Do you/can you drive a manual?

[xARACHN1D]

I am truly sad. I am 16 and hopefully getting a car soon. The one I am looking at is a older supra with a manual transmission. I already know how to drive a manual and It is pretty fun. I am just saddened that people aren't taking the time nowadays to learn to drive manual. It doesn't take that long at all.

[aless83]

2 minutes ago, The1Dickens said:

My last car was a CVT (1997 Honda Civic HX), and it was just so depressing to drive. I guess if you've got a newer one, they are more 'lively'? And yea, that bit about manuals is funny, because Porsche's PDK shifts faster than any human-operated manual transmission ever could, and does so consistently. Not to mention all the high-end "flappy paddles" used all the way up to F1.

You confuse effective with fun. Manual is more fun and involving. PDK are just buttons in the end...

[Velcade]

4 minutes ago, The1Dickens said:

My last car was a CVT (1997 Honda Civic HX)

A CVT back in 1997?

[xARACHN1D]

12 hours ago, Yoinkerman said:

I mean, have you looked at manuals that are sold in North America?

 

Most are the shitty entry level car with no A/C and hand pump friggen windows.  No wonder people don't buy them.  And that's on purpose.

 

Or they're a sports car which people already buy so few of.

 

That being said I drive a forester STi with the 6speed STi manual transmission

Bruh. A lot of older cars with a manual transmission might be ugly to you, but that could be because you have no taste. Now I understand you said most of them, But I disagree. A lot of older transmission cars are beautiful. We all have different opinions. Personally I would rather own a 1995 Nissan GTR than a brand new Nissan GTR 2019. A lot of people think It is an ugly car, but I love those things.

[aless83]

1 minute ago, xARACHN1D said:

Bruh. A lot of older cars with a manual transmission might be ugly to you, but that could be because you have no taste. Now I understand you said most of them, But I disagree. A lot of older transmission cars are beautiful. We all have different opinions. Personally I would rather own a 1995 Nissan GTR than a brand new Nissan GTR 2019. A lot of people think It is an ugly car, but I love those things.

Older cars have more charisma, but when you drive one for a while, you realise how far we have come with modern cars.

Even the top supercars had flaws which, if they didn't had that "flair" and charisma, nobody would even look at them...

[spartaman64]

automatic cars today are just as if not more efficient than manuals so i dont see the point in learning or driving manual. people here say its more fun but i dont drive for fun anyways. if i had my own personal race track maybe but when i drive i look around and everyone is on their phones so i try to avoid driving as much as possible because driving a lot is just asking to be killed by one of those doofuses  

[aless83]

1 minute ago, spartaman64 said:

automatic cars today are just as if not more efficient than manuals so i dont see the point in learning or driving manual. people here say its more fun but i dont drive for fun anyways. if i had my own personal race track maybe but when i drive i look around and everyone is on their phones so i try to avoid driving as much as possible because driving a lot is just asking to be killed by one of those doofuses  

That's my vision of future: Everybody driving electric, except for all of us car freaks who will drive a V12 petrol

[xARACHN1D]

Just now, aless83 said:

That's my vision of future: Everybody driving electric, except for all of us car freaks who will drive a V12 petrol

PETROL-HEADS... UNITE!

[The1Dickens]

21 minutes ago, aless83 said:

You confuse effective with fun. Manual is more fun and involving. PDK are just buttons in the end...

Not really. I guess its conditional. Around town, yeh, I very much enjoy rowing my gears. But on the track, missing a shift, or hitting 3rd instead of 5th (especially at the top of 4th), is very much not fun. Being able to operate the vehicle efficiently is fun, in my opinion.

 

26 minutes ago, Velcade said:

A CVT back in 1997?

Yeah, I was surprised myself. Turns out, Hondas are like Legos. Except that model. eVTEC was not compatible with any other flavor of VTEC, can't drop in any other engine without a good amount of modification, even swapping out to the stick-shift version of that engine was not so simple (yes, engines were apparently slightly different between auto and manual versions).

[Zodiark1593]

54 minutes ago, The1Dickens said:

My last car was a CVT (1997 Honda Civic HX), and it was just so depressing to drive. I guess if you've got a newer one, they are more 'lively'? And yea, that bit about manuals is funny, because Porsche's PDK shifts faster than any human-operated manual transmission ever could, and does so consistently. Not to mention all the high-end "flappy paddles" used all the way up to F1.

Dual clutch transmissions are certainly much superior to the Manual in performance, though presents a potential downside in rapid clutch wear if a driver used to a torque converter doesn't adjust driving style to omit slow creeping. A manually operated clutch, at least, actively discourages slow creeping.

[lewdicrous]

I can drive a manual, but my car is automatic. 

Driving stick would be unbearable during rush hour.

[Zodiark1593]

47 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

automatic cars today are just as if not more efficient than manuals so i dont see the point in learning or driving manual. people here say its more fun but i dont drive for fun anyways. if i had my own personal race track maybe but when i drive i look around and everyone is on their phones so i try to avoid driving as much as possible because driving a lot is just asking to be killed by one of those doofuses  

Automatics closed the gap in efficiency via choice of gear ratios and the use of a torque converter lock (sort of a clutch that directly locks the torque converter, eliminating friction losses). To add, many manual transmissions tend to favor shorter gear ratios, providing more torque at speed, at the expense of higher rpm and subsequently fuel economy. 

