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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

#621

Post by angry_octet »

ForHackernews wrote: post #601
icantdrive55 wrote: post #599

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Nowadays you can get good robotized gearboxes that have almost none of the disadvantages, except for a slightly higher price." 1. These automatic transmissions are still the weak spot on most vechicles. 2. They still use clutch bands that wear. The trannies are anything but simple. Most mechanics farm out rebuilding a tranny. I would recon that a malfunctioning automatic transmission us the number one cause of junke…

I think you might be getting downvoted for using an abbreviation for 'transmission' that also happens to be a homonym for a slur against transgender people. You've written a good, informative comment drawing on your specialist expertise, so it seems a shame to have it lose visibility. You might consider editing to change the word that could be upsetting some people.

Can whoever flagged the original comment please STOP and THINK. Nothing wrong with the post. OMG.

@icantdrive55 you are 100% right.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#622

Post by lagadu »

tmh88j wrote: post #477
BurningFrog wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Driver engagement is exactly what I don't want, so I strongly prefer automatic.

>Driver engagement is exactly what I don't want Not to be a jerk, but there's a big difference between a Dodge Dart and a Dodge Viper or a Chevy Cruze and Chevy Corvette. Cars that are designed to provide the driver with mechanical feedback and tight handling are not something that manufacturers are concerned with in most of their vehicles. Even among sports cars with "automatic" transmissions (most likely dual clutc…

You're correct but I'm going to be the ass that points it out: the M4 has a 7-speed getrag DCT yeah but all other versions come with the ZF 8 speed traditional auto (which is really good, mind you). BMWs with DCTs other than M cars are really really rare (only one that comes to mind is the Z4 35i/35is).

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#623

Post by larkeith »

jimmaswell wrote: post #394
apple4ever wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its absolutely more fun, and that's a pretty compelling argument. And another one is I tell the car what I want to do. Sure it can try to figure it out, but it will never know exactly what I want to do. I can do something quicker than an automatic will know. For example, I'll know I need to be in a lower gear because I'm about to floor it. An automatic can't know that.

Maybe I'll try it in real life someday, but I've tried manual in some sim games (Richard Burns Rally and Assetto Corsa, racing wheel/pedals + oculus setup) and it wasn't more fun, it was just a distracting chore. And that's not even having to use a clutch pedal, which would make it even worse.

As another poster noted, racing simulators will never be able to do anything close to replicating the experience of driving a manual. In an actual car, there's a constant physical feedback throughout the entire vehicle, from the vibration of the pedal to the sound of the engine to the acceleration from releasing the clutch, none of which can be effectively simulated. It's easy to tell you're much more directly connected to the road and in control of your vehicle in a manual than you would be in an automatic, where you have an impressive, but imperfect, software intermediary attempting to translate your actions into vehicular control.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#624

Post by dangerface »

ForHackernews wrote: post #601
icantdrive55 wrote: post #599

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Nowadays you can get good robotized gearboxes that have almost none of the disadvantages, except for a slightly higher price." 1. These automatic transmissions are still the weak spot on most vechicles. 2. They still use clutch bands that wear. The trannies are anything but simple. Most mechanics farm out rebuilding a tranny. I would recon that a malfunctioning automatic transmission us the number one cause of junke…

I think you might be getting downvoted for using an abbreviation for 'transmission' that also happens to be a homonym for a slur against transgender people. You've written a good, informative comment drawing on your specialist expertise, so it seems a shame to have it lose visibility. You might consider editing to change the word that could be upsetting some people.

To be upset you would have to take it out of the context its presented in, at which point its out of context. Seems like people are trying to be upset, shame on them.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#625

Post by angry_octet »

angry_octet wrote: post #621
ForHackernews wrote: post #601

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you might be getting downvoted for using an abbreviation for 'transmission' that also happens to be a homonym for a slur against transgender people. You've written a good, informative comment drawing on your specialist expertise, so it seems a shame to have it lose visibility. You might consider editing to change the word that could be upsetting some people.

Can whoever flagged the original comment please STOP and THINK. Nothing wrong with the post. OMG. @icantdrive55 you are 100% right.

On investigation icantdrive55, someone is systematically killing your posts. All you can do it create a new account.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#627

Post by lagadu »

yurishimo wrote: post #516
pjmlp wrote: post #513

Earlier quoted context omitted.

European cars have cruise control on manuals.

They said "adaptive cruise control". That's where the car will speed up or slow down based on the traffic around you automatically. Sort of like self driving but not nearly as demanding. Obviously manuals have had normal cruise control for decades.

No, adaptive cruise control where the car changes speed based on the car in front is also present on manuals. It only works above certain speeds though.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#628

Post by tyingq »

esaym wrote: post #473
tyingq wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was cars with a foot operated emergency brake that locked into place with a separate lever to release it. Not useful in these situations. Even on cars with a hand brake, it was still a bit dicey, because they only operated the rear brakes, and could be mis-adjusted/weak/etc. Pretty common on late 60's, 70's, and some 80's cars.

Whether foot operated or hand pulled, you will have to use your hand to disengage it so not seeing the difference.

You had to reach down pretty far, and look down to find the release. A handbrake is a one handed operation you don't have to look at.

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#629

Post by kaybe »

henrikschroder wrote: post #484
chrisweekly wrote: post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know what else increases traffic? Merging too soon. A good friend of mine and I have a standing argument about proper behavior when, driving, one encounters a "lane closed ahead" sign. He insists that the right thing to do is to abandon the to-be-closed lane as soon as feasible [tangent: he also gets mad at drivers who want to merge later, describing them as "cutters"], while I maintain that the best way to minim…

You are right. If everyone merges early, the cars that could have been in that mile of unused lane, will instead be in the full lane, moving the entire queue backwards a mile, clogging up more exits and onramps, and making the jam worse. Use all available road, that's what it's there for.

German traffic law also says you're right (StVO §7(4)). Does the US not have a law for that?

Re: How America lost its love for the stick shift

#630

Post by lagadu »

hegz wrote: post #373
int_handler wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems you fully consider cars to be an appliance. Today, manual cars aren't about efficiency. Manuals are about driver engagement and the feeling of connectedness with the car and with the road. You can think. of it as more of a luxury than a necessity, and that is still a very valid argument for manual transmissions in road cars, especially those designed to be driver's cars.

Most people dont care about driving. Its a tool to get you to a place.

And those should get an automatic. The person you're replying to was saying that people who actually enjoy the act of driving usually go for manuals because they're just so much more fun.
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