Automatic or Manual gear?

[pascal]

How do you like to drive most of the time?
Automatic or Manual gear?

 

[DJ12]

It's only driving if it's manual.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Manual on both our vehicles. Not just because it's more fun, more because of the increased control/interaction with my vehicle. I feel it makes me a better/more aware driver.

 

[JBark]

I've got a manual right now, and I do enjoy it more than an auto, but I'm pretty sure I'll go back to an auto with my next car. Maybe something like a DSG, so I get the best of both worlds. Manual is just too much of a hassle in town or in traffic (yeah, I'm lazy). Especially with my 9-2x (WRX), since it's absolutely gutless until the turbo spools, and the transmission feels like stiring a bucket of rocks with an oar. And shifting when it's -20 outside is never fun.

Now put an engine with gobs of lowend torque in front of the manual, and it's much more enjoyable. No more fighting a lugging engine, it just goes.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

There are cars that are more suited for automatic, and others for manual. I'd say the best solution is to have automatic with the ability to use it like a manual, without glutch pedal. I think the new DSG transmission by Volkswagen is clearly the best transmission available.
I didn't vote because, the question is more complex to me than just yes or no.

 

[mcsven]

I went for manual, primarily because I didn't know what comfortbal meant.

 

[pascal]

I went for manual, primarily because I didn't know what comfortbal meant.

Sorry. Comfortable

 

[mcsven]

I was just playin'. :smile:

 

[pascal]

I personally like manual gear. My car has a 2 liters engine with the maximum torque at low rpm (2400 rpm) which combined with the manual gear make it fast for most city driving situations

 

[Blazkowicz]

I never drove an automatic, so manual.
it should be boring to have no clutch and have a little black box decide when to shift gears..

and, using a manual is no hassle anyway, it's hardwired in the brain, like writing or keyboard+mouse. so, you move around without thinking about it.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Ooooh, I forgot to mention downshifting! Nothing tells someone tailgating you to fuck off quite so much as that rapid de-acceleration without brake lights like downshifting does.

That and I love downshifting just to make my tires chirp, you get looks.

 

[jamesnmandy]

until i had a wife and kids, manual, every car or truck i owned was a manual

now i am 30 yrs old and lazy and prefer to just put my foot in the gas or brake and get there, not that i dont like performance, my newest ride is a 05 Dodge Quad cab with the Hemi (won King of Street in the weekend bracket racing event), gotta admit, not bad for a 5000lb. auto trans, truck bone stock

 

[DJ12]

Ooooh, I forgot to mention downshifting! Nothing tells someone tailgating you to fuck off quite so much as that rapid de-acceleration without brake lights like downshifting does.

That and I love downshifting just to make my tires chirp, you get looks.

Maybe you should just get a faster car and stop getting in other peoples way

Are you one of those people that insists on doing 5~10 mph less than the speed limit while hogging the overtaking lane?

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Yeah, let's go grandpa!!

 

[jamesnmandy]

Maybe you should just get a faster car and stop getting in other peoples way

Are you one of those people that insists on doing 5~10 mph less than the speed limit while hogging the overtaking lane?

thats what i was thinking......of course, unless there's nowhere for you to go, if you are being tailgated, that means the person behind you wants to go faster, which means you should move over or speed up until you can move over, doesn't matter how fast you are going, if the limit is 70 and you are doing 80 and a guy runs up behind you fast, MOVE!

 

[DuckThor Evil]

if the limit is 70 and you are doing 80 and a guy runs up behind you fast, MOVE!

I think that's pretty stupid advice.

 

[Malo]

I've never really liked auto's, I feel far less in control and makes it seem like all there is is a "stop" and "go" button. And I don't like the transmission deciding when I when to up or downshift.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Are you one of those people that insists on doing 5~10 mph less than the speed limit while hogging the overtaking lane?

Uhm, no. I had my license suspended this summer for doing 87 in a 45 zone.

I tend to have a bit of a lead foot and like to get places with a quickness.

 

[Blazkowicz]

thats what i was thinking......of course, unless there's nowhere for you to go, if you are being tailgated, that means the person behind you wants to go faster, which means you should move over or speed up until you can move over, doesn't matter how fast you are going, if the limit is 70 and you are doing 80 and a guy runs up behind you fast, MOVE!

if you're being tailgated, it's most often because the guy/lady behind is dumb or an asshole, I hate being tailgated (I didn't know this word. in french I complain about the asshole who is sticking to my ass).

yay maybe he wants to go faster, and would if you went faster. but you can leave some free distance, especially it it's for kilometers. It costs nothing and is required anyway as a basic safety thing.

(BTW I didn't thought about highway. this happens all the time on normal roads when you're already at 100kph instead of 90)

 

[hey69]

automatic gear is something of a rarity over here in western europe. only big cars with big engines have them