Shelley89 - I've driven for over 40 years and gears seem second nature to me. But I have to say that gears do seem somehow quaintly old fashioned. If we were designing cars for the first time now in these higher tech days I would think we would all expect a go pedal and a break pedal and not all this gear changing malarkey. Maybe cars wouldn't have pedals at all. Or they'd be self drive.
I'm obviously aware that some people can't physically drive manuals, but I meant in general. What part of gears is the bit that people who struggle with them tend to struggle with?! Knowing what gear to be in, or not having the clutch down correclty, or something else?
Fortunately shelley, I have nothing that physically prevents me from shifting gears, I know that I have to depress the clutch, engage first gear, then slowly let the clutch pedal up, while gently applying pressure to the accelerator until I start to move off.
As the vehicle gathers speed, I depress the clutch and engage a higher gear, and so on until I'm in top gear.
While knowing all this, I also know that it is so much easier to just shift the lever to D for drive, stroke the accelerator, point the car in the right direction, then go, and arrive at my destination relaxed.
While knowing all this, I also know that it is so much easier to just shift the lever to D for drive, stroke the accelerator, point the car in the right direction, then go, and arrive at my destination relaxed.
Well indeed. It's called progress. Go back far enough and you'll find people moaning about anything:
"Manually advancing the timing was good enough for me, it should be good enough for everyone".
or
"Why do you need an electric motor to move the wipers, you've got two hands haven't you?".
Of course in a few decades time it might be "Grandad, did you really used to have to steer the vehicle and control its speed yourself?"
My first cars had
- no heated rear windows
- no electric windows
- no brake servos
- no power-assisted steering
- no air-con
- servicing every 3000 miles
- no rust resistance whatsoever
...and manual gearboxes.
Fortunately, all these deficiencies are now a thing of the past.
My father's first car had a hand-operated windscreen wiper. He thought my first car with its electric wiper was a bit sissy!
Self-driving cars? Now that's one advance I'll have to work to get my head round.
I have been driving manual for 20 years. I'm getting to the point that I'm too lazy to change gears with all the traffic etc. I think my next car will definitely be an automatic, so much easier.
I learnt in a manual, passed in a manual and still drive a manual.
I've never understood what's not to get about gears?
It's not about "getting" anything. Gears just seem pointless and old fashioned to be. I think Europeans just put up with them. I often wonder if the car manufacturers didn't charge extra for autos would people still choose a manual (assuming a dual clutch, so you couldn't make the MPG argument).
When I was in Australia a few years ago a friend told me that they used to charge extra for autos there and recently all of the manufacturers stopped that. And guess what, everyone started getting autos! I don't know how true that is, just what I was told.
Originally it was all about cost.
UK and rest of Europe were in poverty after WWII, note "people's cars" such as the mini, beetle, fiat 500, 2CV, and Renault from the post war era. The idea we would pay even more for the luxury of a car which changed gears for you, and then find out it needed more fuel than normal would have been madness. People didn't have the money, you were lucky to have a car - any car at all. This is where we were different from the USA post WWII.
I think in USA, they based their experience of manual cars, on much older gearboxes, were you had to double clutch etc. this may have been the spur for them to seek an alternative. I don't think they saw much of the first cars to feature the "modem" H manual transmission with a simpler single operation clutch. By that time, I think automatics had already taken off in the USA.
Not quite sure where the "manuals are better - for whatever reason except fuel useage" come from..,must be a UK thing. Maybe people just added it on as a further excuse.
Let's not forget, vast maj of high performance cars are now automatic as standard or at least use some form of automated transmission. Top end cars such as the BMW 7 series are all automatic (I think).
Been driving a CVT Nissan for 8 years, new car also an auto, would never go back to a manual...
I read elsewhere that the CVT transmission is 'gentler' on the engine as is acts as a better buffer between road speed and engine speed than a clutch would otherwise do. I don't know if there's any truth to this, seems logical though...
I learnt in a manual, passed in a manual and still drive a manual.
I've never understood what's not to get about gears?
Drive an Automatic and you will see why they are so much better than a manual especially in traffic. They have come a long way from the old slush boxes and I would never go back to a manual now. Both my DCT and GSG boxes have been faster and more economical than their manual equivalent. Win Win situation.
. What part of gears is the bit that people who struggle with them tend to struggle with?! Knowing what gear to be in, or not having the clutch down correctly, or something else?
Being stuck on the m25 for 30-40 mins and constantly changing gear gets rather wearing after a bit (although my knees aren't what they used to be)
The latest autos are fantastic.I don't think they'll get much better now.
Having a manual gearbox these days is like throwing away your remote control for your telly and saying 'no,i prefer to get up and change the channel myself'.:p
Especially in town stop/start traffic Auto is the way to go.
That said.Fiesta/Focus ST's are only available in manual.One for the purists,but that's a can of worms I'm not going to open.:D
The latest autos are fantastic.I don't think they'll get much better now.
Having a manual gearbox these days is like throwing away your remote control for your telly and saying 'no,i prefer to get up and change the channel myself'.:p
Especially in town stop/start traffic Auto is the way to go.
That said.Fiesta/Focus ST's are only available in manual.One for the purists,but that's a can of worms I'm not going to open.:D
I bet the fiesta and focus ST models would shift faster with something like VW dsg. Even in my economy polo with dsg you can easily see where the system does better than a manual, eg almost seamless shifts with virtually no loss of power when it does it.
