I’m tired of manual transmission

[SeaJay]

Overall, the vast majority of drivers, including many people who know how to drive a manual transmission highly prefer an automatic transmission. Hence the dearth of manual transmissions available in new vehicles. Doesn't matter at all which is better - it is what drivers prefer, for whatever reason.

The voice of the marketplace comes in loud and clear to the manufacturers.

 

[RedSpider]

Modern automatics may have come up in reliability, but they're still no match for most manuals.

Funny.

According to my quick math:

245,000 miles spread out over three manuals. Each one had to be dropped to either replace the clutch and/or throwout bearing at least once. Not one of them was cheap.

1,400,000 miles spread out over eight automatics. Two of those each had over 300,000 miles. Not one of the eight had to be replaced. One did break an accumulator spring, that required dropping the pan to replace. Less than $50 for a spring, gasket, and fluid. Talked to the previous owner, turned out it wasnt even a stock spring, it was part of an aftermarket shift kit he installed before I bought it. Put in a stock spring I pulled in a junkyard, went another 100,000+ miles without issue.

Just my own anecdote...

 

[BHopkins]

Now that nearly every vehicle has an 8, 9, or 10 speed or CVT automatic a manual trans is kind of pointless on a daily driver. Decades ago a manual trans was a performance upgrade over a 3 speed automatic.

Absolutely.

One of my first cars was a '64 Chevy II with the straight six mated to a 2 speed Powerglide. Most automatics at the time were 3 speed. And automatic transmissions were not known for reliability. Nor were they known to be very fuel efficient. So a manual was a much better option. And of course, for a young kid learning to drive, the manual offered the thrill of mastering the art of shifting.

But now, with 7 speed automatics being the "older" technology, and a/t technology being so much more advanced, an a/t can offer a much funner driving experience than a stick. Carving a canyon with an advanced a/t lets you concentrate of handling the curves, and not have to be distracted with clutches and shifters.

Doesn't it seem that manual transmissions are becoming obsolete? Nothing more than a novelty? A fun little gadget to play with, similar to a dial telephone?

 

[StumblingElk]

Meh. Depends. I love having a manual in my mustang and love having an automatic in my SUV's.
Pros and cons to everything and to each their own.

Most car owners aren't serious car enthusiasts and they want their car to be as easy to use and comfortable as possible. Simply steering a car will be seen as old-fashioned in the coming years.

 

[AZjeff]

I just really hate manual car . I think I will done with manual car for DD .

Time to turn in your BITOG key and your man card. Someone change the secret password.

Funny thing is since we're both retired and don't drive as much and avoid city driving we're thinking of a manual again. And it was her idea. And she kinda wants a Wrangler!

 

[MRC01]

Manuals are for people who enjoy the driving experience and want to feel fully engaged in it. Regarding reliability and longevity, you will replace the clutch at some point, but a manual transmission should last forever. Unlike an automatic, which will need to be replaced or overhauled costing a lot more than replacing a clutch.

The only problem with manual trannies in newer cars like my 2014 Mazda 3 is "rev hang". When you lift the throttle to shift gears, the engine revs down much slower than cars of yore from decades ago. It's annoying but one gets used to it. It should be fixable with an ECU firmware update, and I'm surprised these are not readily available for enthusiasts.

 

[ammolab]

Manuals are for people who enjoy the driving experience and want to feel fully engaged in it. Regarding reliability and longevity, you will replace the clutch at some point, but a manual transmission should last forever. Unlike an automatic, which will need to be replaced or overhauled costing a lot more than replacing a clutch.

The only problem with manual trannies in newer cars like my 2014 Mazda 3 is "rev hang". When you lift the throttle to shift gears, the engine revs down much slower than cars of yore from decades ago. It's annoying but one gets used to it. It should be fixable with an ECU firmware update, and I'm surprised these are not readily available for enthusiasts.

The rev hang between shifts is an emissions thing as a puff of something noxious happens with a quick throttle closing. I think an ecu mod to eliminate that would attract legal problems for the developer.
I guess the guys selling the “blow coal” programs are going strong but I never found a rev hand cure for my Chevy SS.

 

[Jetronic]

If the automatic programming doesn't suit you, it can be very hard to live with. A good manual will be easier to live with. But there's a lot of poor manual transmissions aswell, rock hard clutch or so soft you can'"t feel the clutch starting to bite, inprecise stick leaving you guessing for the correct gear, battling synchros....

It can go either way, but big engines usually have worse manuals due to everything being made heavier and the very smallest engines in cheap cars tend to get cheapened transmissions with for example no synchro on the reverse gear...

And more than 6 forward gears is definitely a pain in a manual though I'm unaware of passenger cars with more than 6 (excluding overdrives with a push button)

 

[gman2304]

My sons Tundra transmission changes 3 times while crossing an intersection from a stop light. Unnecessary and Irritating to me.

 

[Bailes1992]

I'd say if you don't have a dual mass flywheel, to get a clutch replaced on this side of the pond will cost you around £400 (~$490). If you do have a dual mass flywheel then you might be looking at closer to £1,000 (~$1200). That will usually include the slave cylinder and crank seal replacement.

