Cars in US

[MR_Candyman]

don't bother with cars that have both...they're not quite the same...

manuals are a bit tricky to learn as you need to learn how to get going from a stop without jumping, after that it's fine...unless oyu want to double clutch, then that's another hurdle (but a good one). After a while you'll be shifting without even thinking about it

[proph3t]

Just drove in my friends classic manual porsche 911, absolutely the most fun car to drive in.

Then again, I have driven in some really nice manual cars, a ferrari, xj220.

[Zip]

Also instead of pushing in their clutch to go around slow corners, they should just downshift and drive it through properly.

http://www.10w40.com/individual/100186.asp

585569145[/snapback]

people in the US do that?? :blink:

of course you downshift. you fail your test in the UK (which you have to take in a manual unless you wanna drive AT all your life) if you ever move without a gear being engaged unless changing up/down.

[kombolcha]

what's a double clutch?

[MR_Candyman]

people in the US do that?? :blink:

of course you downshift.  you fail your test in the UK (which you have to take in a manual unless you wanna drive AT all your life) if you ever move without a gear being engaged unless changing up/down.

585573620[/snapback]

The tests in america (and Canada) aren't very strict about things like this. They're mainly concerned about how safe you are rather than how you will treat your vehicle.

Vice King: A double clutch shift is when you push in the clutch, pop the shifter in to neutral, rev the engine a bit more to get the rpms up again, then push in the clutch again and shift the gear. You were required to do this on very old cars becaus ehtey didn't have the technology to have a device to keep the gear meshes synced. It's still a good idea to double clutch nowadays as doing it properly will make your transmission last even longer (it's fun too).

[AcdShdw]

people around here mostly have AT id say a good 75%. the rest are MT, they mainly are all riceerboy wannabes who think its cool to MT instead, all they care about is racing which is highly illegal around here, i myself dont feel the need to have a car with MT

[wa22guy]

The reason the USA has Automatic over Manual so much is because of the sheer traffic and size of the United States. How many UK's can fit inside the USA?

US land: 9,161,923 sq km

UK land: 241,590 sq km

Also, you say London traffic is bad, and that may be true, but you have to remember that the USA has about 75 cities that are HUGE compared to just a few in the UK. We also have 300 million people. Therefore there are WAY more people stuck in traffic in the USA than the UK, thus the need for Automatics more.

US Pop: 293,027,571 (July 2004 est.)

UK Pop: 60,270,708 (July 2004 est.)

US Highway roads total: 6,406,296 km

UK Highway roads total: 371,913 km

http://www.citypopulation.de/USA.html

Personally, I like to be able to eat, drink, phone, or whatever while driving an Automatic. I also go long distances and it's very nice. I do know how to drive manual and they are more fun, but Automatic is way more practical in this country.

BTW - L.A. probably has WAY worse traffic than London. The freeways are 14 lanes wide. The sheer amount of people is amazing and the city goes on for hundreds of miles. I've been there many times and it's one of the reasons I'll never live there.

http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Region=Greater+Los+Angeles

Thanks to http://www.cia.gov for the facts.

Edited March 5, 2005 by wa22guy

[AnakinSolo2002]

Personally, I like to be able to eat, drink, phone, or whatever while driving an Automatic. I also go long distances and it's very nice. I do know how to drive manual and they are more fun, but Automatic is way more practical in this country.

585574046[/snapback]

I drive a manual, and I can still eat, drink, phone.... you just do it while you are in a gear, and you put the **** down when you shift, not too dificult. And how is it any easier to travel long distances in an AT over an MT? lol, you usually stay in high gear when on a highway, oh and we have cruise controll too buddy. :rolleyes:

[MR_Candyman]

I drive a manual, and I can still eat, drink, phone.... you just do it while you are in a gear, and you put the **** down when you shift, not too dificult. And how is it any easier to travel long distances in an AT over an MT? lol, you usually stay in high gear when on a highway, oh and we have cruise controll too buddy.  :rolleyes:

585574242[/snapback]

That's exactly (pretty much word for word) what I was thinking, I just felt it best to leave him in his own world

[AnakinSolo2002]

That's exactly (pretty much word for word) what I was thinking, I just felt it best to leave him in his own world

585574269[/snapback]

but if you leave them their, they keep thinking they "know," and that just creates more problems lol. :rofl:

[threetonesun]

The reason the USA has Automatic over Manual so much is because of the sheer traffic and size of the United States. How many UK's can fit inside the USA?

