Standard versus automatic transmissions...

[Beemerguy53]

In the latest issue of Road&Track magazine, Chevrolet has a multi-page ad insert touting the return of the high-performance rear-drive sedan, the new Chevy SS Sports Sedan.

This baby has all the performance goodies: Big V8 engine, Brembo brakes, 19" wheels...but it has a !@#$% AUTOMATIC transmission.

I've owned more than 20 cars in 44 years of driving, and I have never owned an automatic transmission. I can't stand them! Whenever I drive an automatic (in a rental car, for instance) I feel like I'm not really in control, that I'm freewheeling going around corners, or not getting the most out of the car.

How Chevy could build a so-called 'high-performance' sedan and put a slushbox in it is beyond me. But what's even worse is...it probably won't make a difference to most buyers of the new car. American drivers are so lazy and uninvolved nowadays that many of them have no idea how to drive a standard transmission.

Another part of our mainstream culture dying...

 

[-db-]

It's a 4-door...

 

[Lost Lake]

It's much harder to talk on a cell phone or text with a manual transmission. Too much busywork going on.

.

 

[mkk41]

Can ya even get a Corvette with a totally manual transmission anymore?

 

[Gyrene6891]

Many years ago the 68 Dodge Charger R/T with a 440 Magnum engine came with a manual they would not guaratee or an automatic they would. The auto transmission, for most people is much more economical and actually shifts more effeciently, plus it is just tougher...

 

[mkk41]

There was always the notion that automatic transmissions were not as strong as manuals because the motors were rated lower. The real reason was the solid lift hi-perf cams in the highest horsepower motors did not create enough vacuum to properly shift thru the vacuum modulator.

Truth being the GM TH-400 , Ford C6 and Chrysler 747 Torqueflite were strong enough to be used in heavy duty trucks and were favored for the strongest drag race cars.

 

[bishopm14]

I've owned a whole five cars, actually trucks, in my twenty years of driving. Two manual shift, three autos. I do not care if I ever drive another stick shift again.
Different strokes and all that...
Dad made sure we learned to drive sticks first, and I think that is a good skill to have. If I ever have to teach kids to drive, I will ensure they have that skill. But I get zero pleasure from shifting.

 

[LVSteve]

Stick shift cars have not been mainstream in America for several decades as far as I can make out. The modern automatic cars, especially those with the double-clutch gearboxes, are often faster than the same model with a stick. It is certainly true of all the modern Porsches.

I come from the UK where the small engines made 3-speed automatics a painful proposition. As a result we all preferred manuals. Fast forward to the late 80s and more powerful motors were about with fuel injection and the 4-speed auto became the standard. these were much more driveable and this was when i gave up on stick shifts. The traffic density in England meant the stick was just not worth the ever smaller performance advantage shown in the motoring magazines.

Mind you, the 0-60 numbers they got for stick shift cars involved methods that would make anyone with an ounce of mechanical sympathy scream out loud. With an automatic you might gain a bit with some brake torquing but it is basically stomp and go. The fluid drive disperses the worst of the mechanical shock and your granny can get the same 0-60 as you. Think "Easy button". Very few find the time or traffic conditions for driving a stick, if you get my meaning. As a result the stick is a dying breed of car.

 

[LVSteve]

There was always the notion that automatic transmissions were not as strong as manuals because the motors were rated lower. The real reason was the solid lift hi-perf cams in the highest horsepower motors did not create enough vacuum to properly shift thru the vacuum modulator.

Truth being the GM TH-400 , Ford C6 and Chrysler 747 Torqueflite were strong enough to be used in heavy duty trucks and were favored for the strongest drag race cars.

You might be dating yourself there. Most automatics have been computer controlled since the mid 80s.

 

[alwslate]

I hate automatic transmissions. Could be they are stronger today than
manuals, I don't know, don't care, still hate them. I remember the
days when it seemed that most leaked and slipped. I just enjoy
driving vehicles with manual transmissions better. I have a 2012 car
and a 2005 truck, both Chevies, both manual transmission. GM
dropped the manual option for the Silverado pick up truck in 2007.
Their full size pick up truck in which you cannot even get a manual
transmission??? Are you kidding me??? How stupid can GM possibly
be? The service manager at one dealership told me they rarely saw
a vehicle with transmission problems with a manual. He said only
about 6% of trucks were sold with manuals. I guess there's the
answer. Beemerguy53 nailed it. American drivers are spoiled and lazy
and just don't care all that much about the driving experience. GM
probably figures correctly that buyers of their new hot rod are mostly
concerned with image and wouldn't want a manual transmission even
if it were available.

 

[Marshwheeling]

An auto is nice for trickling along in gridlocked traffic, but that is about the only place I see an advantage. Some of my trucks and vans have has autos, but in a passenger sedan, an automatic transmission is a deal-killer. I just won't buy one.

It is not so much about performance as it is the feeling of control over what the drive wheels are doing. But he worst thing about an auto is the way some of them will hunt in and out of overdrive at about 50-55 mph, just the speed where they get driven a lot. The worst in this regard were GM sedans, but I also notice it in my wife's CRV.

I did enjoy driving one auto sedan. It was my mother's 1990 Toyota Cressida. It was a conventionally laid-out sedan, with rear-wheel drive and a splendid 3-liter DOHC straight six. It was a real Q-ship: looked like a sedate granny sedan, but was capable of 130 mph. The auto trans had a performance shift setting and an overdrive lockout. The road manners were quite good for a Japanese car of the era. When she bought it, she ran it up to 100 mph on a frontage road, and said "I'll take it".

