Manual Transmissions

D

doomonyou

Joined
May 3, 2003
Messages
149
I have been kicking around the idea of buying a new truck. I am giving thought to getting a manual tranny again. I have looked at the big 3, Ford does not offer a manual in the new F-150, chevy and dodge are special order. In the catalogs they show the manual trans as the weaker of the two offerings. I thought a manual would be the stronger of the two. I see why autos are in demand all the Soccer moms and dads buying trucks these days just want to put it in gear and go. Also a manual makes it harder to talk on your cell phone I guess. :D
 
In cars, manual transmissions usually are stronger than automatic transmissions...and more fun. :D
 
Yeah, it's sad, manual transmissions are now offered on some cars as extra cost options. You're right, it's the soccer moms and trend followers that are buying up vehicles like trucks and SUVs for the image and style, but refuse to shift it themselves.

I wouldn't think of buying a sporty vehicle with anything other than a manual trans. Some of the younger guys and gals at work are exactly the opposite and wouldn't even consider buying a manual, no matter what kind of vehicle they buy. One has an automatic equipped Z28 and another is buying an automatic G35 Coupe. These guys got no excuse as my wife, all 4'-10" of her, would always rather drive a manual transmission, she bought a Honda Element with a stick even though she has to make the commute through rush-hour traffic.

As for the automatic being stronger, that's probably just a marketing thing, as all the major auto companies have at least one heavy-duty manual transmission. The reason you can't get an automatic in a Corvette Z06 or Mustang Cobra is that there isn't an automatic strong enough to take the torque of those cars' engines. So the automatic is never going to be the strongest trans available.
 
It also depends whether you will be going off-road a lot.

As far as I know, automatic transmissions are a lot better than manual for four wheel driving 99% of the time. The main advantage I believe manuals have over autos in four wheel driving is a higher gearing ratio for first gear, which makes the rare really really steep slopes less hairy. But autos are lots better if you find yourself needing to change up midstream etc. And you can get the same sort of control with left foot braking as you can with a clutch in a manual.

Anyone who knows differently should not feel hesitant about disagreeing- I've only driven an auto offroad. Manuals are much more fun for road driving though, I agree!
 
I have no problems with a manual transmission, in fact I would love to have one. Only problem is I am really scared of buying a used one, you never know how the previous owner abused it. I once had a professor tell me he drove a stick for 12 years or so, and went thorugh at least one clutch a year. That scares me, how could someone be so stupid as to think it is normal to burn up clutches so fast?
 
I drive a 2002 tacoma in manual. I love manual, i will never drive anything else i dont care if it is pricetag bump. you can get tacomas in 4 door, i think the tundra comes in a manual but not in the V8. If you want V8 power just get the super charger from TRD. It kicks butt.
 
ErikD said:
I have no problems with a manual transmission, in fact I would love to have one. Only problem is I am really scared of buying a used one, you never know how the previous owner abused it. I once had a professor tell me he drove a stick for 12 years or so, and went thorugh at least one clutch a year. That scares me, how could someone be so stupid as to think it is normal to burn up clutches so fast?
Click to expand...

As the saying goes, "if you can't find it, grind it". :D
 
Thanks guys, this is the reason most fire trucks are bought with an auto. Too many of the new recruits can not drive a manual. We still have a few reserve pieces with manual trans. Boy, the kids really graon when we break one of those out to use. I have really been looking at a Tacoma v6 with a manual, along with Dogde and Chevy. I talked with a Ford salesman and he said Ford had no plans to put a manual trans in the new F 150 any time soon. looks like Ford may have lost a repeat customer.
 
Yep, the fastest way to get rid of one of those clingy car salesmen at a truck dealership is to ask about a manual transmission. I was looking at a Dodge Ram, and asked about getting a manual trans. The salesman looked at me like I was insane, and mumbled something about "special order, gonna take a few months". Then he decided it would be easier to help a customer with more "normal" tastes.
 
I took the last manual Ford Ex. Sport-Trac off the lot - wouldn't have bought anything if they hadn't had it and i didn't really care what other options were on board - I just wanted a MANUAL!!! LOL!!! :D
 
I used to love stirring my own, but now I've gotten domesticated and lazy.
Plus the modern front-wheel drives seem to handle snow-ice pretty well.

I do have fond memories of chugging around in my Beetle through the most god-awful snow and ice, threading my way through dead and abandoned cars of all sorts.
 
I have a '97 Land Rover Discovery in a 5-speed manual (still wishing for a Defender 110 if that ever gets imported again). It's great for offroading and driving in the mountains. Autos are difficult to maintain a slow speed on descents and require a lot more braking. With manual I have great control of my speed of descent.

I've never owned an automatic transmission vehicle.

It's so hard finding a standard transmission SUV/truck in the USA that if you do find one in standard, it is probably a 4-cylinder. V6 and V8's tend to be automatic only in the States. It's very unfortunate.

In the US less then 10% of the vehicles on the road are manual, whereas in Europe 90% of the vehicles are manual. What a difference.
 
Saying a manual/automatic is stronger then the other doesn't mean a whole lot unless you fully qualify what you intend to use it for.

