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How America lost its love for the stick shift

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Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#341

Post by Johnny555 »

jedberg wrote: post #150
Fezzik wrote: post #116

That bums me out, but I get it. My first non hand-me-down car was a beat-up Audi A4 (manual) off craigslist that I loved for years and years as a ski bum. I am definitely one of the many "manual transmissions are more fun" people. But once I got that office job, even 15 minutes a day in city traffic with a manual angered me, so I transitioned to an automatic. Now that I am out of the city I would love a manual again,…

I found that having a stick in traffic was actually easier for me. I could keep it in one gear which meant not moving my foot from brake to gas (I could just use engine breaking and use just the gas).

Can't you do the same thing in an automatic? Put it in first gear?

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#343

Post by skywhopper »

I love driving stick, but I have no illusions that I make better decisions about what gear to be in when than good automatics/CVTs, and I know I'm not saving gas the way I drive. Now, many automatics still bother me or even feel dangerous with their sluggishness, but there are great ones out there that I am happy to drive.

But the American market is definitely to the point now where it makes total sense to just eliminate the option for a stick shift. Not enough people can drive it, and so few adults have them that their kids aren't learning either. It's to the point that it's actually difficult to find a good quality new car with a stick shift.

And then that in turn means you can't trust your car to anyone else. Valet parking is downright dangerous. My wife's car had its clutch literally melted by an incompetent valet driver, and the car was barely driveable when we got it back. We managed to limp to the dealer, and we got our insurance to pay, but it was a hassle. I'm not sure it's worth the risk if you are in a situation where you need to ever hand over your car to someone else. I will not be using valet parking anymore, that's for sure.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#345

Post by chrisdhoover »

t0mbstone wrote: post #163

Speaking as someone who has owned a number of sports cars with manual transmissions, I can tell you why I finally made the switch to automatic: Adaptive cruise control in stop and go traffic. I used to have to deal with a six-speed manual transmission in stop and go traffic for an hour every day, and it was pure torture. I mean, sure, it was fun for a weekend drive in the mountains, but it sucked the rest of the time…

I just do like the truckers do, leave it in second and crawl. It helps to not be concerned with maintaining a 6 inch gap with the car ahead.

I truly believe that stop and go is caused by automatics. All of the brake tapping tends to bunch people up at the end of long lines forcing them to a complete stop. In a manual just let off on the gas a little and the engine brakes a little, no brake lights to create cascading braking

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#347

Post by tobmlt »

Xurinos wrote: post #251
0x00000000 wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To each their own, but stop and go traffic does not exist in the absence of stoplights if you leave adequate space in front of you. If you tailgate, ride your brakes, or have to stop completely you are contributing to traffic jams behind you. I drive a 6 speed in one of the worst traffic areas in the US every day.

To all the folks replying that someone will fill the gap in front of you: that’s the point. It isn’t about reaction time. It’s about letting traffic flow easier, not fighting with each other. It removes the need for your fellow drivers to feel a tension when it is time to switch lanes, to not have to make a risky maneuver. You get to relax when driving because now you aren’t competing to get to your destination, and…

You beautiful zen traffic wave surfer you. This, a thousand times this. Somewhere on the web there is a great video of a guy doing this pretty effectively. I guess it's maybe five years old now but worth a watch.

I think this wsj vid may contain excerpts from the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtwY9xKfaYo

If everyone could just relax out there, some of those traffic standing waves would diffuse away to nothing. Ahhh...

When I get in bad traffic and struggle against the urge to tailgate I play a game where I try and give enough space to where I just roll up to the car in front of me as it is starting to move again. This gives me a time-local goal to aim at instead of fixating on supposed "bad actors" I might want to judge instead.

Edit: I found it! (from 2008 it appears) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGFqfTCL2fs

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#349

Post by emodendroket »

ketralnis wrote: post #291
emodendroket wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm familiar with the concept, but I can't imagine I'd use it any more than I use regular cruise control on an empty highway.

You may not be able to imagine it, but the GP is saying that they actually do

Yes, he's sharing his experience. I am sharing mine. I'm not seeing the issue here.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#350

Post by brenschluss »

jhayward wrote: post #338
0x00000000 wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The best you can do is increase the glide time between stops Do you understand what causes traffic? That harder you brake, the bigger and longer the wave of people braking behind you will be. By braking less hard, you are causing less traffic. And yes, 99% of people driving in traffic are idiots who don't know how to drive or they wouldn't be tailgating and slamming the brakes every 6 feet wasting thousands of hour…

I have somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 hours operating a stick vehicle in high congestion traffic. I went to engineering school and studied traffic both academically, and experientially. Yes, I understand traffic better than you do. Do you understand traffic? I pretty much doubt it. No, 99% of people driving in traffic aren't idiots. About 5% are, and that's all it takes. My most pleasant finding from all those ye…

What do you think about this article? https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607841/a-single-autonomou...
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