I can't drive a manual.

[TheGirlNextDoor]

In snowy weather you down shift to 2 or 1, take overdrive off, if you have it, and that's all there is to it. How is a manual better for snow if it's just a car/truck your driving?

I know that. There's a BIG difference between a stick and an automatic.

In a stick, you can push the clutch in and boom...you're in neutral allowing your vehicle to slow down quicker because the transmission is no longer "in gear". An automatic just doesn't allow for that kind of ease of slowing down. Down shifting an auto as compared to a stick is not comparable.

 

[nota bene]

I learned to drive with a stick (my dad's Fiat), and it's really fairly easy once you get into the groove. My current wheels offer both auto and manual. In town I keep it on automatic, so I don't have much practice with the paddles. It's a little weird shifting from the steering wheel because I don't drive in manual too often.

 

[Jerry]

I know that. There's a BIG difference between a stick and an automatic.

In a stick, you can push the clutch in and boom...you're in neutral allowing your vehicle to slow down quicker because the transmission is no longer "in gear". An automatic just doesn't allow for that kind of ease of slowing down. Down shifting an auto as compared to a stick is not comparable.

I don't need a clutch to put my automatic in neutral. It will shift into neutral without a problem as long as my foot is not on the accelerator.

And what does shifting into neutral have to do with driving in snow anyway? I drive in bad winter conditions every year and have never needed to go into neutral.

 

[TheGirlNextDoor]

I don't need a clutch to put my automatic in neutral. It will shift into neutral without a problem as long as my foot is not on the accelerator.

And what does shifting into neutral have to do with driving in snow anyway? I drive in bad winter conditions every year and have never needed to go into neutral.

Why are you arguing with me, when you don't even know how to drive a stick??

 

[TheGirlNextDoor]

I owned a truck once. I hated it.

My mother loved it. I had to haul a ton of crap for her.

I loved it. If I could get another, I would.

 

[Jerry]

Why are you arguing with me, when you don't even know how to drive a stick??

I asked you a question. That's not arguing.

 

[Gipper]

I loved it. If I could get another, I would.

The one I had was an old Nissan...'87 I think. Old pick-up. Looked identical to those old S-10s. Only kept it because my buddy wanted to trade for my old car even-up, and the truck still got 35 MPG.

But it drove like...a truck. Ugh.

 

[radcen]

Not impossible to find, but they are hard to find in brand new cars. For example, I recently bought a 2013 Ford Focus from a large Ford dealer with A LOT of them in stock (over 100 in stock), the one that I bought was the only manual transmission that they had, and none of the other 4 dealerships that I checked had any. I wanted a Fusion originally, but they're no longer available with a manual transmission at all, so that changed my mind.

Mid-size sedans are becoming the hardest to find in manual. Smaller sizes and higher-end sports cars are still more common.

Besides being much more fun to drive and being a useful skill to have, a manual transmission in a vehicle is the best protection against auto theft available, as most car thieves cannot drive a stick.

I love when I go for an oil change and the kid hops in to pull the car in, then hops back out and either finds someone else or asks me to pull it in because he can't drive a stick.

You really want to screw with their heads? Bring a column shift. That's some good entertainment right there. :lol:

I'm led to understand that newer cars are almost universally automatic transmission. At one point, a stick was the standard and automatic transmission is the accessory. Now it's the other way around.

For awhile it was common for a manual to be listed as the stock option, but you still had a hard time actually finding one.

 

[Menard_K]

Just a bit of a tangent ( forgive me ) however
there was an invention that was mentioned many years ago in the car mags
that had a standard transmission & clutch, but had a computer connected to
the whole thing so that functionally it was an automatic, the computer would
operate the clutch & do the changes completely without human intervention.
but I've not heard anything else about this in years, does anyone have any info?

 

[Jerry]

I know that. There's a BIG difference between a stick and an automatic.

Ok, let's look at that big diference.

In a stick, you can push the clutch in and boom...you're in neutral allowing your vehicle to slow down quicker because the transmission is no longer "in gear".

Ok, but not only can I shift into neutral to help slow down with an automatic, I've never needed to do that for snow. So how is that any kind of difference between an auto and a manual other than pressing a clutch? That's not a 'big difference' imo.

An automatic just doesn't allow for that kind of ease of slowing down.

Maybe not all autos are the same, but I have a '97 ford Thunderbird and it lets me shift into neutral as long as I'm not pressing the accelerator.

