How many pedals does your car or truck have?

[Marshwheeling]

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I do kinda miss the button that stuck out the floor and stomped with your foot to turn on the high beams.

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Transit buses have three of those buttons. Two for the turn signals. The one about 10 inches behind the left turn signal is for the high beam. Seems odd at first, but you adapt pretty quickly. Just don't forget to lift your foot when you are done with the turn.

 

[BC38]

As a real shifty character let me say. the underlined type people above probably take their eyes of the road and watch as they go from gear to gear.. I have ridden with people like that before.

Not necessarily.

I learned to drive a stick (tractor) at 8 years old - just shy of 50 years ago now. Prior to 2002 I had owned a total of three automatics - out of around 30 vehicles I had already bought and sold. However, living in the traffic nightmare of Seattle, once I started driving an auto daily I quickly realized what a pain shifting and clutching had become.

In normal freeway traffic and even around town, the clutch and shift routine isn't much of a burden. But try doing it for an hour at a time in stop and go traffic on the freeway, where you seldom get past second gear before having to slow and stop again. Clutching and shifting isn't too much fun when you have to do it 150 times an hour.

It gets VERY tedious let me tell you. Especially compared to being able to just hold your coffee cup in your right hand and never even have to set it down!

I still enjoy driving one of my stickshifts for a change, and I certainly don't have to look at the gearshift to do it. But have become pretty accustomed to my automatics. Maybe I'm just getting old & lazy.

 

[NYlakesider]

Not necessarily.

I learned to drive a stick (tractor) at 8 years old - just shy of 50 years ago now. Prior to 2002 I had owned a total of three automatics - out of around 30 vehicles I had already bought and sold. However, living in the traffic nightmare of Seattle, once I started driving an auto daily I quickly realized what a pain shifting and clutching had become.

In normal freeway traffic and even around town, the clutch and shift routine isn't much of a burden. But try doing it for an hour at a time in stop and go traffic on the freeway, where you seldom get past second gear before having to slow and stop again. Clutching and shifting isn't too much fun when you have to do it 150 times an hour.

It gets VERY tedious let me tell you. Especially compared to being able to just hold your coffee cup in your right hand and never even have to set it down!

I still enjoy driving one of my stickshifts for a change, and I certainly don't have to look at the gearshift to do it. But have become pretty accustomed to my automatics. Maybe I'm just getting old & lazy.

Been there done it. That includes 10 wheel dump trucks and tractor trailers. The clutches on those rigs are a "bit "stiffer than whats in a car or PU truck.

Like I said in my first post my 15 Vette has a auto, only because of a bad left leg. At now age 75 I have made quite a lot of clutch moves over the years.

 

[loknload]

Stick shift is one of the reasons I got sucked into the Fire Museum,,Not to many of us left that know how to drive those old stick shift fire apparatus,let alone pump them!
Let's see no power steering, no power brakes or air brakes, maybe vacuum assist and you better know how to double clutch! But its a lot of fun and really great getting back on the tailboard again!

 

[BC38]

Been there done it. That includes 10 wheel dump trucks and tractor trailers. The clutches on those rigs are a "bit "stiffer than whats in a car or PU truck.

Like I said in my first post my 15 Vette has a auto, only because of a bad left leg. At now age 75 I have made quite a lot of clutch moves over the years.

I'll wager at least some of that left leg issue is due to all those years of working those stiff left pedals, eh?

My point was that there are lots of valid reasons BESIDES lack of skill for driving autos. Bad knees, arthritic wrists/shoulders, tedium of stop & go, age, etc.

Though nowadays a stick shift is almost an anti-theft device since so many in the age group most prone to stealing cars don't even know how to drive one.

 

[dave1918a2]

One of my earlier cars had 5 pedals (i.e., foot operated)
Gas , brake, clutch, starter and high beam.

The high beam is a switch and not a pedal. If You had overdrive You also had a switch under the gas pedal to kick it out to pass another vehicle. My 49 Ford coupe had them all.

 

[375hh1973]

46 yrs old and have never driven a manual transmission. Parents always had automatics, friends, relatives etc always had autos. Every vehicle I have ever purchased from Camaro to full size truck had an automatic. If you put a gun to my head and told me to name someone that I know that owns a stick shift, you may as well pull the trigger.

 

[deadin]

Lived in Seattle for 30+ years. Loved my stick shift when going downhill. Easy to shift down and let the back pressure hold you back. Not so much going uphill. Especially from a dead stop on some of the downtown east west streets......

 

[Dave_n]

This is funny!

Fully agree. My 2013 Miata (only has 17K miles on it) is 6 on the floor. I keep being asked "are you not worried about it being stolen?" as I leave it withe the roof down. I laugh and lift my hat which is usually hung on top of the gear stick. The questioner, if old enough, recognizes the manual shift and grins. I did drive an automatic shift Acura TL the last five years that I worked (from 70 to 75 in age) when my wife "persuaded me that I should take it easy on my weekly commute of 120 miles each way (only Mon and Fri), and when I "retired", the Miata fell into my hands at three years of age and only 850 miles on it. Dave_n

 

[5-Shot]

Many years ago I offered my used Toyota Land Cruiser to my 16 year old nephew. He was thrilled until he sat in it and noticed the gear shift. I sold it and sent him the cash.