The chap down the road from me has had his old shape civic over for sale for ages, it's an 05 plate with the manual gear lever on the dashboard......having hsd a taste of what VW dsg can do, there's no way I would pick his manual civic over a golf gti-dsg.
.......obviously that's all for he go faster club, in real life I am stuck in traffic or doing about 50mph over pot holed roads along with the trucks and everyone else.....and in those situations, automatic wins everytime just on convenience alone.
The latest autos are fantastic.I don't think they'll get much better now.
Having a manual gearbox these days is like throwing away your remote control for your telly and saying 'no,i prefer to get up and change the channel myself'.:p
Especially in town stop/start traffic Auto is the way to go.
That said.Fiesta/Focus ST's are only available in manual.One for the purists,but that's a can of worms I'm not going to open.:D
if you're qualified in an manual can you automatically drive a automatic. I'm keen to try one.
Good choice of words there t.o.s. but if you passed your driving test in a manual then you are also okay to drive an automatic, (in the UK at least.)
Pass in an automatic, then you're restricted to an automatic.
Comments
Fortunately shelley, I have nothing that physically prevents me from shifting gears, I know that I have to depress the clutch, engage first gear, then slowly let the clutch pedal up, while gently applying pressure to the accelerator until I start to move off.
As the vehicle gathers speed, I depress the clutch and engage a higher gear, and so on until I'm in top gear.
While knowing all this, I also know that it is so much easier to just shift the lever to D for drive, stroke the accelerator, point the car in the right direction, then go, and arrive at my destination relaxed.
"Manually advancing the timing was good enough for me, it should be good enough for everyone".
or
"Why do you need an electric motor to move the wipers, you've got two hands haven't you?".
Of course in a few decades time it might be "Grandad, did you really used to have to steer the vehicle and control its speed yourself?"
- no heated rear windows
- no electric windows
- no brake servos
- no power-assisted steering
- no air-con
- servicing every 3000 miles
- no rust resistance whatsoever
...and manual gearboxes.
Fortunately, all these deficiencies are now a thing of the past.
My father's first car had a hand-operated windscreen wiper. He thought my first car with its electric wiper was a bit sissy!
Self-driving cars? Now that's one advance I'll have to work to get my head round.
It's not about "getting" anything. Gears just seem pointless and old fashioned to be. I think Europeans just put up with them. I often wonder if the car manufacturers didn't charge extra for autos would people still choose a manual (assuming a dual clutch, so you couldn't make the MPG argument).
When I was in Australia a few years ago a friend told me that they used to charge extra for autos there and recently all of the manufacturers stopped that. And guess what, everyone started getting autos! I don't know how true that is, just what I was told.
UK and rest of Europe were in poverty after WWII, note "people's cars" such as the mini, beetle, fiat 500, 2CV, and Renault from the post war era. The idea we would pay even more for the luxury of a car which changed gears for you, and then find out it needed more fuel than normal would have been madness. People didn't have the money, you were lucky to have a car - any car at all. This is where we were different from the USA post WWII.
I think in USA, they based their experience of manual cars, on much older gearboxes, were you had to double clutch etc. this may have been the spur for them to seek an alternative. I don't think they saw much of the first cars to feature the "modem" H manual transmission with a simpler single operation clutch. By that time, I think automatics had already taken off in the USA.
Not quite sure where the "manuals are better - for whatever reason except fuel useage" come from..,must be a UK thing. Maybe people just added it on as a further excuse.
Let's not forget, vast maj of high performance cars are now automatic as standard or at least use some form of automated transmission. Top end cars such as the BMW 7 series are all automatic (I think).
I read elsewhere that the CVT transmission is 'gentler' on the engine as is acts as a better buffer between road speed and engine speed than a clutch would otherwise do. I don't know if there's any truth to this, seems logical though...
The older torque converter boxes are still best for long term reliability
Drive an Automatic and you will see why they are so much better than a manual especially in traffic. They have come a long way from the old slush boxes and I would never go back to a manual now. Both my DCT and GSG boxes have been faster and more economical than their manual equivalent. Win Win situation.
Having a manual gearbox these days is like throwing away your remote control for your telly and saying 'no,i prefer to get up and change the channel myself'.:p
Especially in town stop/start traffic Auto is the way to go.
That said.Fiesta/Focus ST's are only available in manual.One for the purists,but that's a can of worms I'm not going to open.:D
I bet the fiesta and focus ST models would shift faster with something like VW dsg. Even in my economy polo with dsg you can easily see where the system does better than a manual, eg almost seamless shifts with virtually no loss of power when it does it.
The chap down the road from me has had his old shape civic over for sale for ages, it's an 05 plate with the manual gear lever on the dashboard......having hsd a taste of what VW dsg can do, there's no way I would pick his manual civic over a golf gti-dsg.
.......obviously that's all for he go faster club, in real life I am stuck in traffic or doing about 50mph over pot holed roads along with the trucks and everyone else.....and in those situations, automatic wins everytime just on convenience alone.
The TV remote analogy is a very good one I think.
Good choice of words there t.o.s. but if you passed your driving test in a manual then you are also okay to drive an automatic, (in the UK at least.)
Pass in an automatic, then you're restricted to an automatic.