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I'm one of the weirdos who actually prefers a manual in traffic. In an automatic in stop n go traffic it's always my right leg that bothers me from having to ride the brake so much. Much easier to crawl in a manual by partially letting the clutch out for a little momentum and then going over to neutral. You're then crawling below the idle speed of an automatic and keeping pace without riding the brake or having to stop as often.
I'm giving up the fight. I'm in the market for a new coupe and I'll just get an auto. Even if I could find an available manual (which is hard these days), I don't want to deal with clutch pedal now that I'm an old man, especially since I'm sitting in traffic for the majority of the time (I'm in metro nyc area).
Dual clutch transmissions make the clutch pedal redundant and is the best of both worlds.
I had one in my GTI. Sold it to get back in a manual. They are indeed faster but it is just not the same. At low speeds(like in traffic) they tend to get pretty jerky too. Plus every 40k it required a $400 service.
I had one in my GTI. Sold it to get back in a manual. They are indeed faster but it is just not the same. At low speeds(like in traffic) they tend to get pretty jerky too. Plus every 40k it required a $400 service.
Agree. They just don't offer the same engagement that a manual does.
Wow, nobody at all lives outside of major metro areas? And people who work nonday shifts or are retired don't have to deal frequently with rush hour.
You're making my point for me. For a daily driver that has to deal with rush hour it's a pain. For those fortunate to not have to deal with it good for you.
I love stick shift but then again a hydraulic clutch is not bad at all to drive in heavy traffic now a cable clutch is a leg workout esp in a V-8 performance/Muscle car from 60's-mid-80's
I cannot understand why a manual transmission is so hard for people today. It was standard on vehicles when I began to drive.
People realize the convenience and efficiency of an automatic transmission. Most drivers could handle a manual transmission if they had to (most '40s and earlier cars had manual transmissions) but it is certainly not a necessity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pikabike
Much more fun, and allows better control on mountain roads.
I have driven my cars with automatic in the local mountains quite a few times. When I came to incline or declines, I would shift down into a lower gear. On a tight curve (especially going downhill) I would also shift manually into a lower gear. I never felt I was not in complete control of the car because I was.
As for fun, for me that would depend more on the car than how it changes gears. For example, I would have much more fun driving a '70 SS 454 Chevelle with Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission than I would driving a '71 Vega or a '70 350 Camaro with a 4-speed manual.
I'm giving up the fight. I'm in the market for a new coupe and I'll just get an auto. Even if I could find an available manual (which is hard these days), I don't want to deal with clutch pedal now that I'm an old man, especially since I'm sitting in traffic for the majority of the time (I'm in metro nyc area).
Went out looking to buy a commuter/econobox last week and wanted a manual transmission. Found one on a dealer lot and asked the salesman if we could take a test drive. He said sure but I would have to drive out it out back to put plates on it because he couldn't drive a stick.
I thought this was odd but I guess, being honest, there really is no practical point to manual transmissions any longer. The truth is automatics are pretty good, actually really good these days.
I forced my young one to learn to drive a standard against his will as I considered it a necessary skill. But it probably equates to when my great-grandfather forced my grandfather to learn how to bridle a horse.
Everyone have a nice evening.
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