 

[-db-]

There was always the notion that automatic transmissions were not as strong as manuals because the motors were rated lower. The real reason was the solid lift hi-perf cams in the highest horsepower motors did not create enough vacuum to properly shift thru the vacuum modulator.

Truth being the GM TH-400 , Ford C6 and Chrysler 747 Torqueflite were strong enough to be used in heavy duty trucks and were favored for the strongest drag race cars.

False. Automatics are weaker period. Everything from Pro Stock to Top Fuel is still manually shifted today. Automatics are only favorites among the amateur drag race crowd due to their consistency and the popularity of bracket, rather than heads up, racing. The fact of the matter is that a manual transmission is always going to be lighter (no converter, dozen-odd quarts of oil, etc.), more efficient (compare MPG ratings on any car available with both as options), stronger (see below) and quicker, in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, than an automatic.

And then there's the fact that semi-tractors capable of pulling 40+ tons are also all manually shifted...

Bottom line: No one serious about quickly going fast, or moving a lot of weight, even considers an auto.

 

[arjay]

All of my trucks and cars had standard transmissions until my current one.Automatics are great in heavy traffic,but not so good for steep descents in ice and snow.Down shifting an auto doesn't hold you back like a manual tranny does.

 

[Fishinfool]

Automatics sell so well simply because they work so well. Their are very few situations where a stick shift works better.

Automatics are better for towing, especially in hilly, stop and go conditions, or boat ramps.

Autos are generally better for street / strip performance. An experienced driver can sometimes get a little quicker time with a stick, but has been stated, he will be beating the snot out of the car, and is more apt to break parts. A properly built auto cushions drive line shock, and will be more consistent with shift points and elapsed times. By the way, Top Fuel and Funny Cars DO NOT use transmissions - they are direct drive thru a series of clutches that are electronically activated..

Automatics are more convenient when driving in stop and go traffic, and generally work better off road. Standards have a place in serious rock crawling, or where extreme engine braking is desired, but automatics deliver a smoother power transfer, meaning you are less likely to spin the tires, and it a lot easier to start an auto on a hill if you stall it, compared to a stick.

People talk about a stick giving more control, and that is true when it comes to engine braking, but with the advent of modern anti-lock disc brakes, especially in slippery conditions, the sticks advantage is about gone..

Automatics are more complex than standards, but as long as the tranny fluid is changed every 50K or so, and a transmission cooler is used to keep the heat down in heavy use (heat is the #1 killer of an automatic), I have always found them reliable. I have had quite a few vehicles, standards and autos, and have had one auto go bad, and have had to replace 3 or 4 clutch sets on standards - so maybe a draw?

Anyway, my opinions after driving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and a little bracket drag racing and off roading thrown in over the last almost 40 years.

Larry

 

[-db-]

By the way, Top Fuel and Funny Cars DO NOT use transmissions - they are direct drive thru a series of clutches that are electronically activated.

Yes, this is technically correct. Clutches, which automatic transmissions lack.

Anyway, anyone can look at NHRA class indexes such as Comp Eliminator where the only difference is an auto or manual trans, everything else the same, and see that the stick cars are always quicker.

 

[Gray Rider]

My last truck was a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with a 5 Speed manual and my current one is a 2011 Silverado 2500HD with an automatic. I don't miss the shifting at all. The new one comes with a tow feature that changes the way the transmission shifts; slower to upshift, quicker to downshift is the best way I can explain it.

I often tow a dump trailer over a road that is locally referred to as "The Roller-coaster", a ten mile section of going up and down hills and the automatic performs perfectly. Another advantage for me is that my employees can drive it without burning up a clutch.

As far as downshifting for hills in slippery weather the tow feature works very efficiently for this also. I've put 30,000 on it so far without a hiccup, ask again in another 100k when its closer to the mileage the '01 had on it.

 

[j a]

DB I agree and disagree

All of my current personal vehicles are automatics (SUVs and pickup). I have had my share of manual trans over the years and enjoyed driving them.
But probably 95% of the population can not drive a stick. Never learned and never will. I feel sad for them as it is a lost art.
About the big trucks. There are many big rigs on the road with automatic transmissions. I currently drive one of the 40 ton big rigs and it is a 12 speed automatic transmission. It works great and I love it. Up til now all of my tractors have been manually shifted 10 speeds or more. The automatic just plain works summer and winter. And on a day without much wind it will pull down 7 MPG or more. I have right at 400,000 miles on it with absolutely no problems.
The truck manufacturers have had to build atuomatic transmissions for the very same population that does not know how to drive a car with a stick. The trucking field is an aging group partly because of the lack of manual transmission skills. And the fact that most young people will not work the 60 to 70 hours a week that truck driving requires.
I would also agree that if your car has 400/500 horsepower under the loud pedal you need a stick shift to enjoy it.

 

[Donn]

Sticks were all I owned till '91, now I wouldn't have anything else in my daily drivers. The new automatics are far from the old slushboxes. With computer control, they perform better than any human, better gas mileage too. That said, my old Vette has a Muncie 4-speed. Wouldn't have anything else in that car, but I am reminded what a PITA they are when I'm out on Woodward in the Dream Cruise.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Automatics don't lack clutches. In fact Porsche automatics have two of them.

Formula 1, arguably the most advanced racing cars, use paddle shifters without a clutch pedal, although full automatics (no paddle shifters) are banned to make driver skill part of the package.

There is a feeling of control with a manual I don't get even with automatics that have paddle shifters, but in a strictly performance test, automatics win, and also get better fuel mileage.

Modern automatics are very different than the older ones.

 

[Cdog]

It's a GM product, who cares?

I've already owned my last one.