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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?

#861

Post by LinuxBender »

lupire wrote: post #642
bregma wrote: post #546

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand, but a modern pickup truck comfortably seats 6 in its King Cab (and good luck finding a truck without a King Cab) and has a bed that is useless for carrying anything except maybe your gym bag or a dozen cases of empties. There is no doubt the purpose of a modern pickup truck is as a passenger vehicle and secondarily to provide an advertising medium for you political beliefs. The fact that modern American…

What's missing is that those "worksite" trucks should require a special commercial drivers license and extra testing for the professional drivers who drive them, same as big rigs. And not be allowed for non-work trips like driving to school.

I think what you are asking is to lower the existing legal thresholds. Today if a vehicle's GVWR/GCWR or axle count exceeds a specific number varies by state then a different endorsement is required on the drivers license. [1] Each state may have additional requirements and some have additional endorsements and classes of vehicle.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#862

Post by kazinator »

iggldiggl wrote: post #589
ChainOfFools wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe every US market Nissan sedan, including the stanza at the lowest end, come standard with a continuously variable transmission programmed to fake the sensation of shifting at fixed gear intervals. so in that case, you get an infinity of 'gears'

The Mitsubishi Mirage (Space Star in parts of Europe) is offered with both manual and CVT transmission options. According to the figures in the manual for the 2016 model revision ( https://mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1... ), the CVT is indeed supposed to be slightly more efficient, according to the figures for the 2019 model ( https://mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1... ) on…

I'd take the manufacturer's efficiency claims with a grain of salt; they are not going to be individually reproducible, let alone comparable to each other for those models. You can drive a manual for fuel efficiency, and be assiduous in doing so; there is intent and skill involved.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#863

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

Doxin wrote: post #859
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #783

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the USA, if you have a pulse, you'll pass the driving exam.

That's what I here. Meanwhile over here you can get an instant fail for opening the door the wrong way.

In America, in most states, Driver's Ed is optional, which I think is beyond ridiculous. People expect your parents to teach you to drive, which leads to gaps in knowledge (A significant percentage of people in the USA don't think you should keep right except when passing), and in some cases, flat-out wrong teachings.

Even when there IS a Driver's Ed class, there's not enough behind-the-wheel time. They need to include hands-on lessons on emergency maneuvers, especially in the rain, so people can get an understanding for how the car will handle, rather than a trial-by-fire the first time they have to slam their brakes in the rain.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#864

Post by capableweb »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #819
jlkuester7 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty cool to read about somebody using their Porsche the same way I use my 12yo Toyota Rav4! My record is still fitting a full-sized washer and dryer in the back... Don't feel silly for utilizing your vehicle's capabilities!

Pah! I fit 9 bales of hay in a Saturn Vue. I'm still really proud of that :-)

What kind of bale of hay? Where I live, a bale of hay weighs something like 200kg, total weight would be 1800kg which I don't think any car could muster (nor actually fit), but seems you're using "bale of hay" as a different measurement than what I have in mind.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#865

Post by ska »

notsapiensatall wrote: post #125
ska wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. They’ve been available for ages now but not much uptake. This happens periodically - there was an automatic Honda back in the 80s that also didn’t sell. WHat has changed, at least in performance bikes (broadly stated) is autoblippers/quickshifters. A skill you could learn (clutch less shifts) of course but never as fast as these.

The Honda Super Cub was pretty cool, and it dates back to the late '50s. Apocryphally, it used a centrifugal clutch to free the left hand so the rider could hold a package while driving.

Interesting tech ... but empirically (at least in north america) didn't sell well at all.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#866

Post by mywittyname »

hnov wrote: post #746
mywittyname wrote: post #740

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DCTs are still best for that sweet-sweet 0-60 time. The max stall RPMs on a stock torque converted transmission is probably 2300rpms at the most, while Porsche PDK can launch at redline and modulate torque delivery precisely. I don't know of a car with a torque converted that can hit sixty in under 3.0 seconds, but the Corvette and 911 can both do so with RWD due to the bonkers launches these cars manage.

