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That means absolutely nothing to me, going fast in a straight line (or around an oval) is just as boring to me as driving a slush box.
Somebody should have told the "Duke Boys" from the "Dukes of Hazzard." They had a ball racing other good 'ol boys on curvy dirt roads in their '69 Charger with an automatic transmission.
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I like cars that corner! (Hence, I have no love for the land yachts that you prefer.)
You forget that I also like '60s/early '70s muscle cars.
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When I am canyon cutting I want the control of selecting my own gears, matching revs, heel and toeing... i.e. I love to be involved.
To each his/her own, but shifting adds to the enjoyment for me.
As you said, to each his/her own. I like both types of transmissions (which is why one of my top 10 favorite cars is a '69 Plymouth Road Runner 440-6 bbl or '69 Dodge Super Bee 440-6 Pack with a 4-speed manual).
One of my friends in high school owned a '67 Mustang with a built 351 engine. It had an automatic transmission which was modified so much that the shifts were very hard. He always shifted it manually. With him, it wasn't just a matter of putting the car in drive and pushing the go pedal.
I had the same thing in a V8 S-10. Then I learned those neck snapping tire barking shifts were really not so good on the tranny. Thanks to a B&M shift kit with the "damage your transmission" street/strip version.
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Originally Posted by Fleet
As was mentioned, with an automatic, you have a choice of letting it shift automatically or it can be manually shifted. I know it's not the same as a manual transmission but the fact remains if can be shifted manually. I should know... I did it all through the 1980s with my '66 Dart GT V-8!
Yes you can manually shift an auto, I've done it many times, but it's not the same as a manual plus I believe you have to "set up" an auto for manual shifting or otherwise it will go into the next gear even if you've not shifted it there.....was told that by a tranny guru.
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Originally Posted by Fleet
Automatics have torque converters which aids in acceleration.
Yes and that auto tranny STILL eats hp. Think about it...a manual takes power DIRECTLY off the crank and routes it into a gear box.....the torque converter is nothing but a fluid coupler....that does NOT send all of the power to the tranny....
And here's another one....with a manual you can run as big of a cam as you want and not worry about having to pick the right stall converter size for the cam....not usually a big issue but nice to know if one weekend I decided I want to swap out the stock cam for a bigger cam and I have a manual trans. On an auto you'd be pulling the trans for a converter swap.
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Originally Posted by Fleet
Ford had an automatic transmission in the '60s in which you could start in 2nd gear. My friend's '66 Fairlane 390 had it.
What kind of trans was this that gave you the option of starting off in 2nd?
Somebody should have told the "Duke Boys" from the "Dukes of Hazzard." They had a ball racing other good 'ol boys on curvy dirt roads in their '69 Charger with an automatic transmission.
Oh my... that is hilarious! I would take them on with my canyon cutter any day. You do realize that show was about as real as Faux News, don't you?
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Originally Posted by Fleet
forget that I also like '60s/early '70s muscle cars.
Was only referring to the other cars you like. And that is fine, everyone has a right to like what they want. Try and remember that.
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Originally Posted by Fleet
you said, to each his/her own. I like both types of transmissions (which is why one of my top 10 favorite cars is a '69 Plymouth Road Runner 440-6 bbl or '69 Dodge Super Bee 440-6 Pack with a 4-speed manual).
OK then. So, why argue so much with us that prefer the manuals?
Oh my... that is hilarious! I would take them on with my canyon cutter any day. You do realize that show was about as real as Faux News, don't you?
I'm not comparing it to your toy-like car. I am saying that they did drive a car with an automatic transmission and had lots of fun doing it. Maybe you should tell them that they weren't really having much fun because their car didn't have a manual transmission?
As for your last sentence, try to stay on the subject. Besides, I have never heard of the news station you mentioned.
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Was only referring to the other cars you like. And that is fine, everyone has a right to like what they want. Try and remember that.
But I like more than one type of car.
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OK then. So, why argue so much with us that prefer the manuals?
I am questioning those who claim that cars with automatics are "no fun to drive." And those who make the ridiculous claim that "real men" drive cars with manuals.
I'm not comparing it to your toy-like car. I am saying that they did drive a car with an automatic transmission and had lots of fun doing it. Maybe you should tell them that they weren't really having much fun because their car didn't have a manual transmission?
As for your last sentence, try to stay on the subject. Besides, I have never heard of the news station you mentioned.
Whatever, but if you think that a '69 Charger handles well, well...
that explains a lot of things.
I never said that autos could not be fun, just that it is not my kind of fun.
I had the same thing in a V8 S-10. Then I learned those neck snapping tire barking shifts were really not so good on the tranny. Thanks to a B&M shift kit with the "damage your transmission" street/strip version.
Don't know where you got that from. When properly installed, a shift kit extends the life of the transmission. Firmer shifts mean less slipping. Less slipping means less heat. You are aware that overheating is the major cause of transmission failure? I put a shift kit in my former car ('66 Dart GT V-8)... it did not "damage" the transmission, and I put a lot of miles on it. Same thing with my brother's '66 Plymouth Fury III. He put in a shift kit shortly after owning it and it lasted many years and miles.
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Yes you can manually shift an auto, I've done it many times, but it's not the same as a manual plus I believe you have to "set up" an auto for manual shifting or otherwise it will go into the next gear even if you've not shifted it there.....was told that by a tranny guru.
Your "tranny guru" should go back to school! The transmission in my '66 Dart would stay in 1st gear until I shifted into 2nd. I took that car up to 45 mph in 1st gear. And that was before it had a shift kit.
One of my friends owned a '66 Fairlane with a 3-speed automatic. (No shift kit.) He was out driving spinning the tires during a rainstorm. He manually shifted to 1st gear and the tires spun briefly to an indicated 80 mph on the speedometer. Still in first gear. Fortunately, there was no engine or transmission damage.
With my two Cadillacs ('69 and '76) if I manually shift into 1st gear and leave it there, it will stay in 1st gear until it is manually shifted into 2nd.
Also, sometimes magazine road tests in the '60s would say when testing a muscle with an automatic something like this: "We took the engine as high as 5800 rpm in 1st gear, but found the best times were obtained when shifting at 5500 rpm."
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