I Miss Shifting

[Rastoff]

I still find myself going for the clutch pedal and reaching for the shifter.

I have a manual car and an automatic truck. I mostly drive the car. Every now and then I find myself reaching for the clutch and stick in the truck. Of course they're not there. One time I wasn't paying close attention and stepped on the clutch. Of course there's no clutch so, I basically slammed on the brake with my left foot. Fortunately there was no one behind me and only me in the truck.

I miss the simplicity of older cars.

I do too, but I like the modern engines. With modern computer controlled ignition, fuel injection, air flow, etc., engines are very reliable. I like that I can just get in and go.

 

[Squarebutt]

The summer I was 16 I worked for a commercial roofer. My first week they handed me the keys to an old dump truck with a stick shift, two-speed axle and air brakes. No synchros between gears, either. After that, I've enjoyed a number of manual shift cars and trucks. My previous truck was an F350 Superduty with a manual trans. I learned to go up and down through the gears without using the clutch and without grinding. Sold it at 130,000 miles with the original clutch and transmission.

 

[rwsmith]

Our subdivision....

The road out of our subdivision is pretty level. Until it gets to where you need to make a left turn onto the frontage road that has a lot of traffic coming from both directions. There your car is sitting on a steep upward slope with people behind you waiting to turn out also. You have to have exquisite timing to catch a break and not slide backwards. There are trees and fence right on the road there, so don't overshoot, but get your behind out of the lane you are crossing because somebody is heading for you like a torpedo.

It's more than a little nerve wracking in an automatic. Worse with a manual.

 

[tobimaru]

Shifting for me is all about vehicle control. Not all the time, but more often than not it is an advantage to be able to downshift and rev match instead of braking. Without the ability to control your gearing, the ECU decides for you and it's not always a clear communication from car to driver. Newer cars are more intelligent/intuitive.

My compromise is an automatic transmission in the car that I can shift manually if I need to. That, and I still ride a motorcycle with a clutch and 5 gears. I do prefer it in everything but stop and go traffic which is maybe 2% of my riding.

 

[snowman]

It's a '75 Toyota Corolla SR5. Wish I had more pictures of it. I made a custom floating tubular grill for it along with other little mods here and there. The side skirts matched a custom front spoiler.

Thanks Snubby; seems like that was about the earliest we imported those. No wonder I didn't recognize it.

Shifting is really fun on the small cars, in my experience; for one thing the clutches generally aren't so stiff.

Andy

 

[Dave_n]

Like Steve LV I too learned to drive in the UK, but I suspect a few years before him (car DL at 17 in 1956, with MC the year before). First car was a Land Rover with 4 on the floor and a manual transfer box to 4WD. Then a variety until I came to the US in 1968 where a VW Bug was the car. I always tried to keep one car manual shift, not always successfully but a battery of Subarus and Acuras helped. Current is a 2013 Miata that I picked up when it was three years old with 840 confirmed miles on it. 6 on the floor and A/C. What more could a man want? Definitely not the car for a millenial as it requires thinking and there is no app for that! Dave_n

 

[Golddollar]

All the cars I've owned have had automatic transmissions. Does that make me Shiftless?

 

[Rigmover]

Started driving at the age of 8 yrs Old on my friends farm in an old 56 Volkswagon yup 4 speed. First car a bought 63 Poncho with a 3 in the tree but changed it out to a 4 speed later on I wish I still had that car.

My 95 Gmc 4X4 has a 5 speed in it , My 03 Corvette Roadster has a 6 speed in. My 58 GMC has a turbo 400 with full reverse manual valve body in it witch has to be driven manually. So I shift all the time LOL!
not tired yet of shifting. And for sure you have way more control with a standard transmission over an automatic one in any car or truck.

I do a lot of off road Heavy Hauling my user name says it all. I'm talking 150,000 to 250,000 lb gross loads with a 2014 KW C500 with an 18 speed and a 4 speed Aux. that's 72 gear application yup real fun to drive.

A Semi that's equipped with an automatic would not survive where I drive. For Hwy driving there fine.

Maybe when I'm tired of shifting I will get a automatic hopefully that's not in the near future as I love Shifting!!

 

[dswancutt]

Learned to drive on a 75 Toyota Hilux Pickup with a 5 speed, followed that up with a 81 Escort and an 86 Nissan Sentra, both of which where manual. Everything since then has been an automatic, don't miss the manuals at all. Only manual I drive now is this:

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

I gave up shifting in 2003 after 32 years. Drove Macks, KW's, Freightliners, and Petes. Last one was a 15 speed Peterbuilt that could almost fly! Can't say that I miss all that much, retirement is more fun. Automatics for me from now on!

 

[Mack_C85]

Most fun car.....dad's '79 Colt....

Twin stick!!!

Most fun on wheels......see my Avatar

'65 Mack C-85, Thermodyne Diesel, square gear five speed......"Son, bump him off the flat spots in First, shove your left foot up your *** and sit on it, only bring it out to stop. 1200 to 2100, 2nd to 3rd, 1500 to 2100 all the rest......"

Sent from my SM-J320P using Tapatalk

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Had a Mustang 5.0 5 speed. When it got old we sold it and bought another with automatic......Sadly the only thing I now have with a clutch is my John Deere.

 

[snubbyfan]

If you get a chance go to a school like Spring Mountain just to name one. They will supply the car I'm not sure but I think they give a driving course at the National Corvette Museum also.

I was a serious street & 1/4 mile drag strip racer in the 60s and did plenty of foot to the floor shifting. It was called speed shifting/ power shifting. I also learned how to rebuild a 4 spd after missing a shift. It can be a expensive trick to learn.

Be careful!

There ya go, right foot on the floor, flick the left foot on the clutch pedal and hope ya don't miss a shift.

 

[SC_Mike]

I miss it also. It gave my left leg something to do.

I learned how to drive and shift in one of these in a cow pasture just outside of Orlando Fl:

Of course I had to wash the car when I was done.

 

[Mack_C85]

My favorite stick to ever drive was when I learned to drive a 1955 Diamond T fire truck. Five forward gears and you had to double clutch it both up shifting and down shifting. If you missed a shift it nearly broke your wrist and you might as well pull over to restart.
There was no forgiveness with this thing!, but boy was it fun to drive!

This is what it looked like but not this one!

OK........I'll see your Diamond T, and raise you a '54 Ward La France.....and BTW this is it!!

12 cyl. Waukesha, 5 spd. Those big front fenders started flapping at about 45 mph, and you felt like you were flying Dumbo!!!

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[Mr Pokeyman]

I miss the high beam switch on the floor that you stepped on with the left foot. I really miss the big fins on the back end of some of the the cars. But I don't miss having to shift gears at all.

 

[radar1972]

These days I just go from D to M and use the paddle shifters!

 

[JayFramer]

Any man that prefers an automatic is a lazy fool.

REAL MEN drive manuals.

PERIOD.

 

[sheepdawg]

Had a Volkswagen and an 85 Nissan 300Z, loved that car and drove it until 1996. Got lazy and all I've had were automatics since.

I ordered my 05 Mustang GT in 2004 and thought about it but my wife convinced me to get the automatic. Wives have ways of convincing.

 

[pharmer]

After 2 5 spd S-10's with 4.3 V6's (about 17 years) only thing I miss about the manual is the ability to downshift to slow down instead of brake when some swamp donkey pulls a shipbox out in front on a 55+ mph road. Joe