eldorado99
Lifer
- Feb 16, 2004
- 36,324
- 3,163
- 126
Manual transmissions tend to last far longer and are far cheaper/easier to fix than automatics. That being said in my daily driver, I'd rather have an automatic.
You made me nostalgic about my '94 Aerostar. I drive an automatic now but that's just because the price (free) was right for my current car. It's just more fun to drive a manual.
Mermaidman
Diamond Member
- Sep 4, 2003
- 7,987
- 93
- 91
1.) I think driving a standard transmission is a life skill.
2.) I like the feel of a direct connection. I'm not a fan of the slushy, rubber band feeling of an automatic. Even in my bloated, 3900lb Accord wagon with an I4 engine, when I need the car to be quick, it's surprisingly quick. My wife's meager Neon is the same way. It's startlingly spry and eager with its manual transmission.
3.) Control. I can hit the gas in first gear and drive it up to whatever RPM I want. Then I can ease off the gas if I want--leaving it in first gear--and slow the car down just using finesse on the throttle and engine braking. Or I can shift into second gear, or third gear, or neutral and coast.
Also if I'm on the highway, lets say stuck behind some slower moving traffic and I want to move over into the passing lane to get around them, but I'm not seeing too many gaps that I think I can wedge my car into without cutting someone off pretty badly. I can drop gears and get my RPMs up while moving slowly, then hit the gas and get all of the power down right when I need it and make a surprisingly quick and effective acceleration run into the next lane. I hate driving automatics where the best I could do was to dick around with the shifter and force the damn thing down into a lower gear, THEN try to pass because I know that the auto is slow as hell and if I stood on the throttle it would still take a full second to drop down one gear out of overdrive, then another half second to drop down another gear before I could even start accelerating--which is a small eternity when I just pulled out from behind a trailer truck doing 40, in front of someone else doing 60+ and flying up behind me.
Then--control again--I can leave the car in a lower gear until I'm completely done passing and settled back into the right lane, where an automatic would instantly jump back up into O/D the second I ease off of the throttle, taking away all of my power, so I might still need to stand on the throttle again before I'm finished.
4.) Engine braking. It's just handy, and since I actually know how to do it, I find it useful and take advantage of it at every opportunity. It's just one more thing that I have the choice of doing, or not.
5.) Fuel economy. True enough, there's not a huge difference between manuals and automatics today. In some cases automatics win out over manuals. But I still say that the manual transmission offers better potential. I know the lowest workable RPM my engine can pull off depending on what kind of driving I'm doing. I can work my shifting with all of my focus on fuel economy. Just creeping around town I can be up in 5th gear just moving around at 35mph (or so.) I'm also constantly alert to what's going on around me, so I can quickly drop gears and accelerate when I need to, moving around seamlessly instead of thrashing the gas pedal and trying to manipulate my transmission into shifting into the appropriate gear for the situation while I wait.
6.) I think it makes a person a more attentive driver. Non-standard drivers tend to think that if you drive a manual, you're hunched over the instrument cluster with your eyes locked on your tachometer constantly monitoring your revs, or having a staring contest with your shifter to make sure that you're putting it in the right gate. That's just asinine. Newbies might do that, but it doesn't take long before you get the right feel for it. After that you can tell by the sound, the feel, the overall feedback. Just like you don't have to stare at your speedometer to know about how fast you're going, and you don't have to stare at the floorboard to make sure that you're not stepping on the wrong pedal.
On the other hand, I do find myself watching traffic much more closely becuase I'm constantly watching for information to help me predict what I should be doing next. What gear I should be in, or if I should start getting ready to engine brake. Yeah, anybody and everybody should be doing that anyway to have a better feel for the traffic flow, but when you have more at stake, it's more important. You don't want to be crawling along in top gear at 30mph while traffic is pulling away from you, and now you have to do more to catch up than just hitting the gas.
In other words, you're more in tune with the road, the car, and your surroundings.
7.) Because they "F'n" want to. That should be reason enough.
There are tons of reasons against it. Nobody makes you do it. And since manual drivers are in the minority in this country, they'll probably be relatively extinct eventually anyway, and those of us who just like driving a manual simply wont have that option anymore. At least not unless we want to drive a sports car or a subcompact, maybe.