585574046[/snapback]

No, it's because Americans aren't very good drivers. As I said before, if you know how to drive stick, you'll find it much easier to drive in traffic, you'll have to go for the clutch as often as you go for the brakes on an automatic, and you can maintain a steady slow speed, something autos can't do as well.

[randy_tho]

Learned to drive a manual. I'm currently drving an auto and the same manual truck I learned on. When it comes to trucks you'll usually see the smaller ones with manuals.

I like the manual better. But I like the vehicle that is an auto better. :) I wish it was a 5spd. And with modern cars, a manual is pretty much effortless. It's not like in the 70s. :)

The next car I buy will likely be a manual 6spd of some kind if I can afford it. I like the current G35 coupe a lot.

And the coment about Americans not being good drivers is an incredibly stupid generalization. Sure there are plenty of people that can't drive well but you can't lump them all in one.

[kombolcha]

The reason the USA has Automatic over Manual so much is because of the sheer traffic and size of the United States. How many UK's can fit inside the USA?

US land: 9,161,923 sq km

UK land: 241,590 sq km

Also, you say London traffic is bad, and that may be true, but you have to remember that the USA has about 75 cities that are HUGE compared to just a few in the UK. We also have 300 million people. Therefore there are WAY more people stuck in traffic in the USA than the UK, thus the need for Automatics more.

US Pop: 293,027,571 (July 2004 est.)

UK Pop: 60,270,708 (July 2004 est.)

US Highway roads total: 6,406,296 km

UK Highway roads total: 371,913 km

http://www.citypopulation.de/USA.html

Personally, I like to be able to eat, drink, phone, or whatever while driving an Automatic. I also go long distances and it's very nice. I do know how to drive manual and they are more fun, but Automatic is way more practical in this country.

BTW - L.A. probably has WAY worse traffic than London. The freeways are 14 lanes wide. The sheer amount of people is amazing and the city goes on for hundreds of miles. I've been there many times and it's one of the reasons I'll never live there.

http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Region=Greater+Los+Angeles

Thanks to http://www.cia.gov for the facts.

585574046[/snapback]

excellent (Y)

No, it's because Americans aren't very good drivers. As I said before, if you know how to drive stick, you'll find it much easier to drive in traffic, you'll have to go for the clutch as often as you go for the brakes on an automatic, and you can maintain a steady slow speed, something autos can't do as well.

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no, asians aren't very good drivers.

let me give a scenario of what millions of people on the 405 freeway have to go through between 4:00pm and 7:00pm

traffic begins about a mile before the freeway on-ramp. when you finally get on, most of the time you have to find/fight your way through towards the left so that you avoid exit-only lanes and merging traffic from on-ramps or another freeway joining.

most people spend 90% of their time on the freeway and other 10 on the streets.

this is what the 90% is like.

it takes a few minutes for you to finally change lanes to the "fast lanes" and now that you are there, it will be stop and go for the next 2 AND A HALF HOURS!

stop and go.... try this outside your home and tell me how you like it.

step on the gas, drive about 20 feet, brake hard, repeat for 2 and half hours. (can you imagine, besides the number of times you'll depress the clutch between stops, how many times you will have to stop between gear changes? it is so god damned ****ing irritating :argh: and i know how that feels cuz i've done it before.)

and that is not counting the countless number of ###### that cut you off or use the free lanes to pass everyone and try to cut in at the last second and hold up the rest of traffic.

this is why a few people i know who own MT cars drive their AT's on the weekdays and pull out the MT on the weekend, or they car pool.

also i forgot to mention.. most cities here design their streets in a certain way they and add "obsticles" to keep people from speeding.. why do think suburban areas have sooo many winding streets? and why they place street lights where they don't need them. and i know this as a fact because one of my best friend works for Cal Trans.

