Help with 2002 Toyota RAV4

**C. Charles Hahn** · 01-24-2002, 06:05 PM

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

Originally posted by Dan E. [/i]
Those Manumatic, steptronic, and clutchless manual Transmissions would be my choice. [/b]</blockquote>
what cars have those? other than some 120K car I`ve never seen such a thing.....

01-24-2002, 07:37 PM

I think he means the AUTOMATIC transmissions with an override shifting feature. Many manufactures call them different things (Touchshift, Autostick, Tiptronic, Steptronic, etc.)

**Jngrbrdman** · 01-24-2002, 07:57 PM

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

Originally posted by SLPCar Luvr [/i]


what cars have those? other than some 120K car I`ve never seen such a thing.....

[/b]</blockquote>
Don`t the new Acura TL Type S have those? Those cars are in the $30K price range I believe.

**shinnster** · 01-24-2002, 09:00 PM

I guess it would depend on what kind of car i owned and what i did in it. If the car was on the sporty side, I`d have to say manual. But let`s say for a daily driver that was large and designed to be a tourer i`d go with auto-stick(tiptronic etc....)

Driviving manual doesn`t bother me one bit, but on a bigger car it`s kind of a PITA

**TortoiseAWD** · 01-25-2002, 10:12 AM

Here`s a website that runs down the various types of semi-automatic trannies out there: http://www.fortunecity.com/silversto.../tech_gear.htm

IMO, I`d love a semi-auto, but only if it was an electronically controlled clutch (no torque converter), such as the Ferrari setup, or BMW`s sequential tranny . . .

Tort

**imported_maesal** · 01-27-2002, 04:27 PM

Ultimately, I would enjoy F1 paddle shifters the most.. Or a continuously variable transmission (in the cars of the future)..

but a stick shifter does the trick. I really don`t like automatics though.

**imported_Intermezzo** · 01-30-2002, 06:59 PM

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

Originally posted by SLPCar Luvr [/i]


what cars have those? other than some 120K car I`ve never seen such a thing.....

[/b]</blockquote>
Most cars in the entry-level luxury market now have it. In fact, I heard it`s less troublesome and even cheaper to engineer than the traditional transmission without the F1/tiptronic.

As for the original question, I am able to tolerate driving my Honda Civic only because it`s a manual, has sport suspension, and is pretty peppy after some other mods that were done to it. As for the tiptronic shifter in my bimmer, it can be useful and fun at times, but it sure doesn`t replace the real thing. Manual over auto anyday for me.

**bmerjorge21** · 01-30-2002, 08:45 PM

Great question CJ!! Personally, I think it depends on the situtaion, circumstances etc. Ex. say you need to share a car and the other person won`t or can`t drive a stick then auto is the obvious choice. Then I believe it depends on the vehicle, some only give you one choice. I would say that in a roadster (Boxster, Z3, etc.) most would want a manual. On the other end of the spectrum you might need a Ford F-350 for work that more than one person is going to drive, so an auto better fits the bill, especially if you`re plowing. With all this aside, I would prefer sticks over autos for most applications/situations in an ideal world.

**HighFive** · 04-21-2002, 05:28 PM

It all depends what type of car I am to have, for a regular sedan, id get automatic, if i had a sports car, Manual. Note: Automatic is better for turbo: its ongoing as for Manual, it cuts off when switching gears

**TortoiseAWD** · 04-21-2002, 05:53 PM

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

Originally posted by Polishpat [/i]
It all depends what type of car I am to have, for a regular sedan, id get automatic, if i had a sports car, Manual. Note: Automatic is better for turbo: its ongoing as for Manual, it cuts off when switching gears [/b]</blockquote>Auto is better for a turbo in a drag race, perhaps, but it really bites to have a slushbox downshift on you just as you`re powering out of a corner. The lurch can seriously unbalance the vehicle if you`re near the limits of adhesion.

I still can`t stand anything with a torque converter . . . if it`s "auto" at all, I want it to be a computer-controlled clutch. Of course, most cars with a "manu-matic" are priced waaaayyy out of my reach, so I`ll hafta keep rowing my own.

Tort

**imported_memnuts** · 04-22-2002, 10:19 AM

A modern electronic controlled Automatic gearbox will not downshift on you in the middle of a curve. That is old technology. Automatic gears are so advance today that F1 Constructors use fully electronic automatic gear boxes in Formula 1. The future is here in terms of transmissions and manual transmission, like drum brakes, will be a thing of the past. Shifting is a fun exercise ( VW, Rx7, TR6, MGB, Jeep J10 truck, BMW 320i all had in the past) but not longer necessary for sport and speed.

**smfrycruzr** · 04-22-2002, 10:56 AM

like others have said, in stop-and-go auto please...for anything else, stick me baby!!!

**F1Crazy** · 04-25-2002, 08:37 PM

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

Automatic gears are so advance today that F1 Constructors use fully electronic automatic gear boxes in Formula 1.</blockquote>

Formula 1 gearboxes have automatic gear changes, but are completely different from automatics we know and see everyday.
They have no torque converters, but electronicaly controlled clutches, very similar to automatic modes in BMW`s SMGII or Ferrari`s F1, but much quicker.

**imported_memnuts** · 04-26-2002, 07:55 AM

So true F1Crazy but the point was that automatic transmissions or gear changing is faster and more precisely performed by a computer. With the newer electronic servos in today`s torque converter automatic transmissions can be altered electronically in term of pressure (gear engagements) allows these transmission to be perfectly streetable and down right outrageous when needed by the push of a button.

As I mentioned before it is fun to change gears to enhance the joy of driving on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the country.