I currently own two five speed cars.

Ed

 

[BC38]

Lived in Seattle for 30+ years. Loved my stick shift when going downhill. Easy to shift down and let the back pressure hold you back. Not so much going uphill. Especially from a dead stop on some of the downtown east west streets......

I hear that. Fortunately downshifting an auto will allow you to compression brake too. I've been teaching my 17 year old to do that on long steep grades - downshift out of O.D. or even down to
2nd gear.

 

[Beemerguy53]

In a past life life I knew an old man that bought a tractor with power steering and he told me he didn't know he needed a tractor with power steering until he bought one.
Three times in my life I've had a leg in a cast and I've been able to drive an automatic. I'm not agile enough to work 3 pedals with one leg. Larry

I had my left knee replaced 14 months ago, and of course I wasn't able to drive at all. In truth, it didn't bother me, because I couldn't bend the doggone knee to get in the car on either side anyway! It was nice to be able to drive again...

 

[ContinentalOp]

Several years ago there was a stand-up comic (I can't remember who) that said humans will eventually evolve to have no left feet because of automatic transmissions.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Been driving for 42 years so learned on a stick (66 Chevelle) and had many manuals over the years. The last 2 with MT's were a modded Scion tc and a Honda S2000. Both were fun to play with, going thru the gears on hard (but legal lol) acceleration.
Now our summer ride is a mustang with an AT. As when we bought that one we literally could not find what we wanted with a stick.
We dont mind being lazy but once in awhile miss ripping thru the gears.
Our daughter has been driving near 16 yrs and has only owned and driven manuals. From daily drivers to her hubby's 500hp S2000 to her own modded Acura. But esp when she looks at a new car, just too few options for her. And even worse as each year goes on.

I taught both of my sons to drive standard transmissions, and at ages 33 and 37, that's all they've ever owned. The elder one drives a Ford Focus ST, which is on a par with my VW Golf R, and the younger drives a Subara WRX and a Honda S2000.

My elder son sells cars at a local Dodge/Jeep dealer, and some of the mechanics get him to move customers' cars with stick shifts for them, because they don't know how to drive a stick...

 

[Kurusu]

As a real shifty character let me say. the underlined type people above probably take their eyes of the road and watch as they go from gear to gear.. I have ridden with people like that before.

Those folks you seen do that. Can't really work a manual shift. Just sayin.

 

[BC38]

Those folks you seen do that. Can't really work a manual shift. Just sayin.

True dat.

My dad always said "unless you have a basic understanding of how it works you really can't drive a clutch properly"

That right there rules out about 80% of the people today - if not more.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Stick shift is one of the reasons I got sucked into the Fire Museum,,Not to many of us left that know how to drive those old stick shift fire apparatus,let alone pump them!
Let's see no power steering, no power brakes or air brakes, maybe vacuum assist and you better know how to double clutch! But its a lot of fun and really great getting back on the tailboard again!

Ah, we have another relic on here, I see...a throwback to the days when ladders were wooden and men were iron...

I started my career in 1974. The Baltimore City FD had 55 engines and 30 ladder trucks then, and all but a few of them were standard transmissions. The first engine I drove was a '63 Mack, and while it had air brakes, there was no power steering. We actually did have a few guys in my Fire Academy class who had never driven a standard transmission, and learned on our apparatus.

(I loved riding the back step, by the way...yeah, it was dangerous, but so, so traditional... )

 

[Chik a Boom]

I have 6 stick shifts and 6 automatics.

That must be some garage!

 

[WR Moore]

Taught the kids to drive with a Ford Jubilee. OK, they didn't learn to shift on the fly, but they sure did get familiar with finding the contact point. Made the transition to the road so much easier.

Loaded hay out a field with my eldest grand daughter driving the IH pulling the flat bed. Idle in granny was perfect for the process, step on the gas to turn around at the end of the row. Kid's facial expression switched back and forth between fear and wide grin glee.

Biggest gripe about current manuals is the gear ratios in 1st & reverse. They're too high. If you have a reasonable 1st gear, you can let the vehicle creep in first with the engine at idle.

True story: waiting to take a road test on a large truck I was in a position to overhear the guy in front of me talking to the check driver.
"Any questions?"

"Yeah, why are there three pedals and what's this tree?" (Pointing at the gearshift).

After the check driver realized he wasn't getting his leg pulled, that was the end of that dude's road test. [Prospect drove a florists delivery van.]

 

[steelslaver]

Why so many speeds? 6, 8. 10 gears come on now!
I remember when 2 was enough, PowerGlide and Ford-a-Matic two speed auto transmissions. Now some cars come with infinite gears. Constant Velocity Transmissions.

Because they can match your speed to your engines best power (or economy) peak. Say your engine peak economy is at 2800, rpm AN 8 speed can keep it a lot closer to that 2800 than any 3, 4 or 5 speed auto or manual. Same goes for torque or horse power. Keep that motor RPM at the optimal sweet spot. Plus your motor requires fuel to recover RPM. let the tranny keep it there instead.