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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?

#61

Post by jeremyjh »

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 you are just better people across the pond. It took me more like an hour to get used to manual, and weeks before I could do it smoothly 100% of the time.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#62

Post by zahllos »

electric_mayhem wrote: post #8

Nothing protects your car from theft by millennials like a manual transmission.

Maybe American millennials. When I did my test in the UK manuals were most cars. You can do your test in an automatic but if you do, you can only drive automatics legally. Which can cause some problems especially if you want to hire a car.

Almost all the millennials my age can drive and and a good percentage probably own a manual. Automatics are gaining ground in the UK but they're still typically more expensive. I suspect 17 year olds are still learning to drive manuals in the UK right now.

Sorry to ruin the joke ;)

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#63

Post by falcolas »

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.

I’d throw the “sporty” Subarus (WRX, BRZ) in that category too. Fun to drive.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#64

Post by santoshalper »

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…

The real issue isn't the demise of manual transmissions. It's the upcoming demise of transmissions entirely as electrification continues it's march towards ubiquity.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#66

Post by tjr225 »

rad_gruchalski wrote: post #59
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.

I don’t understand… you can still get either of those cars on the used market so this wouldn’t affect you, would it?

I’m also pretty positive if you wanted to buy a brand new Porsche or BMW you could pay for a manual version.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#67

Post by pmalynin »

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!

Shiet,

I used to drive a manual 5L Mustang in the depth of the Edmonton winter. There was definitely one hill going into the city where if the traffic stopped (due to there being a pedestrian crossing right at the top for some reason) it was definitely time to start praying to the old gods and the new.

One time, after a particularly snowy night I drove into downtown and after making a right turn the car had its belly get stuck on a bunch of snow. But, indeed having a manual transmission did save me there as I switched into 3rd and got the car out that way after a couple tries.

Fun times.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#68

Post by Moto7451 »

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…

There are a lot of handed down memories of shifting in non-synchromesh transmissions with lousy cable driven clutches. These are very old memories. Modern manuals do a lot of interesting things like force shifting patterns for efficiency.

If you really want to geek out, do a NASCAR Racing Experience. Those clutches and transmissions are awful in comparison (they’re not supposed to be optimized for feel). They’re mushy, the clutch throw is long and very stiff, and the shifter takes forever to move into gear. The base model economy car stick shift I learned in (‘91 Mazda derived Ford Escort) feels like a luxurious precision instrument in comparison.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#70

Post by Swizec »

noizejoy wrote: post #11
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

I thought we were slowing down due to the roundabout anyway? So that’s a different context than what you’re describing?

Yes I said overtake, not roundabout.

The related context is that automatics can’t predict what gear you’re going to need before you need it. This leads to a lag that doesn’t exist with manuals that automatics compensate for by having oversized and overpowered engines.

This is most noticeable when overtaking or driving on twisty mountain roads. One way people work around it is by tapping the brakes as a signal to the transmission to shift down.

Another way to notice this weird behavior with automatics is to see how much noise american cars make when trying to take off fast from a stop light. Lots of noise thanks to wide open throttle, not much acceleration because the (cheap) gearbox keeps shifting up and reducing torque.

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