5.0 V8 - Automatic vs Manual

[stang]

Yea...:help::doh:




I've always wondered, why would anyone ever choose an automatic? I live in a land where the last statistic I saw said new car sales were 97% automatic and 3% manual trans...I really and truly do not understand why. I've driven tons of normal automatics, lots of 4,5 and 6 speed autos, I've driven lots of 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions, I've never driven a cvt or a dual clutch. The real problem comes down to control, in traffic manuals are drastically better than automatics because I can put it into first gear, let out the clutch and roll away slower than any automatic does, so while you automatic guys are riding your brakes saying "I'm glad I'm not on the clutch", I'm just coasting, not on any pedals at all; thats how I go through most of my traffic, not touching any of my 3 pedals and laughing at everyone ridding their brakes. How often do you change your pads? When traffic is stopped completely I'm in neutral, with my feet not on any of the 3 pedals. Aswell, if traffic all of a sudden picks up I can power away and take off faster in a manual than the torque converter takes to give you full power from low rpms. autos have a slight lag that you have to adapt to, manuals only do exactly what you tell them to do. I can see how a CVT has merit in both better fuel economy and better performance by holding the engine at a desired rpm, however reviews complain non stop about CVT's "feeling a like a rubber band", making them sound worse in that area than even normal automatics, so CVT's seem like more of a pain in the butt in traffic than even an automatic. Dual clutches do sound like they might have solved this issue in that the clutch is fully engaged like it is in a manual when you're not on the clutch. I might think about getting a dual clutch, but I'm going to use their argument against them this is my daily driver, not a race car a dual clutch might be faster on a race track, however what is your ratio of "street time vs track time?" using a manual, even in traffic, heel toeing makes you really feel one with the car, and puts such a big smile on your face that makes it so in traffic, you never feel bored. When you blip the throttle and throw the rpm's way up there than let it fall just a bit and "catch" the falling engine in the smoothest way while dropping down 3 gears all in one motion breaking last minute and extra hard, while tossing the car into the apex, late so you don't understeer and rotating around and stomping on the gas, already in the correct gear. How can my left hand pressing a pedal even expect to come close to that? sure, you're 0.02 faster than me, but like you said, this is a daily driver, I want to enjoy my self and have fun, Every. Single. Day. Oh yea; what is the cost of each transmission? :eyebulge: Why everyone doesn't buy a manual transmission is beyond me.

P.s. Practice makes perfect, if you don't use the skill, you lose the skill. if you use it every day, you only get better and better, don't let your incompetence with a manual transmission scare you, let it drive you to be a better you! Don't be the guy/gal who say's "I'm too lazy, I just want to sit there and do nothing" start being involved with your car, let a relationship between you and your car develop to a deeper level and watch your competency grow. so next time when someone asks you to drive their car and asks if you know how to drive manual you can proudly say, "of course I can, anyone with any intelligence at all can."

That's a long-ass rant against automatic! :lol: I actually want to buy an automatic because it is easier to drive and I like to enjoy listening to my music and most importantly the loud engine revs without having to worry about changing gears and whatnot. I'll use the paddle shifters when I feel like it or when I am drag racing another car (I just hope it's a 911 or any other sports car) so that I could discriminate him, without worrying about early/late shifting. I really don't mind having to keep braking during traffic because I will be immersed in the music I'll have in my car and won't worry about the boredom I'll face. To each his own opinion and I respect yours, but trust me when I say that a very small fraction of drivers in my country drive manual.

What Brian said makes a lot of sense.

Sponsored

 

[KGrGunMan]

KGrGunMan, you need to drive my '14 GT stalled automatic sometime. Maybe then you'll understand why an automatic can be very entertaining. I was pro-manual for a few decades - even my '11 Brembo GT was a last attempt to convince myself that manuals were the one true option. I am quite skilled at rowing through the gears. However, having owned several big stalled autos has shown me the light and I look for any excuse to drive my '14 GT. And, until you experience a stalled auto that's been tuned correctly for yourself on a daily basis, I fear you just won't understand.

Can you keep your auto in top gear while going WOT to feel every bit of the power band from 800RPM's up? I want a connection with my car, to be sympatico with my engine can you cruise in top gear, accelerating smoothly on the torque of top gear without downshifting? Can you choose to go WOT burning fuel like mad at the top of the hill then go to super fuel efficient traffic mode at the bottom pass? My manual only does exactly what I tell it and not a single thing otherwise; how could anything be better than that?

