automatic OR manual?

When stuck in traffic and driving a manual, the driver can try to leave some extra distance behind the car in the front, so that they can keep a constant speed without having to come to a full stop for no reason, and having to use the clutch to get the car going again. This goes for automatic drivers as well. The desire to tailgate and rush to enclose every single gap causes this stop-go traffic, which wastes gas, unneeded use of brakes, higher chance of collision, annoyed passengers (like me :)), etc...



Do you guys think that driving a manual reduces the chance of falling asleep at the wheel? Of course, falling asleep usually occurs on the highway, and driving on the highway usually involves staying in gear, so I guess it wouldn't be too different, except for when you are passing a car in front of you, and you do a double clutch downshift :)
 
yes I do. My mind would also seriously wander and I'd actually start getting tired back when I drove autos :lol:



If you're too tired in a manual, the car will reflect you (the way it should be), and you'll end up stalling/missing a shift/griding. Something will happen to alert you...
 
I've been driving for a few years now and it was in an auto. Last week I started learning manual on my first 5 speed and while I still have some hard shifts, and stall it from time to time, it is a lot more fun to drive.



I had one of my worst experiences driving yesterday outside our Walmart, stalled about 5 times at a really crowded intersection

:doh. I think I'll stay a little more out of the city/holiday traffic until I get a better handle on this. heh.



Kyle
 
I like the stick shift. It is much easier to control in the snow. I've been driving it so long it is second nature. I don't even think about it.
 
^Ditto here. I learnt to drive in Europe and Africa so stick shift is second nature to me. I love the control. Unfortunately my wife grew up here and I live in the NY, so no stick for me :(;)



I think the USA should adopt stick shifts for anyone between the ages of 16 and 21. When you are learning how to drive you can't really "cheat" with a stick shift, you always have to concentrate, you always have to evaluate traffic and road conditions in order to anticipate downshifts and holding a cellphone to your ear can only be done by true stick experts. I bet teenage deaths would be curtailed significantly.
 
I hate autos. I feel like I am not in control of the vehicle, with a stick the car wont move(on a flat service) if you don't want it to and I feel more comfortable in a stick when I'm driving fast or in traffic. I don't ever want to have an automatic again. Everything I have owned other than my work van has been a stick.
 
i wud get a manual because you can cut back on gas consumption (put in a high gear). BUT if you do have a lot of traffic put it in nuetral a lot and dont hold the clutch in... youlle wear out the clutch
 
IIRC holding the clutch in increases wear on the throwout bearing, not the clutch itself. The idea is that the bearing is designed to be in action for the duration of a shift, not for minutes at a time.



Heh heh, noting that, as previously posted, my wife and I were diehard manual fans for ages (and yeah, a well-executed heel and toe double-clutch downshift *is* satisfying), I wonder how many people will still say "I hate automatics" in another twenty years or so ;) Gee, don't *I* sound like the old codger :o
 
I just got rid of my last manual so all I have now are auto's. I found that I was driving more aggressively when I was in my manual that I ever did in an auto. That and my soon to be wife had no desire to learn to drive manual so it was a pain that I always had to drive when we took my car. At least my auto has a manual mode.... like I'll ever use it though.
 
True, holding in the clutch does increase wear on the throwout bearing (like Accumulator) said, and not so much the clutch disk itself.



However, the reason you do not hold in the clutch for extended periods of time is because, well, it's stupid. Why are you doing it? You're just asking to dump the clutch accidentally one day and then bump the person in front of you (or come close to doing so).



Especially if you're one of those folks who have the bad habit of letting off the foot brake when you're in front at red lights, you'll probably end up jumping right into fast moving traffic... and well, yea. Bad things happen at that point.



Just keep it in neutral until a few seconds before your light turns green (watch pedestrian signals, learn to recognize traffic patterns, observe lights adjacent to your direction of travel, etc.).



Anyway, I'll be driving manuals for as long as I'm physically able to. Hundreds of millions of seniors all over the world do it everyday without giving it a second thought... so I don't see why I couldn't do it.
 
Geez we have a lot of snooty stick shift people here. I have had both and personally I find automotive shifting boring, if you really want to feel at one with a machine there isn't anything like riding a motorcycle. I stick my nose up at all you 4 wheel stick grinders :p
 
Stick all the way. Started driving autos. My mom got a manual car when I was 17. I drove the car all of 3 times before I bought a stick. Haven't looked back since...
 
I've had both and both have their pros and cons. I used to have a major commute with heavy traffic and the stick got old in that environment. In town driving from intersection to intersection, I could take either one. Back roads with some twisties I'll take a stick any time. So, for spirited driving, I'd go stick, but for laid back cruising an auto is certainly a lot less work and you can always have one hand free for drinking coffee, etc.



The new manual automatics, like the VW/Audi DSG transmission are a very nice compromise.



One observation, the bumper to bumper traffic with a stick factor kind of depends on what car you have. I had an older Honda Accord at one time that had a really short throw clutch, so driving it in traffic was no big deal. Subsequently I had a VW Jetta GLI with a really long throw clutch. It was a great car but driving it in traffic was a major workout.
 
^Also some clutches are very stiff and that gets old fast in traffic. A light clutch and short throw doesn't bother me at all in heavy traffic.



I really don't have a preference either, but I will say this, it always bothers me to see a rear wheel drive, two door, sports car with an automatic. That will ALWAYS feel wrong to me forever :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top