[MR_Candyman]

stop and go traffic isn't that bad an issue. If you're used to a manual tranny, then you won't even notice yourself shifting most of the time. Stop and go traffic you hardly ever even get the chance to shift, and it's not like you're in a hurry for the times when you can move a few feet, because you know somebody's gonna cut in front of you, and you know that you'll just have to stop again.

Americans ARE bad drivers. I don't beleiev in this whole defensive and offensive driving bit, I believe in smart and stupid driving. If you're driving really slowly with your foot on the brake, looking side to side the whole time, being really tense, then you're actually proven to have a slower reaction time to stop than if you were driving like a bat outta hell. If you are driving liek a bat outta hell, then you're not being considerate of you, your car, or anybody else. If you're in between, where you're alert, but relaxed and driving with the traffic flow, then that's the best spot to be in. You do NOT want to stomp on the gas, then slam on the brake just so nobody will get in front of you. This is the reason the traffic jams are as bad as they are...nobody wants to let others in their lane. That is the MAIN reason traffic jams occur. People slow to a crawl or stop on the highway, trying to get somebody to let them in the other lane, blocking traffic.

Us canadians aren't really any better anymore (in general) either. We used to not really have any traffic jams because everybody drove at a better level

[DarkMindsProject]

Manuals are:

better on gas

better for performance

last longer

automatics suck to much power and are weak internamly unless designed specifily to take high power #'s and unless your tranny is mated to a v8 its probably not

[MR_Candyman]

Manuals are:

better on gas

better for performance

last longer

automatics suck to much power and are weak internamly unless designed specifily to take high power #'s and unless your tranny is mated to a v8 its probably not

585574886[/snapback]

you forgot:

more fun

**** off people who want to borrow your car but can't drive stick

[threetonesun]

stop and go.... try this outside your home and tell me how you like it.

step on the gas, drive about 20 feet, brake hard, repeat for 2 and half hours. (can you imagine, besides the number of times you'll depress the clutch between stops, how many times you will have to stop between gear changes? it is so god damned ****ing irritating :argh: and i know how that feels cuz i've done it before.)

585574774[/snapback]

I've been stuck in stop and go traffic plenty of times. If I'm in one of my auto cars, I always downshift into 1-2. If you drive a manual, you get used to slowly moving forward, and stepping on the brake only when necessary. Obviously you'll never step on the clutch more than the brake in traffic, so it's a matter of using two feet instead of one. Oh noes! What shall we do! :pinch:

My very reason for saying so many Americans are bad drivers is because 80% of them now "brake drive", and have no idea how to drive otherwise. Ever notice how everyone speeds on hills? "oh, my car just rolled down that fast, what was I to do?"

[se7en.hu]

Im over in Aus and driving a manual here :p

reason being that it is more fun better performence and it is a sports car so imo all sports cars should be made only in manual a sports car with a auto trans imo isnt one at all but closer to a family car or something who know this is mine though :D

edit: Just want to add that it isnt actually mine, mine like the photo is of my exact one but it looks the same I just cant be bothered going into the garage and snapping a shot hehe

Edited March 6, 2005 by se7en.hu

[kombolcha]

true, there are people like that.. hit the gas hard and brake hard in order to not let someone else in. i really don't care, thats not my purpose for hitting the gas hard sometimes (except for big SUV's and Vans, they can go to hell [personal thing, you can never change my mind about that]) its traffic already, i don't see how not letting someone in is going to delay you any more. no, i'm not talking about those ****ers who try to cut in at the last minute, they can go to hell too, people just have to accept that there will always be traffic at those times.. **** it happens every single day!

