Why do you drive an automatic (unless you don't)?

[kingsway]

To do a 'hill start' in a manual - bring the clutch pedal up to the 'bite point', so you have just enough drive to stop it rolling back, but not so much you'll shoot off like a jack-rabbit when the hand-brake goes down.

Its all about clutch control - which means working around the bite point. (Up for 'go', down for 'slow')

Try going very slowly uphill, press the clutch down until the car comes to a stop. If you push it too far down you'll roll back - if you lift it to much you'll roll forward. The sweet spot is the 'bite point' where the plates of the clutch are just starting to rub together.

Try to practice holding the car steady. Then, without using the handbrake, add a bit of gas (so you'll have a bit of power) then bring the clutch up further into the bite to move away... Once the car is moviing, then bring the pedal right up. Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to get the hang of it...

Once you can do this comfortably, you'll be able to reverse and do a turn in the road quite easily!

[Gealii]

I drive vehicles til they die so wen they do die there is no warning they seem fine til the last second and it just happens that all the cheap reliable cars in the area are autos at the time of my looking. I drive em like manumatics anyway

[pjbgravely]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

You ignored the most important point of the post: that if manual transmissions were so advantageous for city driving the cabs would be using them. But they aren't. If they're all using automatics and have been for over 50 years, there's a reason.

The facts are that most of the worlds city drivers drive standards, even the taxies are standard. I remember a Top Gear episode where a driver needed an automatic and they had to find one of the Suzuki Liana they used. Out of millions sold in England there were only 40 automatics of that car in the whole country.

[SentraSE-R]

Originally Posted by pjbgravely

The facts are that most of the worlds city drivers drive standards, even the taxies are standard. I remember a Top Gear episode where a driver needed an automatic and they had to find one of the Suzuki Liana they used. Out of millions sold in England there were only 40 automatics of that car in the whole country.

^^^ In all the rides in all the 25 or so foreign countries I've visited, excluding Canada, I can only remember encountering two automatics. One was a van in Israel, and one was our rental car in Australia.

Every other ride, from taxis in Mexico, Belize, the BVIs, and England to safari vehicles in Kenya to chauffeur-driven Aston-Martins and M-Bs in Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany, was in manual transmission cars. My guides in Costa Rica, Australia, Peru, etc. drove manuals. The rental cars in England and Israel were manuals.

[tumnasgt]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

^^^ In all the rides in all the 25 or so foreign countries I've visited, excluding Canada, I can only remember encountering two automatics. One was a van in Israel, and one was our rental car in Australia.

Every other ride, from taxis in Mexico, Belize, the BVIs, and England to safari vehicles in Kenya to chauffeur-driven Aston-Martins and M-Bs in Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany, was in manual transmission cars. My guides in Costa Rica, Australia, Peru, etc. drove manuals. The rental cars in England and Israel were manuals.

That's interesting, because here (and in Australia) automatics are very common, and pretty well every taxi I've seen on the road in the last several years has been an auto.

I worked out this week that the only mid-sized sedan available new in NZ (and probably Australia) with a manual is the Honda Accord Euro (Acura TSX). A lot of companies now only offer manual on small (1.5l and less) cars, and even then only for the base model.

[SentraSE-R]

My experience and yours in Australia aren't contradictory (I haven't been to NZ). My guide is a birding guide, and his family's vehicles were manual 4X4s. One was (IIRC) a Nissan Patrol, and the other was a Land Rover. Since we drove the aforementioned automatic rental car, we didn't ride in any Aussie taxis.

[rmay635703]

Americans drive what they are told to drive and what is offered on the lot. If we wanted to do a major experiment in social engineering, government would require that all vehicles excluding say giant special purpose stuff, ambulances and hybrids with advanced drivetrains, to all be manuals on the lot. The only way to get an auto would be to order the car or buy an older used one or an advanced hybrid drivetrain.

The result would be an increase in cars ordered site unseen, more hybrids and a dramatic increase in MT cars sold since most people won't buy a non-lot car. It would also increase the modders market and increase the demand even further for antiques and used.

I also think if the right marketing was used (do it for your country) you may also see that drivers that otherwise would never be exposed to manual transmissions would slowly albeit angrily start to accept a standard as the norm and not view an MT as a pink elephant or a $500 car.

We could increase fleet MPG by at least 10%, possibly more if the auto only folks bought advanced hybrids.

Sadly the government is more interested in forcing drugs and sub standard food that no one wants instead of things like this.

[tumnasgt]

I think that even better would be have legislation to phase out the torque converter, so people that don't want to change gears don't have to, without all the inefficiencies of most autos today. As much as I think people should change gears themselves as they can see a lot more than the car computer, people just don't seem to be keen to do anything that may stop them from being able to eat, text, and read the paper all the same time while driving.

It would also be nice to see CVTs with an automated clutch instead of a TC, I'm sure it could be done (DSGs after all do work just fine) and then you wouldn't have as much loss.

[Ladogaboy]

At this point, I think a majority of Americans don't actually know how to drive a manual transmission. When I was in high school (rural town), everyone knew how to drive a manual (including semis, tractors, farm equipment, etc.). Here in Los Angeles, only about one in three people I've met can drive a manual transmission. My guess is, parents (or grandparents) purchased an automatic as convenience in the traffic, and as a result, they raised their kids without ever teaching them how to drive a manual.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Ladogaboy

At this point, I think a majority of Americans don't actually know how to drive a manual transmission. When I was in high school (rural town), everyone knew how to drive a manual (including semis, tractors, farm equipment, etc.). Here in Los Angeles, only about one in three people I've met can drive a manual transmission. My guess is, parents (or grandparents) purchased an automatic as convenience in the traffic, and as a result, they raised their kids without ever teaching them how to drive a manual.

People would learn aweful fast if they had to, it wasn't that hard but you always have some ideot I guess.

I don't think it helped me any that the hi school simulators were all MT with a clutch, the real thing sorted itself out soon enough.

A little explanation does wonders.

Also this could be a safety thing, with a manual in the car, the driver might actually have to pay some attention to driving god forbid.