Woofers and Tweeters Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Cursive writing and stick shift cars, we could cripple an entire generation. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted October 17, 2019 Moderators Share Posted October 17, 2019 2 minutes ago, Woofers and Tweeters said: Cursive writing and stick shift cars, we could cripple an entire generation. But it would be for there own good. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 50 minutes ago, dtel said: True and it just feels like more fun with a manual, but really like the new Corvette it has an 8 speed automatic. 8 speeds would probably deliver more power evenly and shift faster than a manual, 0-60 in under 3 seconds it pretty good for a showroom car. I think I'd wait for the upcoming Grand Sport edition if I was considering buying a C8. Still would prefer an actual clutch and stick to shift with as an option. Wb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 1 hour ago, dtel said: True and it just feels like more fun with a manual, but really like the new Corvette it has an 8 speed automatic. 8 speeds would probably deliver more power evenly and shift faster than a manual, 0-60 in under 3 seconds it pretty good for a showroom car. But it's more than fast shifts, it is about control. I have never seen an automatic that knows when to downshift at the right time in the right place. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyBob Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 6 hours ago, CECAA850 said: CVT. Bletch. I mostly see them on lower end small vehicles. Have you ever driven one? 4000 miles on my trip to IN last year. They take some getting used to. They are not a high performance item, agreed. Can't argue with 45mpg at highway speed. I wasn't the guy doing 55 in a 75. This Nissan has simulated shifts, if that makes you feel better. It did all right thru Ruidoso/HondoValley. It did downshift. Kept up with traffic. My real complaint about the car is a stupid one. The armrests are useless at best. The one in/on the door with bruise your elbow. Hard as... I had to put a towel on it. The other one.... in name only. 6inches long and an inch wide. wish I still had my '71 Datsun510. That was a fun car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 15 minutes ago, oldtimer said: But it's more than fast shifts, it is about control. I have never seen an automatic that knows when to downshift at the right time in the right place. It's also more fun to drive a slow small car fast than a fast car slow. Especially if it corners well. An automatic C8 would make a good consistent quarter mile car for bracket racing. Based on the times I'm seeing for the C8, it would be a close race between that and my old (heavily modified) 1977 Trans AM that I used to bracket race 30 years ago. I often wonder if the guy who bought from me years ago survived driving it. Wb 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyBob Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 20 minutes ago, oldtimer said: But it's more than fast shifts, it is about control. I have never seen an automatic that knows when to downshift at the right time in the right place. you can say the same about cruise control. It never anticipates, only react. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 1 minute ago, WillyBob said: you can say the same about cruise control. It never anticipates, only react. Never use your cruise control on ice, snow or heavy rain! React could end up an understatement. Wb 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyBob Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 They are great for out here. Weather and traffic are rarely a problem. I know that they have saved me ton of money in speeding tickets.When I was in Indiana, there was never enough open road. They don't do well in hills and turns. They are on the throttle at the wrong time/s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 24 minutes ago, WillyBob said: They are great for out here. Weather and traffic are rarely a problem. I know that they have saved me ton of money in speeding tickets.When I was in Indiana, there was never enough open road. They don't do well in hills and turns. They are on the throttle at the wrong time/s. I have a Valentine One and a sun roof to shoo away the tickets. Also, the wife will snap awake if the speed timer dings on a road trip. God I miss the days of 'the reasonable and prudent' speed limit on Montana Freeways during daytime hours. Used to make Great Falls, Helena, Butte and Dillon from the Canadian Border in really good time with no 'legal' right seat squawking. 🚓 Wb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted October 17, 2019 Moderators Share Posted October 17, 2019 56 minutes ago, oldtimer said: But it's more than fast shifts, it is about control. I have never seen an automatic that knows when to downshift at the right time in the right place. True, I was thinking about just general playing around driving. Your right even the automatics that can be forced into staying in a certain gear was never as comfortable as a manual for downshifting. And when cornering with all tires loose would not be a good time for it to up or down shift when your not expecting it. Just guessing, I always had 2 seater sports cars back when they would have never thought about an automatic, and they were not this kind of horsepower or technology for sure. My most fun car was a 1969 Datsun 2000, 2 seater convertible, 120 cubic inches, 135 Hp, 5 speed @2000 pounds, just fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahaSHO Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 As a racer and car-guy in general, who does a bunch of ECU tuning on the side, I don't particularly care to drive a manual car anymore. I currently have two 6-speed cars, which are just toys, (STi & S2000) and I don't enjoy them the way I used to compared to a DCT. Even a traditional auto these days, is pretty good. After I sell my STi soon (whenever it goes up on www.bringatrailer.com), I'll still have my S2000, which is my track car. It's got a really good shifting feel, but since I put a turbo on it, I have been considering a sequential transmission... quick shifts and never drop boost. I'll probably never buy a manual transmission car again, and