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The Future Of The Manual Transmission

5809 messages,  Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 12:30 PM

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What is this discussion about? Transmission


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#5006 of 5809
Re: traffic [boaz47] by plekto
Oct 14, 2008 (3:17 pm)
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Replying to: boaz47 (Oct 14, 2008 2:15 pm)

Funny, because when I let my clutch out and it's in gear, absolutely nothing happens in first gear as far as "creeping" is concerned. It either stalls or I give it some gas. I can keep it from stalling at literally a few feet per second, though. I honestly have to hit my brake pedal during heavy traffic here in Los Angeles one or twice every couple of miles.
 
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.
#5007 of 5809
Re: traffic [plekto] by boaz47
Oct 14, 2008 (4:22 pm)
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 14, 2008 3:17 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. "
 
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.
#5008 of 5809
RE: Traffic by 41coupe4me
Oct 14, 2008 (4:30 pm)
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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...
#5009 of 5809
Re: traffic [plekto] by circlew
Oct 14, 2008 (4:43 pm)
Reply

Replying to: plekto (Oct 14, 2008 3:17 pm)

With pre-braking, you can hardly ever use the brakes.
 
Regards,
OW
#5010 of 5809
Re: traffic [plekto] by dave8697
Oct 14, 2008 (5:41 pm)
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 14, 2008 3:17 pm)

I had opposite occurrance. I drove my manual on long daily commute and it was fine. Then, on a long trip, I got into a 10-15 mile stop and go jam and I was hating my manual. The hydraulic clutch was heavy to push against and it took over an hour of doing it to get through that jam. That single incident on a 95 degree day wore out the seals on the clutch slave cylinder. Car had 48k miles at time. My automatics are all easy to hold still at lights. Takes very little foot pressure, and there's still a shifter and I can throw it in neutral if I have to.
#5011 of 5809
Re: commute update [nippononly] by cdnpinhead
Oct 14, 2008 (6:36 pm)
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 13, 2008 8:37 pm)

"This is not a process that benefit consumers. . ."
 
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.
#5012 of 5809
Re: commute update [cdnpinhead] by myershift
Oct 14, 2008 (8:51 pm)
Reply

Replying to: cdnpinhead (Oct 14, 2008 6:36 pm)

Manual transmissions are on the wane but for different reasons in different areas.
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.
#5013 of 5809
Re: traffic [stickguy] by nippononly
Oct 14, 2008 (9:03 pm)
Reply

Replying to: stickguy (Oct 14, 2008 12:08 pm)

The big problem with an AT is the damn creep. If you don't keep enough pressure on the brake, you bump into the guy in front of you
 
That is one of the things that REALLY annoys me about automatics.
#5014 of 5809
Re: traffic [nippononly] by elias
Oct 15, 2008 (2:57 am)
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 14, 2008 9:03 pm)

i understand that in modern/electronic automatic transmissions, the "creep" is programmed in to satisfy american drivers expectations of an automatic trans.
 
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!
#5015 of 5809
Re: traffic [elias] by shipo
Oct 15, 2008 (3:34 am)
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Replying to: elias (Oct 15, 2008 2:57 am)

You'd lose that bet.
 
I've owned manual transmissioned vehicles all of my driving life, and during those years, I've lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, Cupertino, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Boston, and I've driven through literally thousands of traffic jams. Believe it or not, I've never once wished I had an automatic transmission in whatever car I was driving. In fact, the only two times in my driving life that I was forced by circumstances (once economic and once due to a badly broken leg) to drive a car with an automatic transmission, I found myself counting the days until I could get back into a car with a stick.
 
Best regards,
Shipo

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