Manual transmission Fan Club and BS thread (All Generations Welcome)

The way I always look at it is this. Nobody sitting in the back seat is making the payments. So it doesn't matter how comfortable they are. Children/elderly parents may be your exception. Other than that, if they complain in my truck I will gladly pull over at the next dealer so they can buy me a more comfortable vehicle to ride in.[/QUOTE]

 

I like your attitude. I've had friends complain that my truck only has one seat, they thought I should buy a truck with a back seat or *gasp* an suv, I didn't agree.

 

Picked up mine tonight, smooth as butter baby.

 

It's about a 2 truck length difference to 40 then the auto stops losing ground and slowly gains

 

Thanks everyone.... Now you got me hooked on speed. Love this truck more and more every day

 

I noticed this today. If your on a uphill stopped. You have 3 second lead before you start to roll back. Freaking awesome.

 

What gears do you use in city driving up to 50 mph.

 

All of them. Revving too low, downshift. Revving too high, upshift. Every situation is different, don't think about it as the right gear for a specific place, think about it as the right gear for a specific moment.

 

I love a manual, and would have gotten one if I was single.
But my most significant other (and BOSS) can't drive one and refuses to learn. And she might have to one day.
I had a four on the floor on a toy pickup a long time ago, and it was a problem in that regard at least once.
I also sprained my left ankle and had to learn how to shift without clutching. I ended up not using the clutch afterwards and damaged the rear pinion bearing (probably from when I was learning) and drove it like that for years.

What I like about a manual:
(1) You have complete control of the shifting (2) automatic brake assist (3) If your battery craps out in the middle of nowhere, your just one push away from civilization (4) if your starter craps out on you, your one push away again (5) the tranny last forever with proper maintenance or lack of abuse (6) It's very easy and cheap to repair if you do manage to abuse it enuff to kill it (7) it may arguably save gas if used properly (8) most car thieves can't drive a shift or don't want the extra effort to drive one. It's why they're thief's.

On the negative: (1) The clutch will need replacing at some point, but its very easy to do, I've done them on driveways in a just few hours (2) If you have a 4X4 you're looking at some well chosen cuz words to replace clutch.
And automatic is:
(1) Very easy to drive for anyone (2) normally lasts a very long time (3) only one foot is required to to drive vehicle

 

You guys are making my naughty bits tingle.

 

It's better than making it go limp.... from the AT.

 

What about the fact in going with the manual transmission you forgo terrain select and crawl control? I know the manuals get A-trac instead. Is it worth giving up to go with the manual? Will A-trac do just as good?

 

What about the fact that I don't want to get this thread locked?

 

Your ability to directly control speed, and feather the clutch is just as capable as crawl control. There is nothing crawl control can do that good foot control can't.

 

Proud new owner of an '04 TRD 5 speed manual.

I get that these days, autos can be "better" in many ways than they used to be. I'm fine with that, no argument here.

But no one, no one, can tell me that an auto is more fun to drive. I like being in control of my truck, and I don't get that feeling with an auto (even if it has paddle shifters or a faux "stick shift" feature).

Funny/stupid story: Years ago I was driving my mom's BMW with the clutch-less "manual" shifting feature, and I decided to use it only to accidentally slam on the brake pedal in the middle of an intersection thinking I had a clutch to press down. Never again.

 

Just like @DrVonEvilSatan said, there is nothing you lose giving up crawl control/hill climb mode. You need those "modes" in an automatic because the computer controls everything.

All the computer is doing is "simulating" a RL human with a stick shift, clutch and brake pedal. In most cases, the computer won't be as good as an experienced human, but if it is, a human can practice and get better; a burned-in program, no so much.

 

Let's keep this civil and not get this good thread locked.

 

In my experience the computer isn't as good as an experienced human. I was driving up a long hill with ice on the road recently and making small skid corrections with the steering wheel (moving the wheel less than 1/4"). The stability control never activated. I'm somewhat amazed that small corrections work so effectively. The most I ever turn the wheel to correct a skin is about 1/2" and wait, avoids the more violent skid in the other direction if one over corrects.

 

Not actually true. Crawl control is able to actuate individually at each wheel using the braking system, something we puny humans are incapable of.

Also, good systems like the land rover 4wd system are actually quite good at learning terrain and understanding what to lock and when. They can also monitor metrics that are incredibly difficult for a driver to be sensitive to.

 

My Jeep is a MT. My Harley is a MT. My girlfriend's Mazda Miata is a MT. The 2016 SR she ordered to replace the Mazda is a MT. What can we say? We just like manuals.