Why is better a car with manual transmission instead of an automatic one?

[Siddhartha]

The last thing I have heard about this, a manual transmission is more efficient than an automatic. So far I have choosen manual transmissions because all my cars so far have had two liter or smaller four cylinder engines.

I learned to drive using a car with a manual but I might choose an automatic if I ever get a car with a 6 or 8 cylinder engine.

 

[MaxFusion16]

it's not better, automatics will always be faster than manual at shifting, they are easier to drive and handles more torque.

people prefer manual simply for the fun factor

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: wasssup

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
People pretty much covered it, and just to add I love driving a stick, but it has to have the power to back it up. No point in diriving a focus or a civic (cough m4h cough m4h) stick because it really isn't a car that an enthusiast would drive.

Anyway as soon as I but a new mustang in a few years (I am thinking whenever the 302 Boss comes out in 2009?) it has Ford's Sequential Tranny like the one in the FRGT500. Paddle shifters and no clutch is the best. As of now Ferarri and Audi does it best.

Honestly (and this is just my opinion, nothing more) I think a manual civic is more fun than a manual mustang. Also more reliable, more fuel efficient, better looking, and better handling (the last two are completely subjective). But yeah, in a straight line, your mustang is the sht.

LOL a cobra definately handles better than a Civic sorry. As for fun to drive, how does better milage and reliability translate to fun? 😛

"Cobra" != "Mustang"

Oh, and up yours. MT is fun in anything. 😛 😀

- M4H

 

[Pepsi90919]

why is better a car? 😕

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
People pretty much covered it, and just to add I love driving a stick, but it has to have the power to back it up. No point in diriving a focus or a civic (cough m4h cough m4h) stick because it really isn't a car that an enthusiast would drive.

Anyway as soon as I but a new mustang in a few years (I am thinking whenever the 302 Boss comes out in 2009?) it has Ford's Sequential Tranny like the one in the FRGT500. Paddle shifters and no clutch is the best. As of now Ferarri and Audi does it best.

Torque steer is a FWD highlight mate 😉 You also forget that on older cars, an auto is a power sucking waste of space if you've got a smaller engine block.

I can't imagine you would have anywhere near the same depth of control without the clutch, i can think of many times when you want to slip it, or gently slide it in...

It's called launch control. And you can still do all the same things with a SMG then with a regular gearbox and clutch, not to mention an SMG your left foot is freed up to use the break saving time and makes for faster lap times.

I have to admit i've never used a paddle shift, so do you get a degree of 'clutch slippage' control in that?

If you've got the skillz, left foot braking is possible while using the clutch to be fair 😉

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: wasssup

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
People pretty much covered it, and just to add I love driving a stick, but it has to have the power to back it up. No point in diriving a focus or a civic (cough m4h cough m4h) stick because it really isn't a car that an enthusiast would drive.

Anyway as soon as I but a new mustang in a few years (I am thinking whenever the 302 Boss comes out in 2009?) it has Ford's Sequential Tranny like the one in the FRGT500. Paddle shifters and no clutch is the best. As of now Ferarri and Audi does it best.

Honestly (and this is just my opinion, nothing more) I think a manual civic is more fun than a manual mustang. Also more reliable, more fuel efficient, better looking, and better handling (the last two are completely subjective). But yeah, in a straight line, your mustang is the sht.

LOL a cobra definately handles better than a Civic sorry. As for fun to drive, how does better milage and reliability translate to fun? 😛

"Cobra" != "Mustang"

Oh, and up yours. MT is fun in anything. 😛 😀

- M4H

Yeah I know, I would still drive a stick civic over an auto one also. 🙂

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
People pretty much covered it, and just to add I love driving a stick, but it has to have the power to back it up. No point in diriving a focus or a civic (cough m4h cough m4h) stick because it really isn't a car that an enthusiast would drive.

Anyway as soon as I but a new mustang in a few years (I am thinking whenever the 302 Boss comes out in 2009?) it has Ford's Sequential Tranny like the one in the FRGT500. Paddle shifters and no clutch is the best. As of now Ferarri and Audi does it best.

Torque steer is a FWD highlight mate 😉 You also forget that on older cars, an auto is a power sucking waste of space if you've got a smaller engine block.

I can't imagine you would have anywhere near the same depth of control without the clutch, i can think of many times when you want to slip it, or gently slide it in...

It's called launch control. And you can still do all the same things with a SMG then with a regular gearbox and clutch, not to mention an SMG your left foot is freed up to use the break saving time and makes for faster lap times.

I have to admit i've never used a paddle shift, so do you get a degree of 'clutch slippage' control in that?

