Read man READ....that is why I was asking if he was that crappy of a driver...because I was assuming he should have been able to blast my car but he didn't quick enough even though he was pushing his car too....pffft

There is no way he was trying. A manual transmission doesn't make up for that much of a power difference.

 

[GoatMonkey]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: GoatMonkey

Originally posted by: PricklyPete
Yes...I admit I am. My neighbor has a S4 and everytime I run by there I think of how he wasted his money since it is an auto.

I don't really get why you would feel that way. He obviously bought what he wanted. If he were buying it for you it would have been a waste of money, but for him it was perfect. I can see how you would think "I would've gotten something different". That's different.

It's like saying, "my grandmother's an idiot, she could've built her own computer with SLI 280GTX cards for the same price! She totally wasted her money!" What would your grandmother use that for? She bought what she wanted.

Just remember that your grandmother probably thinks you're an idiot for buying an electric stove instead of a nice gas stove, or something like that. Your neighbor probably laughs to himself over some of the stuff you own.

if her PC came with onboard video and cost the same as a dual whatever cards you just mentioned, then yes, I would think she got ripped off.

Maybe that's not the best example, but you see what I'm saying. It's pride and envy.

 

[jhu]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I don't agree that manuals are more reliable today. The inevitable clutch replacement always exists, modern automatics tend to last the vehicle lifetime now with proper maintenance. Most drivers shift improperly enough to cause a significant shorter lifespan of their clutch. I am surprised two of my manual cars (one my wife drives) are getting ready to turn 100k.

how do most people shift improperly? i usually try to match the rpm with the given speed when shifting.

 

[RichUK]

:Q

Why are people still debating this pointless question?

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: jhu

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I don't agree that manuals are more reliable today. The inevitable clutch replacement always exists, modern automatics tend to last the vehicle lifetime now with proper maintenance. Most drivers shift improperly enough to cause a significant shorter lifespan of their clutch. I am surprised two of my manual cars (one my wife drives) are getting ready to turn 100k.

how do most people shift improperly? i usually try to match the rpm with the given speed when shifting.

most people have no idea what is going on mechanically when they are shifting, so I don't think there's any ambition to make it smoother, so they wear the clutch/transmission faster as a by product.

 

[HannibalX]

On sports cars I often think "what a waste" when I see an auto but for everything else an auto is just dandy.