why exactly is manual transmission so much better

Who rests their hand on the shifter while driving a MT? Keep it on her thigh, take a second to shift when you need to, then return to said thigh. Win

 

This is an automatic

 

NO! Saturday threads are better. Because reasons! Lets argue about it

 

Manuals are trickier offroad but more rewarding of an experience IMO. I do envy guys with autos that can just feather their gas pedals lightly while trying to grab traction on rocks...doing that with a manual is burnt clutch city unless you have a crawl box.

 

Lol yeah if you don’t wanna burn your clutch, you gotta commit to the line and go gnar. This is also how legends are made.

 

...and how good trail repair stories are told around campfires on future trips lol

 

There is something about winding 4th up to about 75 mph in the merge lane and just skipping 5th and going straight to 6th. Very smile worthy.

 

https://youtu.be/BE_NMaIL5IQ

 

One is like hitting the easy button, the other is cool. You decide.

 

agree for sure. back in the 80's i had a 4x2 Bronco II with an open diff. got stuck in the sand on the beach. no 4x4, no nothing. so i used my MT to rock it back & forth with R & 1 until she broke free and moved forward. impossible in a AT and had nothing else to work with. strangely, the MT saved me without a locker, board, or anything. one reason for my value of the MT's.

 

It just is.

 

You guys just wait until the automated manual transmission shows up. Lmao. We’ve got new gold dog Mack trucks at work with the mdrive 12 speed. It’s literally a manual transmission, that the clutch and gears are all automated. It’s weird as hell to drive, you press the accelerator pedal to the floor and hold it there just like an automatic. The truck feathers the throttle back and swaps a gear, sitting in the passenger seat with your eyes closed, you would swear the driver is jamming that damn gearbox! It’s pretty cool, but it has its disadvantages too. Based on engine load and speeds it may or may not hit every gear. It will skip a few ratios unloaded for faster takeoffs. As far as transmissions go, I’m way on the automatic side. Heavy duty Allison or light duty whatever, c4 with a small block ford at the drag strip, you can’t manually swap that gearbox as fast as a planetary gear set can swap ratios. It’s all preference, and something for us to argue about from time to time. Haha, both automatics and manuals have a place where the other doesn’t compare.

 

I drove a Lambo with a system like that, called "Robotized Sequential Manual". Its a manual, shifted with actuators, combined with an auto clutch and throttle control. You can also drive it in manual mode with paddle shifters on the wheel. The clutch is still auto. Stupid fast car, didn't get to do that much shifting.

Back in the '80s when the Toyota Hilux 4x4s came out they were all manuals, with 2.2L 4s. We lifted and did all the mods done now, including 33" and some even 36" tires. Never a big problem doing some pretty rough rocky trail in north NY state and New England. Now we are so used to modern motors and complain about shifting and power on the 3rd gens. I can imagine driving my old '81 with the 33" tires, tube numbers, winch, and armor bolted all over it, it would make my '18 feel like the Lambo!

 

Plus, once you learn to drive a manual.... you can drive almost anything.

 

Towing:
Better axle ratio and 6th gear ratio
Complete control of shift points
Ability to skip gears entirely
No risk of overheating the transmission
More power to the ground (drivetrain loss)

Offroad:
Better crawl ratio (1st gear, Low range)
Better gear ratios for 33" tires
No transmission oil pan to damage
Ability to start in gear (clutch start cancel)
Ability to push start
Fun factor - Why most buy it!

 

I work on and rebuild zf astronics. I like them, they are necessary with today’s drivers, but it’s basically an automatic.

 

I had an '81, 20R, 36's with stock 4.10s, crossover steering, custom roll bar, sliders and bumpers. I put a Weber 32/36 carb and a header on it. All tuned up it might have made 120hp. Back then it kept up with traffic fine, today not a chance considering the average family sedan has 300hp and shifts to 2nd gear in a car length.

 

You forgot
clutch replacement $
Auto trans rebuild $$$$$