Driving a manual transmission

[Lo-Fi]

Kinda sums up my feelings about autos

Joking aside, the modern ones are pretty good and rather nice when stuck in traffic. Until recently, the overwhelming majority of cars over here were manual transmission, though more and more autos are creeping in.

 

[stupoty]

I love pounding the gears but my knees don't like the clutch anymore. Learned to drive on farm equipment.

If i have been driving anyones porche i have to be careful i dont put my foot through the floor of my bmw, totaly different setup for stiffness of clutch

Porche ones "kaplow" it back up as soon as your not doing one leg squat exercise with it.

Stu

 

[projectnut]

There was a time when all our vehicles had manual transmissions. In those days the manual transmissions were stronger than the automatics and the trucks with manuals could pull substantially more than those with automatics. Over the years that has changed. Since around 1980 the automatics have more pulling power than the manuals. Now all our vehicles have automatics. The oldest is a 4-speed auto and the newest is a 10 speed.

As for which style I drive it really doesn't make much difference. I feel comfortable with either, but it's a lot harder to hold your beer in rush hour traffic when driving a stick shift. I see most manufacturers have compensated for that by adding at least half a dozen "cup" holders. I do have to admit they come in handy. There was a time when it was hard to get the clutch all the way to the floor because of the bottles and cans rolling around on the floor. Now they can all sit upright in their special places.

 

[woodchucker]

This is one of my manual transmission vehicles.
A Dodge 4 speed with Hi & Low range 4 WD.
I bought it when the U.S. Forest Service put it out to pasture about 25 yrs ago.
i don’t drive it much, but can’t bear to part with it.
besides, not too many people would know how to shift it.
Notice it has chains on the front wheels.
A long & muddy story…..

that makes sense. the weight is in the front... Nothing in the back..

 

[addertooth]

I strongly prefer Manual. Like an earlier poster, I had to drive a Lotus in San Francisco. It was less than a fully pleasant experience. But then, the worst part of driving in San Francisco is finding a legal (and safe) parking space.

But on track days, that manual transmission really earns it's keep.

 

[7milesup]

Macks had the easiest shifting 18 speed boxes.

I have found the Peterbuilts to shift easier, but I got quite good on my brother's Macks. I should point out that I have very few hours in a Peterbuilt or Kenworth, but tons of time sitting in a Mack while hauling grain.
I have a lot of time in the one pictured. It was my brother's. It has number 43 on it, in salute to Richard Petty.
My brother is gone but the truck is still there and the farm is bigger than ever with his son taking it over.

 

[Firebrick43]

There was a time when all our vehicles had manual transmissions. In those days the manual transmissions were stronger than the automatics and the trucks with manuals could pull substantially more than those with automatics. Over the years that has changed. Since around 1980 the automatics have more pulling power than the manuals. Now all our vehicles have automatics. The oldest is a 4-speed auto and the newest is a 10 speed.

Um, no. While almost all manuals in the 70s and prior were way overbuilt with granny low and such, and in the 80's there sprang onto the market a cornucopia of lighter weight manuals, there still were heavy duty manuals that were much more durable than the autos. SM465 and NP435. By the late 80's the old stalwart autos such as the turbo 350, 727 torquefilte, and C6 had been replaced with 4 speed autos that were a step down in durability. And about that time came the king of manual pickup/jeep transmissions. The NV3500, NV3550 were awesome and durable 1/2 ton trannys. The NV4500 was an excellent 3/4 ton and 1 ton, and the king transmission an any pickup truck, the NV5600. It put even the allison and aisins to shame.

Now after 2007 you couldn't get a manual in a GM, and 2010ish in a ford full size truck. GM just didn't want two different versions going down the line. Ford did it not because of transmission durability, but warranty claims on rear ends and drive shafts from idiots that dumped the clutches. An auto somewhat protects fools from themselves in that regard.
NV5600 behind the cummins for much longer. You still may be able to get one in a chassis cab model?

 

[wachuko]

The wall street journal recently had a commentary that only 18% of Americans can drive a stick. And only about 1% of new cars are manual.
I'm not surprised, but I lean toward manual transmission myself. But only 1 of 3 of our vehicles is a manual. A manual transmission wasn't available from the limited number of diesel pickups when I bought the duallie (2005), and it doesn't really work with the hybrid engine in the Ford Fusion (2013). Our daily drive is a Toyota Tacoma (2004), which is a 5 speed manual.

I'd guess the demographics here lean a bit more toward manual. Feel free to comment ...

I learned to drive a manual transmission at about age 12. My father parked a jeep in the corn field across from the house, gave about 3 sentences of instructions, and said bring it back to the house when I got it figured out. Oh, and don't drive in the low spot over there, you'll get stuck. Then he walked away. @RJSakowski has probably seen that field ...

My daughter’s first car had a manual transmission… That was her choice. She wanted to learn in one saying that if she did, she could then drive anything…

You can’t imagine how proud that made me feel…

 

[davek181]

I have had many manuals and still do have a couple, though the daily drivers are autos, kinda. My 11 jetta diesel is what they call a DSG transmission which is really an electrically controlled manual transmission. There is no torque converter and all the gears (yes it has gears) are electronically clutched. Most of the sporty german imports have their own similar version, and proven in racing they are the preferred choice.
They are truly the best of both worlds and usually get better fuel mileage than the standard cars to boot.

The demise of the manual transmissions was not so much about preference of buyers but rather emission control. Todays engines are held to such a tight standard that allowing us stupid carbon based beings to shift at will upsets the delicate balance. Often a standard transmission car, if you can find one, is detuned and smogged tighter to allow for the variances of random shifting.

It is now a strange and wonderful world of automobiles today in that they are as much a rolling computer as a machine. Part of that is necessity in control, but the other part is the new emerging buyers that value a larger touch screen over an antiquated drivetrain. I myself prefer knobs and levers to do my wishes rather than a push button that sends a request to a master controller that in turn send a signal, if it deems it proper, to a relay, or another controller to do the work. Do you realize how many players there are in the very popular "Push button start" option on cars? I prefer to fumble a key into a mechanical switch everytime over that.

Get used to it, it wont end here.

 

[7milesup]

I should add that I grew up on a farm and we did not have an automatic anything. My dad bought an IH 656 utility tractor new (the only time I ever remember him buying a new tractor) in 1973-ish. It had a hydrostatic transmission, which seemed to rob a lot of power before it got to the wheels.
My first car was a Plymouth TC3 (I know, I real hot rod ) that had a manual. Totaled that car in 1985 (a horrendous ordeal that nearly cost my girlfriend her life and changed my life forever) and bought a Chrysler Cordoba to replace it. I have not had a manual transmission since, and don't miss them. In a sports car it would be fine (I have had a recent hankering for a Corvette) but for the rest of my vehicles, no thanks. Even my Kubota has an HST, which is great.
As far as technology, yes, please. Sure, the old cars are very easy to work on, but I have had little to no issues with the modern accouterments. My wife's Santa Fe is a 2013 with 140k on the clock and her push-button start has been flawless. The same goes for my Ram pickups that I have had. Blindspot detection, cross-traffic alert, and all the other goodies do not take away from my driving experience, but rather enhances it and adds a level of safety.