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ArishMell · 70-79, M
I would think the majority of cars used in the UK have manual transmissions (we don't call them "stick shifts" though); although very many motorists do opt for the automatic versions.
When I was at work, the request forms for booking a hire-car for official trips asked for your choice: Manual or Automatic?.
Part of the preference for manual is for its better fuel economy (assuming like-for-like in the driving). That certainly was true in the past, but I don't know if it still applies.
Some motorists prefer to feel being in greater control, or having more skill, if the car has a manual gearbox; but those are of course highly subjective motives.
Still others would point to there being enough to go wrong in a modern car as it is, without adding the greater and needless complexity of an automatic gearbox.
When I was at work, the request forms for booking a hire-car for official trips asked for your choice: Manual or Automatic?.
Part of the preference for manual is for its better fuel economy (assuming like-for-like in the driving). That certainly was true in the past, but I don't know if it still applies.
Some motorists prefer to feel being in greater control, or having more skill, if the car has a manual gearbox; but those are of course highly subjective motives.
Still others would point to there being enough to go wrong in a modern car as it is, without adding the greater and needless complexity of an automatic gearbox.
whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M
@ArishMell The new CVT gearless transmissions can match a manual or better in come conditions. But they can tale a little getting used to. So maybe not as a rental.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@whowasthatmaskedman
How do those differ from conventional transmissions?
The last time I had to drive a hire car I was given an automatic by mistake despite my choice on the booking-form... after dark, in pouring rain, and on very busy city-fringe roads in an unfamiliar location.
How I managed to avoid causing an accident or three I don't know!
(I once had to bring a hire-car back, alone, for my company. At least it had a proper gearbox. We had to refuel hire-cars before handing them back, to avoid the hire-company's refuelling charge - but I had no idea if this one used petrol or DERV. There was nothing on or in the car to tell me. Even the filling-station staff were as perplexed by it. All it had was a vague symbol no-one recognised, on the filler-cap. )
How do those differ from conventional transmissions?
The last time I had to drive a hire car I was given an automatic by mistake despite my choice on the booking-form... after dark, in pouring rain, and on very busy city-fringe roads in an unfamiliar location.
How I managed to avoid causing an accident or three I don't know!
(I once had to bring a hire-car back, alone, for my company. At least it had a proper gearbox. We had to refuel hire-cars before handing them back, to avoid the hire-company's refuelling charge - but I had no idea if this one used petrol or DERV. There was nothing on or in the car to tell me. Even the filling-station staff were as perplexed by it. All it had was a vague symbol no-one recognised, on the filler-cap. )
jackson55 · M
@whowasthatmaskedman I call CVT’s slipomatics. I don’t like em at all. Manual gearboxes are down to about 8% in the US. And that includes trucks and sporty cars.
whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M
@ArishMell I cant help you with the refuel. all our vehicles are clearing labelled by the filler cap. But a CVT transmission uses a computer to balance the power of the ngine with the maximum drive from the engine through a single contstantly adjusting forward drive.. So you have in effect an infinite number of gears. No need to "kick down" when passing. Buit you will want to allow more room.
hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
@ArishMell Once upon a time manual transmissions had better fuel economy and better life spans but that advantage has disappeared. The newer infinite speed transmissions are pretty much fool proof and very economical. It is kind of neat putting the engine at 1500 rpm and watching the vehicle accelerate smoothly to 110 kph. Clutches do wear out over time but torque converters do not. My vehicle has a automatic and manual transmission. If I am on glare ice and I need a quick get away I can put it into 4 wheel drive and into third gear and idle away from the stop without slipping a tire.
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
That is weird...automatics are far more fuel efficient than manuals.
Incorrect, especially on hilly/mountainous roadsClutches do wear out over time but torque converters do not.
Incorrect; Stator clutches in torque converters experience wear and seizure like any other clutch; but the leading cause of torque converter failure is excess heat
KiwiBird · 36-40, F
@wildbill83 That is an out-dated myth and a typical male response...do some research.
