It's probably been said, but the automatic has completely eclipsed the manual transmission in passenger vehicles for everything but the experience of shifting the gears. They are more efficient, they shift faster and smarter, and permit faster acceleration.

So it's like the lost art of spraying ether in a carb, setting choke, crank starting, etc.

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Originally posted by DaBigBR:
So it's like the lost art of spraying ether in a carb, setting choke, crank starting, etc.

Don't forget changing/adjusting points. That's a tech we really need to revive.

I learned to drive before I could reach the pedals. Dad would get me going, jump out & I'd have to circle the field while he got into whatever we were moving & took off. If I got too close on downhills, I killed it on the flat & got yelled at. learned real quick. Also learned to go ahead of him & if he had a problem, he was SOL. Serves the old bastard right for yelling at free labor
mid 70s F100 4speed was fine. by 6 or 7 I could take off & then shift without the clutch. If I had to stop, I couldn't see over the dash with clutch pushed in. T's with short visibility were interesting.
3 on the tree was always a pain because the linkage was so sloppy I couldn't shift w/o clutch. Even once I was tall enough to use the clutch I still hated that truck & refused to drive it.
By 8, Grandpa had an automatic & I could cruise in style.

By the time I got my driver's license, I had experience driving just about any range of vehicles. POS semi with a fully loaded grain trailer was no problem. I've driven an automatic for 22 of 24 years I've had my license. I can still handle a manual, but it takes a trip through the gears to get the feel. Maybe a curse & crank.

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Given my age it should be no surprise that I've had experience with other manuals like 3 on the tree.

I learned 'the how' with one. Ford Granada belonging to a friend. Then bought a used Fiat 128 with a lot less ponies but a proper 4-speed on the floor and refined the skill with that. Both very much boxes with wheels, but they did the trick. Not that I immediately moved on from boxes, since my next one was a Datsun 510.

While our household has more slushboxes these days, a good manual is still the fun and engaging way to drive, even if it means a bunch more work in stop-n-go.

I miss the ease of push starting the car in second gear. Never worried about a dead battery, could always get someone to give you a push. It took some skill to know when to pop the clutch. I generally would park on a hill if I was worried about a low battery.

quote:

Originally posted by DaBigBR:
It's probably been said, but the automatic has completely eclipsed the manual transmission in passenger vehicles for everything but the experience of shifting the gears. They are more efficient, they shift faster and smarter, and permit faster acceleration.

So it's like the lost art of spraying ether in a carb, setting choke, crank starting, etc.

Well depends on the automatic I suppose. With the automatic in my Honda Ridgeline I can't select and hold 1st gear for say crawling up a rutted dirt road, or holding back going down a very steep grade, or in snow...... only "L" which is both 1st and 2nd. Most CVT's I've driven simply don't have the wide ratio spread so low is a bit tall with the highest ratio having the engine spinning at more rpm than desirable. Also while they've gotten a lot better no automatic can understand or "see" what you want it to do. It doesn't see the sharp turn ahead so it doesn't know to downshift to slow while keeping rpm up. It doesn't see that the down grade will soon level off and short shift up to high gear, etc.

The best of everything (other than cost and maintenance) is a dual clutch transmission which is basically a manual that can be paddle shifted or can shift automatically through its program which allows you to override it when you choose.

6speed for life

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The best of everything (other than cost and maintenance) is a dual clutch transmission which is basically a manual that can be paddle shifted or can shift automatically through its program which allows you to override it when you choose.

Some are better than others. Ford's PowerShift, used in their compact cars from 2012-16, was a turd.

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With the automatic in my Honda Ridgeline I can't select and hold 1st gear for say crawling up a rutted dirt road, or holding back going down a very steep grade, or in snow...... only "L" which is both 1st and 2nd.

Well if you wanted it to drive like a pickup truck you should have gotten a real pickup truck

Just kidding with you, thing is those vehicles are more street transport utility vehicles than pickup hence the cvt drive train.

Not that they can't do double duty but they do provide more of a passenger SUV/Car type drive train, and that makes sense in that most pickups today are used as grocery getters than the truck use they were designed for anyway...

