Die hard Manual guys get in here!

[Norm Peterson]

What are you guys going to do when they get rid of sticks? More and more auto makers are saying goodbye to stick!

Build a pro-touring / restomod car.


Norm

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[shogun32]

And the underdrives are too short for use with 3.73s if serious autocross is your game.

motorcycles have cartridge transmissions, why not cars?

 

[Norm Peterson]

What are you guys going to do when they get rid of sticks? More and more auto makers are saying goodbye to stick!

In the meantime, we'll just keep jumping ship from the mfr who drops the MT to the one(s) that still hang on to it.

Same as I've been doing for our family sedans for over 30 years already.

It's a really easy way to see the value of choosing loyalty to yourself over loyalty to a brand.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

motorcycles have cartridge transmissions, why not cars?

Interesting thought, but I suspect being forced into sequential-only shifting (up and down) all the time would be a deal-breaker for most people. I've ridden bikes, and I know I wouldn't want to have to shift like that in a car.


Norm

 

[sk47]

What are you guys going to do when they get rid of sticks? More and more auto makers are saying goodbye to stick!

Hello; I am already doing it. I quit shopping for most vehicles without a manual option. The pickings are getting slim. I also have a few other things I want. I want a spare of some sort. I want a naturally aspirated engine and I want to use 87 octane fuel. Yes I know, I am playing a losing hand. I no longer shop for a Porsche or BMW. They have some manual trans models, but only in the much higher cost special models anymore.

We already have lost the manual option in light duty trucks

 

[SloRyd]

What are you guys going to do when they get rid of sticks? More and more auto makers are saying goodbye to stick!

Keep a few transmissions on the shelf?

 

[sk47]

I suspect being forced into sequential-only shifting (up and down) all the time would be a deal-breaker for most people.

Hello; I have driven a car with a sequential automatic. Toyota MR2. Did not have a clutch but the gears had to be selected up or down. I did not care for it. I get why so many do not want to drive a manual. It takes a while to develop the coordination with the foot clutch, gas pedal and gear shift to drive one even at a basic skill level. Even harder to be smooth with downshifts. I never completely mastered heel and toe downshifts.

In my pickup the automatic is not so bad. I still would prefer a manual but do not mind so much. If I had to commute in traffic, then a plain jane car with an auto would be fine. When I drive a more sporty car I want a manual. Mostly because of the real sense of joy I feel.

 

[SloRyd]

Personally I think the world would be a lot better of a place if there was more manual transmissions.
Certainly harder to text and drive with a manual..

 

[shogun32]

Realistically, how often do you gear skip? Even if it is frequently, many sequentials let you "preload" a gear.

I skip-shift all the time (40%?) but there is no reason to think a double pull on a sequential takes up extra time to matter. In fact a double pull or triple pull is probably faster than a normal single gear selection on an H anyway.

 

[Mikepol2]

Not being able to skip shift is one of the most personally annoying things about paddle shifters. I've had them before and really tried to like them as a replacement for a manual, but just can't. One of the (many) reasons for selling my Audi S4.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Realistically, how often do you gear skip? Even if it is frequently, many sequentials let you "preload" a gear.

Not often on the upshift but 5 - 3 approaching slow-moving traffic is common when I'm driving the WRX. And might be more common in the S197 if 5th wasn't such a big damn step away from 3rd ratio-wise. Think 4th from 6th in the original MT82.

Wrist, finger, and ankle motion to go down 4 on a 5-speed bike is so much easier and faster than having to do anything similar with leg and whole-arm movements for components built to handle 5 liters worth of torque instead of one liter or less . . .


Norm

 

[SloRyd]

You're acting like people just recently started to do distracting things while driving. Since there were cars (manually or automatic) it has been a time-honored tradition to shave, apply makeup, drink coffee, read the newspaper, etc while driving. Texting is just the most recent thing, thus it gets to be the scapegoat. Driving a manual is also not as "engaging" an activity as people like to make it out to be. If you're not inching through stop and go traffic there's plenty of time between shifts to tweet about how smooth your new short throw is

I drive into LA everyday and literally see every single one of those you just described

I mean that Barton is butter, but still when I get in the car I literally throw my phone in the back seat.
Now if I’m driving the Fusion to work? Well haha I hit up Raising Canes and get me some Chicken Fingers for the ride

 

[Norm Peterson]

You're acting like people just recently started to do distracting things while driving. Since there were cars (manually or automatic) it has been a time-honored tradition to shave, apply makeup, drink coffee, read the newspaper, etc while driving. Texting is just the most recent thing, thus it gets to be the scapegoat. Driving a manual is also not as "engaging" an activity as people like to make it out to be. If you're not inching through stop and go traffic there's plenty of time between shifts to tweet about how smooth your new short throw is

I'll give you that you could always find the time to do all those other things no matter what kind of transmission was in the car you were driving at the moment. I'll substitute CB radio use for at least some of today's cell phone use.

But you have to give me that with a MT your attitude wasn't apt to stray as far from the business of driving. Maybe especially if your shifting was more like that of a sports roadster driver than that of a muscle car driver.


Norm

 

[SloRyd]

well since the impending doom of the manual transmission is closer than ever.
If I was to fill an extra spot in the garage which should occupy?
2014 GT500 or 2017 GT350?

 

[shogun32]

If someone is going to be an inattentive asshole, they're going to be an inattentive asshole. It doesn't matter what transmission they have. They have made the decision that whatever dumb shit they are doing is more important than paying attention to the road.

that's my brother driving his kids 30 miles across DC traffic to school while writing emails on his Blackberry. Could he dictate instead? Could he have handed the device to his Jr high kids to type out the message for him? Of course.

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