Manual or Automatic?

[BaM BooZeLLed]

Manual for sportier vehicles makes the most sense, but in general I like manual for the control purposes. I know what the car is going to do and when, autos you have to rely on what the computer/Ecu thinks is best for the situation then wait for it to react.

Manual are more fun to drive, whether its a sports car or a rust bucket haha.

 

[bribrius]

I voted manual but they are different tools for different jobs. From now until the end of time my daily driver will be an auto, as well as a truck that I buy. The M3 that I buy on the other hand... That will only be an SMG if it's too good of a deal to pass up and only as long as it takes me to find the 6MT retro parts

exactly where i stand. Having manual trucks, i won't have another one. And yeah, i can steer with my knees, drink my coffee, smoke a cigarette, and flip through radio stations all at the same time driving a standard. I just don't want to do it every day.

 

[oldhippy]

Manual is great, but sitting on a steep hill at a stop sign is scary. Defiantly the time for a third foot. Foot off the break rolling backwards. Oh No.

 

[shefjr]

My 09 F350 diesel that I just traded in was a manual transmission (had to special order it). I loved the control I had when hauling trailers and there was no fear of ever rolling back on even the steepest of hills. The thing was a beast! It was also getting great MPG (18) simply because when crushing in a 35 mph zone I was in overdrive so the truck was basically idling down the road.

I wasn't able to get a manual with my new truck. I was told that they are talking about having the option for them in the future but, they will cost more than an automatic.

If I ever buy a sports car I would want a manual for that as well.

 

[bribrius]

Manual is great, but sitting on a steep hill at a stop sign is scary. Defiantly the time for a third foot. Foot off the break rolling backwards. Oh No.

Don't mind that so much, off road, towing trailers, dropping the boat down the launch, plowing snow.. All things i haven done with a manual transmission i would prefer not to. I don't need a manual, i need four wheel drive and locking differentials and a nice slow crawl without riding a clutch.

 

[bribrius]

My 09 F350 diesel that I just traded in was a manual transmission (had to special order it). I loved the control I had when hauling trailers and there was no fear of ever rolling back on even the steepest of hills. The thing was a beast! It was also getting great MPG (18) simply because when crushing in a 35 mph zone I was in overdrive so the truck was basically idling down the road.View attachment 102010
I wasn't able to get a manual with my new truck. I was told that they are talking about having the option for them in the future but, they will cost more than an automatic.

If I ever buy a sports car I would want a manual for that as well.

Nice truck. You might find you like it better not having a manual after a while. I started driving with a short box chevy manual transmission (early eighties truck). It looked great , especially with a lift kit, but having a couple similar since then i dont miss any of them.

 

[shefjr]

My 09 F350 diesel that I just traded in was a manual transmission (had to special order it). I loved the control I had when hauling trailers and there was no fear of ever rolling back on even the steepest of hills. The thing was a beast! It was also getting great MPG (18) simply because when crushing in a 35 mph zone I was in overdrive so the truck was basically idling down the road.View attachment 102010
I wasn't able to get a manual with my new truck. I was told that they are talking about having the option for them in the future but, they will cost more than an automatic.

If I ever buy a sports car I would want a manual for that as well.

Nice truck. You might find you like it better not having a manual after a while. I started driving with a short box chevy manual transmission (early eighties truck). It looked great , especially with a lift kit, but having a couple similar since then i dont miss any of them.

Yeah I actually have found that this truck hauls really well. It also has an integrated engine break which is actually pretty nice. When I don't haul anything it's got a lot of get up and go. Way more than I was use to with the manual transmission. I almost think I'm to the point where I wouldn't order a manual for a truck anymore.

 

[bribrius]

My 09 F350 diesel that I just traded in was a manual transmission (had to special order it). I loved the control I had when hauling trailers and there was no fear of ever rolling back on even the steepest of hills. The thing was a beast! It was also getting great MPG (18) simply because when crushing in a 35 mph zone I was in overdrive so the truck was basically idling down the road.View attachment 102010
I wasn't able to get a manual with my new truck. I was told that they are talking about having the option for them in the future but, they will cost more than an automatic.

If I ever buy a sports car I would want a manual for that as well.

Nice truck. You might find you like it better not having a manual after a while. I started driving with a short box chevy manual transmission (early eighties truck). It looked great , especially with a lift kit, but having a couple similar since then i dont miss any of them.

