Prefer Auto. or Manual Transmission?

[Webster3]

Can we have your e-mail address??? Only kidding!

I know many of us have a warm spot for Ford because of our good experiences with our Explorers... but J. is right... if he has a different opinion and thinks Ford sucks because of his personal experience we shouldn't be taking it personally.

My 3cent

Ed

 

[sean4385]

i missed the post where someone got offended by what you said Kenny.

It looked to me like people were just posting their opinions and giving suggestions based on what you said..... and then you bugged out for no reason and got all defensive.

My opinion is you take this stuff way too seriously


and oh yea i voted for automatic cause thats what i got. But if i had the choice i wouldve picked a manual for one reason: more fun.

 

[yosh18981898]

LOL!!

 

[Vozar]

I have an auto and its the best for me off-road. I would like a manual for the streets though. Bettergas mileage,fun to drive. Weeeeeeeeeee!!!

 

[dan leon]

I prefer an auto for my daily driver 96 XLT because I'm a fat lazy slob, and my 99 Z28 has a 6spd.

 

[jrodrims]

A manual is inherently more efficient. You're putting more horsepower to the ground (rear wheels) because there's less drive train loss. With a manual the loss between crank and wheels is usually 15 to 16%. With an auto, you're losing around 25%. Stick with the stick.

 

[dan leon]

I agree but, the 9% to 10% loss of efficiency is well worth not having to shift all the time - I can afford the gas!! Also, I agree that Ford a/t's are not the greatest, but clutch jobs can cost a bit too.

I admit it... I'm biased because my XLT has a slush box.

 

[NaplesBill]

I enjoyed the manual in my '01 Sport but I'll put up with the auto in my '03 XLT NBX because it has a V8!

 

[FordLover61]

Originally posted by Carolina Express
It don't do the trick if it ain't got the stick!

Right on brother. I definitely prefer manual to auto. With a manual you can wait until each gear has topped out before you shift. An automatic shifts gears before they can top out.

 

[raptor86]

well what do u guys think is better for hauling and pulling people outta snow and stuff. I do city driving, country driving, off road driving, hauling and fun racing.

obviously, for highway a stick is best. But someone put a great point. I like being able to eat a sandwich, hold my girlfriends hand(or other things) and drive all at the same time. I think an auto would be better for snowc cause the power is smoother. Its not, acceleration, then coast for a sec, aceleration then coast for a sec like in a stick.

This is a real tough descision.

 

[NaplesBill]

Actually, a manual is better in snow because you can control throttle and clutch to prevent sliding. Also, you can start in a higher gear(i.e.... 2nd) and take off without sliding.

 

[CAC91]

Originally posted by raptor86
Its not, acceleration, then coast for a sec, aceleration then coast for a sec like in a stick.

This is a real tough descision.

If this is how you drive a stick, then you need to get a clue. If you're more concerned with eating, talking on your cell phone, and anything else you feel like doing instead of paying attention to the road, maybe you should stick to riding a bike.

 

[raptor86]

calm down man. First of all, i dont do this all the time. But when you have a limited amount of time, sometimes you gotta eat something while driving. And i understand where your coming from, you probably think im one of those pri *ks that are on their phone and are oblivious to everything but red lights and cut people off. Im not one of those people! ive had my liscense for a year and a half and ive driven 60k miles with no tix or accidents. Using a cell while driving doesnt affect everybody. Mostly its the yuppy women who drive their huge toyota SUV's to starbucks.

But w/e. back to what i was saying.

I know how to drive stick and i dont see how its possible to keep perfectly consistent power. You have to let off the gas and/or clutch at some point.
wow, this is a really hard decision. manual is definately more fun, but sometimes your not driving for the fun of driving, your driving because you have to get somewhere and your busy doing other stuff with your hands.

 

[NaplesBill]

I'll say it again! A manual is BETTER in snow than an automatic. You are in complete control of the amount of torque that gets released to the wheels! Starting in 2nd almost always works and you don't slip and slide.

 

[Webster3]

A manual may be better in the snow for you... but every vehicle is different as much as every driver is.

Automatics are very smooth... your foot can slip off a clutch or you could make an error in the amount of pressure you release and spin out. Sure, if you are good with a clutch it is probably just as good as an auto, but better? Don't know about that one.

