% of all cars sold with manual transmission?
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Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
In real stop-and-go traffic, I'd rather creep along in a low gear, occasionally pushing in the clutch, than be constantly moving my right foot from accelerator to brake pedal and back again, over and over and over.
And when the traffic is moving, I'd rather make tiny speed adjustments with the accelerator pedal than with the brake pedal. Maybe that's why my rear brake pads lasted 94k miles and my front ones 150k+ miles, almost all of those miles on SoCal streets and highways.
IMO there are no road conditions where an AT is superior to a good MT.
Drive my Cherokee through DC traffic and then talk to me. The traffic moves too slowly to creep along in first, the car will start to buck back and forth from the slow engine speed. You can try to leave a bigger gap to keep rolling at a decent speed, but if you leave too big of a gap some !@#$%^-#@% will just cut in and close it and you're back at square one.
To make it even more fun the clutch is super-heavy and just generally temperamental, which is really aggravating when you need to disengage and engage it 10 times a minute.
Of course the huge benefit is that if you decide you want out, you can just kick it into 4x4, cruise over the median, and find another way.
I will say that with any other standard transmission car it's not so bad, but the Cherokee really has its moments. If there's no traffic its typically fine.
In real stop-and-go traffic, I'd rather creep along in a low gear, occasionally pushing in the clutch, than be constantly moving my right foot from accelerator to brake pedal and back again, over and over and over.
And when the traffic is moving, I'd rather make tiny speed adjustments with the accelerator pedal than with the brake pedal. Maybe that's why my rear brake pads lasted 94k miles and my front ones 150k+ miles, almost all of those miles on SoCal streets and highways.
IMO there are no road conditions where an AT is superior to a good MT.
Drive my Cherokee through DC traffic and then talk to me. The traffic moves too slowly to creep along in first, the car will start to buck back and forth from the slow engine speed. You can try to leave a bigger gap to keep rolling at a decent speed, but if you leave too big of a gap some !@#$%^-#@% will just cut in and close it and you're back at square one.
To make it even more fun the clutch is super-heavy and just generally temperamental, which is really aggravating when you need to disengage and engage it 10 times a minute.
Of course the huge benefit is that if you decide you want out, you can just kick it into 4x4, cruise over the median, and find another way.
I will say that with any other standard transmission car it's not so bad, but the Cherokee really has its moments. If there's no traffic its typically fine.
Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
IIMO there are no road conditions where an AT is superior to a good MT.
Drive my Cherokee through DC traffic and then talk to me. The traffic moves too slowly to creep along in first, the car will start to buck back and forth from the slow engine speed. You can try to leave a bigger gap to keep rolling at a decent speed, but if you leave too big of a gap some !@#$%^-#@% will just cut in and close it and you're back at square one.
To make it even more fun the clutch is super-heavy and just generally temperamental, which is really aggravating when you need to disengage and engage it 10 times a minute.
(snip)
I will say that with any other standard transmission car it's not so bad, but the Cherokee really has its moments. If there's no traffic its typically fine.
Then we need to distinguish between vehicles with heavy clutches and gear ratios designed for pulling stumps, and those like my Golf where driving in heavy traffic isn't really that bad.
Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
IIMO there are no road conditions where an AT is superior to a good MT.
Drive my Cherokee through DC traffic and then talk to me. The traffic moves too slowly to creep along in first, the car will start to buck back and forth from the slow engine speed. You can try to leave a bigger gap to keep rolling at a decent speed, but if you leave too big of a gap some !@#$%^-#@% will just cut in and close it and you're back at square one.
To make it even more fun the clutch is super-heavy and just generally temperamental, which is really aggravating when you need to disengage and engage it 10 times a minute.
(snip)
I will say that with any other standard transmission car it's not so bad, but the Cherokee really has its moments. If there's no traffic its typically fine.
Then we need to distinguish between vehicles with heavy clutches and gear ratios designed for pulling stumps, and those like my Golf where driving in heavy traffic isn't really that bad.
In Canada I think there is a much higher percentage of manual transmissions than the U.S. We buy smaller cars in general and therefore have more manuals available to more people. The best selling car for the last few years has been the Civic and maybe a 1/3 are manuals.
We have a 4 banger tracker with a manual and use it for towing stuff once in a while, at 80km/h I can use 5th, 4th, or 3rd depending on how steep the hill is and not worry about overheating the trans. I don't know how well the auto would do not being able to lock the torque converter for a 100km at a time...
We have a 4 banger tracker with a manual and use it for towing stuff once in a while, at 80km/h I can use 5th, 4th, or 3rd depending on how steep the hill is and not worry about overheating the trans. I don't know how well the auto would do not being able to lock the torque converter for a 100km at a time...
Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
In real stop-and-go traffic, I'd rather creep along in a low gear, occasionally pushing in the clutch, than be constantly moving my right foot from accelerator to brake pedal and back again, over and over and over.
Most stop-n-go is not merely going from 0 to 15mph to 0. It's 0 to 18mph to 5 to 23 to 9 to 22 to 0 to 24 to 5 to 30. That means you're going from N to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2 to N to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2.. for 40 minutes. Gets freakin tiring after a while.
In real stop-and-go traffic, I'd rather creep along in a low gear, occasionally pushing in the clutch, than be constantly moving my right foot from accelerator to brake pedal and back again, over and over and over.
Most stop-n-go is not merely going from 0 to 15mph to 0. It's 0 to 18mph to 5 to 23 to 9 to 22 to 0 to 24 to 5 to 30. That means you're going from N to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2 to N to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2.. for 40 minutes. Gets freakin tiring after a while.
I agree. 5-speeds are fun to me, but not on a car that sees stop and go traffic all day. You'd think that being a truck driver I'd be used to it, but it's even more insane when you have 10 gears to work with. Manuals have their purpose, just not in 8:30 am heavy metro morning traffic. Back and forth between 1-3 gears for 45 minutes adds a lot of unnecessary wear and tear to your clutch.
True, but on an automatic car that same wear-and-tear is on the torque converter, ATF, and brakes. It's six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.
EDIT: Oddly enough, my dad's automatic transmission (2000 Acura 3.2 TL) seems to have just taken a dump, and he's on the phone in the next room talking about it as I type this...
EDIT: Oddly enough, my dad's automatic transmission (2000 Acura 3.2 TL) seems to have just taken a dump, and he's on the phone in the next room talking about it as I type this...
Maybe my diesel pickup has enough torque to make using a manual not that much of a problem in taffic. One kind of carefully lets it out while it's at idle and then gives it some throttle.
When this generation of truck was released Dodge did a stunt for the press by hooking up 30k lbs, getting the load moving, and then let it move the load in idle.
When this generation of truck was released Dodge did a stunt for the press by hooking up 30k lbs, getting the load moving, and then let it move the load in idle.
My auto Honda Accord is a dog - wish it was a standard.
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
EDIT: Oddly enough, my dad's automatic transmission (2000 Acura 3.2 TL) seems to have just taken a dump, and he's on the phone in the next room talking about it as I type this...
The dealer should cover a good portion of the repair. PM me if you need any help.
EDIT: Oddly enough, my dad's automatic transmission (2000 Acura 3.2 TL) seems to have just taken a dump, and he's on the phone in the next room talking about it as I type this...
The dealer should cover a good portion of the repair. PM me if you need any help.
I've been driving mostly manuals since I started driving in '87. it used to be a badge of honor, because most other guys couldn't do it. and of course it was always fun teaching other guys' girlfriends how to handle a stick...
but anyway, for commuting, I want to get to work in comfort and safety. I have nothing to prove by driving a manual. I still do (present car is a 5 speed VUE) but my next car, if the need arises, might be an auto. I don't look at things the same at 38 as I did at 17. priorities are different, and after all these years, I don't 'need' to drive a manual.
related, it used to be that trucks can all be had w/ a stick. not anymore. maybe only in the V6 economy stripper models can it be had, then try to actually find one.
but anyway, for commuting, I want to get to work in comfort and safety. I have nothing to prove by driving a manual. I still do (present car is a 5 speed VUE) but my next car, if the need arises, might be an auto. I don't look at things the same at 38 as I did at 17. priorities are different, and after all these years, I don't 'need' to drive a manual.
related, it used to be that trucks can all be had w/ a stick. not anymore. maybe only in the V6 economy stripper models can it be had, then try to actually find one.
I had to order my 6-speed manual and wait 8 weeks this last summer. But it was good to get it with what I wanted and not some random prepackaged stuff I didn't want to pay for.
It seems that auto is standard now and the old standard is the option!
It seems that auto is standard now and the old standard is the option!
And I bet every time you get in it you can't get a bl00dy big smile of your face? Won't happen with a 'slushy'
Quote:
It used to be a badge of honor, because most other guys couldn't do it.
The new James Bond, Daniel Craig, didn't know how to drive a stickshift until his first Bond movie. That surprised me coming from a Brit, I thought most of their cars were still manual.
It used to be a badge of honor, because most other guys couldn't do it.
The new James Bond, Daniel Craig, didn't know how to drive a stickshift until his first Bond movie. That surprised me coming from a Brit, I thought most of their cars were still manual.
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