Stick Shifts - a Rant

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

only 3% of drivers drive sticks now......i hate autos.....but am renting an auto for road trip ....lots of driving on highways and then the city....in the snow....i want my stick

Screw that, with the advent of traction control, the days of " I can control a stick shift in the snow a lot more than an automatic" are LONG gone.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I don't dispute that from a rational transportation standpoint, the auto's are "better." They perform better and get equal or better fuel economy.

But the purpose of a SPORTS CAR is not transportation. It can be used for transportation, but other vehicles do a much better job of transporting you and your people/stuff from place to place - comfort, utility, features, capacity to carry several people, and so on.

The purpose of a SPORTS CAR is to involve the driver in the experience of operating the vehicle for optimum performance. If you want simplicity and economy, buy a Camry.

My brother-in-law used to work for GM, and he was once driving a Corvette with an automatic trans, in which the transmission casing was made of magnesium. (Never made it into production). I drove it and it drove fine, but WGAS? With an automatic it isn't a sports car.

My truck is an automatic, and my wife gave up the stick a few years ago when she started commuting in heavy traffic every day. But my cars are, and almost always have been, sticks. I can't even imagine why someone would buy a 911 with a slushbox.

DSGs are NOT slushboxes. There is part of the problem right there. People don't understand the terminology.

Yes, they are different from a conventional manual transmission, but they CAN be shifted so that you get that more involved feel. But they can also be placed in fully automatic mode when you want.

And no clutch. Well, there's a clutch but it is computer controlled and no pedal.

You've never driven a DSG equipped car, that's obvious.

I have and I detest them.

 

[Jarlaxle]

only 3% of drivers drive sticks now......i hate autos.....but am renting an auto for road trip ....lots of driving on highways and then the city....in the snow....i want my stick

Screw that, with the advent of traction control, the days of " I can control a stick shift in the snow a lot more than an automatic" are LONG gone.

I have never had traction control that was anything but a hindrance in snow! Stability control helps, but I find traction control a hindrance.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

only 3% of drivers drive sticks now......i hate autos.....but am renting an auto for road trip ....lots of driving on highways and then the city....in the snow....i want my stick

Screw that, with the advent of traction control, the days of " I can control a stick shift in the snow a lot more than an automatic" are LONG gone.

I have never had traction control that was anything but a hindrance in snow! Stability control helps, but I find traction control a hindrance.

Good traction control is seamless and you don't even know when it's operating.

Not all systems are good systems. Of course the more expensive , and later model, the vehicle the better the system. Just like with early model ABS, the systems were often worse than with no ABS at all, but eventually.

And eventually all vehicles will have traction control, its inevitable.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Dude...all new cars have had it for a while. (I recall it has been required since 2012.)

In snow, it is usually very obvious when it's operating: the car falls on its face and you get stuck!.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Dude...all new cars have had it for a while. (I recall it has been required since 2012.)

In snow, it is usually very obvious when it's operating: the car falls on its face and you get stuck!.

ESC is mandated and has been since 2012, but I don't believe traction control is.

 

[Jarlaxle]

ESC-without exception-includes traction control and ABS.

 

[blastoff]

I only buy auto when it's the bride's car.

 

[DGS49]

DEMO: A year or so ago, I was sitting in a parking lot checking my emails, when I saw a new Caddy SRX attempting to come up an ice-covered back exit of the parking lot. The Caddy had all - season tires and dealer plates. I could see all four wheels from my vantage point. It was incredible. No human could have made it up that slick grade, but I could see the workings of the TCS, with each wheel trying independently to grab a bite of the pavement. It took a few minutes but he made it without stopping or sliding back. It was a truly amazing demonstration of phenomenal technology.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

DEMO: A year or so ago, I was sitting in a parking lot checking my emails, when I saw a new Caddy SRX attempting to come up an ice-covered back exit of the parking lot. The Caddy had all - season tires and dealer plates. I could see all four wheels from my vantage point. It was incredible. No human could have made it up that slick grade, but I could see the workings of the TCS, with each wheel trying independently to grab a bite of the pavement. It took a few minutes but he made it without stopping or sliding back. It was a truly amazing demonstration of phenomenal technology.

Toyotas Crawl Control will blow your mind!!!
Keep in mind the driver does nothing except engage the system.

 

[Jarlaxle]

DEMO: A year or so ago, I was sitting in a parking lot checking my emails, when I saw a new Caddy SRX attempting to come up an ice-covered back exit of the parking lot. The Caddy had all - season tires and dealer plates. I could see all four wheels from my vantage point. It was incredible. No human could have made it up that slick grade, but I could see the workings of the TCS, with each wheel trying independently to grab a bite of the pavement. It took a few minutes but he made it without stopping or sliding back. It was a truly amazing demonstration of phenomenal technology.

Or get the right tires and not have a problem!

 

[DGS49]

This was a showroom-new car (sticker still on it), with the factory tires.

 

[DGS49]

Back on Stick Shifts, Mazda has announced that their new CX-3 will NOT be available with a standard shift, although they tell us that the slushbox can be driven like a stick.

Honda's comparable model, the HR-V, can be had with a stick, but only in the FWD version. My local dealer tells me that those cars are only being shipped by Honda to sunbelt dealerships. CR-V has not been available with a stick for many years, although many Honda Element's came with a 5-speed and 4WD (I had one).

This is a surprising choice by Mazda, which bills itself as a company that is geared to maximizing the driving experience.

 

[Jarlaxle]

This was a showroom-new car (sticker still on it), with the factory tires.

You mean a new car did not have winter tires on it? YA THINK?! No shit, Sherlock!

 

[BruSan]

With nothing but performance in mind and the stipulation of "high end sports cars". You are really going have your outlook altered by a Tesla Car.

Watched a youtube of one of those going up against some very high horsepower race cars and it was an eye-opener.

 

[DGS49]

Honda Civic, long one of the faves of the boy-racer crowd, has entered 2016 with what appears to be a great improvement in styling, handling, and overall Honda Goodness, but again, no performance version and no stick available at this time. The base engine is a T-charged 1.5L four cranking out north of 170HP, but only available with a CVT. Last year's Si had about 200 ponies and most were sold with a stick. Why would anyone buy this with a slushbox?

Honda hints at a "Type R" or an "Si" version due after the first of the year - maybe both, but no details have been released, and who knows, it may not even happen.

Oddly, the last Si was a very nice car and fun to drive, but this version promises to be so much better...

 

[SmokeALib]

I have always driven vehicles with clutches since I was 16. I'm 55 now and they're getting more and more difficult to find. Ford and Chevy both quit putting sticks in their half ton and 3/4 ton trucks 6 or 7 years ago. This would force me to buy a Dodge if I wanted new. Now that pisses me off.

 

[Muhammed]

My brother was once asked why he always bought manual shift vehicles.

His reply: "It gives me something to do while I'm driving".

A non-smoker, I presume.