2.) I like the feel of a direct connection. I'm not a fan of the slushy, rubber band feeling of an automatic. Even in my bloated, 3900lb Accord wagon with an I4 engine, when I need the car to be quick, it's surprisingly quick. My wife's meager Neon is the same way. It's startlingly spry and eager with its manual transmission.
3.) Control. I can hit the gas in first gear and drive it up to whatever RPM I want. Then I can ease off the gas if I want--leaving it in first gear--and slow the car down just using finesse on the throttle and engine braking. Or I can shift into second gear, or third gear, or neutral and coast.
Also if I'm on the highway, lets say stuck behind some slower moving traffic and I want to move over into the passing lane to get around them, but I'm not seeing too many gaps that I think I can wedge my car into without cutting someone off pretty badly. I can drop gears and get my RPMs up while moving slowly, then hit the gas and get all of the power down right when I need it and make a surprisingly quick and effective acceleration run into the next lane. I hate driving automatics where the best I could do was to dick around with the shifter and force the damn thing down into a lower gear, THEN try to pass because I know that the auto is slow as hell and if I stood on the throttle it would still take a full second to drop down one gear out of overdrive, then another half second to drop down another gear before I could even start accelerating--which is a small eternity when I just pulled out from behind a trailer truck doing 40, in front of someone else doing 60+ and flying up behind me.
Then--control again--I can leave the car in a lower gear until I'm completely done passing and settled back into the right lane, where an automatic would instantly jump back up into O/D the second I ease off of the throttle, taking away all of my power, so I might still need to stand on the throttle again before I'm finished.
4.) Engine braking. It's just handy, and since I actually know how to do it, I find it useful and take advantage of it at every opportunity. It's just one more thing that I have the choice of doing, or not.
5.) Fuel economy. True enough, there's not a huge difference between manuals and automatics today. In some cases automatics win out over manuals. But I still say that the manual transmission offers better potential. I know the lowest workable RPM my engine can pull off depending on what kind of driving I'm doing. I can work my shifting with all of my focus on fuel economy. Just creeping around town I can be up in 5th gear just moving around at 35mph (or so.) I'm also constantly alert to what's going on around me, so I can quickly drop gears and accelerate when I need to, moving around seamlessly instead of thrashing the gas pedal and trying to manipulate my transmission into shifting into the appropriate gear for the situation while I wait.
6.) I think it makes a person a more attentive driver. Non-standard drivers tend to think that if you drive a manual, you're hunched over the instrument cluster with your eyes locked on your tachometer constantly monitoring your revs, or having a staring contest with your shifter to make sure that you're putting it in the right gate. That's just asinine. Newbies might do that, but it doesn't take long before you get the right feel for it. After that you can tell by the sound, the feel, the overall feedback. Just like you don't have to stare at your speedometer to know about how fast you're going, and you don't have to stare at the floorboard to make sure that you're not stepping on the wrong pedal.
On the other hand, I do find myself watching traffic much more closely becuase I'm constantly watching for information to help me predict what I should be doing next. What gear I should be in, or if I should start getting ready to engine brake. Yeah, anybody and everybody should be doing that anyway to have a better feel for the traffic flow, but when you have more at stake, it's more important. You don't want to be crawling along in top gear at 30mph while traffic is pulling away from you, and now you have to do more to catch up than just hitting the gas.
In other words, you're more in tune with the road, the car, and your surroundings.
7.) Because they "F'n" want to. That should be reason enough.
There are tons of reasons against it. Nobody makes you do it. And since manual drivers are in the minority in this country, they'll probably be relatively extinct eventually anyway, and those of us who just like driving a manual simply wont have that option anymore. At least not unless we want to drive a sports car or a subcompact, maybe.
GuitarDaddy
Lifer
- Nov 9, 2004
- 11,465
- 1
- 0
why are there so many topics on this all of a sudden.
My car is a manual and I would never go back to a automatic and I am only 22! It is so much more fun and keeps you a lot more alert. you can control how fast you accelerate, you can tell how fast you are going, plus you can down shift and brake without ever even touching your brake pedal. Manual is a huge help in the ice as well. If you hit a patch of ice and slam on the breaks, you are going to keep sliding. If you hit a patch of ice and down shift instead your going to have a lot more control.