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
@KiwiBird no, that's a response from someone with an automotive engineering degree, and 20+ years experience as a mechanic...🤔
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
a manual is on average 20-30%+/- more efficient than an automatic for a comparable sized engine.
the gains in mileage in recent years are due to manufacturers using smaller engines with more gearing; Which is fine for passenger cars on relatively flat ground, but any gains are quickly lost on steep grades and/or while towing/hauling more weight due to lower torque (higher rpm = lower efficiency)
the gains in mileage in recent years are due to manufacturers using smaller engines with more gearing; Which is fine for passenger cars on relatively flat ground, but any gains are quickly lost on steep grades and/or while towing/hauling more weight due to lower torque (higher rpm = lower efficiency)
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@hippyjoe1955 That's a huge and impressive advance on what I think were the first production car with infinitely-variable transmission, the DAF "Variomatic". (I think that simply used a belt linking to Vee-pulleys of variable radii.)
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@whowasthatmaskedman Thank you for explaining it.
On the digression:
That's exactly what I and the garage staff expected - clear and unambiguous labels. It had merely a symbol none of us had seen previously and could not understand. Not sure why it didn't occur to us to see what sort of engine lurked under bonnet. Perhaps we felt it the hire-company's responsibility to have had cars with standard labels on the filler-cap, and since I had only about 5 miles to go it should be the one to refuel it!
On the digression:
I cant help you with the refuel. all our vehicles are clearing labelled by the filler cap.
That's exactly what I and the garage staff expected - clear and unambiguous labels. It had merely a symbol none of us had seen previously and could not understand. Not sure why it didn't occur to us to see what sort of engine lurked under bonnet. Perhaps we felt it the hire-company's responsibility to have had cars with standard labels on the filler-cap, and since I had only about 5 miles to go it should be the one to refuel it!
hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
@ArishMell Yeah that is the type of drive used in snowmobiles. The faster the engine revs the tighter the variable speed pulley becomes and the faster the sled moves. Of course snow mobiles have 2 stroke engines so they can rev a lot higher.
The newer automatic transmissions in north american cars and trucks are very small efficient and smooth. I often compare it to winding a rubber band. The engine does its thing and the transmission does its thing and as a driver you are just kind of along for the ride. If you glance down you will see the gear indicator changing numbers but how you got from 1 to 8 without feeling it shift you are not sure.
The newer automatic transmissions in north american cars and trucks are very small efficient and smooth. I often compare it to winding a rubber band. The engine does its thing and the transmission does its thing and as a driver you are just kind of along for the ride. If you glance down you will see the gear indicator changing numbers but how you got from 1 to 8 without feeling it shift you are not sure.
hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
@wildbill83 Not sure how accurate your depiction of the modern car and truck is anymore. Yes the vehicles have much smaller engines and most are turbocharged or twin turbo charged. However my truck has a 165 cubic inch engine with 400 ft lbs of torque. Yes it down shifts on steep hills but only because it would otherwise lug the engine. The engine is only turning 1600 rpm when I am doing 70 mph. Even an 11% grade only takes the engine to 2100 rpm. The only problem is going downhill and relying on engine braking to keep it at the speed limit. Then it will be in a much lower gear and the engine revving at 3500 rpm. I almost never use the engine brake feature.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@hippyjoe1955 I have ridden in modern automatics. (I did own an automatic for a time, but that was some 30 years ago, and it was over 10 years old then). I must admit with the modern cars, you can tell when they change gear but mainly by engine note, as it is such a smooth process.
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
@hippyjoe1955 the problem with automatic trucks (and by trucks, I mean med-heavy duty, not pickups) is that they're extremely prone to overheating on steep grades, especially on stops/start on a hill. After two or three times, they usually go into limp mode...
torque converters just can't handle initial torque as well as clutch
torque converters just can't handle initial torque as well as clutch