Drove a stick since 16 yo. Same with my wife, and same with my son who is 23 yo. and currently drives a 5 speed Honda Si. He says he is the only person out of his college and work friends that knows how to drive a stick.

My wife and I currently don't have a manual tranny, but we are going to purchase a new Miata MX5 RF Club this year, and it will be a manual.

quote:

Originally posted by DaBigBR:
It's probably been said, but the automatic has completely eclipsed the manual transmission in passenger vehicles for everything but the experience of shifting the gears. They are more efficient, they shift faster and smarter, and permit faster acceleration.

So it's like the lost art of spraying ether in a carb, setting choke, crank starting, etc.

The experience and the connection to the car is why I bought one. But the other thing that automatic transmissions will never be able to do is predict what gear im going to need to be in. When im approaching a corner and I downshift or I want to pass a car on the highway. Its true that the automatic transmission can shift the gears faster once I press the accelerator down, but with the manual I can anticipate what is going to happen and shift depending on the situation.

I currently own and drive a 2000 Honda Accord with 5-speed manual gearbox. Despite the 197,000+ miles on it, I doubt I will ever sell it for several reasons; the first of which is I inherited it from my brother when he died 4 years ago. I also love driving a manual transmission, and have been doing so since I learned on my brother's Ford Cortina back in 1975 or so. I also used to drive my father's 55 Ford pickup with 3 on the tree and enjoyed that also.

For most of my adult life, ALL of my cars have been manual transmission, and I only bought automatics reluctantly!

quote:

Originally posted by DaBigBR:
It's probably been said, but the automatic has completely eclipsed the manual transmission in passenger vehicles for everything but the experience of shifting the gears. They are more efficient, they shift faster and smarter, and permit faster acceleration.

So it's like the lost art of spraying ether in a carb, setting choke, crank starting, etc.

No it isn’t. And you forgot one thing, cost. The manual is much less expensive to produce, to work on, to maintain, and/or replace. And incorrect, manuals can be more efficient than an automatic if you short shift and know how to use it.

No automatic can replace the engagement and control you have over a 6MT. As far as any analogies I’d say you can buy a machine or masturbate the old fashioned way. I prefer the hand.

The manual is going away for one main reason, the smartphone. Too difficult for plebes to shift manually as it is, but nigh on impossible for them if they have to shift. This is also why ADAS is becoming standard on every vehicle made. Enjoy Hal9000 way of life.

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As far as any analogies I’d say you can buy a machine or masturbate the old fashioned way

the hell you say, where can you get one of these machines, not for me, just asking for a friend....

Learned at work on a 3-on-the-tree shifter. I just seem to feel better with a manual gearbox. I also second the notion of saving the brakes. I've driven down Mt. Washington in NH a few times (never driven up, only down), wouldn't care to do it with an automatic.

I was more than happy to get rid of the company Datsun PU with typical floor shift. My arthritic left hip was complaining a lot.

Back in he day, my cousin Phil, RIP, had his shop and could build real strong C4, C6, 350 and other transmissions. Real strong. Phil built some for my Mustangs and 79 Bronco. Trouble with the Bronco was it is too big to be a Jeep CJ, and too small to be a real truck. Now I got a Tacoma. Bronco was a gas hog too....

These threads always turn out the same way. Everyone waxing eloquently about the manual but haven't bought one in 20 years.

I have the following:
1996 Nissan 300ZXTT 5-speed
2006 Volvo V70R AWD 6-Speed
2003 Dodge Durango R/T my only automatic

God Bless !!!

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Originally posted by bald1:
And the S2000's 6 speed manual is one slick short throwing beauty to boot! Love it!

F E E L __ I T !


Bought my '03 S2000 AP1 new and still own and enjoy it 19 years later!

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Originally posted by 1s1k:
These threads always turn out the same way. Everyone waxing eloquently about the manual but haven't bought one in 20 years.

I bought one in 2005 and 2014.

I have a manual BMW E46 touring (wagon). I also have an M5 competition with a DCT. I like the manual the same way I like my British Enfields or 1903, really fun to shoot, but not what I'd take to a gun fight.