It amazes me when you guys come out with massive figures for a clutch change in the US. Totally unheard of over here.

 

[JTK]

Drove almost entirely manuals for my daily-drivers from ~17 to my mid 40s. I'm done with them. My last manual was a new 2014 Subaru Crosstrek 5MT base model. That particular 5MT was just so horribly executed, it soured me to the point I won't own another MT if I can avoid it.

 

[Eddie]

Automatics like the one in my Mazda, allow faster shifting that manual. Automatics are easier on the driveline and those times when I want to play with an auto, I use the Paddle levers....

 

[bunnspecial]

When I'm driving for fun, I love having a manual.

At the end of the day when I'm tired from work and just want to get in the car and get home, it's nice to just drop it in drive and go. Admittedly most of my commute these days rarely has traffic and is a lot of open road driving so shifting isn't a big deal.

There's also a big difference between something like my MG with a light hydraulic clutch and especially some of the old heavy mechanical clutches. The clutch in my MG takes almost no effort to push, and that seems to be common as well on modern commuter cars and the like. A heavy clutch can definitely change the equation when you have to do a lot of shifting.

 

[Pew]

I'd say if you don't have a dual mass flywheel, to get a clutch replaced on this side of the pond will cost you around £400 (~$490). If you do have a dual mass flywheel then you might be looking at closer to £1,000 (~$1200). That will usually include the slave cylinder and crank seal replacement.

It amazes me when you guys come out with massive figures for a clutch change in the US. Totally unheard of over here.

It's all based on book or work time here, not flywheel type. My manual trans cars required the front subframe to be lowered or removed - a very time-consuming undertaking unless you know shortcuts. The clutch in the evo required the entire subframe to be lowered - with the engine, transmission, and transfer case with it. A shop that doesn't work on these will charge up to $1300. A shop that works on these a lot can charge as low as $600 and 3 hours because they know the shortcuts around not having to lower everything in the engine bay.

Automatics like the one in my Mazda, allow faster shifting that manual. Automatics are easier on the driveline and those times when I want to play with an auto, I use the Paddle levers....

I have a '19 CX5 and it just takes forever for the computer to downshift if you want to gun it, it's my only caveat towards autos. If you're say, cruising on the highway at 65mph and you need to gun it, it takes too long to downshift IMO. I noticed the same thing with the ZF8 transmissions too.

 

[redbone3]

My first car with an automatic was a Chevelle with the Powerglide (2 speed). Not enough gears. Now I have a Passat with a 6 speed auto. So, for having the right gear for the situation is actually better now with an automatic. (my other car is a 5 speed Miata manual).

 

[IndyIan]

Interesting! I recently considering getting a Focus, but it would have to be a manual (I've had a couple of their "powershift" automatics as rentals and I hated them!). Sounds like they managed to take the enjoyment out of the manual as well.

The 05-07 has the mtx75 with reasonable ratio diff(I would say ideal gearing for fun, a long enough 1st gear for a smaller jump to 2nd, and perfect spacing after that, just needs a 6th!)
Most of the 08-11's had the mtx75 with the same gear box ratios but a lower ratio diff that made 1st require a lot of clutch slip(the SES models I think had the 05-07 ratio diff). The 2012+ mtx75 I think had the same diff ratio as my car as well, but with 160hp instead of 130. I didn't try it in stop and go, but the trans has good ratios in my opinion.
If you like driving a european small car, the 2012+ Focus is worth a test drive.

 

[Astro14]

Ironically, I recently bought a manual solely for the fun of having a manual. I love it.

That said, I used to own a manual that I had to drive in NYC traffic. Not a lot of fun.

An auto is much better for that task.

 

[gman2304]

Guess none of y'all got to drive an old 2 stick truck with no ps or ac

I cut my teeth on an old Mack B61 tandem axle with a duplex (2 stick) non synchronized transmission. Left arm through spokes in the steering wheel shifting the main, and the right hand shifting the auxiliary. Miss a gear, you had to stop and start over because there was no way you were getting it back into gear while rolling. No a/c, no ps, no air ride suspension and the seat was bolted to the floor. I was 21 and making good money at $2.50 an hour and loved it! I couldn’t do it now if you held a gun to my head!

 

[brianl703]

I got stuck in a traffic jam last week where it took almost 30 minutes to go 2 miles. Thankfully, I was driving my Chevy Volt and not my 5-speed Nissan Frontier, and it's not just because the Volt gets way better gas mileage in that type of driving...

 

[Chris142]

I cut my teeth on an old Mack B61 tandem axle with a duplex (2 stick) non synchronized transmission. Left arm through spokes in the steering wheel shifting the main, and the right hand shifting the auxiliary. Miss a gear, you had to stop and start over because there was no way you were getting it back into gear while rolling. No a/c, no ps, no air ride suspension and the seat was bolted to the floor. I was 21 and making good money at $2.50 an hour and loved it! I couldn’t do it now if you held a gun to my head!

I drove a Pete with a 5x3 till 2012!