Would you ever choose an automatic over manual?

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Smartazz

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2005
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Assuming that you could drive stick, would you choose a car like the Porsche 911 in automatic over manual if the car accelerated faster with an automatic? I would still say no, due to the fact that a car like the 911(or similar) was probably meant to be driven with stick in mind, let alone the 911 Turbo.
edit: By the way, the 911 Turbo does 40-60mph in 1 second. That's pretty impressive.
 
Don Vito Corleone

Don Vito Corleone

Elite
Feb 10, 2000
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No way. Not ever. I can't imagine I would even choose a dual-clutch DSG or Ferrari F1-style transmission over a true manual. I just dislike automatics - it feels like a layer of numbness between the car and the driver.
 
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Smartazz

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2005
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Motortrend did 0-60 in 3.2seconds with the automatic, I think that the manual is closer to 3.5seconds.
 
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jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
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I could see myself buying something with a computer-controlled clutch (although I still prefer a true manual), but I doubt I'll ever touch anything with a torque converter.
 
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BornStar

Diamond Member
Oct 30, 2001
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Originally posted by: DonVito
No way. Not ever. I can't imagine I would even choose a dual-clutch DSG or Ferrari F1-style transmission over a true manual. I just dislike automatics - it feels like a layer of numbness between the car and the driver.
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Have you ever tried a DSG type transmission before? They feel nothing like a normal automatic.

I personally wish more cars came with transmissions that have automatic clutches. The performance of those transmissions frequently surpasses that of a manual (especially for a manual dunce like me).
 
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thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
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I don't give a poop how much quicker the fancy smancy automatic shifting manuals are I like shifting.
 
Don Vito Corleone

Don Vito Corleone

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Feb 10, 2000
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Originally posted by: BornStar
Originally posted by: DonVito
No way. Not ever. I can't imagine I would even choose a dual-clutch DSG or Ferrari F1-style transmission over a true manual. I just dislike automatics - it feels like a layer of numbness between the car and the driver.
Click to expand...
Have you ever tried a DSG type transmission before? They feel nothing like a normal automatic.

I personally wish more cars came with transmissions that have automatic clutches. The performance of those transmissions frequently surpasses that of a manual (especially for a manual dunce like me).
Click to expand...

I am not as concerned with ultimate performance as I am with enjoying the driving experience. I will almost certainly never drive any road car at 9/10 or more, so I don't mind sacrificing a few hundredths of a second in shifting speed in favor of the control and feel of a true manual.
 
DivideBYZero

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
24,117
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I've driven both manual and tiptronic Porsches. The manual was a 964 and the tip was a 996. The 996 was a lovely car, wrecked by a tragic transmission. I'd rather not have a Porsche if my choice was a tiptronic only.

I drove the tip for a two week period, before I get flamed.
 
SearchMaster

SearchMaster

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2002
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For me it depends if I was buying it as a fun car or a daily driver. I had a manual transmission car for DD for 10+ years, and it was fine at first but I grew tired of it in traffic. If I ever buy a fun car, it will likely be a manual (I've always sorta wanted a Miata).
 
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nweaver

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2001
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Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Many a turbo car benefits from the very quick shifting an auto offers.
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indeed, you only spool that turbo one time with an auto.
 
Zenmervolt

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
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Originally posted by: nweaver
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Many a turbo car benefits from the very quick shifting an auto offers.
Click to expand...

indeed, you only spool that turbo one time with an auto.
Click to expand...

If you have a properly set up diverter valve and know how to shift, there's no real turbo lag from shifting a manual either. The automatic is a little better, but it's not as though the turbine stalls during shifts with a manual.

And it seems that everyone here is only taking into account straight line acceleration from a stop. Automatics are fine for that. The annoying thing about automatics is that they never hold the gear I want, they never downshift at the right time, they don't know enough to know when I want to short-shift, they get confused coming out of low-speed corners and there's a pause as it tries to decide on 1st or 2nd when I get back on the throttle...

For a car that I intend to wring out in the corners, an automatic just won't cut it. On the other hand, if it were the only way to get a 911 Turbo, you can bet your ass that I'd live with it. ;)

ZV
 
DivideBYZero

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
24,117
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To be honest Zenmer, the tip was 'pretty' good at holding gears as it was programmed to hold, but there was ALWAYS a time where the car choose a gear you didn't want, or worse, changed late. It was when you were really pressing on that it showed its weakness. Giving it 70% and it was fine, open the taps and it was left wanting.

On the turbo front, you'd have to really suck at shifting to let the snail spin down enough to give you lag. Either that or you're running some crazy huge single turbo setup. I used to get a boost spike in my scooby in the cold on shifts as the turbo was producing too much boost and the comp fuel cut at ~13-14lbs.
 
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nweaver

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2001
6,813
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My truck background shows through....you can't shift a 91 Dodge pickup quick enough to really keep the turbo spooled, so you essentially spool the turbo a couple times from stop to speed. Of course, once you get moving, you don't shift down, you lug it and open the throttle up to spool that turbo a bit more.
 
Zenmervolt

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
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Originally posted by: nweaver
My truck background shows through....you can't shift a 91 Dodge pickup quick enough to really keep the turbo spooled, so you essentially spool the turbo a couple times from stop to speed. Of course, once you get moving, you don't shift down, you lug it and open the throttle up to spool that turbo a bit more.
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A diesel has no throttle... The intake is always wide open. No restriction. The "throttle" only controls the amount of fuel being injected into the cylinders, it doesn't restrict airflow through the engine. In fact, a diesel should have less trouble losing boost between shifts than a gasoline engine in theory.

Did those older diesels have a diverter valve though? If not that would explain the problem.

ZV
 
DivideBYZero

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
24,117
2
0
Yeah, older turbo designs didn't have a blow off valve. All modern designs have a recirculating BOV to prevent the turbo stalling when the throttle is lifted. Advanced system have anti-lag code in the ECU to keep the turbo spinning as fast as possible when not at WOT.
 
D

dwcal

Senior member
Jul 21, 2004
765
0
0
Originally posted by: Smartazz
Motortrend did 0-60 in 3.2seconds with the automatic, I think that the manual is closer to 3.5seconds.
Click to expand...

0-60 time depends a lot on the launch, and you have to abuse it a lot to get a quick launch from a powerful AWD manual car, not so much abuse with a torque converter. See if the article says anything on how they launched the manual.
 
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