like you said.. i fall in the category of going with the flow and being alert, reading the signs and staying in your lane is the easiest part, it doesn't really matter to me because most of the time you're going with the flow anyway. being aware of your surroundings and scanning ahead is the number 1 on my list... i took driver ed. class when i was a freshman and cuz of that i was sort of the teachers pet, she'd always drill that into my head. be alert.

from personal experience, the whole traffic thing is why i don't want manual

[AnakinSolo2002]

stop and go traffic isn't that bad an issue. If you're used to a manual tranny, then you won't even notice yourself shifting most of the time. Stop and go traffic you hardly ever even get the chance to shift, and it's not like you're in a hurry for the times when you can move a few feet, because you know somebody's gonna cut in front of you, and you know that you'll just have to stop again.

Americans ARE bad drivers. I don't beleiev in this whole defensive and offensive driving bit, I believe in smart and stupid driving. If you're driving really slowly with your foot on the brake, looking side to side the whole time, being really tense, then you're actually proven to have a slower reaction time to stop than if you were driving like a bat outta hell. If you are driving liek a bat outta hell, then you're not being considerate of you, your car, or anybody else. If you're in between, where you're alert, but relaxed and driving with the traffic flow, then that's the best spot to be in. You do NOT want to stomp on the gas, then slam on the brake just so nobody will get in front of you. This is the reason the traffic jams are as bad as they are...nobody wants to let others in their lane. That is the MAIN reason traffic jams occur. People slow to a crawl or stop on the highway, trying to get somebody to let them in the other lane, blocking traffic.

Us canadians aren't really any better anymore (in general) either. We used to not really have any traffic jams because everybody drove at a better level

585574866[/snapback]

I'm an American, and I'm not a bad driver, I tire of generalizations...

[MR_Candyman]

generalizations are just that...if you don't fit into the catagory (and actually don't, not just think you're good but really suck) then pay no attention

[imtoomuch]

I drive an automatic. If you have a sports car you should definitely have manual. For everyday driving automatic is perfect. There's no abusing the clutch in stop and go traffic jams. Manual also gets very annoying in situations like this. Plus, automatic transmissions are so good in modern cars that some of the advantages a manual has over automatics is lessened. Manuals usually still provide cheaper cars and better acceleration though.

[threetonesun]

You realize you'll go through brakes and rotors faster in an automatic, and more often than a clutch, right? Not to mention, there's no reason to use the clutch when you aren't using the brakes. And, manual drivers are generally more alert than automatic drivers.

I used to think manuals were only for sports cars like most people, but now I realize the ability to control your speed right down to 0 rpms, and the fact that you chose when to shift is useful all the time, everywhere.

[randy_tho]

So if I said all British people are snobbish pansies than people should just ignore it???

If I said all Asians look alike?

If I said Polish are not smart?

Its a degrading generalization that has no bearing on reality. :rolleyes:

[dj6ross]

You realize you'll go through brakes and rotors faster in an automatic, and more often than a clutch, right? Not to mention, there's no reason to use the clutch when you aren't using the brakes. And, manual drivers are generally more alert than automatic drivers.

I used to think manuals were only for sports cars like most people, but now I realize the ability to control your speed right down to 0 rpms, and the fact that you chose when to shift is useful all the time, everywhere.

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I agree.

I daily drive '93 Dodge pickup truck with a 5spd man. trans. I'm diffently more alert then those people driving an automatic car always on their cell phone. My friends sometimes get mad at me, because generally when I'm driving and my cell phone rings I'll see who's calling, and unless it's family I most likely won't answer lol.

I find it very useful to shift when I want because, I help control the gas mileage I get. Shift earlier. Neutral is very useful when costing to stop signs. I go to a small High school, probably 300 kids total. I would say about 70 students drive everyday. I know their are only 2 vehicles including mine that are manual. I would guess only 10 out of the 70 know how too, from living on farms.

My mom just got a '04 Mazda 3 a couple of months ago with a manual transmission in it. But I can't think of any other family members on my mom's or my dad's side that drive a car with a manual tranny in it.