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Stick or Auto

Stick or Auto

  • Stick

    Votes: 19 54.3%
  • Auto

    Votes: 16 45.7%

  • Total voters
    35

tjf67

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I used to drive a stick. Now I drive Auto.

Most if not all the reason why people prefer stick no longer true. As far as the more power you have to know how to shift and I bet most people do not including most of the people in here.
 

snowmonster

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Stick. I like "feeling the road" and being in control. When I pass another car, I like to downshift and feel the power in the car. In automatic cars, there's that awkward moment when you don't know when the car is going to downshift on you. Of course, you can also shift it to a lower gear (out of D), but there's that millisecond "hiccup" before it actually engages. With a stick, especially a car that you've driven around a lot, you get used to the nuances of the car and it "fit likes a glove."

I learned driving on a stick, so I'm totally biased. I'm in the market this year for a Jeep and am only considering one with manual transmision.
 

JimG.

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I prefer a manual transmission. But both of our cars are automatic. My wife doesn't drive a manual so I make that small concession to utility.

Interestingly, Formula 1 cars, the pinnacle of automotive technology, utilize paddle shifters and fly by wire clutch systems. Basically automatics you shift with the touch of a lever on the steering wheel.

If you really like to shift gears, drive a tractor-trailer.
 

Greg

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I work with a guy who only has stick shifts. He once broke his left foot and had to periodically borrow cars from family. Not saying anyone should buy an auto thinking this might happen to them, but thought it was an interesting story.
 

skiNEwhere

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o yea if you're going over the speed limit and ya see a cop in the distance behind ya, instead of a slamming on your brake lights and making it obvious, you can downshift and ease off the clutch

haven't had the need to do that but i've been in my friends car when he pulled it off.
 

Dr Skimeister

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I drive a '02 1/2 VW Passat, 5 speed turbo. My favorite car of the dozen or so I've owned over the years. Front-wheel drive decent in snow (admittedly not as good as 4WD Landcruisers or Explorer I've had in the past), great highway cruising vehicle, and by far the best factory-installed speakers of any car I've ever been in. A ride without the right way to listen to music is like...a mountain without snow.
 

cbcbd

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Interestingly, Formula 1 cars, the pinnacle of automotive technology, utilize paddle shifters and fly by wire clutch systems. Basically automatics you shift with the touch of a lever on the steering wheel.
In higher end cars the speed of the auto shifting is much greater than a human would be able to do it manually with a clutch pedal - That's Mercedes' excuse, although it's true if you're looking at performance. Plus, although these cars have paddle shifters they are not using slush-boxes and still have a clutch.

o yea if you're going over the speed limit and ya see a cop in the distance behind ya, instead of a slamming on your brake lights and making it obvious, you can downshift and ease off the clutch
I haven't done that with cops, but I did once downshift to surprise the guy following behind me too close - a brake-check, but without brake lights.
 

JimG.

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In higher end cars the speed of the auto shifting is much greater than a human would be able to do it manually with a clutch pedal - That's Mercedes' excuse, although it's true if you're looking at performance. Plus, although these cars have paddle shifters they are not using slush-boxes and still have a clutch.

But the clutch disengages/engages by wire when the paddle is moved. As you said, the cars are moving too fast and the shift points come up too fast to use a pedal.

Ever seen an F1 race? The scream of those engines is primal.
 

ALLSKIING

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o yea if you're going over the speed limit and ya see a cop in the distance behind ya, instead of a slamming on your brake lights and making it obvious, you can downshift and ease off the clutch

haven't had the need to do that but i've been in my friends car when he pulled it off.
The E-brake works well for that Auto or stick.
 

Rushski

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History:
'79 Monte Carlo 8cyl. Auto
'83 Sentra 4cyl. Stick (unbelievable mpg, kills today's hybrids)
'90 Laser Turbo 4cyl. Stick
'90 CRX 4cyl. Stick
'95 Saturn SL1 4cyl. Stick
'02 Saturn VUE 6cyl. Auto
'06 Xterra 6cyl. Auto

Is there a pattern there?
 

