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The end of the manual transmission is near?

popularmechanics.com

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Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#41

Post by taneq »

notsapiensatall wrote: post #18
Swizec wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yes the good ol' "Tap the breaks before an overtake" trick. Just as god intended. /s

Most modern automatic transmissions let you pick a gear if you really want to, either with paddle shifters on the wheel or a sideways +/- slot next to "D" on the gear lever. You don't get the sensation of letting the clutch go at juuust the right revs, but hey, there are always motorcycles.

Yep, the only thing that’s missing is modulating your front/rear braking split (and hence under/oversteer) with the clutch on the way in to corners.

Of course, front wheel drives can do this with left foot braking but I never got the hang of that.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#42

Post by legitster »

I wouldn't jump to this conclusion just yet!

Porsche, Ferrari, etc all commanded huge premiums this year for their manual versions. Specifically among younger buyers and first time buyers! You even see this effect downmarket - Toyota promised to never make a manual version of their Supra, then just this last year they put together a cobbled transmission to save their car.

Manuals are also an order of magnitude less complex and cheaper - so automakers will still have some incentive to include them on small budget cars to keep down their base MSRP (even if they don't offer a ton of them). It helps that in most other countries, manuals are still king.

Finally, manual transmissions are overrepresented on the used market. Because manual cars are roughly half as complex as automatics, that translates to many fewer components going bad over time. Less likely to die = cars that stay circulating in the market longer. So if you buy used cars, the options for manuals increases dramatically.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#43

Post by AmVess »

lapcat wrote: post #9

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in traffic going up a slick hill in a Midwest winter with a manual transmission. Your car goes backward!

I had a Saab 900 Turbo with manual. There was a fairly steep hill coated with wet ice. I was able to feather my way up the hill without too much drama. Unstudded snow tires. It did have the benefit of having 60% of the weight over the drive wheels.

What a great car that was. Complete beast in the winter.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#44

Post by coenhyde »

elboru wrote: post #20
bl0b wrote: post #12

I hope that someday there will be an option for an electric car with a manual transmission. Regardless of how small the market would be and how little practical sense it would make

I don’t have any data to back this, but my guess is that a big portion of those who prefer stick will also prefer gas vs electric.

I like driving manual and I like my EV. But I don't want a manual in my EV. Just give me an EV without all the traction control smarts. Give me access to the raw power so I can control how and when it slips.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#45

Post by falcolas »

taneq wrote: post #27
recursivedoubts wrote: post #7

I reiterate my compromise proposal: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32397975 I will give up my manual transmission, if you will bring back pull-knobs, twist knobs and other tactile switches for the main controls of my vehicle, with the appropriate tactile feedback at set points so I can set them without looking. After thinking on it, I am going to raise my demands, however: you also need to produce cars that are…

Are we rolling back all off the safety, efficiency and emissions regulations created since ‘65 too?

Entirely unnecessary to meet the parents “demands”.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#46

Post by grzm »

beebeepka wrote: post #35
B1FF_PSUVM wrote: post #14

Well, another reason is that electric motors generally do not need gears like combustion engines do to stay at an optimal rotational speed.

Formula E cars have gears. I guess they are still needed. Would love to learn why. L

https://www.hewland.com/formula-e-transmission-evolution/

> You may ask why an electric race car needs a transmission in the first place? Using a gearbox helps you to extract the maximum efficiency possible from the electric motor. High Performance electric motor efficiency varies greatly depending on its architecture and design philosophy. Some motors are high revving – perhaps as high as 25,000rpm, while others only reach 9,000rpm. They will be delivering very different torque bands; using a transmission helps you keep the motor in the most efficient operating range possible.

> There’s another fundamental reason why Formula E cars use a transmission: because the rules say so. The regulations stipulate that the motor must deliver drive to both wheels through a single mechanical transmission, so you need at least one gear set to accomplish this final drive. The electric motors used in Formula E have some of the highest power-to-weight ratio of any automotive motor in the world so that transmission has its work cut out for it.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#48

Post by rad_gruchalski »

> it’s not something you master overnight. I’m not ashamed to mention that it took me a few sessions in a parking lot to get the fundamentals down

This kind of line always confuses me. I mean, I remember my first driving lesson in the UK. Guy arrived in a BMW 116, manual. He said to me: what is there to explain, you get in and drive. So I got in and drove. Did my first hour, took 5 minutes to get comfortable with the clutch and shifting. Why do the people in the US make it such a big ordeal? Is it like a badge of honour?

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#49

Post by emp »

If I could afford a Porsche I would still get a manual option. Changing gears cleanly, heel-toe blipping the throttle when gearing down, getting the right gear at the right time - simple pleasures. It seems the more refined cars become the less character they have. Even the equivalent cars to my old dependable friend feel like lesser cars. Annoy CVTs, electric power steering, and finishes that feel cheap. And windows - I have nice big windows where I can see everywhere.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#50

Post by dang »

legitster wrote: post #42

I wouldn't jump to this conclusion just yet! Porsche, Ferrari, etc all commanded huge premiums this year for their manual versions. Specifically among younger buyers and first time buyers! You even see this effect downmarket - Toyota promised to never make a manual version of their Supra, then just this last year they put together a cobbled transmission to save their car. Manuals are also an order of magnitude less c…

Ok, we've put a question mark in the title above—a nice device for indicating that the community finds a title, er, questionable.
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