Does manual transmission really improve gas milage anymore?

[TJN23]

but with a manual, can't you control at which RPMs you want to shift??

i.e. put the pedal to the medal on an automatic and who knows if it will shift at the maximum possible RPMs (without redlining) whereas on a manual you decide when to pop in that clutch....

i believe manuals are just overall better because you have more control over the car, it gets a tad bit better MPG, you can "kick start" your car in a battery failure emergency situation, you can utilize engine braking a lot better..... the list goes on....

edit: typo

 

[Flatline]

Whether or not it's still better fuel-wise, it's definitely more fun

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: TJN23
but with a manual, can't you control at which RPMs you want to shift??

i.e. put the pedal to the medal on an automatic and who knows if it will shift at the maximum possible RPMs (without redlining) whereas on a manual you decide when to pop in that clutch....

i believe manuals are just overall better because you have more control over the car, it gets a tad bit better MPG, you can "kick start" your car in a battery failure emergency situation, you can utilize engine braking a lot better..... the list goes on....

edit: typo

I do agree they have more control over shifting, but I still like my auto.

Auto trannies (assuming you have it in drive or OD) will shift at the rpm they are programmed to shift at. The valve-body and governor regulate when and how fast (hard) the auto shifts. Mine is set to shift at 5200 rpm under full throttle.

They both have lists of pros and cons.

Dissing one for slightly less gas mileage is silly.

 

[TJN23]

that wasnt the intent of my post, maybe of the topic...that was just one of the many reasons why i prefer a manual tranny....gas mileage is definitely one of the minor ones...control is the major one

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: TJN23
that wasnt the intent of my post, maybe of the topic...that was just one of the many reasons why i prefer a manual tranny....gas mileage is definitely one of the minor ones...control is the major one

That is true.

 

[LAUST]

I can set my truck to shift at any RPM/Speed I want, when at WOT it shifts 200RPM below my rev limiter (5800RPM).

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: LAUST

Fact is they BOTH (anyone who says otherwise gets a coupon for 40pts off their next I.Q. test 😉 )have their pro's and Con's, as for an economy car, a manual is more efficiant. But also I know people who sit in hours of stop and go and would rather say screw it pay the 1-2mpg and not have to clutch every 3 seconds.

Thank you, that's so true.

Now despite the arguement that I appeared to spark earlier, I merely stated that an auto steals a couple-few HP off the top just to run its own hydraulics, so given equal an equal number of equivilent ratios, an automatic cannot be more fuel efficient than a manual. It's not possible. I never said a thing about shift speed, and the thread poster's question wasn't about shift speed.

I'm one of thos folks who, at age 28, has pretty much had my fun behind the wheel. After too many accidents (that may not have been technically my legal fault, but were still perhaps avoidable) and too many speeding tickets, I'm seriously considering just saying F- it, and buying an automatic Corolla to drive around town. I'd love to get better mileage, but I figure a calmer drive may be worth 2 MPG.

 

[Flatline]

I simply prefer a manual because it's more fun for me. I don't have to sit in traffic for an hour and a half anymore, so I don't have a compelling reason to even look at an automatic (although I thought about it when I had to do stop-and-go bumper to bumper every day).