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Automotive News & Views The Future Of The Manual Transmission
5807 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 7:20 AM
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Replying to: isellhondas (Oct 20, 2008 12:07 pm)
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 20, 2008 2:30 pm) My theory is that the Accord got so bloated now that people don't view it in the same way any more, as a car that a manual would notably enhance. 
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Replying to: isellhondas (Oct 20, 2008 12:10 pm) |
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Replying to: tallman1 (Oct 16, 2008 8:10 am) So I wonder if their right foot cramps while driving an automatic. My right foot does, in fact, cramp when I drive an automatic. This really only happens in traffic jams that last upwards of 10-15 minutes. Constantly moving from brake to accelerator and back again starts hurting my right calf, and it gets quite painful when I'm stuck in a jam over 30 minutes. I work out regularly and my lower body is far stronger than my lower body. On top of it all, I've never had my left leg hurt the slightest from clutching, even in traffic jams lasting over an hour in cities. Ironic, isn't it? 
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Replying to: isellhondas (Oct 16, 2008 8:50 am) It's probably been three or four years. They do make them but they don't sell. Most stores don't even order any for that reason. Civic manuals are a bit more popular but not by much. The used to make manuals in CRV's but they quit doing this a couple of years ago and nobody seems to have missed them. It must be where you live out west, but I see a ton of manual Accords and Civics in the DC area, both new and old. My uncle just bought a brand new I4 Accord sedan with the 5MT. Of course, out of the 15 or so cars they had on the lot, the EX model was the only manual one. I drove it and man, Honda's transmissions are a dream! That thing clutched and shifted so smoothly it was ridiculous. Of course, getting used to my GTI's diesel-like torque from 1000rpm up got me caught off guard when I was lugging the Accord at 2000rpm in 2nd gear up a small incline... 
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 18, 2008 6:27 pm)
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Replying to: razorasdf (Oct 20, 2008 9:15 pm) Brake with your left foot. Problem solved.
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Replying to: rightmove (Oct 20, 2008 9:56 pm) That's absolutely not true. The main reason people dislike manuals isn't the clutch pedal. It isn't a concern. It's that they have to shift. They have no free hand to use their yuppie cellphone, fiddle with the GPS, put on makeup, brush their hair, or cram a burger in their face. At least not easily. Simple as that - they want to be able to do everything else other than drive while driving. Plus, they also don't want to be bothered to have to pay attention to their vehicle. They want to zone out and drive in their portable mixing booth. As for safety, a manual is far safer. 1 - You must listen to the engine and drivetrain. This makes you pay attention to your driving more, but also you're able to notice problems earlier. 2 - Young drivers can't talk and eat and drive and text and so on all at once with a manual. It takes 110% of their concentration at first, and that's a good thing - as it should be. It's not that young drivers are worse drivers in terms of skills so much as that they get distracted much easier from the job at hand. And a lot of driving is about patience and paying attention. But modern cars are like 4 wheeled XBox 360s. It's to the point where you almost need these bigger cars to fit the extra buttons on the dash. My A/V center at home doesn't have as many features as a typical Honda Accord. This is the #1 reason most young girls don't learn, BTW - they want to do everything else other than drive the car. * minor pet peeve of mine - cars are too easy to drive and too much like appliances. IMO, if they took a lot more skill to drive like they used to, people would see it a bit differently. And take it more seriously as well, especially when starting out. 3 - Speed with a manual is actually harder to achieve. Because you always have to know what gear you are in and what rpms you are at by ear(or close to it), this combined with engine compression when letting off of the gas makes it very hard to go fast without purposely doing so. In an automatic, though, it's stupidly easy to just let the thing roll along down a hill to where it's going far too fast without you realizing it. And most accidents involving loss of control are exactly like this - the car got going too fast and they lost control dodging something, trying to go around a curve, or while braking to slow down. In a manual, 3rd gear pretty much tops out at 35-40mph in most cars downhill. And the transmission makes a hell of a lot of noise while holding the car's speed back. Enough that you can hear it over your mp3s, even. In fact, I usually drive my manual equipped 4x4(not a SUV) without using my brakes for miles at a time. An automatic, otoh, will gladly drop into overdrive and lose all engine compression the second that it can. It's exactly the feeling that you get when you are going up a hill on a roller coaster. That second or so where the thing releases from the cable and there's nothing holding it back from rolling forward. I find it actually a bit disconcerting. I can't tell you how many times I see people here in L.A. rolling along talking on the phone, eating, or lost in their music while letting their cars roll along in overdrive at 75mph+ here in Los Angeles. I try to avoid them as much as I can.
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Replying to: plekto (Oct 21, 2008 7:01 am) Amen.
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Oct 21, 2008 10:41 am) If a person wants to be distracted or text message someone, a manual transmission isn't going to stop them. It'll just be even more dangerous. |
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