 

Automatics tend to have a comparatively deep overdrive gear, which can allow an automatic to exceed the highway fues economy of a manual. 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

12 hours ago, TempestCatto said:

...I honestly hate cities and tend to think lowly of the people who live within them.

Well, gee, I love you you too. I live in a city now so I can be close to medical help if I ever need it (old age sucks). They are also where one can best find good jobs (and I'm not just talking about office work).

 

27 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

automatic cars today are just as if not more efficient than manuals so i dont see the point in learning or driving manual...

True that, especially in larger vehicles. They also can deliver more torque to the wheels, which is why all full sized pickup trucks have them. Automatics are far less work and are less distracting than manuals when driving in traffic.

 

Manuals are lot more work to drive than automatics, especially if driving large trucks (try driving a large truck with a five speed main and a four speed auxiliary box; splitting each gear on the main three ways with the auxiliary gets old in a hurry, even if shifting without the clutch, a skill not many people can do without shucking gear teeth). Big truck automatic tranmissions are becoming more and more common because of better fuel economy and longer life (mostly due to drivers not shifting properly, reducing fuel efficiency due to lugging and destroying gears by crashing them, slipping the clutch too much, and by lugging or over revving the engines).

 

The major downsides of automatics is they are far more expensive, are far more complex than manuals, and will cost more to repair or replace when things go sideways. However, as the technology improves, they have become more and more reliable, making them more economical overall in the long run.

 

My current F-150 is the first automatic tranny vehicle I've owned in decades and, quite honestly, I've gotten spoiled and don't miss all the shifting I used to do (especially back when I worked in warehousing). I've driven a friend's six speed Jeep Liberty when we take turns driving on long road trips and I actually miss driving my F150 when driving her Liberty.

[NinJake]

'17 Focus ST

'07 Yamaha r6

 

So yeah.

[bimmerman]

I've only ever owned cars with manuals, but I'm also in the car enthusiast camp-- my vehicles (SS Sedan, M3/2/5, M3/4/5, E30...) have always skewed in the entertaining direction more than the commuting appliance direction.

 

I commute in the SF Bay Area. Manual + traffic isn't pleasant but isn't the worst thing. You'd be surprised how many people here drive manuals exclusively. It's not a City/Country thing.

[Monkey Dust]

Definitely team manual here. I don't think it's the gear lever I'm so attached to, I quite like a single plate automated manual I had, I think it's clutch vs torque converter. A clutch bites and the car goes, there is a crispness to the way the car responds. Torque converters there always seems to be a pause, a slightly treacly feel to both the launch and each gear change. 

 

I understand many new auto box are much better. The 8 Speed ZF box is apparently brilliant, but I haven't driven one yet. I doubt it will be able to stage a complete conversion though.

[dizmo]

Honestly, it's not even the electric car that's killing the manual transmission. It's dying because automatics, and DSG in particular is simply better. Shifts faster. Better on fuel. There's no real performance gain to having a manual car. Plus, as more and more people move to urban environments, automatics are less of a pain in the ass than a manual transmission.

[Wauthar]

I learned in a manual, my parents car has one and my own old Beetle is a manual too (though they were also produced as automatic and semi-automatics). I've driven an automatic once in a while, but I would prefer a manual any day.

[Guest]

I understand how to operate a manual car but haven’t really tried it much so I’m saying don’t know how. 

I can’t say for sure I can do it even though I understand how to do it. 

[masethekiller]

Manuals get better gas mileage, give you more control over the vehicle and to some extent allow you to drive faster.  They typically have more gears too.   Although recently automatics have improved considerably, a manual still gives you the best driving experience.  Just not for lazy people. 

[Guest]

I drove a manual while I lived in Australia (nice patient drivers there, lovely people). I own an auto, just because they are much more available and cheap. 

[Yeroh]

My first car was a manual and I badly wanted my current one to be a manual, too, but I wasn't able to find any good used offerings outside of really low-spec ones. So right now I'm driving a DCT and it's fantastic, but I would love to go back to a manual in the future. It's just a lot more engaging, even if it is admittedly slower. If everything goes well, I'd like to purchase a manual '15 - '18 GT3/GT4 in the not so distant future. I'd love to take the chance as long as manual ICE cars (NA ones in particular) are still around.

[Bananasplit_00]

i dont really have access to a car since i sold it but as you specified vehicle and i do have a motorbike...  

[Lady Fitzgerald]

6 hours ago, masethekiller said:

Manuals get better gas mileage, give you more control over the vehicle and to some extent allow you to drive faster.  They typically have more gears too.   Although recently automatics have improved considerably, a manual still gives you the best driving experience.  Just not for lazy people. 

Actually, today's automatics give better fuel mileage. They have as many, if not more speeds than manual trannies and, at highway speeds, will lock up the torque converter. Most will select and change gears more quickly and accurately than most drivers can with a manual and the torque converter "adjusts" between shifts to optimize the torque needed.

[Commodus]

I can drive manual, but I don't like it and find that the stereotypes (it gets better mileage, it's more exciting to drive) don't really hold true these days.  And I don't think the excitement has been there for a long time... yeah, perhaps if you're driving a sports car on a deserted country backroad, but it only adds stress if you're just commuting across town.

 

That and it's a bit odd to argue for manuals at this stage when EVs are the inevitable (and largely superior) future of cars.  You're going to kiss the gearbox goodbye, likely within the next decade; it's just a question of how soon you do it.  And frankly, the torque and low centre of gravity in an EV more than make up for whatever pleasure you get from rowing gears.