Yeah I actually have found that this truck hauls really well. It also has an integrated engine break which is actually pretty nice. When I don't haul anything it's got a lot of get up and go. Way more than I was use to with the manual transmission. I almost think I'm to the point where I wouldn't order a manual for a truck anymore.
View attachment 102011

nice.. The automatic transmissions have come a long way. It used to be a more viable option getting a manual, because quite frankly most of the automatic transmissions sucked. Not so anymore. Like anything, more electronics, but that is about impossible to avoid at this point. All my vehicles are older. But for comparison, the bronco (manual) or early ford explorer we had (when they had a frame and manual) both did pretty well in bad conditions. But the newer durango (newer to me still early two thousands) would kick the explorers or broncos butt with the auto locking differential and traction control. sway bar upgrades, ranchos and and detroit lockers in the trucks i have way more faith in those than that old bronco, even if they are automatic. No clutch riding either, four low and away we go... ifs made a huge increase in traction. People still swap them out for serious off roading, but in semi normal off road conditions it is simply a matter of the traction meaning the suspension has to have enough give to keep the tire planted on the ground. So it became flex and traction control (or just throw in lockers and call it a day). Technology isn't all a bad thing... Fuel economy has improved immensely in autos too. More gears, better ratios, they aren't the "dog" they used to be. Now, i remember shifting a 3 speed manual. Yeah, that was pretty limiting. The fourth gear "granny gear" might as well ignore unless you were really in a bad way. Three speed didn't exactly take advantage of the power curve though. Automatics do that now.

 

[KenC]

Manual is great, but sitting on a steep hill at a stop sign is scary. Defiantly the time for a third foot. Foot off the break rolling backwards. Oh No.

Hand brake, man, hand brake!

A guy I knew from Jamaica once told me that when he was younger they didn't want the roads there to get too crowded, so they made the driving test very difficult. Among other things, they would make you stop on a steep upgrade, wedge a box of matches under the rear tire and then have you start up the hill. If the box got crushed, you failed. Using the hand brake is the only possible way to do that successfully.

 

[oldhippy]

Manual is great, but sitting on a steep hill at a stop sign is scary. Defiantly the time for a third foot. Foot off the break rolling backwards. Oh No.

Hand brake, man, hand brake!

You guy wait till I'm 75 to tell me. Not cool. Lol. Ed

 

[bribrius]

here we go. My thing is traction and flex. if i can shove one wheel up into the wheel well and keep the other planted on the ground i am pretty content, object being the tires stay on the ground. Here is one of my old vehicles, truck is actually significantly on a slant.. But manual or automatic, don't matter too much if the power isn't getting to the ground. Manual transmission might be better for winter driving. I think they are just one thing in the entire system though that makes a difference just like tires, suspension, gearing, traction control and antilock, awd, 4wd systems........ And the main thing, keep the tires on the ground...

 

[ratssass]

...still scratchin' my head regarding "P" mode on an automatic.Mine doesn't seem to do much,and used a full tank of gas,without moving.SMH

 

[limr]

One of the first things my father taught me was how to start on a hill without rolling back even an inch. Our driveway was not long but had a quick steep rise right at the end. I had to drive up to that rise and stop, then start again without rolling back. I learned how to feel where the clutch would catch and then keep it there while tranferring my right foot to the gas and keep the car perfectly still without using the brake.

And before anyone tells me about burning clutches, I understood that I was not to feather the clutch like that unless I had to. And I learned on junkyard cars.

 

[Msteelio91]

For starting from a stop on hills - just hold the e-brake up for a second with your finger on the button as you let off the foot brake... then drop the e-brake the second the car's putting down enough power to move it forward. I used that trick all the time in my mustang. Had a stage III clutch that made hill starts a nightmare!

I currently drive an auto with "select-shift technology". Will not buy another for a long time... Just miss shifting way too much, even in DC traffic with a heavy clutch!

 

[HaveCameraWillTravel]

my home on wheels work truck (aka Freightliner) has a 10 speed. (my previous one had a 13 speed).

but when i am off the last thing i want to do is shift..so my little toy car (nissan versa) has a nice automatic transmission. (two weeks of shifting up and down everyday makes me really enjoy the automatic)