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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?

#51

Post by falcolas »

nimbius wrote: post #24

eh for cars maybe, but an automatic test for your commercial drivers license to operate a tractor trailer comes with some pretty severe restrictions. they're nice for day drivers like the beer trucks and FedEx mules but regional and over the road/interstate drivers can't upgrade to tankers or low boy trailers in most states unless they can jockey a stick. auto boxes on semi trucks also do some squirrley things on lon…

I picture this is, and will continue to, change with the passing of time. DCT and CVT will likely come for semi trucks as they came for motorcycles and cars.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#52

Post by mbostleman »

nimbius wrote: post #24

eh for cars maybe, but an automatic test for your commercial drivers license to operate a tractor trailer comes with some pretty severe restrictions. they're nice for day drivers like the beer trucks and FedEx mules but regional and over the road/interstate drivers can't upgrade to tankers or low boy trailers in most states unless they can jockey a stick. auto boxes on semi trucks also do some squirrley things on lon…

I got my CDL in 1990 on a Silver Eagle tour bus. I was already comfortable with manual transmissions, but the double clutching blew my mind. It was a whole other level of understanding what all had to happen to transfer power.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#54

Post by falcolas »

HyperSane wrote: post #5
ggm wrote: post #2

It's faster, it's more fuel economic and it reduces engine wear

If you read the article is says that dual clutch automatics are much faster than manual transmission and most modern automatics have 7 to 10 gears for better fuel efficiency but no one is willing to use a manual transmission with that many gears.

Truckers have entered the thread.

(I agree though, since I don’t drive a semi or dump truck.)

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#55

Post by falcolas »

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.

Motorcycles are seeing some movement towards DCT too.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#56

Post by __derek__ »

ecommerceguy wrote: post #28
tjr225 wrote: post #13

Manual transmission fetishism is perplexing to me. I’ve owned two manual transmission cars… an old Hyundai Elantra and an even older Toyota pickup. I can’t think of a single reason I would not rather have the automatic version of either. I also presume manual transmissions will continue to be available to the enthusiasts and professionals/sportspeople who have an actual reason to desire them.

Mazda Miata is a great reason for a manual.

As is the Mazda 3 family. Zoom Zoom, baby!

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#57

Post by smitty1e »

tenpies wrote: post #30
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…

Can I add a request? A car that doesn't phone home. That is, one that the government is utterly unable to remotely turn off, monitor, or impose distance quotas. One that cannot be hacked through a poorly secured server in a car maker's server farm or government server with the username/pass admin/admin.

And, if there is a market for such features, where is the capitalism to service that market?

And where are the political candidates to take pliers and a blowtorch to the regulatory barriers to satisfying the customers?

Down with all or these regulatory pencil-necks and their doctrine of Portion-Controlled Servings[1], say I.

[1] http://www.murashev.com/dmdl/lyrics.php?disk=196

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#58

Post by wrigby »

rad_gruchalski wrote: post #48

> 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…

I guess it depends on the car you started in and how easy it is to stall. My Jeep Cherokee with an inline 6 would have been an incredibly easy car to learn on, but my RX-8 - with about the same amount of low-end torque as a sewing machine - was much less forgiving. If it had been my first manual car, it would have taken ages to feel comfortable.

And to your question, the answer is actually yes. Because fewer folks in the US drive manual cars, the ones that do are often proud of having the skill.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#59

Post by rad_gruchalski »

tjr225 wrote: post #13

Manual transmission fetishism is perplexing to me. I’ve owned two manual transmission cars… an old Hyundai Elantra and an even older Toyota pickup. I can’t think of a single reason I would not rather have the automatic version of either. I also presume manual transmissions will continue to be available to the enthusiasts and professionals/sportspeople who have an actual reason to desire them.

> I’ve owned two manual transmission cars… an old Hyundai Elantra and an even older Toyota pickup.

Well, that explains. You haven’t had a fun manual car. I loved my e36 325. Porsche 964 was nice, too.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#60

Post by hedora »

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

This article has power vs torque curves for an ICE and electric motor:

http://thecartech.com/subjects/auto_eng/Auto_Eng23.htm

The EV curve is not exactly flat, so it's worth it for Formula E to bother with a transmission. For consumer cars the extra tiny efficiency boost doesn't matter.

No idea what the text of the article says, but based on the figures, it goes into more detail than me.

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