[Meno]

Im 19 and i have never driven or seen an automat car driving in person(like so i could recognize it's one) except buses.

[cold blooded]

QUOTE (trip @ Saturday, Apr 14 2012, 13:52)

QUOTE (cold blooded @ Friday, Apr 13 2012, 04:12) good luck with renting a manual. i have never seen a manual rental car, aside from a Shelby GT-H at Hertz I was in a tiny 3 cylinder justy(sp?) automatic. It was just all wrong.

LOL thats one car that should only come manual

[Nah Tso Gud]

Im an American, owned my Talon TSi AWD for 7 years before I finally got rid of it, manual transmission of course, learned how to drive in it too, so they are out there... ( Americans that can drive *stick* )... I still reach for the clutch with my left foot in my Lincoln haha... and its been about 6 months! As a now owner of both, I must say.. Auto really takes the hmmm.. soul(?) out of driving.

[Outcast]

QUOTE (Meno @ Saturday, Apr 14 2012, 18:44)

i have never driven or seen an automat car driving in person(like so i could recognize it's one)

You probably wouldn't recognise an automatic even if you saw one as they're all but indistinguishable from manuals. Unless, of course, you were sitting in the car then you'd obviously just take a look at the gear stick.

[Ronnyboy]

Interesting question for you guys speaking of automatics. My friend drove my Bonnie today, and he was doing something strange. He was shifting down into 3, 2, 1 and starting off in the same gears. His downshifts were great, but the last one (2-1) absolutely felt terrible. A big jerk and shudder was all I felt and worried about. He told me that driving like this was not only economical, but the closest I would get to a manual.

Now, if I'm wrong here, doesn't that f*ck up an Auto tranny? So does shifting from N to D while moving or at a light right?

[Fozzy Fozborne]

You should read your manual for your car to see exactly what they recommend using '3, 2, 1' for. In my old car, 1 was used for getting out of mud, 2 was for towing and extra engine braking, and 3 was for... something I can't remember.

3 2 and 1 are not gears. And, in every car I've ever seen, did not recommend switching into them when you're going above about 5-10 MPH. D = drive. Keep it there. Also, switching into neutral at a stop light is a bad idea mainly because if you move into neutral and you forget, the gut reaction is to switch it back to drive while the revs are still up. Obviously this isn't so good for the tranny.

[Lurch]

QUOTE (Fozzy Fozborne @ Thursday, Apr 19 2012, 22:46)

3 2 and 1 are not gears. And, in every car I've ever seen, did not recommend switching into them when you're going above about 5-10 MPH. D = drive.

What? They most definitely are gears. The reason why shifting 2-1 is so hard is because 1 is such a low gear and the ratio step is so wide. I mean, when you drive a manual, you know you don't really downshift to 1st much at all until you're at about 5 mph or less. I mean, I can rev match down to 1st in my car at a decent speed but the engine braking of a 3.83 first gear will damn near put my head through the windshield. You have to be very easy on letting the clutch out when you do it as well.

I've shifted manually up and back down to 2 in an auto before and it's fine if not a bit sluggish. Just don't got 2-1.


Also, you're a bit wrong on what they're for. 2 Is not for towing. 3 or drive usually is. or 4 or 5 if they're direct. Whatever's probably labeled D. Basically, you don't tow in OD. OD's always seem to be weaker than the other gears. I think it might be that they don't get proper lubrication to see heavy loads and the high temps associated with them.

[Ronnyboy]

Thanks Lurch, I never really knew the full extent of Auto-manual shifting. I will most certainly keep it in D from now on.

[illegal_luggage]

QUOTE (Outcast @ Thursday, Apr 19 2012, 23:10)

You probably wouldn't recognise an automatic even if you saw one as they're all but indistinguishable from manuals. Unless, of course, you were sitting in the car then you'd obviously just take a look at the gear stick.

The sound of automatics changing gear give them away I find. While one drives away from a traffic light, compare it to a manual and you'll know what I mean.

[DonutPT]

Manual gear is the real deal.

[visionist]

QUOTE (epoxi @ Monday, Apr 2 2012, 23:37)

This video gives you an idea of what typical British roads look like:

WTF! That's my commute to Uni & now College (and Cineworld)!

Is this your video man? What are the odds...

[epoxi]

Haha wow, no it's not my commute: just some random video of driving I pulled from Youtube.

[Carlover325]

QUOTE (trip @ Monday, Jan 30 2012, 19:27)

I like the secure feeling I get knowing that I won't be car jacked.

So true, lol!

I've got a 1993 Chevy S10 with 4.3L V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. It's fun to drive. The best part is my friends can't ask to borrow it when they move, because they don't know how to drive a manual.

But I usually drive my 1999 Jeep Cherokee with 4-speed automatic. Traffic makes this much more convenient. Living with Southern California traffic is a bitch.

[jonttu1000000]

QUOTE (Piperka @ Friday, Jan 13 2012, 08:24)

What if you need to drive manual in an emergency? You'd be screwed. And why do you's call it Stick shift, when technically an automatic is a stick shift too because that's how you shift between P R N and D.

I'd be faster than anyone else, nothing else, i'd keep calm, less accidents, skills and so on. Umad cuz usimple? ^^

[Zxirius]

What's wrong with automatic transmission? It shifts for you. It's not the first time something that you once had to do manually now has an option to do it for you automatically.

For most Americans, you aren't taught how to use a manual transmission in driver's education since a good 80 or so percent of the country drives automatic. Yes, it's lazy, it's easier, but so is driving a car in the first place.

The only reason I'd want a manual transmission is for performance. If you know what you are doing, you can time your shifts much better than any automatic transmission.

EDIT: Wow. I just realized this was massively bumped about ten minutes ago. Oh well. =P

This post has been edited by Zxirius on Thursday, Dec 13 2012, 23:43

[ddyoung]

around me, many people drive stick.

[Carlover325]

Driving a stick is usually more enjoyable. Only time I don't like it is in heavy traffic, then it's just tedious. I don't have a manual vehicle anymore. Would like to get another one soon when I have some extra money.

[Miamivicecity]

QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Sunday, Apr 8 2012, 16:02)

If I come over to the U.S I'd be demanding my rental car to be a manual. Also If I was looking at an American muscle car to import that sh*t better have 3 pedals. Automatics have their purpose, but I've always felt more in control of a manual. The only thing I'd have trouble getting used to driving an American car is being on the wrong side.

Kind of ironic I made this post about a month before getting my new car which is an automatic.

I drove a manual for the first time in about 6 months the other day. Felt a bit strange at first being so used to driving an automatic since May.

Now I've had the chance I'd say automatics are better for everyday driving, but for a weekend toy I'd still rather a manual.

[Lurch]

Heavy traffic is the only time i like an auto. At the rod run in September, it was nice driving Pat's auto L7 as that kind of stop and go traffic was definitely a clutch-killer. Otherwise, manual all day long, any day. Ability to be in charge of what gear you're in, significant compression braking so better on brakes, no tranny filters to change ever 15k, and just overall durability.

[Outcast]

I haven't driven a manual since I did my driving test years ago. Just so happens that none of the cars I, or my family, own are manuals.

Lately I have been thinking about manuals a lot because autos are just so damn boring to drive. I've also been very tempted to pay a cab driver just to let me drive their car (Most are old VW Santanas) for an hour or two.