Sky

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I drive an auto now. Learned on a "standard" (what they were called back in the day). It was a 3 speed "on-the-column". ugh No speed shifting there pally!

But now-a-days...I love the Auro. Driving in traffic is tough with a stick. Plus...drinking a coffee with a stick is a pain in the arse!

...and if I had a hot car, that wold mean I'd already won the lotttery. SO...I'd go with the muscle car AND whatever is the equivalent of what used to be the hot auto tranni for muscle cars...a B&M Hydro.

But a muscle car is still way down on my list of "what to do aftr I win the lottery".
 

Marc

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I used to drive a stick. Now I drive Auto.

Most if not all the reason why people prefer stick no longer true. As far as the more power you have to know how to shift and I bet most people do not including most of the people in here.

What did I say in my first list that was not true?

I prefer a manual transmission. But both of our cars are automatic. My wife doesn't drive a manual so I make that small concession to utility.

Interestingly, Formula 1 cars, the pinnacle of automotive technology, utilize paddle shifters and fly by wire clutch systems. Basically automatics you shift with the touch of a lever on the steering wheel.

If you really like to shift gears, drive a tractor-trailer.

No, they're not automatic transmissions at all in that they still use a "manual" set up, IE, constant mesh gears engaged and disengaged by dog collars. The difference is the clutches are solenoid driven rather than hydraulically or mechanically in passenger cars and the collars are engaged and disengaged using a sequential system with a rotating drum (just like motorcycles and most racecars that have a mechanical or hydraulic clutch).

If it had a torque converter and a planetary gear set, it would be closer to an automatic transmission.

I work with a guy who only has stick shifts. He once broke his left foot and had to periodically borrow cars from family. Not saying anyone should buy an auto thinking this might happen to them, but thought it was an interesting story.

One could just as easly break your right foot and be totally fooked. Incidentally, when I hurt my back recently mountain biking, I only used the clutch to get in in gear from a stop, and drove the rest of the time without the clutch. Yes it can be done, no it's not hard.

But the clutch disengages/engages by wire when the paddle is moved. As you said, the cars are moving too fast and the shift points come up too fast to use a pedal.

Ever seen an F1 race? The scream of those engines is primal.

I went to the '05 Montreal Grand Prix. It was awesome, except for all the smelly Europeans... (just kidding, I love Europeans.... correction... I love European women)
 
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Right now while my Subaru is being repaired I have a 2000 Neon as a rental..it's the biggest piece of shit I've ever driven..
 

Marc

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My stick Scion xB has both.

Yes. Traction control and stability programs work with wheel speed indicators, ground speed indicators, steering wheel angle sensor, and accelerometers for measurement, and your brake system for correction. Power transmission generally has nothing to do with modern systems, all of them work to limit slip or correct course by applying brake to one or more wheels individually.

Of course there are still plenty of purely mechanical devices in the form of various types of limited slip differentials as well, but they can be used equally as easy with an automatic or manual transmission.
 

ctenidae

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My stick Scion xB has both.


Yeah, it just occured to me that my last two Saabs and my current Acura (all sticks) also had traction control and such. Worked fine. My old S-10 (also a stick) didn't have anything built in. Traction was controlled by varying the amount of wood/bricks/snow/sand in teh bed.
 

smitty77

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If you really like to shift gears, drive a tractor-trailer.
I work for a company that owns dozen of "big rigs", and oddly (or not) most of the drivers' personal vehicles are autos. They all say that after shifting through 18 gears all day long, the last thing they want to do is shift on the way home. I've driven a few around the yard at work, and can see how it gets old after a while.

Mark, an addition to your list of why people drive autos: They have to. All of the company vehicles are autos, we don't get a choice. But I'm not complaining because they're paying for it.

My wife's PT Cruiser is a manual (she insisted) and I'm glad. I've driven the autos and they lack balls. 1st in her car seems a little low, but 2nd and 3rd have some good range. I can rip up an on-ramp and be doing 60 in 3rd with lots of room left on the tach.
 
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