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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?

#551

Post by bregma »

boppo1 wrote: post #146
hinkley wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A great number of the cool designs from the 50's and 60's are illegal because the front of the car eats people. Swallows them, chews them up, and spits them out. The sloped design of new cars isn't just about aerodynamics. In a low-speed impact a pedestrian is lifted onto the hood. Forward leaning grills, such as on the Dodge Charger, some of the beefier Mustangs, and any number of other muscle cars or sedans, instea…

>because the front of the car eats people. Swallows them, chews them up, and spits them out. How so? Could we just use modern crumple materials in the same shape?

People are already made out of crumple material. Also splat material.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#552

Post by superhuzza »

zaarn wrote: post #392
calvinmorrison wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I've given up with manual, as a technology, since I've used an EV that didn't have any switching transmission. Just fixed gear ratio. The feeling is better than manual. You always have full power available. There is no RPM regime where an EV won't be able to apply maximum torque. Manual can't beat that feeling. Though I will also say that a modern automatic doesn't need 500 meters. It works almost as well as manual.…

He meant 500 milliseconds not 500 metres. Not having any pickup over 500 metres would be insane.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#553

Post by valine »

tibbydudeza wrote: post #544

Also nothing beats a snap change to third gear when you need to perform a overtaking maneuver on that slow trailer truck and there is oncoming traffic in a distance. My experience of autoboxes is the slow glacial pace of stirring an engine.

The 1 speed automatic transmission and instant torque of an EV is gonna beat manually dropping to 3rd every time.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#554

Post by femto »

withinboredom wrote: post #332
dinom wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not the tires? New cars come with tire pressure sensors and tire pressure plays a big role in fuel efficiency as well as safety. It's just a few more bits of info. Anything that has a remote chance of making more profit than the competitor will be attempted. Even if it's morally questionable... moral != legal. Heck, VW even threw legality out the window with emissions shenanigans a few years ago. I'm not arguing…

I think they were making a joke. You’re talking about the wheels. The tires are just the rubber part on the outside of the wheels.

https://rfid.michelin.com/what-is-rfid/

It's not a complete joke. Lots of tyres contain RFID chips for inventory control.

Michelin consider it's an asset that the "Tire tag can be read even when the tire is moving or rolling"

---

Edit: Just realised that "Someone" posted the same comment 4 hours ago.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#555

Post by fooker »

ciconia wrote: post #351
eric4smith wrote: post #113

Manual transmissions are dead. I grew up learning to drive a manual transmission car. Awesome. I loved the feeling of driving and shifting gears up the hilly, mountainous, twisty horrible roads in Jamaica. Exhilarating! But cars got better. I got older, and now automatic transmissions are so much more efficient than manual transmissions * for ordinary people *. We're not talking about people who love driving here. We…

> now automatic transmissions are so much more efficient than manual transmissions * for ordinary people *. Efficient in what way? I find it highly unlikely an automatic would have better fuel economy than a manual.

> I find it highly unlikely an automatic would have better fuel economy than a manual.

This was true 15 years ago.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#556

Post by sokoloff »

zaarn wrote: post #392
calvinmorrison wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I've given up with manual, as a technology, since I've used an EV that didn't have any switching transmission. Just fixed gear ratio. The feeling is better than manual. You always have full power available. There is no RPM regime where an EV won't be able to apply maximum torque. Manual can't beat that feeling. Though I will also say that a modern automatic doesn't need 500 meters. It works almost as well as manual.…

> There is no RPM regime where an EV won't be able to apply maximum torque.

Sure there is! Electrics have maximum torque at zero RPM. As RPM increases, their torque drops off. Some cars will have a torque limit that provides for constant torque (less than the motor would be capable of), but as RPM continued to increase, eventually the torque falls off.

> You always have full power available.

This is also incorrect, but less so than the max torque claim, as power is torque times RPM (times a constant), so as RPM rises and torque falls, power is closer to constant than torque is.

Here’s an article covering a dyno test of a plaid Model S: https://electrek.co/2017/02/21/tesla-model-s-p100d-ludicrous...

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#557

Post by mnw21cam »

Dreami wrote: post #359
gerdesj wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unlikely it took you five minutes to get the hang of clutch control and shifting gears. OK, it is possible you managed to avoid kangerooing but only for a small range of circumstances. From rest (with a gear selected and clutch depressed), you have to unlatch the handbrake, whilst at the same time gradually engage the clutch and deploy power via the throttle pedal. You have to ensure you don't go backwards on a…

In Switzerland, most instructor cars are Diesels, since they have higher torque and are very hard to stall. Then you go home and drive your parent's petrol engine car and you stall it all the time

Huh. That's completely the wrong way round. My instructor's car had a petrol engine that would have been appropriate for a skateboard, so I had to get the clutch just right and learnt properly.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#558

Post by Retric »

bambax wrote: post #449
marcusestes wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disagree. Because the utility is seldom fully utilized in an urban environment, they are nearly pure fashion. They serve as a signaling mechanism the same way that a pair of Gucci loafers do, just for a different culture.

They serve as a signalling mechanism all right; they signal that their owner has no taste, and doesn't care.

Just like every generation’s thinks the next generations music sucks, this reaction is intended.

Fashion is about signaling not whatever you happen to agree with.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#559

Post by zaarn »

sokoloff wrote: post #556
zaarn wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've given up with manual, as a technology, since I've used an EV that didn't have any switching transmission. Just fixed gear ratio. The feeling is better than manual. You always have full power available. There is no RPM regime where an EV won't be able to apply maximum torque. Manual can't beat that feeling. Though I will also say that a modern automatic doesn't need 500 meters. It works almost as well as manual.…

> There is no RPM regime where an EV won't be able to apply maximum torque. Sure there is! Electrics have maximum torque at zero RPM. As RPM increases, their torque drops off. Some cars will have a torque limit that provides for constant torque (less than the motor would be capable of), but as RPM continued to increase, eventually the torque falls off. > You always have full power available. This is also incorrect, b…

Most EV motors are fairly flat, but as you mention, they use software to further flatten in. Reality is; the torque curve is nearly perfectly flat.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#560

Post by zaarn »

superhuzza wrote: post #552
zaarn wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've given up with manual, as a technology, since I've used an EV that didn't have any switching transmission. Just fixed gear ratio. The feeling is better than manual. You always have full power available. There is no RPM regime where an EV won't be able to apply maximum torque. Manual can't beat that feeling. Though I will also say that a modern automatic doesn't need 500 meters. It works almost as well as manual.…

He meant 500 milliseconds not 500 metres. Not having any pickup over 500 metres would be insane.

I am sure that doesn't change the argument at all, most electric motors don't need 500ms to apply force.
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