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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: ny540i6 (Oct 22, 2008 9:36 am) |
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Replying to: boaz47 (Oct 15, 2008 6:30 am) I do believe this is true. And I don't think that Europeans are too cheap as for choosing a manual over an automatic. They have Opel (Saturn) Astras, Volkswagen Golfs and the like with big car options like leather, laser controlled speed control, park sensors, power folding exterior mirrors, bi-xenon headlamps with washers, heated/cooled leather seating, navigation, and dual zone automatic climate control. Know how much these hatches end up costing? Around $40,000 U.S.D. I also believe that most Europeans must be smarter drivers than Americans what with more extensive driver's training and the obviously higher speed limits. French autoroutes have speeds in the neighbourhood of 80mph and the unrestricted stretches of German Autobahn. They have fewer accidents, and fewer fatalities. Americans just could NEVER handle something like this because of a lack of training, care, lane discipline, and intelligence. The higher level of conservatism here doesn't help either but I blame Europe's Puritan trash for that mantra which includes "work hard and you will succeed" and all that drivel. |
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| Whichever one is safer, I vote for. | |
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Replying to: razorasdf (Oct 22, 2008 9:15 am) You are concerned about cramps. With a clutch, you could cramp both legs. With an auto, you may cramp one leg, the right one. Even if that is your #1 concern, you have 50% better odds with the automatic, because you can rest one leg. Shoot, I'm a manual fan, but some folks in here drink too much clutch-supplier Kool-Aid, I swear. 
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Replying to: ateixeira (Oct 23, 2008 6:04 am)  I've yet to even feel the slightest cramp in my left leg because of the clutch, even when stuck in heavy traffic, both on the highway and in cities, for upwards of 2 hours. I think it has to do with the fact that I'm using a full range of leg motion vs pivoting on the heel of my right leg. And because I don't have to stand on the brakes because of the auto creep, my right leg isn't nearly as busy, except maybe on steep inclines. I've been almost exclusively driving a manual car for over a year and a half now, and I've yet to feel the slightest pain in either leg (the exception being when I banged my knees really hard falling and it hurt no matter what I did...). I drove an auto for a few years prior, and I had cramps every once in a while. It can't be psychosomatic or something, since I fully expected a pained left leg when I was learning. *shrug* No Kool-Aid here, just honest truth. 
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Replying to: razorasdf (Oct 23, 2008 8:57 am) So think about it...which one is more likely to cause pain over the long haul? Let's lay it out. To drive from a stop to 60mph with an auto, here's is what your feet do: Right leg: off brake to gas. That's it. Now, with a 6 speed manual: left leg on the clutch right arm shift to first left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest left leg to the clutch right leg off the gas right arm shift to 2nd left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest left leg to the clutch right leg off the gas right arm shift to 3rd left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest left leg to the clutch right leg off the gas right arm shift to 4th left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest left leg to the clutch right leg off the gas right arm shift to 5th left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest left leg to the clutch right leg off the gas right arm shift to 6th left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest OK, honestly now, which one is simpler? Which one is less fatiguing? Less likely to cause a cramp? I'm not saying you will get a cramp with a manual, just that you are less likely to have any sort of fatigue in the one-step process vs. the 125 step process. I believe manuals are better - more efficient, cost less, more control, lots of reasons. Ease of use is not one of those reasons, nor is fatigue or cramping. As for the auto creep - you can just slip an auto in to Neutral and that's that. |
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Replying to: ateixeira (Oct 23, 2008 9:07 am) right arm shift to first left leg off the clutch slowly right leg on the gas in synch with left leg left leg to the dead pedal right arm to elbow rest left leg to the clutch right leg off the gas right arm shift to 2nd left leg off the clutch slowly Etc, etc, etc.... OR... Shift from first to second as above.... Run second all the way up to 50 mph.... Shift to sixth.... Just Kidding
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Replying to: ny540i6 (Oct 23, 2008 9:39 am) Ya got me.
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Replying to: ateixeira (Oct 23, 2008 9:07 am) Well now we've heard from someone who has experienced those cramps and I'm sure that there is someone who actually got them in their left leg with a stick too. However, I was just trying to make a tongue-in-cheek point that a leg cramp was a pretty weak argument to avoid using a manual in traffic.
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Replying to: tallman1 (Oct 23, 2008 10:21 am) With a stick, the problem is more in terms of wear-and-tear to the joints. Knees especially. I guess it's the opposite - with an auto your legs don't move, with a manual your legs move constantly. My mom had to give up manuals due to her arthritis plus worn cartiledge on her left (clutch) knee. |
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