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Automotive News & Views The Future Of The Manual Transmission
5809 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 12:30 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: stickguy (Oct 14, 2008 12:08 pm) I submit that LA may be the car capital city in the world or at least the US. No scientific proof of that but by numbers of cars and registered drivers, any many unregistered, it seems like it. Commuting is exactly stop and go. During the heavy rush hours it is nothing but stop and go. You can't let the clutch out and let it move along at whatever speed you can idle because 40 feet ahead they come to a complete stop and they stay that was for two to three minutes. Then they might move for 100 yards only to come to a complete stop again. If you happen to be unlucky enough to take the 405 north out of LA you have a very long uphill grade to add to your driving pleasure plus the stop and go. But the one comment I do agree with is that more and more kids are not being taught to drive a manual so the demand will decrease as they get into the market. If 90+ percent of the mom and dads drive automatics now why would we expect more manuals in the future? So if you are a mega car company like Toyota why wouldn't you offer a Yaris 5 door hatch as a commuter with an automatic standard? If you are a bean counter the question answers itself. And in this economy who else will people listen to? |
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Replying to: boaz47 (Oct 14, 2008 2:15 pm) And, as someone brought up, I don't have to ride the brake during traffic like with an automatic. Most brake pedals are also far stiffer and tiring to press than your typical clutch.
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 14, 2008 3:17 pm) With such a description of the advantages of a manual in heavy traffic you have to wonder why 9 out of 10 of the people driving next to you decided to spend the extra money on an Automatic? I have been on the 91 when it took more than an hour to gt from the 710 to the 605 I know traffic was at a stop more than every mile or so. But then I have never had a power brake unit that was harder to depress than a clutch. At least not one than had to move as far. The consumers seem to know what they want and if it were an election it would be a landslide. Do you ever wonder why manuals are in the minority? And lazy doesn't cut it because you don't get any exercise driving a car. |
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| I come from the old school and have had manual transmissions in most of my cars and as a collector have owned more than I can remember, With a manual transmission I feel like part of the car but cars with an automatic just feels mushy and I have to use my brakes more in traffic. I think the reason most cars in the US have automatics is that a lot of people just can't drive a standard shift. One of my reasons for wanting manuals in my cars is when its to either replace clutch&p/p or rebuild a manual transmission,synchro's,bearings and gaskets can be done cheap and by most any mechanic BUT when its time to rebuild an automatic things are much different, My wife had a Nissan Pulsar Turbo that the automatic was needing help so I called a really good friend that ran a transmission shop to rebuild it.After trying to send me somewhere else I ask why he didn't want my business he said he didn't want to make me mad -long story short he said it would be 3k or more and then I understood.The car went away... | |
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 14, 2008 3:17 pm) Regards, OW |
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 14, 2008 3:17 pm) |
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 13, 2008 8:37 pm) Well. . .I'm not so sure. The Toyoda system says that there's no point in doing anything that the customer doesn't notice or care about. Many corporations put stuff in their products because they think it's best, without regard to whether the ultimate user notices or gives a rip, often at considerable expense. Elsewhere it's called the least (or lowest) common denominator. Join the masses! Or not.
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Oct 14, 2008 6:36 pm) In Europe, it's about technological advancement and improvement. Witness Volkswagen/Audi's ingenious DSG which features twin clutch packs; one for odd numbered gears, and one for even gears. I believe that most automobiles in the U.S. are equipped with automatic transmissions because are Americans are too lazy to be bothered with the art of shifting themselves or are just unable to. The vast majority of the U.S. is not composed of dense urban areas. An exceptional number of automobiles in Europe are equipped with manual transmissions. has anyone noticed that European automakers outsource their automatic transmissions in several instances (BMW using a GM-built 5-speed HydraMatic in some models) while American automakers generally outsource their manuals due to lower popularity of this transmission type (the Chevrolet Cobalt features a Getrag manual for instance). And, some brands most certainly wouldn't feature manual transmissions if the principal clientele choose automatics instead. Frankly, I'm shocked that Toyota continues to offer a manual in the Camry while Dodge and Chevrolet have none at all in their midsizers. A Honda or Volkswagen with a manual seems quite natural due to the driver oriented natures of the cars versus a squishy commuter.
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Replying to: stickguy (Oct 14, 2008 12:08 pm) That is one of the things that REALLY annoys me about automatics.
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 14, 2008 9:03 pm) also i don't believe the dude that says he prefers a manual transmission in 'traffic', if the dude is meaning a traffic jam... like for the entire length of the NJ turnpike. I bet anyone who says they prefer manual trans in a traffic jam hasn't driven in a real traffic jam with a real manual transmission!
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