Down shifting an auto as compared to a stick is not comparable.

Ok, how so? 1st gear is 1st gear, is it not?

 

[Jerry]

Just a bit of a tangent ( forgive me ) however
there was an invention that was mentioned many years ago in the car mags
that had a standard transmission & clutch, but had a computer connected to
the whole thing so that functionally it was an automatic, the computer would
operate the clutch & do the changes completely without human intervention.
but I've not heard anything else about this in years, does anyone have any info?

I've actually ranted cars where you can switch between standard and auto with the press of a button. I didn't realize it was in manual mode when I started to drive off. I stopped and had a second look, put it in auto and away I went.

 

[radcen]

Just a bit of a tangent ( forgive me ) however
there was an invention that was mentioned many years ago in the car mags
that had a standard transmission & clutch, but had a computer connected to
the whole thing so that functionally it was an automatic, the computer would
operate the clutch & do the changes completely without human intervention.
but I've not heard anything else about this in years, does anyone have any info?

I don't think they became popular at all. I think they're still around, but not common. Personally, I never saw the point. It was for posers who wanted to say they drove a stick but really wanted an automatic.

 

[nota bene]

I wanted both, so that's what I got. And I've never loved a car the way I love this one.

 

[Menard_K]

I've actually ranted cars where you can switch between standard and auto with the press of a button. I didn't realize it was in manual mode when I started to drive off. I stopped and had a second look, put it in auto and away I went.

I have a lot of experience with rental cars and ALL of the new "auto/manual" configurations use some sort of sloppy torque converter or some sort of kludge that involves killing the responsiveness of the machine & wasting power.

 

[Jerry]

I don't think they became popular at all. I think they're still around, but not common. Personally, I never saw the point. It was for posers who wanted to say they drove a stick but really wanted an automatic.

Oh so driving manual is a clic. That actually explains a few attitudes.

 

[TheGirlNextDoor]

Oh so driving manual is a clic. That actually explains a few attitudes.

OF course. :roll:

You started this thread, don't get pissed off because people have their own opinions.

 

[Menard_K]

Oh so driving manual is a clic. That actually explains a few attitudes.

Check out the EPA specifications, the stick always gets better mileage.

 

[Jerry]

OF course. :roll:

You started this thread, don't get pissed off because people have their own opinions.

Don't worry, I won't, but I will continue to ask questions....like what does shifting into neutral have to do with driving in snow? Don't you shift into neutral with a manual when you you're about to stop anyway?

 

[Jerry]

Check out the EPA specifications, the stick always gets better mileage.

I can appreciate that, but the trucks we're using are on right-of-ways, some have PTOs. They put on more hours than miles.

My problem is I've never driven a manual any meaningful distance until I had to drive one back to the yard the other day...and now that truck is ****ed up and I'm being blamed because I know so little about it I can't even describe what I may have don wrong. So, the more I learn, the better.

 

[nota bene]

Check out the EPA specifications, the stick always gets better mileage.

Until I broke my right foot several years and two cars ago, I only drove a manual, and I kept records. Maybe I was just extremely lucky, but the mileage on all my manuals was much better. Blasted EPA.

 

[Jerry]

Until I broke my right foot several years and two cars ago, I only drove a manual, and I kept records. Maybe I was just extremely lucky, but the mileage on all my manuals was much better. Blasted EPA.

Why is millage better on manuals?

 

[SMTA]

Why is millage better on manuals?

You can short shift and keep the revs down.

There is also much less loss of efficiency by a manual trans.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

The newer dual clutch automatic are faster and more efficient then manual transmissions. Found on VW's, Audi's and some Ford and Chrysler products

 

[Jerry]

You can short shift and keep the revs down.

There is also much less loss of efficiency by a manual trans.

Yesterday I was with a guy that revved the engine and shifted to 2nd, then immediately revved the engine and shifted to 3rd, etc, hitting 6th gear about 10 seconds after we started moving. Is that what 'short-shifting' is?

 

[Dirt Racer]

I don't get where people are saying manuals are so hard to find. Granted, they're not as common as they used to be, but they're not impossible to find, either.

You just can't hardly find a 1/2 ton truck with a manual trans anymore. Ford doesn't even offer it as an option anymore. Hardly any new cars are available with a manual! you can find an older car with them no prob, just won't find many new ones anymore.