Chevy is using an Allison Automatic with their V-10 and Duromax diesels so, clearly they are capable of high torque and high horsepower within reason. Stronger or weaker then the manuals for those engines?

A MODERN automatic bears little resemblence to the Turbo 350/400's and C-4/6's of our youths. ;) In modern times, automatics often give you better gas mileage. The gearing may actually give you better low end grunt with a heavy trailer. Properly maintained, reliability is a toss up assuming you don't ride the clutch, grind gears, improperly cool an automatic, etc.

The change is transmissions isn't just about Soccer mom's and cell phone use. ;)

In a nice sports car or sedan, it is hard to beat a smooth shifting manual. In a pickup on the farm or on a Home Depot run, an automatic is hard to beat. A good manual like the Japanese put in their pickups makes the manual versus automatic a wash for me but, the big 3 can keep their clunky manual transmission relics of decades past to themselves.
 
Get used to the automatics. They are just now getting to the point where they offer better performance and better mileage. F1 uses automatics of sorts, as does Audi, Porsche (you can still get a stick) etc. They're not quite to the point where they're mainstream, but the day is coming.
 
I hate auto transmissions. Do yourself a favor and go price a Ford F250. The base engine is the same as the big engine for the F150 and its available with a 6 speed manual. You could also get a V10 or deisel with the 6 speed, but it sounds like you don't want that much truck. When we got our last truck it was much easier to find F250's with a reasonable amount of options on them, they were actually cheaper than F150's.
I would be surprised if its really true that you can't get a 150 with a manual too. For as long as I can remember 150's were available with a manual as long as you didn't get the big motor, used to be you had to get a 302 (instead of a 351) to get the stick, then it was 4.6L V8 over 5.4L V8 to get the stick. I know they just revamped the line, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get one ordered the way you want it, dealers may not carry them becuase hardly anyone will buy them.

The salesman at the dealership we went to told us that the manual transmisson had less payload because you lose torque when you shift. The auto transmisson has a faster shift time so its not an issue :rolleyes: I say thats a load of ****, they brag about low end torque and program the auto's to keep the motor running at 3500 RPM when you get on it hard. I hate them. How the hell can 4 gears be better for keeping the engine in its powerband than 6?
 
If you like autos you may as well catch the bus because the damned this is almost drining itself anyway. Who in their right mind, other than OAP's like autos?

They are not as efficient or as responsive as a manual, even the hybrid auto/manual boxes (if you can drive that is, because you can only get a couple of gears in the psudomanual range. The gearbox is lighter on a manual so less tyre wear and easier to fix if you plan to keep it after the warranty runs out.

Get a 6spd Diesel and it will run forever.
 
RARanney said:
Get used to the automatics. They are just now getting to the point where they offer better performance and better mileage. F1 uses automatics of sorts, as does Audi, Porsche (you can still get a stick) etc. They're not quite to the point where they're mainstream, but the day is coming.
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F1 cars for the past decade have used whats called a paddle shifter, sequential manual or semi-automatic gear box. This is not to be confused with automatic. To drive one you still need to know stick, because you control all the upshifting and downshifting yourself, minus the clutch. These systems shift MUCH quicker than manual transmissions and remove the ability of the driver to fry the clutch or over rev the engine in one wrong move.

Ferrari has brought this technology over to there road cars, and it is flawless. They are the best at what they do...

Other makers have followed suit, and have achieved mixed results. The Audi TT has a double-clutch system that makes it smooth as an automatic, but lacks the speed of say the BMW sequential.

I'm a lover of sports cars and will never drive an automatic. The ability to downshift and upshift at will is something necessary in sports car racing and it will be that way for a very long time.

Automatic's are great for those who don't drive sports cars or don't care though. I can't see a BMW owner really caring if he makes a good heal toe downshift before the turn apex to make it out in good time. :rolleyes:
-Kevin
 
Morgoth412 said:
Automatic's are great for those who don't drive sports cars or don't care though. I can't see a BMW owner really caring if he makes a good heal toe downshift before the turn apex to make it out in good time. :rolleyes:
-Kevin
Click to expand...
A perfectly rev matched downshift just feels so good!

I drive a little old 1990 Civic EX standard with a 1.6.
To get the most out of a tiny little engine like this, you have to have a stickshift.
A stickshift is great for fuel economy however. I get 30 MPG around suburbia in this 14 year old car w/ 137k miles!
 
AKA Knife Knut said:
A perfectly rev matched downshift just feels so good!

I drive a little old 1990 Civic EX standard with a 1.6.
To get the most out of a tiny little engine like this, you have to have a stickshift.
A stickshift is great for fuel economy however. I get 30 MPG around suburbia in this 14 year old car w/ 137k miles!
Click to expand...

I'm right there with you. 1990 Subaru Legacy 16 Valve 4cyl. w/ 5-SPEED. To get the most out of these little 4cylinders you really SHOULD drive a stick. I'm just saying automatic is fine for those who don't care.

Oh, and BTW I have you beat. 14 years old w/ 173k miles! :p
-Kevin
Edited to add: Like I said I will NEVER drive an automatic, but those who do drive it shouldn't be put down too much. (Unless they are driving sports cars...and then the question should be why do they own a sports car in the first place...LOL.)
 
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