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

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

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.

I used to eat, shave, and brush my teeth while negotiating stop and go traffic in my manual Subaru. When traffic stopped, I would open the door and spit, or empty my shaver. Don't think the manual helped me pay any more attention. You get real used to driving with your knees and shifting with the opposite hand.

[Ladogaboy]

This reminds me of the time a friend wanted to get himself a project car. He hopped into a second gen RX7, and the battery was dead. He made the salesman walk all the way back to the shop for a jumper pack and spare battery. After they hooked everything up, the battery was still dead. My other friend said, "Hey, did you try pressing in the clutch pedal?" "Huh? What?" I nearly fell over from laughing so hard.

[shovel]

For me the 'man card' comes from not caring even the slightest bit how my choice of transmissions is perceived by others.

I prefer an automatic in my vehicles because I drive them off-highway, on unimproved and often very rough terrain. This often means moving snail-slow (to avoid damage to the vehicle) while requesting large amounts of torque from the engine (due to steep incline and heavily laden vehicle) - so these circumstances mean one of three things:

• Using a manual, juggling pedals and burning clutch to keep speed down and torque up
• Using a manual and driving too quickly over technical terrain, risking damage and safety to avoid stalling the engine
• Casually and safely oozing over the terrain with an automatic

Well, easy choice.

That said, a good manual *is* fun on a little, light car. If I had a track car, I'd definitely want it to be a 5speed.

[DamageX]

one of my cars used to be an automatic until I converted it to a 5-speed. It had a nice low-stall-speed torque converter so it wasn`t too annoying, but it also only had three gears (too few!). One good thing about it was that when the car got stuck in mud/snow I could put it in gear, maybe open the throttle a bit, and then get out and push myself. Now I have to rely on having a locking diff for not getting stuck, but otherwise the clutch pedal is much preferred.

[Fat Charlie]

We swapped vehicles with a British patrol one day, just for fun. They thought the Humvees were cool and couldn't get enough of the turrets. We liked the Rovers because they were literally cooler- a roll cage with some camo netting zip tied to it is much better ventilated than a box of steel plates. My driver cheerfully hopped in one but our other driver wouldn't get in when he saw all the pedals. So I hopped in and had a blast.

It's sad, they're using manuals in tactical vehicles and we can't even get them on the street.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by DamageX

one of my cars used to be an automatic until I converted it to a 5-speed. It had a nice low-stall-speed torque converter so it wasn`t too annoying, but it also only had three gears (too few!). One good thing about it was that when the car got stuck in mud/snow I could put it in gear, maybe open the throttle a bit, and then get out and push myself. Now I have to rely on having a locking diff for not getting stuck, but otherwise the clutch pedal is much preferred.

I think both you and shovel need a nice low granny gear, My grandfathers marmon harrington had a 5sp granny in the ton and a half county truck he had.

To the floor you could still walk faster than it would move in granny, idling the wheels just kept on turning, very slowly and all 4 wheels would lock up as well.

It was rather difficult to get stuck and also difficult to turn if it was locked up.

[shovel]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

I think both you and shovel need a nice low granny gear,

aww, but my v8 powered, AWD(not selectable) car with two solid axles dangling below the body, has two overdrive gear ratios (and two different 2nd gears, depending on upshift/downshift) ..

Something tells me the slushbox isn't the weak FE link on either of my motorized vehicles...

Hence, I go pedal powered to work 2-3 days a week to burn off the tacos I'm always nombling. The mt. bike has manual split gearboxes, with twin sticks! And the "box" part omitted.

[skyking]

I inherited my wife's commuter, and frankly I'm happy to drive an auto. I drove a 15 speed dump truck with an excavator on a tiltbed trailer through stop and go traffic, and that was enough pedal pushing to last a lifetime. I liked the job but the traffic around here is a bugger. Sooner or later you are going to have to stop, and it wore out my clutch knee.