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The Future Of The Manual Transmission

9901 messages,  Last post on May 18, 2013 at 8:59 PM

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Messages Page 915 of 991

#9136 of 9901 Re: yes there is an insurance discount for manual-transmission vehicles [bpizzuti] by fintail

Jul 22, 2012 (6:12 pm)

Replying to: bpizzuti (Jul 22, 2012 10:56 am)
My E55 has tiptronic...changes are dreadfully slow compared to a manual, but at least the action is pretty intuitive. I tend to do more shifting for engine braking/noise making than holding gears longer.
 
When I am in the fintail, which has MB's weird first in-house automatic, I choose shift points both up and down. Clutchless shifting isn't bad.

#9137 of 9901 Re: yes there is an insurance discount for manual-transmission vehicles [fintail] by bpizzuti

Jul 22, 2012 (6:46 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Jul 22, 2012 6:12 pm)
Some of them are pretty friggin slow...Chevy and Hyundai come to mind. Mazda and Nissan are better. Ford's might be, but it's simply improper to use a toggle switch to change gears, something just not right about it. Still waiting to get my hands on Dodge's DCT.

#9139 of 9901 manuals in the news by steve_ HOST

Jul 24, 2012 (6:12 pm)

"It might look like there's a stick-shift revival under way in 2012, but we're not so sure," Edmunds.com Features Editor Carroll Lachnit said. "Fewer manual transmission cars on the road will mean, eventually, that there will be fewer parents or friends who know how to drive them, and so fewer teachers for the next generation."
 
Changing gears: Is knowing how to drive stick in America still essential? (CNN)
 
And new on our site:
 
Five Myths About Stick Shifts

#9140 of 9901 Re: manuals in the news [steve_] by 34pete

Jul 24, 2012 (9:06 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Jul 24, 2012 6:12 pm)
It's pretty helpful if you travel overseas... and it does make driving more fun. With some of the lighter clutches and slicker trannies they have nowadays traffic is not that bad..
 
The thing about Manuals is if you understand a little how they work they are far more appealing from a engineering standpoint IMHO.
 
I looked into CVTs - as they are billed as this great step forward and it looks like they use torque converters. So really the CVT part just replaces the planetary gear set which wasn't exactly a huge problem before..
 
The immediate and total control you have over your car with a manual is alot of fun in a world thats moving very rapidly to self driving cars..

#9141 of 9901 Re: manuals in the news [34pete] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jul 25, 2012 (10:03 am)

Replying to: 34pete (Jul 24, 2012 9:06 pm)
You can definitely "finesse" a car or truck with a manual transmission a lot better than with an automatic...you can do "inchies" for one thing ("come forward...a little bit more....just an inch more"), and faster downshifts than a DSG if you are skipping gears on the downshift (because you might be choosing the same clutch on the dual clutch DSG if you skip a gear).
 
And of course, less chance of plowing into a laundromat window while exiting a parking space.
 
An incremental advantage, I confess, but I just find a manual transmission more "intimate".

#9142 of 9901 Re: Show Me the Alphabet Soup . . . [Mr_Shiftright] by xwesx

Jul 25, 2012 (10:08 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 16, 2012 8:21 pm)
No kidding! I've been half looking at the Focus ST now that it looks like any Fiesta ST in North America is a long shot, but wondering where the fuel rating will fall. I hate their current optioning packages, though.
 
Honestly, I hate seriously considering a new car, because I know I have to compromise on something. Maybe I'll just keep the Escort until one of us gets too old to drive any more.

#9143 of 9901 Re: yes there is an insurance discount for manual-transmission vehicles [fintail] by andys120

Jul 26, 2012 (4:26 am)

Replying to: fintail (Jul 22, 2012 6:12 pm)
My E55 has tiptronic...changes are dreadfully slow compared to a manual,
 
I had a Tiptronic in my '98 Audi A4. It was the same way but the Steptronic setup in my BMWs provides pretty fast shifts. I often use it for engine braking on downhill or some times just to lock out the torque concnverter on twisty roads.

#9144 of 9901 Re: yes there is an insurance discount for manual-transmission vehicles [andys120] by bpizzuti

Jul 26, 2012 (8:36 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Jul 26, 2012 4:26 am)
Some tiptronics are better than others (and some are actually DCTs, but I digress). Chevy and Hyundai seem to have a coffee break built in, but Mazda's seem to be very very quick as well.
 
Nissan's "tiptronic" mode is even faster, but that's a CVT, not a slushbox. Makes an AWD Juke awfully fun though.

#9145 of 9901 As to the question............. by euphonium

Jul 26, 2012 (10:39 am)

Is automatic better than stick-shift?
 
Is the electric starter better than a crank?

Messages Page 915 of 991

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