I used to be a die-hard manual transmission guy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parlophone1 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 That's exactly what I had in mind when writing about my friend's experiences with modern auto transmissions. Glad to see your opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 5 hours ago, oldtimer said: But it's more than fast shifts, it is about control. I have never seen an automatic that knows when to downshift at the right time in the right place. Have you driven a car with a modern adaptive transmission? Mine stores the driving styles from the last 30 key starts, and learns to shift the way I like. It has become hard to show off the powerband, because as soon as I step hard on the gas, the trans drops a gear or two, and we're ready to rock, because it's learned that I like that. I make a point of spinning the engine past 6,000 rpm every time I take it out, and the transmission remembers that. That's one of the fun things about the Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.6 Pentastar engine and close-ratio 6-speed auto: all of the 2011-on models have the same engine and transmission, but most owners never spin the engine past 3,000, and have no idea how quick those vehicles are. The power band runs between 4400 and 6400, and that's where the fun is. It's sometimes called an AutoStick trans, and the placement of the shift lever on the dashboard puts it in fingertip reach of my hand while it's on the steering wheel, so it's easy to shift the range up and down by tapping the shift lever sideways, with both hands on the wheel. It's not a paddle shifter, but it's nearly as effective. My first exposure to this type of transmission was the 700R4 GM 4-speed in my 1990 Caprice 5.7 ex-police car. It may be that the police model transmission was calibrated somewhat differently than the civilian model. I found it easy to control the trans with the gas pedal, and could trigger a downshift anytime I wanted, with just the right pressure on the gas pedal. It was also easy to upshift by slightly lifting the pedal. That sold me. This 30-second video shows a Grand Caravan accelerating from 0 to 120 kph/75 mph, although he lifted up once he passed 110 kph/70 mph. I've concluded that they're geared to reach 120k/75m as quickly as possible, for safe highway merging, then the next three gears are taller, especially 5th and 6th, for best highway fuel economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 The linked article addresses the 2020 Corvette’s lack of a manual transmission. It states that the anticipated volume was so low none of the usual transmission makers would bid on the project. I especially liked the following: ”If you insist on shifting yourself - seriously? Do you churn your own butter? - the steering wheel has paddle shifters.” http://freep.mi.newsmemory.com/?publink=16c2d003e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 7 hours ago, yamahaSHO said: As a racer and car-guy in general, who does a bunch of ECU tuning on the side, I don't particularly care to drive a manual car anymore. I currently have two 6-speed cars, which are just toys, (STi & S2000) and I don't enjoy them the way I used to compared to a DCT. Even a traditional auto these days, is pretty good. After I sell my STi soon (whenever it goes up on www.bringatrailer.com), I'll still have my S2000, which is my track car. It's got a really good shifting feel, but since I put a turbo on it, I have been considering a sequential transmission... quick shifts and never drop boost. I'll probably never buy a manual transmission car again, and I used to be a die-hard manual transmission guy. I havery 2 DCT vehicles and one manual trans. I much prefer the DCTs and I've been driving sticks for over 40 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK Thom Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 18 hours ago, CECAA850 said: CVT. Bletch. I mostly see them on lower end small vehicles. Have you ever driven one? It feels like one long slip of the transmission. I think that the dual dry clutch automatics will take over the standard transmissions spot in the drivetrain. I've driven a couple. The one in the Subaru Crosstrek was very good - I was surprised. I prefer a stick myself but the CVT trend seems to be coming our way with smaller cars. I assume it must be due to weight and manufacturing costs. The Cross Trek in particular has ridiculously good fuel mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 1 minute ago, YK Thom said: I've driven a couple. The one in the Subaru Crosstrek was very good - I was surprised. I prefer a stick myself but the CVT trend seems to be coming our way with smaller cars. I assume it must be due to weight and manufacturing costs. The Cross Trek in particular has ridiculously good fuel mileage. There's a couple things I don't like about CVT's. Aside from how they feel and respond, you can't work on them, at least not the ones I've dealt with. Manufacturers don't sell parts for them so they're pretty much disposable units. They're susceptible to heat issues in mountainous areas more so than a conventional automatic. You also can't lock them in a particular gear, well, because there's no gears. I also don't see the fuel savings aspect of them over a properly working automatic with a locking torque converter or a standard transmission. The transmission is just one small part in the overall mpg scheme of things. Weight, aerodynamics and the engine all have large parts to play in that equation. My 6 speed standard transmission Cruze will do a legitimate 50mpg highway. I get 40-42 on average going back and forth to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack R Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 My weekend/fun car has a manual transmission. Wouldn't have it any other way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC39693 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 It's unfortunate but likely inevitable that manuals disappear. It used to be that if you went to Europe and you didn't drive a stick ... you might have some fun in a rental car agency. But I suspect (haven't rented a car in Europe in a long while) that there's paddles in lots of cars. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.