The only reason i see to get a automatic is if you have a family car and your entire family might need to drive it.
My car is a manual and I would never go back to a automatic and I am only 22! It is so much more fun and keeps you a lot more alert. you can control how fast you accelerate, you can tell how fast you are going, plus you can down shift and brake without ever even touching your brake pedal. Manual is a huge help in the ice as well. If you hit a patch of ice and slam on the breaks, you are going to keep sliding. If you hit a patch of ice and down shift instead your going to have a lot more control.
The only reason i see to get a automatic is if you have a family car and your entire family might need to drive it.
so all I'm getting out of it is a 'control' issue that people seem to have. I'd rather be able to focus on the road ahead of me and have 2 hands on the wheel at ALL times
I'm very much considering this in the near future, in a GTI. A fully manual transmission that shifts for you when you're stuck in I-405 traffic. Sounds great!
The top reason for me is, as Aftermath put it, "I'm not a fan of the slushy, rubber band feeling of an automatic." They just have a sluggish feel. My 300HP V8 Northstar automatic Cadillac has a more sluggish feel than my 120HP manual Jeep Wrangler. And sometimes automatics make poor choices on when to shift...things like being slow to upshift, or upshifting from 3rd to 1st when 2nd would have been more appropriate. These are mainly issues for enthusiest drivers. Someone who just drives to get from point A to point B who is always a babyfoot on the gas probably won't care.
You're missing the point...you don't just pick any gear that you want to. You HAVE to be in an appropriate gear, and the appropriate gear is based on the road and everything else ahead of you. Which is why it's said that it forces you to be more alert.
I've driven both. Being able to control which gear your in is hands down more fun. There is nothing more satisfying than slamming the clutch, revving it up, throwing it down to second, and blasting off. But you have to love driving. If all a car to you is a tool to get you from point A to point B, you're not going to care, and a manual is not for you.
That being said, next car I'm going to get is a good automanual. I prefer to be in the gear of my choosing, but I could do without the clutch, especially in traffic.
Why do people like cast iron? Why do people like linux? Why do people like anal sex? Why do people like craigslist?
Well jimmy, the reason people like all of these things is because the mainstream alternative is generally lacking in something whether it'd be quality, interactivity, features, or something of the sort that differentiates it enough to make it a worth while choice.
In the case of manual transmissions, some people like having more control of their car, they live to be with the car and manipulate the car how they want it, some people like to drive, others don't, some also don't commute and sit in traffic 8hours every week and therefore have a reason not to need an automatic. Then again, if you've dug your self into a situation that would call for having to sit in traffic for hours upon hours each week, you've probably got a very uninteresting job sporting a very uninteresting car and so nothing fits better with this combination than an automatic transmission.
Well jimmy, the reason people like all of these things is because the mainstream alternative is generally lacking in something whether it'd be quality, interactivity, features, or something of the sort that differentiates it enough to make it a worth while choice.
In the case of manual transmissions, some people like having more control of their car, they live to be with the car and manipulate the car how they want it, some people like to drive, others don't, some also don't commute and sit in traffic 8hours every week and therefore have a reason not to need an automatic. Then again, if you've dug your self into a situation that would call for having to sit in traffic for hours upon hours each week, you've probably got a very uninteresting job sporting a very uninteresting car and so nothing fits better with this combination than an automatic transmission.
depends on the car and what its use is.
for heavy commuting, automatic is my choice.
for a fun weekend sports car, manual all the way.
also depends on the car, I wouldn't get a S-Class or 7 series in manual even if they offered it here in the states.
for heavy commuting, automatic is my choice.
for a fun weekend sports car, manual all the way.
also depends on the car, I wouldn't get a S-Class or 7 series in manual even if they offered it here in the states.
Schadenfroh
Elite Member
- Mar 8, 2003
- 38,416
- 4
- 0
I bought my car because it ONLY comes in a 6-speed manual (RSX-S). I will hopefully never own a slushbox transmission car. Now, a SMG car is a different story, because it's shifting more efficiently/quickly than I ever could...
