manual or automatic, which do you prefer and why?

I got hurt when I served in the Marines so an auto is really only way to go for me that is. Manual is fun but I can only do it for so long. Also traffic is a bitch with a manual.

 

And not one still retains their Man Card.

 

you can downshift an auto and engine brake.

 

i believe starting from a stop is a very important aspect of driving, considering you probably do it 20 times a day atleast

how can i not control how much power goes to the wheels with an auto...and like i said unless you are doing serious off roading/crawling when is the fact that you can leave the tranny in 1st and rev the shit out of it important for normal driving
also i can down shift in an auto, its how you slow down going down mountains

everyone has shitty shifts/starts now and then, unless you have an auto, in which case its perfect each time



its been repeated 100 times before, but in a fast car, manual no question, it is just faster. but in a truck "fast" is not the main priority

 

This here is simply not true whatsoever.
!/4 mile cars, for instance, use autos or in/out-direct because a human shifting is not fast enough.
Book it.

Buyers of fast, sporty cars often want to drive as opposed to just steer them.

 

Getting a little off topic guys, I dont want to hear a bunch of arguing over which is better, just what you prefer to drive!

 

Motorcycles are the only manual I will drive. I find the layout on a bike a hell of alot easier and fun with a manual.

Vehicles on the otherhand, get a big ole' Hell No from me when it comes to manual transmissions. I hate driving them, and i hate having to spend forever learning a normal clutch.

Now, if vehicles had slipper clutches, I would feel more inclined towards them.

I loved my Aprilia, especially the RSV4 i got to fart around with for a bit. I loved how the engine would advance the timing on itself, essentially adding a spark gap, to adjust rpms for the gear shift. It made it light years faster to shift gears. I didnt even have to toucch the clutch to pop the gear, and the engine would do the rest of the work. Not having to fully disengage the clutch to shift, FTW

 

I can control what gear I am in with my auto .

I still don't get it .

 

Thank you

 

Dood, did you really think that a topic like this lends itself to good behavior and disciplined, M or A answers ?

 

Welcome to TW

 

I guess I'm old and lazy then...

 

Where is option "both"?


My Miata has a 5speed and a torsen differential, as they all should be. My Taco is an auto. Why? I'd rather have a 5speed Taco, but the reality is that my lifestyle includes a bunch of activities that provide me the opportunities to wear a cast on a broken injured limb, several times a year. As such an auto is indispendable to get to work when injured...


*Trail running, off-road/ mntn biking, bouldering, rock climbing, snow skiing...

 

Not really, unless you're vehicle has a torque converter lock up clutch (most do nowdays), and it's locked, it's not going to work as well as in a manual. Torque converter lock up clutches normally are only engaged when cruising on the highway in one of your top gears above at least 40 or 50. I'm sure that's different for many super large trucks though as you can sometimes manually control the lockup clutch and engine brake whenever you want. The viscous coupling of a torque converter allows the engine and trans to rotate at different speeds, whereas in a manual there is a direct mechanical connection.

I'm never said it wasn't important, I was saying that starting from a stop is not where you have more control with a manual. That being said with a properly functioning clutch and suspension, it is very very easy to start these trucks from a stop nearly just as smooth as an automatic when you try to.

Putting words in my mouth. I never said you couldn't do it with an auto, I was saying that it's just BETTER with a manual trans so long as you don't have that drive by wire bullshit.

No actually it's a very rare occurance for people who know how to drive a manual. And when it does happen, it's only ever because at that moment you really just don't give a shit. And older automatics shifting perfect every time? What a joke. Newer ones in great condition do, but not older ones.

That's actually not always true even when comparing traditional manual and automatic transmissions. It all depends on what kind of driving you're talking about, and whether your car is limited by power or traction. For most of the cars on the road today, yes that is true.

Dual clutch automatics are probably faster than traditional manuals in a majority of applications.

 

So when I down shift to 4th or 3rd going down a hill , I'm not engine braking ?

 

You are, just not as efficiently as a manual.
The newer slushboxes are better at this.

 

Explain how it's not as efficient

 

Just curious, does anyone know if the torque converter fully locks when you downshift, and stay locked till about 1k RPM? That is the only way it would be as efficient as a manual at engine braking.

 

You're compressing fluid to hold (lock) the gear as opposed to the direct gear engagement of the manual.
For the same reason manuals are inherently more fuel efficient (I know, the Taco 6 speed). Power has to be expended to compress fluid to shift gears.

Again, the modern autos are much better at engine braking. The gap has narrowed.

 

Actually the auto Tacoma gets better mileage than the 6 speed