Automatic vs Manual Transmission?

[Medlight 17]

Manual (except when I'm driving to emergencies on blue lights in which cause automatic so I can concentrate on everything else). 

 

Manual is the standard for the UK and if your a learner driver - no matter what country your in - it's good to learn manual. The reason being if you learn how to drive a manual car you can do either. In the UK especially, automatic drivers licences are restricted to automatic cars. Whilst manual drivers licences can drive either cars and it's a requirement for bigger vehicles like vans and lorries. I've know a few people who have wasted money on automatic drivers licence and have had to redo their whole car licence to get their van / lorry / bus licences.

[The Awesome One 1,315]

Manual is fun and all provided it's in a car that can go fast or is just sporty in general but if I have a crappy small suzuki hatchback, I want it in automatic.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I prefer automatic which is what I drive currently, I don't know if I could drive manual because I don't know how, but my older brother loves driving manual.

[Lunia 332]

I go with automatic as I find it easier then manual. That and I never tried manual, automatic just seems simpler and easier then having to change the gear every time. 

[Attack of the Pwns 894]

I'm in the same boat as you, Airbourne. I'd love to be able to drive stick, and plan to learn on a friend's Kia if he comes up to my college this coming fall. My family's always had autos, because they think manuals are annoying in traffic.

 

I plan next summer to buy a cheap Del Sol or Civic and teach myself further (also want an excuse to buy a riced-out Honda). Going to get one that's already so butchered with "overnight from Japan" parts that it's either faster than a speeding bullet or a total death trap, so it won't matter if I tear it up a little.

 

Hmmm yes, I've heard that too. I think manuals shift gears faster since you do it yourself. I guess that's maybe why most race cars and such are manual?

 

I really don't know much about cars though. 

O.K., time for a history lesson from someone who is a tour guide at a car museum. Way back in the late 1950s thru mid 1960s, back when autos where a new option in the cheaper Fords and Chevrolets (Cadillac and Lincoln got them shortly after WWII), they sucked a lot of power from the engine hence they were not nearly as fast as the 4 speeds, and they weren't even made an option in slower cars like the VW Beetle or Renault Dauphine.

 

But by the 1990s, autos were faster in a straight line than a stick because, with the invention of the electronic transmission, the autos could shift faster than a human technically could. Therefore, they started to make inroads in the sports car market, hence why there are only a few purists who stick to Manual here in the U.S. today.

 

The manual tranny has a few advantages for the enthusiast, the main one being that you are in full control. This is why you rarely see an automatic at a drift event, that won't let you rev high enough to really slide because the system is programmed to protect against damage. They also do much better burnouts .

 

Finally, sticks are typically more durable. Autos are durable in the modern age, no doubts about that, but when something does go wrong you pretty much have to either rebuild or replace the whole shebang. With a stick, most of the time you only need to replace the clutch, which is a maintenance item anyway. That's why sticks are popular with first time drag racers, although most of the pros use GM Powerglide automatics.

[Miles 2,512]

I'm in the same boat as you, Airbourne. I'd love to be able to drive stick, and plan to learn on a friend's Kia if he comes up to my college this coming fall. My family's always had autos, because they think manuals are annoying in traffic.

 

I plan next summer to buy a cheap Del Sol or Civic and teach myself further (also want an excuse to buy a riced-out Honda). Going to get one that's already so butchered with "overnight from Japan" parts that it's either faster than a speeding bullet or a total death trap, so it won't matter if I tear it up a little.

 

 

O.K., time for a history lesson from someone who is a tour guide at a car museum. Way back in the late 1950s thru mid 1960s, back when autos where a new option in the cheaper Fords and Chevrolets (Cadillac and Lincoln got them shortly after WWII), they sucked a lot of power from the engine hence they were not nearly as fast as the 4 speeds, and they weren't even made an option in slower cars like the VW Beetle or Renault Dauphine.

 

But by the 1990s, autos were faster in a straight line than a stick because, with the invention of the electronic transmission, the autos could shift faster than a human technically could. Therefore, they started to make inroads in the sports car market, hence why there are only a few purists who stick to Manual here in the U.S. today.

 

The manual tranny has a few advantages for the enthusiast, the main one being that you are in full control. This is why you rarely see an automatic at a drift event, that won't let you rev high enough to really slide because the system is programmed to protect against damage. They also do much better burnouts .

 

Finally, sticks are typically more durable. Autos are durable in the modern age, no doubts about that, but when something does go wrong you pretty much have to either rebuild or replace the whole shebang. With a stick, most of the time you only need to replace the clutch, which is a maintenance item anyway. That's why sticks are popular with first time drag racers, although most of the pros use GM Powerglide automatics.

 

Close.  Very close.  And I know you know your stuff, but...