I don't like them. All the people that posted above have never driven a truly powerful auto tranny car. "Control" is not necessary when you have torque. Drive a high horsepower/torque motor with quick shifting auto. ie MB E55 (now E63, etc).
These cars are like space ships. They don't need to downshift to pass, there is no lag or hesitation. There is no "appropriate" gear. Every gear will blow your pants off.
On normal cars with lower torque, I suppose a DSG trans (VW, Audi, etc.) would work better.
Edit-I can't understand Americans interest in manuals. In asia (and europe), everyone drives a manual. We look forward to not having to shift.
These cars are like space ships. They don't need to downshift to pass, there is no lag or hesitation. There is no "appropriate" gear. Every gear will blow your pants off.
On normal cars with lower torque, I suppose a DSG trans (VW, Audi, etc.) would work better.
Edit-I can't understand Americans interest in manuals. In asia (and europe), everyone drives a manual. We look forward to not having to shift.
Rubycon
Madame President
- Aug 10, 2005
- 17,768
- 485
- 126
:music:
Every single boy I know
Is thinking that he?s in control
Nothing you can do to break his stride
Because he?s mister cool and this is his party
I?ve seen it happen a million times
You can play it forward or rewind
You will always do what she decides
Cause she?s got the keys to get you started
Automatic cause there?s nothing you can do
Automatic boys she?s taking over you
Automatic when you look into her eyes
Automatic boy she?s got you hypnotized
I'm talking to you, she'll make a slave out of you,
but you can't help it boy, so it's okay
I'm talking to you, she'll make a slave out of you,
but you can't help it boy, so it's okay
Boy, you really need me, let?s misbehave.
You?re the formation overdrive
She pushes every button that she finds
She really gots your motor running high
And you know she?s taking over your body
You wanna make your fingers move over her skin
You can really feel your temperature rising
She?s giving you a system overload
Soon you gonna need a circuit rewriting
:music:
Every single boy I know
Is thinking that he?s in control
Nothing you can do to break his stride
Because he?s mister cool and this is his party
I?ve seen it happen a million times
You can play it forward or rewind
You will always do what she decides
Cause she?s got the keys to get you started
Automatic cause there?s nothing you can do
Automatic boys she?s taking over you
Automatic when you look into her eyes
Automatic boy she?s got you hypnotized
I'm talking to you, she'll make a slave out of you,
but you can't help it boy, so it's okay
I'm talking to you, she'll make a slave out of you,
but you can't help it boy, so it's okay
Boy, you really need me, let?s misbehave.
You?re the formation overdrive
She pushes every button that she finds
She really gots your motor running high
And you know she?s taking over your body
You wanna make your fingers move over her skin
You can really feel your temperature rising
She?s giving you a system overload
Soon you gonna need a circuit rewriting
:music:
Bateluer
Lifer
- Jun 23, 2001
- 27,730
- 8
- 0
I drive an automatic, and I can tell how fast I'm going without looking at the speedometer. The gear I'm in is irrelevant, I just know how fast I'm going based on a number of factors. Anyone who's been driving the same vehicle for a length of time will be able to tell how fast they are going by the feel of it, the passing of scenery, etc.
The only times I've ever lost track of my speed are when I'm 'going with traffic' and not paying any attention to the gauges. Suddenly, I'll snap back and realize that I, and every other car on the road, are cruising at 20 over the posted speed limit.
Edit - And to say something really inflammatory, I'll add this statement. People who drive manuals because of the 'control' are delusional. As others have said, many autos give the same response and control, as well as equal and often superior mileage, performance, etc. I can accept the 'more fun' argument, people get their jollies in many different ways.
The only times I've ever lost track of my speed are when I'm 'going with traffic' and not paying any attention to the gauges. Suddenly, I'll snap back and realize that I, and every other car on the road, are cruising at 20 over the posted speed limit.
Edit - And to say something really inflammatory, I'll add this statement. People who drive manuals because of the 'control' are delusional. As others have said, many autos give the same response and control, as well as equal and often superior mileage, performance, etc. I can accept the 'more fun' argument, people get their jollies in many different ways.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 21K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter