38 thoughts on “Manual Transmissions”

  1. I’ve never owned a car with a manual, and intend to keep it that way.

    Between improvements in automatics (turns out it’s not 1960 anymore – hell, it’s not even 1990 anymore!) and there being this “traffic” stuff, there’s little benefit and much annoyance, as far as I can tell.

    Yeah, yeah, “more control” – and I’ll take that seriously when people rig up manual timing advance and choke controls rather than blissfully not having them, unlike the early days of automobile use.

  2. Last year the transmission in our old reliable Chrysler van bit the big one. That combined with moving almost 20 miles from Mrs DS’s job combine to push us into buying a replacement.

    After long looking I found a 2007 Kia Rio, 5 speed. It’s the first manual vehicle we’ve owned in years. Not on purpose, it just worked that way.

    I’d forgotten how much fun it was to drive a small 5 speed like that. It’s only got a 1.6L, but it goes faster than I want to drive that light body! And even when I drive (the snot out of) it, it gets 34 / 35 mpg. My wife gets closer to 38 / 39.

    I’ve heard that a newer car with an auto tranny would get better mileage, but I’d have to see better than 38/39 mpg.

  3. Been a toyota-driving slushboxer my whole life, but lately I’ve taken an interest. I now at least know how to drive one, even if my wife insists we stick with PRND cars. I definitely get the appeal, but I also know that, in LA, the third pedal can become a curse after a while.

    (Oh, and I finally left Toyota for Mazda.)

  4. Oh, Schtump, there are some modern auto cars that top that number. The new Mazda 3 with the Skyactiv engine reaches 39 hwy, while the Focus and Fiesta get up to 40 (albeit with a dual-clutch box that is basically two manuals mated and computer-controlled) plus the Chevy Cruze is up past 40 in a slushbox.

    1. Scott,
      I know it’s that way, but I felt like the article was saying it was widely divided, without stating their proof, numbers or any comparison.

  5. As I understand it, the sales of manual transmissions declined as people started using cell phones. I used to interrupt conversations with “Hold on, I have to do some shifting.” Now that people are going with hands-free headsets, I would expect a slight resurgence in popularity.

    However, mobile phone forces have come up with even more devious ways to punish manual transmission owners. Last week an old housemate of mine came by with his VW Passat and a quart of moonshine signed by Junior Johnson. An hour or so later we went to eat. He’d had a touch too much shine, so I drove us in his Passat. He’d just replaced his brakes himself (they were still very, very touchy) and his clutch has a different feel from mine, so I drove like an old lady. After dinner he seemed fine to drive, but then he pulled up an iPhone ap called “XLR8” and the evening took a horrible turn.

    “XLR8” asks you to accelerate so it can calculate the car’s forward direction relative to the phone’s orientation. From then on it uses the iPhone accelerometer to play simulated muscle car engine sounds (for an extra $2.99 it can be a Lamborghini). He plugged his iPhone into his stereo, cranked it up, and we were off to the races, reving to 5 and 6000 RPM’s as we accelerated through restaurant parking lots, back alleys, around a movie theatre, and all over hell’s half acre. People were staring at us, wondering how we shoehorned a NASCAR egnine into a Passat.

    Needless to say, I kept screaming and turning down the volume, but he has a volume control on his steering wheel and was not cooperating. “Let me out, I’ll walk home! You’re going to hit somebody! You’re going to get a DUI! You’re going to spend the night in jail! People have undoubtedly died because of this ap! This ap was written by after-market engine parts manufacturers. You’re going to blow your engine.” He said, “I like to push my engine to the limit.”

    He found it. The dashboard display said “STOP NOW! NO OIL!”. He dismissed it as a faulty oil pressure sensor. Then it felt like a bear was ripping the engine out of the car. Then the horrible grinding sounds began. Hours later, after the engine cooled down completely, the engine largely recovered. I suspect his oil went way over temperature, a known issue with the 1.8L turbo in the Passat.

    In retrospect, people with a manual transmission (and all drivers to an extent), use their engine noise as a crude audible feedback signal for their pressure on the accelerator. “XLR8” is a clunky ap playing a completely artificial engine sound based not on true RPM but on acceleration. After a few minutes of horsing around, an unwary driver pumped up on adrenalin can let the artificial engine noise become part of his automatic feedback loop, overriding his awareness of the tachometer at times, and he might let his real RPMs go way past redline.

  6. How about the Air Force Dyna-Soar, where the Air Force pilot was going to fly that puppy through all flight phases, including the ride upstairs on a Titan-III booster with those honkin’ segmented solid rockets pumpin’ out thrust.

    Don’t know why you would want to do it because the pilot was to “fly” a trace on an instrument display, but yesiree, the pilot was going to be in control.

    1. Don’t know why you would want to do it because the pilot was to “fly” a trace on an instrument display, but yesiree, the pilot was going to be in control.

      Get over it, Paul. Even Apollo had a manual flight mode.

      If robots are superior, why are you guys so afraid of the competition? 🙂

      1. In boost phase? Are you funning me or did the Apollo commander (or maybe it was the CSM pilot) have a joy stick steering the S-IC?

      2. Actually, there was no manual flight mode on Apollo, just a computer controlled mode that was called “manual.” In “manual” the pilot provided inputs to the flight computer, which then calculated what to do and executed it. They tried a true manual mode in early testing, but none of the astronauts could come close to retaining control of the vehicle. The options on Apollo were really fully-automatic and semi-automatic.

  7. I learned to drive on a manual transmission (thank goodness); automatics were just beginning to come in. (Yes, I’m that old.)

    I found out why automatics are a good idea when I had to drive my manual with a broken ankle in a plaster cast.

    Glad I can drive one, but not planning on getting another any time soon.

    1. Brings back memories, of ice dance practice in Burbank and banged up knees. Oh gosh no, it was never a matter of losing balance on the ice. It was a matter of exploring the boundaries of the performance envelope.

      The school of skating there was to go as fast as possible around the curved lobes of a dance pattern with body lean counteracting the centrifugal force, much like a steeply banked turn in an aircraft, and I have practiced those too. Until one gained mastery of body position and carefully controlled ankle drop placing the skate blade edge for maximum lateral traction, one was always at risk of the blade breaking loose of the track one was cutting in the ice, much like the accelerated stall in an aircraft. I never flew that close to the performance limits in an aircraft because crashing was not a good idea; if you didn’t crash on the ice, however, you would always have the look of a timid skater.

      It was also a matter of a Caltech engineering student seeking to meet young women, but let us just say the record was mixed from the social standpoint but more success was had mastering the mechanics of the steel runner-ice surface interaction. I left California still single but with a graduate degree and a USFSA Silver Ice Dance Test rating.

      I could still skate but get off the ice and have trouble walking, and if it was the left knee, the drive on the Ventura Freeway in the late 70’s version of the Ford Fiesta back to Pasadena was an adventure.

    2. I’m getting no joy with my banged up left arm either. It’s not a compelling advantage to me that one can drive an automatic with fewer body parts, but it is necessary in my current state.

  8. There are rumors that Chevy’s coming out with a Chevy SS (bad name, I know) next year that’ll be a RWD sport-sedan, possibly with a manual option. If (big if) that all comes to pass, that’s the first U.S. built RWD manual since… the 70s?

    2. RWD never quite went away entirely. The Camaro, Corvette, Charger, Challenger, Mustang, Cadillac, Chrysler 300, and Town Car are still rear wheel drive.

      RWD list

  9. Back when I was smoking I preferred autos, but now I’m more fond of manuals. Of course, for a while my “other car”‘s transmission was a 13-speed Roadranger…

  10. I drove manual transmission vehicles for over 20 years until bad knees and bad traffic persuaded me to buy automatic transmission. I can still drive a stick if I need to. Last year on a trip to England, I rented a car with an automatic because driving on the “wrong” side of the road was challenging enough without adding shifting gears with my left hand to the mix.

  11. The beauty of a manual becomes most apparent when your doing things that aren’t generally permitted on public roads. The automatics are great when you work them within parameters that cover most 8/10ths or driving conditions. But when you start putting things on full boil then it’s better to get that direct control that a manual can offer. I’ve taken my Subaru Impreza 2.5rs 5-speed out into a few sand pits and I tell you life gets interesting when your going sideways at 25 mph with a rooster tail of dirt flying up behind you. An auto in that situation just can’t make up it’s mind whether to upshift or downshift and it bogs out and kills the fun. So, best to stick to the manual so as to enjoy proper levels of hoonage.

    1. Remind me not to buy that kewl Subaru Impreza 2.5rs 5-speed I see right now on the used car lot . . .

      1. Aww but a used Subaru is just getting broke in. I got mine with 60k miles on it and have just ticked up to around 128k miles. The only thing that’s broke so far is the radiator cap. It got stuck closed and was causing the upper radiator hose to collapse which made the engine run slightly hot. One $4 cap later and I was back in business.

        The one down side of the Impreza with the 5-speed is that Subaru gave it some fairly tall gears. Well, it is intended to be a mountain car after all. But when you get out on the interstate and start doing 80-85 MPH the engine turns at around 3500 RPM in 5th gear. No, despite being a 4 cylinder the fuel economy is not it’s strong suit. I only get about 23 MPG if I’m lucky. And it drinks a bit of oil if you run at that speed for long stretches. Oddly enough if you go up to the Subaru Impreza WRX it actually has somewhat shorter gears in it and actually gets better fuel economy despite making 235 HP to the 2.5rs’ 130 HP. So, if you can afford it definitely look at the WRX. You can tell Subaru put a lot more attention into the engine. Hell, the EJ25 turbo boxer motor won the International “Engine of the Year” award in 2006 and in 2008. I’m slowly scraping together money so I can picked up a used WRX motor, rebuild it, and swap it into my ride. The plugs going into the engine management are all there on my car for the WRX moter. I just have to get the wiring harness to plug in all the turbo bits. Plus, I’ll still get the insurance of a normally aspirated 2.5rs but the hoonage meter will peg the needle like a proper WRX.

