Manual Transmission vs. Automatic Transmission

[NT!]

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Gorie-

Your crazy if you think a manual is easier to drive in the snow. It requires constant shifting and is a pain.

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There are several situations in snow driving where I find having a manual transmission to be beneficial. One is that you can downshift to help you slow down rather than brake. Another is that, if you go into a skid, you can throw into neutral or throw back into gear more easily. Sometimes going into neutral + steering into the skid is the best move.

In general I think the manual vs. automatic argument is relatively unimportant, but I think it's a good skill to have in emergencies. I wouldn't want to need to drive a car and not be able to. And I do agree that it encourages you to focus while driving, although it's not a factor during the times where people zone out the most (highway driving).

It's definitely more fun.

NT

[emon87]

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Manuals are slower than automatics.

It's just a macho thing to drive a manual.

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You couldnt be more wrong.

[d10]

Manual transmissions are nice to have when racing a road type course, autocross track, or something along those lines. They allow you to keep your engine in it's power band even when you're braking or applying steady power through a turn or whatever. They're also less complicated and easier to work on. For every day driving, they offer no advantages. Also, your friend's manual transmission isn't jerky, he just sucks at driving.

[AncientPC]

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Manuals are slower than automatics.

It's just a macho thing to drive a manual.

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You couldnt be more wrong.

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For the average sports car manual > auto for speed. Funny cars or circuit level paddleboxes / auto trannies are a different story.

I drove an auto for 4 years then got a manual car (since it was a pretty good deal). I drive it everyday and would never give it up for an auto. It makes driving fun!

Seriously, if you're going to gripe about stop-n-go traffic then get an auto. I have no qualms about dealing with it in a manual.

Manual is not for everybody. If you don't like it, don't get it.

[Arrion]

You can downshift an automatic or throw it into neutral easily enough. People just don't do it very often. All military vehicles use automatics these days because the accident rate is lower with inexperienced drivers, and they have far more need for control on slippery surfaces than just about anyone else. Those vehicles also make it much more obvious that you can downshift, since the gears are labelled 1-6, 1-5, etc.

There isn't nearly as much advantage to a manual as there used to be, but they do still have the edge in performance. But for everyday use there's no good reason not to use an automatic.

[AncientPC]

Actually when driving on ice you want to shift into the highest gear possible to minimise acceleration. Unfortunately this is simply not possible in most automatics since gears don't auto-shift unless they hit a certain rpm or speed.

I've also successfully choked an auto tranny as well (shifted from reverse to drive and gassed too quickly).

[obsidian]

I have an automatic car (Mazda3) but it has a "manual" mode where I can control what gear it is in. Maybe this is a good compromise?

[AncientPC]

It's a compromise but not a good one for the hardcore stick drivers.

The biggest problems with auto trannies and sport shift style trannies is the jerkiness of the gear shift and the delay. It's really just a cheap imitation of a stick shift.

[diddle]

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Manuals are slower than automatics.

It's just a macho thing to drive a manual.

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You couldnt be more wrong.

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Wow you really showed me!

[AncientPC]

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Manuals are slower than automatics.

It's just a macho thing to drive a manual.

[/ QUOTE ]

You couldnt be more wrong.

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Wow you really showed me!

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Post any 60' or 1/4 mi times on a <$100k car that has a faster time with automatic transmission rather than manual.