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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?

#751

Post by albrewer »

sufehmi wrote: post #701

I bought my car new about $ 12,000 - then a few weeks ago got problem with its automatic transmission, and do you know how much it's gonna cost me? $ 7,600 I never heard such thing with cars with manual transmission.

It happens, but they're easier to tear down and repair / rebuild. Main problem that occurs in a manual is the synchronization gear mechanisms going bad (so you have to do the 1940's double de-clutching to manually synchronize), actual wear on the gears being worse because you can actually grind them, and clutch replacements (they are a wear part - essentially a giant brake pad between the engine and transmission).

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#753

Post by kurupt213 »

hinkley wrote: post #123
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…

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…

Try not getting run over…problem solved

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#755

Post by Retric »

yencabulator wrote: post #738
Retric wrote: post #564

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me guess, you don’t live next to farmers or a lot of snow.

The best-selling car brand in Norway is Tesla. Pickups are not good in snow, at all, and that you think so puts you in "that crowd" for sure.

Yet, many people also have pickup trucks in Norway specifically to deal with moving snow which is what I was referring to. You don’t need a high percentage of big trucks to do this, but it is utility you get from a truck you don’t get from a model 3.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#756

Post by randomdata »

woodruffw wrote: post #640
bambax wrote: post #634

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well no... that's my point! A political statement is not fashion. If one plants a political flag in their garden in support of a presidential candidate, that's not fashion, that's politics. If people decide to broadcast their opinions about the world using cars, they certainly can; but I don't think that kind of behavior can be called "fashion". Ideology, maybe.

I think that's making too fine of a point. There are numerous aesthetic choices associated with political positions; variants of "military chic" amongst conservatives is one example. I happen to think that most modern trucks look incredibly stupid, but that's because their design language isn't intended for me. It's intended for people who have different fashion tastes, tastes that approximate political positions tha…

> It's intended for people who have different fashion tastes, tastes that approximate political positions that I don't hold.

As a Canadian living in the heart of supply management (i.e. state ownership of the means of production) country, where supplies are provided by the so named and literal Co-op (i.e. community ownership of the means of production), trucks are very popular. In part because they are useful tools in carrying out the business within that socialist system, but also because outsiders emulate to try and convey similar social standing.

If there is a political statement to be found in there, which may be a stretch, to me it would be that trucks = socialism. But when I look beyond my bubble, I'm left with the impression that trucks are, if anything, especially stateside, a statement at the compete opposite end of the spectrum.

What approximate political position do you believe is inbuilt into the design of modern trucks?

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#757

Post by zaarn »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #593
zaarn wrote: post #560

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Surely they don't. But that's not what it's about. It's about the fact that I can't reliably gauge how this car works or have good feedback in comparison to my manual.

I would argue you have better feedback and can understand better how it works than manual. There is a fixed ratio gear connecting motor and wheels. Simpler than clutch and transmission by miles. The motor works with electricity and a motor controller, all software. It has reliable performance characteristics.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#758

Post by timbit42 »

tibbydudeza wrote: post #597
valine wrote: post #553

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

EV is a long way off for me - costs of EV does not compare well to ICE cars.

It will within 10 years.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#759

Post by taylodl »

lisper wrote: post #742
taylodl wrote: post #736

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People say they hate driving manuals in stop-and-go-traffic and I don't get it - maybe it's because I've been driving them as my daily driver for over 30 years? My left foot and right hand just take care of what needs to be done without my even having to think about it. Essentially I am driving an automatic! :)

Where do you live? Because I lived in LA, and I found that after an hour or more of constant clutching, day after day after day, it got old.

By the time I got to that kind of traffic my left foot and right hand were already on automatic. Doesn't feel like a chore because half the time I'm not even aware of what they're doing - they just do it.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#760

Post by switch007 »

mywittyname wrote: post #744
switch007 wrote: post #510

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Another example is highway driving and wanting to accelerate to pass someone. Sometimes the car decides that when I press the accelerator (while driving in 120km/h already), to shift down a gear to be able to speed up faster, but it's completely unnecessary, just go faster instead. This is the number one problem I have with automatics! Even in 'eco' mode, most tend to shift down. It seems completely wrong. It shoul…

High loads at low revs are stressful on engines, which is why automatics won't let you hit more than 20-30% load in a high gear.

Has a modern engine ever failed from insufficient shifting down? I feel like it’s a non-issue in reality in modern engines?

Also I assume your point doesn’t apply to diesels, and I’ve noticed the same shifting down in diesel autos.

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