Please teach me, because doing exactly what I
ask and only what I ask seems ideal to me, how/why is it better for it to do something else?

 

[KGrGunMan]

It seems to me like those who want to go fast in a straight line and not think; as well as those who want to not pay attention while their car takes care of them should get automatics and those who want to be entertained should choose manual.

 

[Tony Alonso]

It seems to me like those who want to go fast in a straight line and not think; as well as those who want to not pay attention while their car takes care of them should get automatics and those who want to be entertained should choose manual.

Not really...there are other reasons why people make their choice.

 

[SVTFreak]

Not really...there are other reasons why people make their choice.

Some people believe what they believe and nothing will convince them otherwise. It's called closed minded and there is no cure.

I own both manual and auto so can choose what fits me for the day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[c3po]

Another thing to consider...there is a dealership about 40 miles from me that has had a 2012 GT-CS on its lot for almost 3 years now, and I think it's still there, still trying to be sold as new. Over $40,000 MSRP, they're now asking $34,000 for it and I'd be shocked if they didn't take close to $30,000. Why haven't they sold it? It has an automatic. This isn't just my opinion, but the dealer's I spoke to as well. I know that many people don't think or care about what a car's resale value will be but it should be something we keep in the back of our minds. The statistics may prove me wrong, because I don't know what the manual/auto ratio is in terms of sales, and how that ratio varies among trim levels. I doubt it's on many people's minds when they purchase new, but if/when they do try to sell it later on it may be worth thinking about.

 

[Prodigy]

The evidence definitely supports the fact that the higher up in performance you get the higher the take rate for manual vs. auto trans. At least for Mustangs this is the case although more and more as DCT and paddles take hold across the whole market that may change.

If you look at the PDF for 2012 the auto take rate for GT is 29.85% for the coupe and 61.51% for the vert. For the V6, 93.32% of vert buyers opted for the auto as did 74.95% of the V6 coupe buyers.

This of course isn't proof that one is preferable to the other and you also have to factor in that V6 buyers may lean younger at that price point and many young drivers these days either haven't learned (and maybe will never learn) how to drive stick.

I have owned both (and own a manual now) and can say without a doubt that unless you daily drive in a congested city for a few years you may not fully appreciate that some are willing to make the trade off from manual to auto.

 

[scottpe]

Some people believe what they believe and nothing will convince them otherwise. It's called closed minded and there is no cure.

This is a debate that cannot be 'won' because it really boils down to the priorities of the individual. Some value the simplicity of an automatic over the attachment to the car, extra challenge and more 'pure' driving experience provided by a manual. Others have really crappy commutes and spend a ton of time in stop and go traffic and a manual is basically more pain than joy to drive. Others have physical limitations that necessitate an automatic. It's all been said. It's all valid.

The only argument I take exception to is when someone favors an automatic simply because it's the only thing they've ever driven. THAT is being closed minded. If you have not TRIED a manual, you should. Don't get an automatic simply because it's all you know. You never know what you might be missing! ;)

 

[burntire]

If you plan on dragstrip fun get the auto. Road course get the stick.

 

[scottpe]

If you plan on dragstrip fun get the auto. Road course get the stick.

Even then, it's not that simple. If your main priority at the drag strip is absolute consistency with your ETs, then yes the automatic is generally better. If you enjoy the CHALLENGE of trying to get consistent ETs with a stick more than you care about getting that extra fraction of a second, then a manual still may be more desirable for some.

For some it also depends on how often you actually plan to do either of those activities. If I go to the drag strip or road course once a year, I'm certainly going to weigh the decision much differently than I would if I did those things every weekend.

 

[Thinkn3D]

I live in Los Angeles, the commute is a bitch. I have a G35s sedan with a 6-speed auto with paddles. I also have a 350z with a 6-speed manual. I like them both; I was surprised how good the Infinity automatic is. The G in sport mode will hold the gear, so I can take the same corner in the same gear in either car.
My question is: How good is the Mustang Auto with paddles? :shrug:

 

[burntire]

Even then, it's not that simple. If your main priority at the drag strip is absolute consistency with your ETs, then yes the automatic is generally better. If you enjoy the CHALLENGE of trying to get consistent ETs with a stick more than you care about getting that extra fraction of a second, then a manual still may be more desirable for some.