 

Besides the difference of percentages in power loss between autos and manuals, and besides the difference in time needed to change gears between the two...  You're missing a key factor.

 

Shift points.

 

Many automatic transmissions shift sooner than they should.  Even if only by a little.

 

Our 1989 Chevy Camaro RS is an automatic.  Has the 305 TBI V8.  The automatic shifts at 4,500 RPMs.  In a manual, (or by shifting manually from 1st to 2nd in an automatic - though this is rough on the tranny), if you shift at 5,000 RPMs, you can cut a second off the 0 to 60 acceleration time.

 

Sure it will differ from car to car based on each engines peak power band in the revs - and sure not all automatics shift too soon... but some do.  As proven by our Camaro.

 

So, in a vehicle with an engine that still has range left in its power band beyond where an automatic tranny would shift, manuals are always faster, because you can rev higher, grabbing the next gear with higher revs, reducing the chances of dipping below the peak power band when shifting.

 

---

 

I have driven a manual car before.  It was my buddy's old Ford Contour.  Unfortunately, it was high mileage, lived a rough life, and its clutch was just starting to have issues.  I managed to drive it without stalling, though.  It was fun.

 

Other than that, I've been riding a four-wheeler with a clutch for years.  Plus, I have a motorcycle, too.

 

---

 

One other thing I can mention: my dad used to have a '96 F-150 with the 300 straight-six.  It was a manual.  I wasn't old enough to drive, but I loved being a passenger in it.  There was just something about the way it felt, sounded, and rode...  I miss his old truck.

 

But it sucked gas, and he needed a more economical vehicle.  So, bye-bye to the handsome green truck it was.

 

~ Miles

 

P.S.  I have also been a passenger in a tandem truck with dual clutch.  Boy oh boy, that ain't for me, lmao.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Miles

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I prefer automatic, I'm just used to it.

[Yakamaru 3,127]

Manual all the way, baby. Automatic is useful as hell for sure when driving in the city, but manual feels a lot better. That you're actually driving and not being just a passenger in your own car.

My baby's manual, and I will keep driving manuals until the day I die.

[Yoshi89 5,293]

Automatic, only because I’ve never driven stick.

[Fluttershutter 2,476]

I don't see any reason to make things more complicated than they need to be.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

I much prefer the manual transmission I love the feeling of shifting gears and of course the connection and overall engagement it gives me to my driving.

[Splashee 28,564]

For feedback, manual transmission.

 

For simplicity, automatic transmission.

 

 

I think, for easy and fast transportation, I would go with automatic.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Driven automatic a few times, but in the UK they are really rare - people are taught stick for the test, and it's the default here.

[Northern Star 1,024]

Manual. Synchro or non synchro. Double clutching I don't really care for, on the transmissions that you absolutely can not float. I prefer a 13 speed, like a Fuller RTO-12513 I believe it is we have in a few trucks. Treat it like a 4+2 and split it when necessary or into road gear. 

 

Automatics...seem like they are always hunting for a gear in our hills. Also there's no need for it to kick down into second and 6000 rpm when 3rd at 3 would have worked. 

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

all I noticed is automatic will save you gas. manuals..... yeah I'll stay with automatic.... I'm cheap.

[daviddaviddavid 776]

I've only got an automatic license, so I can't legally drive manual cars. England is quite unusual in that a majority of cars currently in circulation here have manual transmission, but that's changing as more and more new cars are only being produced with automatic gearboxes - and I predict that the rise of EVs will kill off manual cars almost entirely sooner or later anyway. 

But even all that aside, I just prefer the simplicity of driving an automatic vehicle. I've noticed that in automatic cars with very small engines, the automatic gear changes can sometimes happen at very undesirable moments (such as when braking) but I'm only driving a 1.4 litre atm and I've never had a problem with my transmission.

[Cash In 22,328]

Automatic, because of simplicity sake. Manuals are fine enough, but sometimes it's nice to keep things simple.

[Lunaholic 898]

I like both but I prefer automatic. However manual is more fun to drive. The most of cars here in Finland have manual transmission but the automatic transmissions are becoming more common

[Mandalagan 231]

i like manual since my dads 1997 honda civic vtec is manual, and its very reliable and my dad no need much repairs on the car.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

You'll save more gas in automatic and less tiring u assure you... Unless you do racing... If you race go manual.

[Dreambiscuit 9,794]

I prefer automatic. When I’m driving I don’t need any extra distractions like shifting when there are plenty of cars that do that on their own. My car is an automanual, meaning it can be driven auto or manual. I always drive it on auto. I always hear that manual is better for the car but that makes no sense. Theoretically if the car automatically shifts when it wants to, it is doing so at the optimum moment rather wheezing and straining itself while it waits for me to decide if the time is right to shift. In my opinion, manual transmissions are an antiquated idea that should have disappeared decades ago, like hand-cranked engines.