  12. The first 15 years I drove, it was almost nothing but manual transmissions. My first four cars all had them. But in 1985, I was living in California and bought a little sports car with a five speed and a clutch that required 500 pounds force to depress. The first time I drove from San Bernardino to LA and back, I couldn’t walk when I got home. Never had a manual after that car, and probably never will.

  13. I have the best of both worlds — automatic transmission with manual override.

    Automatic transmission is a convenience but engine braking comes in handy when you’re driving in the mountains.

  14. I learned on an automatic. That was all my parents had when I was a kid. But I always wanted a VW Bug, so I bought a used one for my second car. At first it was like learning to drive all over again, but I soon got the hang of it. I’ve owned nothing but manuals since. Fortunately I don’t have to drive long commutes in heavy traffic. I can see where an automatic might be preferable in that situation.

    You occasionally hear about cars careening out of control when the accelerator pedal gets stuck. I actually had that happen once in the Bug. The pedal stuck and the engine roared something fierce. I just stepped on the clutch, put it in neutral, and reached down and pulled up the gas pedal by hand. Problem solved. I lubricated the linkage as soon as I got home, and it never happened again.

  15. Learned on my dad’s ’72 Bug and in Dvr’s Ed I had sole use of a Vega woody wagon as it was the only manual and no one else wanted anything to do with it. Worked for me. 😉

    When I got my bonus and found I was in need of a ride to Ft Hood from central VA I stumbled across a ’72 Malibu wagon with a 450-ish something or other under the hood and an honest to god Hurst 4-speed sticking up outa the hump. Compared to the VW/Vega the stick throw was unbelievably long just like the clutch. About 80 or so the front end would float and that was enough to keep me on the reservation. Go figger, an 18 yo that recognizes signs of his own mortality flashing past his eyes.

    Coupla manual v-dubs and auto Ford squaremonts later bought an ’85 Berlinetta through a broker in Bamberg right outa the factory on the way back from a tour in W Germany, full starship cockpit, V-6 manual. That car was the sweet spot for me. Never really thought much of the Z-28’s, expect the ’72 ‘bu cured me of testosterone overdose.

    Of course, my late dad always said I was never a teen, went from 12 to adult overnight, according to him.

    Last manual I had was a ’93 Ranger that wildchild daughter tried twice to total, succeeding on the second try. Since then a ’95 Bonneville that got to 300k miles followed by the current ride du jour, an ’07 Accord V6 auto that’s just hit 140k and heading for lots more.

    These days I just want something reliable that’ll haul my fourth point of contact 182 miles to OKC and back 5 times a week and not break the bank.

    In the military the M551A1 Sheridan AR/AAV was a 4-speed semi-auto, that is, you shifted, but didn’t have a clutch, a reals sports tank for the time. Hold it between 1st and 2d, rev it to max and drop into gear. If you don’t trash the tranny it’d do an impressive wheely (tracky?) also get you seriously b*tched out by your TC 😉 M60a1/a3 MBTs you could shift between Hi and Lo, no clutch and the M1’s are auto trannys just like in my accord, Low and Drive.

  16. The Ford Focus ST that’s going on sale later this year will be 6-speed manual only. Should be a real rocket with something like 250 bhp…

  17. Driving a stick shift was a matter of pride when I was a young teenage driver. But now I can’t see how driving a manual would be preferable to driving an automatic, and using your free hand to drink coffee.

  18. Last manual F350 was in 2010.

    I get over 20 mpg in my 09 F350 diesel with 6 gears. Putting in a Gear Vendor next month will make it 10 and give me 23 mpg. And it’s a regular cab – the Last Real Pickup.

    Also get 30 mpg in my 02 Vette.

    Manual transmissions don’t make a difference …. pffssst.

  20. I learned to drive on a tractor when I was 7, and had to wedge my body between the seat and the clutch and push with both feet to engage it. They didn’t make automatic transmissions for the Massey-Ferguson back in the 70’s. Fortunately, I grew a bit bigger over time – and now Massey makes continuously-variable transmissions.

  21. I learned to drive in an AMC Gremlin w/3-speed manual. 4-, 5-, & 6-speeds still seem unnatural to me.

    As an aside, when I reported to my first ship one of the ships’ vans was 3-speed on the column. I was one of the few on board who actually knew how to drive it.

  22. I taught my girls to drive in Honda S2000. I think I spoiled them with the short throw on the close-ratio transmission. It’s not like the old Corvair my father taught me to drive.

  24. I live in the city. I drive a stick. When there is a rash of car thefts on my block, I sleep like a baby. Car theives are as lazy as the rest of you auto addicts. I know, you can’t do your gangsta lean in a stick.

    1. Hell yeah. Need right hand for wheel cuz left hand is needed for hanging out the window…

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