The BMW M5 has a ZF 8HP and pulls off sub 3s 0-60s in CS trim. The new xDrive M3 comes close. I’m sure there are others. The key obviously is to have a torque converter stall speed that’s in powerband.

Yeah, you're right. I realize that I eluded to it in the subsequent statement, but didn't outright say it, but I meant to say,

> I don't know of a RWD car with a torque converted that can hit sixty in under 3.0 seconds on street tires,

It's insane what the C8 can do with RWD on street tires. Being able to launch at full HP without destroying the rear tires is amazing. DCTs have near EV levels of torque management capabilities.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#867

Post by taxyz »

alexchantavy wrote: post #380
randunel wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you’ll notice modern manual cars keep the revs up even when you let off the throttle It's called "engine brake" and the fuel consumption is 0 in spite of the revs. As far as mileage goes, my experience in modern cars is still the opposite, manuals still use less fuel.

I think they are referring to rev hang that occurs in newer manual transmissions where the ECU is tuned to not drop revs quickly for emissions reasons. This makes for an annoying 1st-to-2nd gear shift because the driver must wait a long time between shifts before engaging the clutch in order to shift smoothly. Mostly only newer MTs do this - some worse than others.

yes i was referring to rev hang and you're spot on.

for anyone else seeing this that is interested, here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm6SSeLivqE

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#868

Post by hnov »

mywittyname wrote: post #866
hnov wrote: post #746

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The BMW M5 has a ZF 8HP and pulls off sub 3s 0-60s in CS trim. The new xDrive M3 comes close. I’m sure there are others. The key obviously is to have a torque converter stall speed that’s in powerband.

Yeah, you're right. I realize that I eluded to it in the subsequent statement, but didn't outright say it, but I meant to say, > I don't know of a RWD car with a torque converted that can hit sixty in under 3.0 seconds on street tires , It's insane what the C8 can do with RWD on street tires. Being able to launch at full HP without destroying the rear tires is amazing. DCTs have near EV levels of torque management ca…

So with the C8 and 911 they can’t be characterized as merely RWD for straight line acceleration purposes because of weight distribution. One of the biggest issues with launching is that by the time weight transfer happens tires are already spinning, so to get a good launch you want a softer suspension which would ruin the car’s performance at corner exit. Being mid or rear engined helps there because you’re starting with 55-60% of the mass over the rear wheels which is closer to AWD than RWD for launch traction.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#869

Post by NonNefarious »

AlexandrB wrote: post #299
Retric wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You asked why, and the answer is cost vs benefit. Car styling alone doesn’t justify the risk to pedestrians, large truck utility can. Yes, this tradeoff kills people, but so do all sorts of things like not physically preventing cars from driving 80+MPH.

This is a non answer. Australia has a vehicle style commonly referred to as a "ute"[1]. I think it stand for "utility". Which is basically a car with a truck bed in the back. This provides many of the advantages of a pickup without the increased danger to pedestrians. Why are car companies not marketing/selling these to the average consumer instead of the monster RAMs and F150s? I suspect the reason has everything to…

In the USA we have sport-utes, which was the original term for SUVs. Don’t know why that was forgotten and replaced with MORE syllables, but there you go.

Now we have no small trucks, and a continued parade of bloated, impractical junk that manufacturers are pushing as “small.” The new Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado stand out as regressions from their former incarnations, and the Maverick is another joke. They all force giant four-door cabs and puny beds on all buyers.

Thus they lack the usefulness of a proper truck, and the safety of the “utes” you describe.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#870

Post by Gordonjcp »

marssaxman wrote: post #823
Gordonjcp wrote: post #729

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'92 would be an RRC. Get a P38, they're a lot more "liveable" as a daily and they don't rot anything like as badly. Also an RRC is insanely expensive, and P38s have only just started the upward curve.

Are they now? That's a shame; I sold my last one to a scrapyard after someone stole both cats out of it, a week before I was going to move - I just didn't have time to deal with it. I was always skeptical of the P38s because of the airbags. How do you deal with that over the long term?

Change the bags every ten years or so. You can get aftermarket ones by Arnotts, but Dunlop still do them too. Apparently they're used in ambulances, too.

I won't say I've never had EAS problems but it's never left me stuck, unlike coil springs.

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