If you've got the skillz, left foot braking is possible while using the clutch to be fair 😉

To be fair only the very good SMG's have a degree of clutch slippage, but even then it is controlled by the car, by a tuned computer which (once again only in the good non clunky ones) knows how to slip it better than even an advanced stick driver could. So in a way yes and no.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: MaxFusion16
it's not better, automatics will always be faster than manual at shifting, they are easier to drive and handles more torque.

people prefer manual simply for the fun factor

???

The faster a Auto shifts is due to hgiher pressure which leads to shorter life. ever heard of shift kits? A short shifting manual can shift more quickly then a auto and does not slip like a auto does.

Manuals can take way more torque. I have driven tow trucks in my day and we always had manuals as they could handle the torque better and not explode like so many autos. A lot of tow trucks had old 3 speed autos as the 4 speeds could not handle the power as well. And even then they were rebuilt often compared to the manuals. A good manual will beat a good auto any day. The problem is in america we are lazy and fat so we don;t want to shift so we have spent a lot of money building Autos. One of the reason some of the best manuals come from outside the country. Heck even the new Saturn/Pontiac soltice has a Jap manual trans. And why a lot of eurpoean cars have auto trans made by GM.
We have had crap manuals in the US so long they look bad to the great Auto Trans GM and some others make. But a GOOD manual will be better then a good auto. Just most ameraicans have never seen/used a good manual trans.


Theres a reason why the Corvette ZR1, Z06, and other high performance cars ONLY come with manuals. The autos can not handle the power. They could sell more cars, in the US, if they could get a auto trans in there.

 

[DarkKnight69]

Originally posted by: BobDaMenkey
I prefer manuals because of the extra bit of control that it gives me. And they're alot more fun if you wanna let loose on an empty parking lot or something stupid like that.

Also, atuos on a 4cyl with power steering and A/C is a bad combination. Strain the heck outta that poor little engine trying to keep everything cool.

And burning through clutches is because you can't drive stick. I had the clutch replaced on my 82 BMW at 80k miles, and at 86nchange when I pulled the engine out to do some upgrades(but found it was a total loss because of bad maint. by the PO) it looked almost brand new. You would have had a hard time telling it had been used, if I hadn't dropped it when we took it out >.>

I agree, it is mostly how u drive it. My Hyundai had it's first clutch put in at 172k(km's) and my dad's cavalier (1992) had almost 290k(km) on the original clutch when he sold it.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
People pretty much covered it, and just to add I love driving a stick, but it has to have the power to back it up. No point in diriving a focus or a civic (cough m4h cough m4h) stick because it really isn't a car that an enthusiast would drive.

Actually, precisely and completely the opposite is true.

A stick is MORE fun and MORE of an enthusiast's driver's challenge when mated to a smaller, torque-challenged engine, because that is precisely when your shifting skills and driver knowledge make a difference.

The torque of big V-8 means what gear your are in is far less important on real roads, in any real life situation.

The challenge of keeping the revs up on a smaller, peaky engine is far more demanding and involving and fun.

On, say, an old Volvo or VW or Fiat, you can actually have the every day challenge on real roads in real conditions of getting ALL YOU POSSIBLY CAN out of your drive-train by smart and judicious and skillful shifting.

With a big V-8, torque conquers all and you all to soon reach speeds that are both un-safe and attention-getting illegal in just about any real road, real life situation.

You kiddies don't know schite. You really, really don't.

 

[Pakman]

Originally posted by: MaxFusion16
it's not better, automatics will always be faster than manual at shifting, they are easier to drive and handles more torque.

people prefer manual simply for the fun factor

Wow, you are so wrong. Take the Acura TL for example. It comes in both manual or auto. The manual car will always be faster than the auto. The proof is in the numbers. Same car, same engine, almost everything identical except the transmission. So, if by what you're saying, my Automatic TL should be faster right? Boy do I wish you were right on this one.

 

[LS20]

agreed with perknose

 

[GTaudiophile]

It's much harder to yack on the phone, put on makeup, read the newspaper, or fall asleep if you drive a stick.

It simply forces you to be a more attentive, more alert driver. If everyone drove manuals, I bet we would have fewer wrecks in this country.

 

[Ilikepiedoyou]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophileIf everyone drove manuals, I bet we would have fewer wrecks in this country.

BINGO! also on my old honda with over 300,00 miles the synchros went out on some of the gears, me and buddy just took it apart and swapped in parts fro ma similar tranny I bought for $20. It has worked perfect ever since. Manual trans are easy to do your own maintenance to. Auto trans are much more difficult.

 

[Mermaidman]

My first car was a manual VW GTi that I drove for seven years. Automatic ever since and I'll not go back. I can multitask with an auto--eat, read, cell phone, use laptop.

Most of my traffic tickets were incurred while driving a stick, so an auto is much cheaper.

