I wonder how long it will take to get to this point with self-driving cars (Automatic-automatic?) vs. manual-automatic vs. manual-manual.
Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
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Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#52Well, of course. You need the other hand to hold the cell phone.
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Amusingly subaru simulates gears with their CVT. By default you get 6 "gears", but in sport you get 8.
And that's completely missing a point of a CVT where you can keep the engine at a its most efficient speed and vary the transmission ratio to accelerate or decelerate in response to throttle input.
Agreed, it's sad that in chasing more market share subaru is making multiple decisions based on marketing and not on engineering.
Forcing a CVT from the ideal RPM to entertain drivers seems impressively silly.
Kind of like the Golf R, which installed a vibrating/unbalanced motor under the winshield to make a more pleasing vibration. Or the Mustang EcoBoost, various BMWs, and other cars that are using speakers to make more vroom noises to hide the less appealing note of their smaller turbo engines.
Maybe the automatic folks should install a manual looking stick between the seats and whenever you move it it kills power for 0.5 seconds.
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
A shifter isn't just for acceleration. It's also for picking which gear you want to be in when anticipating something you're trying to do. When racing you'll know exactly what gear to be in for what section of each corner. You'll have a plan going into the corner, coming out of the corner, and it'll be complicated enough that there's no way an automatic can keep up. Unless you're going for quarter mile times, you'll…
Automatics are the same. Sporty cars usually have flappy paddles to control the automatic. So you can pick your gear for the next corner if you want. All the while enjoying better acceleration, faster shifts, and better mpg. Can't push start the car when the battery dies though.
Yeah, unless you've tried them both extensively, you can't compare them that way.
The feedback provided by the clutch pedal is integral to the process of driving a manual car - it's not just 'engage' or 'disengage', it's a fully analog feedback mechanism about the state of the drivetrain linkage.
Especially the paddle shifters are like trying to tie a fly fishing lure while wearing welding gloves. No connection to the machine or feedback from the engine, no ability to change the engine state independent of the state of the drivetrain.
I miss manual transmissions every time I drive, and I drive a car with a really, really good paddle shift dual clutch transmission.
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#55Another issue with manual transmission that others have not mentioned is the annoyance as a passenger. I can understand the joy for the driver but as a passenger, I always find it quite annoying in older cars. In fact, I would probably cancel my Lyft/Uber ride if I knew the coming car is a manual.
Unless you look at the driver changing gears, how would you even know that a car has a manual transmission?
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
> especially if you are shifting a certain way because you can see traffic or the lack of it, up ahead. Downshifting instead of using brakes is more environmentally friendly as well. Though you can do this with an automatic too (or semi-automatic I guess). My mother has a car with paddle shifters which you can use if you want, or you can just keep it in automatic. Best of both worlds. Edit: I drive stick, though. It'…
Downshifting more environmentally friendly? Because burning more gas is better than heating up break pads? Reference?
Uses engine compression to bleed off kinetic energy (no additional fuel use). Not more environmentally friendly, but saves on brake wear.
Semis utilize this mode of braking heavily: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_release_engine_bra...
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#57Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
> especially if you are shifting a certain way because you can see traffic or the lack of it, up ahead. Downshifting instead of using brakes is more environmentally friendly as well. Though you can do this with an automatic too (or semi-automatic I guess). My mother has a car with paddle shifters which you can use if you want, or you can just keep it in automatic. Best of both worlds. Edit: I drive stick, though. It'…
Downshifting more environmentally friendly? Because burning more gas is better than heating up break pads? Reference?
Was taught to do it in drivers ed, which features environmental driving here. The point is not to aggressively downshift, but to let go of the gas and then downshift when the RPMs are lower. You still want to keep the RPMs relatively low. This is preferred to a situation where you would keep your speed and use the brakes at a later point in time. I should probably not have called it downshifting.
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#59For me this is an emotional topic. I want everybody else to use it, but I myself do not want an electric car, an automatic car or a general speed limit. Arguing about stuff like this with (some) Germans is like arguing about guns with (some) Americans. Sure, there is a reasonable position, which is better for society. I don't care, don't take away my [insert toy here]!
Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions
#60I got my driver's license in Sweden, and the official driving handbook completely worships manual transmissions, and makes several untrue claims about how much better they are than automatics. You can choose to do your road test in an automatic, but that'll earn you a restriction on your license, barring you from driving a manual. It's probably fair, but almost everyone (myself included) chooses to practice in manual…
> when automatic transmissions are consistently
> outperforming humans at fuel efficiency