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Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

latimes.com

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Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#661

Post by krschultz »

sgustard wrote: post #657
Spooky23 wrote: post #617

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty easy. Take your foot off the gas. If you're still sliding, steer into the slide and correct. If necessary, rinse & repeat. IMO, the only real advantage a manual has is the ability to do some engine braking.

Is "steer into the slide" the same thing as the above comment to "steer where you want to go"? I literally don't know what steering into the slide means. If my front end is sliding right and my back end is sliding left then I should steer which way?

Best explained by video. There are many on YouTube, this one happens to have a lot of views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAi0fes4OC4

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#662

Post by mywittyname »

Annatar wrote: post #477
userbinator wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only "automatic" part of that transmission is the clutch. The driver still has to select the gear, and I think that's what the whole discussion here about manual vs. automatic is focusing on.

If there is no dry clutch and no clutch pedal, I consider that to be an automatic. And in such a system, I'm only allowed to signal gear selection: if I make a mistake or request a gear someone else thought I shouldn't request, the software won't comply. This implies that someone is assuming they know better than me how to drive, and enforce this assumption. This notion infuriates me. It's one thing to operate within…

Nitpick, but F1 cars do have clutches and they can be operated manually (and must be for starting). The big difference is the cars don't have a clutch pedal, but a pair of clutch buttons.

Now DCTs in road-going cars: undeniably automatics.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#663

Post by krschultz »

40something wrote: post #619

One of my interview questions is if they prefer manual or automatic transmission. Most of our rockstars drive manual.

I'm sure this is a joke, but you actually shouldn't ask anyone in an interview if they own a car or how they intend to get to work.

http://www.snagajob.com/employers/erc/article/the-top-3-ille...

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#664

Post by mikelward »

Cyph0n wrote: post #541
kaiserama wrote: post #499

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not courteous, but at least attentive. If you're driving a manual in stop and go, it's hard to be playing with a cellphone (not that it doesn't happen). You are being forced to spend some thought on the act of driving, which I think is a good thing.

Not really. An experienced manual driver can do it all with his/her eyes closed. It's just like the change from new driver to experienced driver.

One hand on the gear stick, one hand on the steering wheel, you shouldn't have a spare hand to use your phone. Or do you steer with your knees? :)

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#665

Post by sergiosgc »

chronolitus wrote: post #413
Retric wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried a car with paddle shifters? There is no clutch, but you still select gears. Now they don't provide every advantage of a manual transmission, but you can for example downshift to avoid excessive breaking.

Don't they provide none of the advantages of an automatic (ease of mind in traffic), and all the disadvantages (less mechanical and power efficiency, etc..) As far as I know, they're pretty much only useful in racing

It depends on the technology.

Double clutch automatic transmissions are manual transmissions with a robot that changes gears. The double clutch allows for the car to switch gears using clutches, so there is no jerky behavior. They give you as much control as a manual transmission, but only when you want to. Best of both worlds.

Some paddle shifters are automatic transmissions and the paddles actuate the torque converter. The worst of both worlds.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#666

Post by atourgates »

city41 wrote: post #627
zippergz wrote: post #35

I'm a car enthusiast, and I was a manual transmission purist for many, many years. But then I had to be honest with myself, and admit that the VAST majority of my driving is commuting in traffic. And that driving is much less annoying with an automatic. My leisure driving is maybe 5% less fun without a manual, but that's far outweighed by how much better my daily commute is. At this point, I'd only buy a manual for a…

I live in Silicon Valley and sit in nasty traffic daily in my manual transmission car. It's such second nature it doesn't even register. A motorcycle is a different story. Holding the clutch in with your left hand gets downright painful after a while. Thankfully lane splitting is legal here.

I commuted about 1.5 hours/day in Southern California for 4-years in a manual transmission. Never once did it bother me.

Shifting in traffic becomes second nature, it's not some difficult thing that you have to think about.

The only challenge with a manual transmission is that it makes it harder to do stuff in your car with your hands, like eat a burrito, that you shouldn't be doing anyway.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#667

Post by snuxoll »

Steuard wrote: post #461
72deluxe wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you're coasting down a hill and not braking, your engine is idling and you're making use of gravity. The engine will be turning over at ~1000rpm instead of 2000rpm in my diesel. Understandably it is dangerous as you are not in control of the transmission and therefore the wheels, hence the failure in the UK. But I got through some incredibly scarce times by coasting a bit on the commute to work... With automat…

Every automatic car I've ever seen has had the ability to downshift to engage engine braking. (Even the CVT in cars like the Prius has an engine braking mode.) I've seen advocates of manual transmissions cite a lack of engine braking as a reason to switch in multiple conversations, so I've gotten the impression that a lot of people just aren't taught how to drive an automatic properly. (Do they not talk about this in…

> Even the CVT in cars like the Prius has an engine braking mode

Well, of course a hybrid has engine braking - that's kind of pivotal to the whole hybrid design. It freaked my wife out the first time we went down a 7% grade in ours in 'B(raking)' - once the battery charged holding down the brake pedal caused the second MG to disengage from the transaxle and spin at max RPM's to bleed off the excess energy.

But yes, every automatic car I've ever been in has had engine braking as well - going down the same grade by mother will shift her Chevy Impala into '3' and can easily coast down the same hill only applying the brake to turn corners.

Would be nice if our Prius didn't require holding down the brake pedal, but in a way I think it plays into the natural instincts of a driver to do so - but it's a habit that can get you killed driving a manual or standard automatic transmission by overheating the brakes, so hopefully my wife doesn't go down any grades in a car other than our own without me.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#668

Post by greglindahl »

flexie wrote: post #41

This is a combustion engine issue. Electric cars don't have gears. Did you see the new jaguar EV: http://www.jaguarusa.com/all-models/i-pace-concept-car/index... Or the new Audi EV: http://www.businessinsider.com/audis-electric-vs-tesla-2016-...

Some electric cars have multiple gears. It's an engineering choice, there's a tradeoff between low-speed torque and high-speed torque/maximum speed.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#669

Post by Annatar »

dgacmu wrote: post #538
Annatar wrote: post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there is no dry clutch and no clutch pedal, I consider that to be an automatic. And in such a system, I'm only allowed to signal gear selection: if I make a mistake or request a gear someone else thought I shouldn't request, the software won't comply. This implies that someone is assuming they know better than me how to drive, and enforce this assumption. This notion infuriates me. It's one thing to operate within…

I suggest handling TCP packet retransmission yourself as well. Nothing beats having precise control over reliable data delivery. Grin. But seriously, at some point, it simply becomes a question of low level control vs improved high level functioning. I love manuals, and drive one, but the writing is clearly on the wall for good reasons. Fortunately, buying a hybrid forces the issue anyway, as others have noted.

I suggest handling TCP packet retransmission yourself as well. Nothing beats having precise control over reliable data delivery.

I used to code intros in assembler on the Amiga, and did some assembler on UltraSPARC, so the joke is completely lost on me. I love assembler and low level control.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#670

Post by olyjohn »

QuercusMax wrote: post #566
nkristoffersen wrote: post #511

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you sure? I am pretty sure the clutch does not wear when fully engaged. It is only during engagement and disengagement where there is chance of wear. The transmission on the other hand...

You are completely correct. The clutch only wears when engaging and disengaging. If you're in neutral, the synchromesh can wear in some cases, though.

Rev-match your downshifts and you won't wear on the syncros or on the clutch nearly as much.
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