391–400 of 875 posts
I’ll stay manual until I go electric. Every time I’ve tried automatic transmissions I had the feeling that the computer was struggling to figure out what I’m gonna do (upshift, downshift, accelerate slowly, accelerate agressively?) based on the limited input available. It always felt annoying compared to the direct control with a manual.
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meh, my wife's car does that, but to me it's not the same. I think if I can put into words what I like about manual transmissions, it's more than just the control to change the gears, it's the actual tactile feeling of removing power from the drivetrain (via clutch), then re-applying it. it's the cliche feeling of "connection" to the car, road, and what's happening. But I understand why the manual is dying. Most peop…
Or how about just being able to anticipate the power band around a corner? Being able to downshift on a hill without thinking about it. Those are things you don't even realize you do in a manual, that you do. case in point, me flooring it on a left hand turn in my moms prius and having to wait a good 500ms for the thing to start moving at all. I know exactly what my manual does in first gear and when, I don't think a…
Though I will also say that a modern automatic doesn't need 500 meters. It works almost as well as manual. If you floor the pedal if shifts to apply more torque.
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On newer cars most every component from your tires to your rear window defroster phones home about your activity.
The tires, really?? I figured maybe the wheels but the tires?
“Through RFID technology, Michelin makes tires that "communicate" by linking them to a more global ecosystem, to create infinite potential for innovations and added value for its customers.
Our goal: connecting all MICHELIN tires for Passenger Cars, Light Trucks, Heavy Trucks and Busses by 2024.”
and
“Permanently readable
- RFID used in tires is a passive technology that doesn’t require a battery
- Tire tag can be read even when the tire is moving or rolling”
and
“Secure
- Tag is locked after writing by the tire manufacturer
- Robust traceability technology against robbery and counterfeiting”
It wouldn’t surprise me if some governments tracked cars by their tires,
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> I got older, and now automatic transmissions are so much more efficient than manual transmissions * for ordinary people *. It’s not just ordinary people. The opposite, if anything. F1 and rally cars haven’t been manual for decades. I don’t think any modern super is manual. Though with the ev-ification the point is moot as save for a few rare exceptions they’re single-gear.
> F1 and rally cars haven’t been manual for decades. In racing, but particularly in F1, you can't leave a single millisecond on the table because the competitors won't. So F1 gearboxes shift in milliseconds which is obviously impossible for a human to do with a clutch pedal. And that is all F1 teams optimize for, speed. When driving purely for fun (as most street sports cars are used) there is no stopwatch, so it har…
The comment I replied to was talking about efficiency, and my reply was in those terms as well. If what matters to you is the car equivalent of putting your audio cables on pyramids you do you, but this is not “what matters” to what we were talking about. It couldn’t be any further really.
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I drove a manual for about 20 years and I still really enjoy them, but there is one thing that made me happily leave them behind: stop-and-go traffic. Not having to clutch constantly when driving in the city is a big enough win that I'm willing to give up the fun of a manual for it. But I do sometimes miss having a stick on a windy mountain road.
And don't forget leaving from a stop uphill.
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Pretty cool to read about somebody using their Porsche the same way I use my 12yo Toyota Rav4! My record is still fitting a full-sized washer and dryer in the back... Don't feel silly for utilizing your vehicle's capabilities!
Past Nissan Cube owner here reporting that you can stuff a twin mattress against the ceiling of the car, supported by the heads of the driver and passenger, for several blocks.
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But anyone that drives a manual will let you know it's mostly about the clutch and how you use it, rather than choosing what gear you're in. Using a clutch just right can produce amazing amount of torque just when you need it. Automatic clutch can be incredibly efficient, but it simply can't know what you want to do.
> Using a clutch just right can produce amazing amount of torque just when you need it. Nailed it. Not to dismiss those romanticizing clutching and shifting, but that is incidental. The entire point of a manual transmission is performance. It's control over torque that delivers it. I love that I can pump RPMs into the red before clutching into gear, the vigor of that power, G forces pulling the body against the seat,…
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…
Huge premiums != large market. It just means the market is bigger than their production. Manual transmissions are not "an order of magnitude less complex and cheaper." They're far more expensive because the volume is much lower and every configuration has to be crash-tested, so the cost of that crash testing is amortized over a much, much smaller number of vehicles. Manual transmission vehicles get significantly wors…
I bought mine because it was more fun and engaging than the alternative.
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Okay but then why is the rolling brick wall of a modern pickup allowed?
It’s more than just about style. As much as modern pickup trucks have become a fashion statement, many large pickup trucks are providing real utility to construction, farming, etc. And much like 18 wheelers they can’t scale down the front while maintaining utility because they need large engines and high ground clearance.
Pickup trucks are the opposite of fashion. There are to cars what Crocs are to shoes.
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Also, they probably care less about failing European safety standards since pickups aren’t a big market in Europe.
sadly I've seen an increasing amount of American-style SUV and pickup trucks in France since the start of covid.
Hell, my father used to have a fairly common French sedan that would sometimes need a lot of maneuvering through the public garage ramps, and would barely fit in the parking slots.