Ed

 

[dan leon]

Hmmm... Them manual trucks got three foot pedals, and I only got two feet!!! I like slush boxes because they do well in 99% of my driving on/off road and in snow. Unfortunately my X has a 4R55E, the disposable "Bic Lighter" of a/t's. It died at 100k.

 

[yosh18981898]

Wait a minute, the 4R55E aint all THAT bad! It certainly isn't the best a/t out there though. If I had to pick the worst a/t made today it would have to the piece of crap that Dodge puts in their Rams. I know 6 different Ram owners who have had their tranny replaced 3 TIMES while the truck was under the factory 100000 mile warranty... Now that's the disposable bic lighter of all autos. I've never owned an eX with auto, let alone a 4R55E, and from what all you guys say, I think I'll stay away from the 4R55E. The only reason I'd ever think of getting an X with an auto is becuase I want one with the 302 V8. Even then I'd probably get sick of the slush box and do a custom tranny swap and use a Borg-Warner Tremec 5 out of mustang. THAT would be cool!!!!!

 

[NaplesBill]

Originally posted by Webster3
A manual may be better in the snow for you... but every vehicle is different as much as every driver is.

Automatics are very smooth... your foot can slip off a clutch or you could make an error in the amount of pressure you release and spin out. Sure, if you are good with a clutch it is probably just as good as an auto, but better? Don't know about that one.

Ed

Well, unless you know of a way to start an auto off in second gear(skipping the high torque of first gear) then there is no way you would be able to control the amount of torque you put to the wheels with an auto. The only level of control you have with an auto is the gas pedal. I grew up in Michigan and I've driven many different vehicles with autos and with manuals. There are many times when an auto just can't get any traction and spin like crazy. Like I already stated you can start in second gear with a manual and you will not spin tires like the auto does. Also, if you were to lose traction while driving you can just push in the clutch and usually regain traction without ever touching the brakes. Putting an auto into neutral can sometimes do the same thing but not nearly as easily.

 

[Webster3]

Originally posted by NaplesBill
Well, unless you know of a way to start an auto off in second gear(skipping the high torque of first gear) then there is no way you would be able to control the amount of torque you put to the wheels with an auto. The only level of control you have with an auto is the gas pedal. I grew up in Michigan and I've driven many different vehicles with autos and with manuals. There are many times when an auto just can't get any traction and spin like crazy. Like I already stated you can start in second gear with a manual and you will not spin tires like the auto does. Also, if you were to lose traction while driving you can just push in the clutch and usually regain traction without ever touching the brakes. Putting an auto into neutral can sometimes do the same thing but not nearly as easily.

I guess my understanding is that the torque converter in an automatic applies torque evenly and smoothly in close proportion to the speed of the engine until you reach higher speeds. I did a little research and your point about the torque issue may be well founded if I understand this correctly:

In addition to the very important job of allowing your car come to a complete stop without stalling the engine, the torque converter actually gives your car more torque when you accelerate out of a stop. Modern torque converters can multiply the torque of the engine by two to three times. This effect only happens when the engine is turning much faster than the transmission

That was from howstuffworks.com. So it sounds like because the torque converter multiplies the torque maybe the clutch is an advantage. Although it does suggest that this multiplication of torque happens when the engine is turning much faster than the transmission, which would suggest hard acceleration. I wonder how much the engine is ahead of the tranny in a gentle acceleration situation? Hmm.

Ed

 

[ShminkyBoy]

I got a stick.

yeah, but the torque gains aren't linear. you do have to "step on it" for the torque multiplication to be effective, whereas a manual realizes the torque instantly due to it being a gear,and a direct drive, and not fluid under pressure driving the drivetrain..

You can't get something for nothing, and a clutch/manual transmission will still get more torque to the ground than an automatic will, at any rpm more efficiently.


I have a 5-speed manual.

I love it in the snow. LOVE.

I've actually been having a buttload of fun in the snow these past weekends, lots more control in the snow than the automatic transmission equipped vehicle i was driving last year..

Now all I need is limited-slip rear end guts, some better gears and a chip. heh.

I saw the hand throttle mod in another thread so I would guess that the rock crawlers out there aren't really at much of any disadvantage at the end of the day anyways, if they have that mod.