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
People pretty much covered it, and just to add I love driving a stick, but it has to have the power to back it up. No point in diriving a focus or a civic (cough m4h cough m4h) stick because it really isn't a car that an enthusiast would drive.

Actually, precisely and completely the opposite is true.

A stick is MORE fun and MORE of an enthusiast's driver's challenge when mated to a smaller, torque-challenged engine, because that is precisely when your shifting skills and driver knowledge make a difference.

The torque of big V-8 means what gear your are in is far less important on real roads, in any real life situation.

The challenge of keeping the revs up on a smaller, peaky engine is far more demanding and involving and fun.

On, say, an old Volvo or VW or Fiat, you can actually have the every day challenge on real roads in real conditions of getting ALL YOU POSSIBLY CAN out of your drive-train by smart and judicious and skillful shifting.

With a big V-8, torque conquers all and you all to soon reach speeds that are both un-safe and attention-getting illegal in just about any real road, real life situation.

You kiddies don't know schite. You really, really don't.

I frequently take my cobra to AutoX and the local drag strip, so please don't tell me I don't know what I am talking about or that I will never use the power or to do so is unsafe and illegal.

If you would look past your insults, you would see that we are talking about two different things, I am talking about taking something like that on a track while you are talking about everyday driving. And, IMO (yes everyone is allowed to have one 😉) an manual for an everday driver is not practical these days and an auto is much more conveinent.

Not to mention please don't try and tell me you would rather drive a stick VW than a perforamnce sports car like a stick miata if you had the money.

I find it kind of disapointing that people that drive sticks on the road have to act so high and mighty about their "skillz"...sheesh you can drive a manual tranny good for you, and so can a lot of people, now lets see you do it on a track. 😉 😛

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
My first car was a manual VW GTi that I drove for seven years. Automatic ever since and I'll not go back. I can multitask with an auto--eat, read, cell phone, use laptop.

sheesh, you're proud of this?

 

[bucwylde23]

Sports car: Manual all the way.

I drive 75 miles each way to work and back part of the way in Norther VA traffic. Which means sometimes I sit in traffic up to an hour a day total. For a while I drove a manual and it made me nuts. I got so tired of constantly shifting.
So, if you plan on being in traffic, auto is definitely appropriate.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
My first car was a manual VW GTi that I drove for seven years. Automatic ever since and I'll not go back. I can multitask with an auto--eat, read, cell phone, use laptop.

sheesh, you're proud of this?

So are you the one I was behind last week cruising along in the left lane on the interstate holding up 30 cars trying to pass you............ you don't drive a Prius by any chance?

 

[zoiks]

Response is fairly quick in manual transmission cars giving the driver control over when he needs to 'jam'. In auto trans, sometimes you have a delay when you press the accelerator which is no fun at all.

 

[SithSolo1]

Originally posted by: Pakman

Originally posted by: MaxFusion16
it's not better, automatics will always be faster than manual at shifting, they are easier to drive and handles more torque.

people prefer manual simply for the fun factor

Wow, you are so wrong. Take the Acura TL for example. It comes in both manual or auto. The manual car will always be faster than the auto. The proof is in the numbers. Same car, same engine, almost everything identical except the transmission. So, if by what you're saying, my Automatic TL should be faster right? Boy do I wish you were right on this one.

Well then take another car for example. The new Porsche Turbo. The auto(tiptronic) version is faster than the manual version. 😉 It all depends on the car.

 

[Kevin1211]

i started driving manual about 2 weeks ago. I dont know how you guys put up with it. I was at a stop sign which had at least 30 cars behind it. It was such a bitch stopping, then going. And that was only for like 5-10 mins. I cant imagine driving in traffic.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Kevin1211
i started driving manual about 2 weeks ago. I dont know how you guys put up with it. I was at a stop sign which had at least 30 cars behind it. It was such a bitch stopping, then going. And that was only for like 5-10 mins. I cant imagine driving in traffic.

man up, biatch 😉

Surely your leg muscles haven't atrophied to the stage that you can't cope with 5-10mins of clutch action...i'd hate to be your missus if that's your general level of fitness 😉

j/k, but really, you gain a level of control i've never had in normal automatics i've driven (primarily in the whole coasting/downhill bit), which i find is vital when towing or in offroad work...

 

[RichUK]

Sometimes i wish i had an automatic. Some of the stop start traffic i?ve driven in, has drove me nuts.

 

[melchoir]

Theres a reason why the Corvette ZR1, Z06, and other high performance cars ONLY come with manuals. The autos can not handle the power. They could sell more cars, in the US, if they could get a auto trans in there.

You will find that most cars that are actually fast and raced, use an auto. The proper transmission for the proper job, for going fast, it's almost always an automatic. Automatic cars do shift faster, and much more consistantly. For AutoX I would recommend a manual, for street/strip, I'd recommend a stalled Auto.