Posted on 03/26/2023 10:41:58 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
We have a 2002 MR2 Spyder, lots of fun, not so good for longer trips. For that, there’s the 2006 Nissan Sentra, 5-speed manual. The pickup is an automatic, though, and I’ll always kick myself for not getting a manual when I bought it new back in 2007. At that time I didn’t know they would quit making manual-transmission pickups, nor that I’d be keeping it forever. Oh, well.
I’ve driven and preferred stick shifts since my first car, a 1966 Beetle bought in 1974.
Yeah, but it would be twice the size and weight. Not suitable for a pickup.
That does not make sense, with all due respect. Nothing inherent between manual and automatic that makes one a better engine torque handler over the other.
Granny gears are awesome. I had a work truck in the 80’s.
Ford F-250. 460 V-8. 4:11 rear end. I could pull a gooseneck with 30K lbs on it easily.
“Three on the tree” is even more effective.
Not to mention smoke the rubber right off the rims.
If the drivetrain lasted that long....
My First car was a 47 Chev deluxe, 3 on the tree with vacuum shift. Hot water six.
... and, until relatively recently, every semi truck had a manual transmission. Manuals are dying for two reasons: (a) less than 10% of potential customers know how to drive one; and (b) modern automatics are almost as fuel-efficient as a manual driven by an expert.
The final drive gear ratios, front and rear axle, for the Hummer H3 full time 4WD is 4:56 to one. The 1st gear ratio with the transfer case engaged in low range is 2:64:1 which yields a crawl ratio of 45.1:1. The Hummer H3 can really crawl over rocks and boulders with that awesome low range gearing.
Even so, with a few relatively simple modifications, it still manages about 23-24 on the highway with the cruise control set for 65 mph. The engine turns at about 2500 rpm at that speed in 5th gear.
In high range, of course!!!
That will make going down Rocky Mountain passes interesting, indeed. Smell those brakes.
It’s called capitalism. You build what will sell. When any option falls under 12-15% of the orders, it gets cut. In other words, if your orders are 7% manual transmissions, you can’t afford to offer one, stock clutches, shifter linkage, pedals, transmissions, etc.
The last full size trucks for Ford and GM with manuals were 2006 models. Dodge made them quite a while after that for one reason, the failure rate of automatics behind the diesels, their transmissions were junk.
I’ve managed new car dealerships since 1990, nobody wants a stripped down truck. Or car.
Absolutely! A new F150 crew cab with a 3.5 V6 turbo runs almost the exact same quarter mile time as a Boss 302 Mustang in 1970.
Absolutely! A new F150 crew cab with a 3.5 V6 turbo runs almost the exact same quarter mile time as a Boss 302 Mustang in 1970.
So people aren’t bothering to learn while manufacturers refuse to make them?
Automatics still sold in the past, though, in spite of relative fuel efficiency; but they are still in the minority in Europe (80% stick/20% automatic). I suspect too much market manipulation.
Me too. My daughter learned to drive a manual. We had a 90’s diesel flatbed pickup she drove back & fourth to school.
We also lived on a farm/ranch in Wyoming. All the kids knew how to drive a stick. Most even know how to operate tractors.
04 Cummins, 190k miles, original clutch and tranny.
72 Cheyenne Super ordered w/ 3 on the tree. Daily driver. When I restore it will have a 5 speed Getrag.
Bought soil last week. Kid had never seen a manual in a truck. He seemed fascinated.
My days are numbered and it does not bother me.
One of my coworkers was going to do some traveling in Spain, and for her to rent a car with an automatic was going to cost something like $500 more than a manual. I spent an hour or so one evening teaching her how to drive our 5-speed Nissan Sentra. She still wasn’t all that good with a clutch (takes practice), but she had the basics down.
I’ve had several manual transmission cars and had the debate about automatic versus manual many times. One thing that often comes up is the cost of replacing an automatic transmission and someone will say... “well the cost of replacing a clutch isn’t cheap either.” Well, I’ve never replaced either a clutch or a manual transmission but I have replaced at least 2 automatic transmissions.
One other thing that often slides by unnoticed in the debate and that is the cost of brakes. A person who knows how to shift efficiently and downshifts diligently and carefully when coming up to lights and stop signs will save hugely on brakes versus someone driving an automatic. I had a Toyota Camry with a manual transmission and a friend had a Dodge minivan with an automatic. We both drove the cars to high mileage and he had replaced the brakes 5 times before I replaced them once. This will of course vary depending on where one lives but for my time on mountain roads, I’d never want to be anywhere near an automatic transmission... riding the brakes when going downhill versus just running in a lower gear (where the engine does most of the braking) makes zero sense.
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