For some it also depends on how often you actually plan to do either of those activities. If I go to the drag strip or road course once a year, I'm certainly going to weigh the decision much differently than I would if I did those things every weekend.

A good auto will destroy a stick car of the same power by at least 1/2 of a second. All the fast S197 cars are autos. Yes for your limited drag racer a stick may be more fun, but those who are serious about drag racing the autos in these cars is superior unit. I suggest driving them both before deciding. I had thousands of dollars of broken parts on my stick cobra. I had zero dollars of damaged when switching to an auto and picked up .6 et.

 

[stang]

This is a debate that cannot be 'won' because it really boils down to the priorities of the individual. Some value the simplicity of an automatic over the attachment to the car, extra challenge and more 'pure' driving experience provided by a manual. Others have really crappy commutes and spend a ton of time in stop and go traffic and a manual is basically more pain than joy to drive. Others have physical limitations that necessitate an automatic. It's all been said. It's all valid.

The only argument I take exception to is when someone favors an automatic simply because it's the only thing they've ever driven. THAT is being closed minded. If you have not TRIED a manual, you should. Don't get an automatic simply because it's all you know. You never know what you might be missing! ;)

Now this precisely describes what I had in mind. Thank you, sir.

 

[KGrGunMan]

Some people believe what they believe and nothing will convince them otherwise. It's called closed minded and there is no cure.

I own both manual and auto so can choose what fits me for the day.

Maybe i'm misunderstanding/misinterpreting what you have said, but i'm interpreting what you said to mean you think i'm close minded, when two hours before you posted i said:

Please teach me, because doing exactly what I
ask and only what I ask seems ideal to me, how/why is it better for it to do something else?

If you think i'm closed minded, maybe you should try to expand my mind, believe it or not, it's what i'm trying to do to yours....

Not really...there are other reasons why people make their choice.

Do tell...

I understand drag racing, i understand if you have physical problems stopping you from making that motion, enlighten me on other reasons, don't just say i'm wrong and not why i'm wrong. i'm trying to have an intelligent conversation but it's hard when it's only one way.

For the last 10 years i've only owned manual and i drive in stop in go traffic all the time, to me automatics are far more annoying in traffic than manuals because i have to move my foot, on the gas, on the brake, on the gas, on the brake, moving my foot left and right as well as on and off the pedals . in a manual transmission car my right foot can stay in one spot (covering the gas pedal) while i stay in first gear and engine brake by simply letting off all pedals and coasting; how well does your automatic engine brake?

maybe i'm odd and different from everyone else, but the argument of stop and go traffic does not hold water for me, as i said before, my manual transmission only does exactly what i tell it and not a single other thing; what could be better than that? in traffic i'd take a manual over an automatic for comfort.

I understand that you can buy the more expensive transmission and then put more money into it to make it perform in specific circumstances better than a manual but the manual offers so much more flexibility.

I've never seen this on less expensive cars, but on very expensive automatics (the old BMW M5 use to have this) you can change how fast or slow you want the automatic to shift, i believe it was on a scale of 1-7 from smoother slower shifts to faster more aggressive shifts. this makes a lot of sense; sometimes you want to be smooth and easy, saving on gas and maybe giving your lady a nice ride to dinner while other times you don't care about fuel economy and want to smoke the person next to you and rip to triple digits as fast and hard as you can....does anyone on this fourm own a transmission that does this?

My old 1988 4cyl 4x4 5 speed manual toyota pickup had this feature as well as every manual i've ever seen, when i want to shift fast and hard, the transmission does what i say. when i've pushed it too long between gas stations and i'm coasting on fumes my transmission would shift low in the rpms. when i'm with my lady my transmission is always smooth; can your transmission change modes as easy as my manual?

I'm wrong a lot in life; but if you don't tell me why/how i'm wrong, then it makes it look like i'm correct. If you don't explain your view, no one will understand your view.

 

[scottpe]

A good auto will destroy a stick car of the same power by at least 1/2 of a second.

Nah, I think that's a big-time generalization and is very dependent on power level, driver skill and traction, among other factors. For instance, I guarantee you there is NO WAY a stock GT with an auto would beat a good manual driver by .5 seconds, all else being equal. A half a second (or more) is a HUGE difference in ET (multiple car lengths). Now maybe when you get up into the crazy power numbers what you're saying becomes more plausible.

Regardless, I do agree that the necessity for an automatic increases with power level, if competition is the top priority.

Sponsored