MPR

Nothing shifts faster than an auto eh? I beg to differ... Funny story: My friends were laughing at me because when we looked at the data logs while tuning the mr2, my shifts showed up as a bout 0.4 seconds. lol. (powershifting ftw!). I'm sure there are some people out there who can do it even faster. The limit is in the mechanical components (shifter linkage, syncros etc...). Basically jab the clutch in and out as well as rip the shifter to the next gear, all at the same time, and as fast as you can, all while keeping your right foot mashed on the gas! lol

There are some auto's that can shift faster, of course. But there are some that do shift slower...lol sadly.

In racing, you have more control with a stick vs auto plus there is less power loss through the drive-train. Since I track my car time to time, I like the extra control. Plus my car only comes with stick, and I happen to enjoy it. It's keeps things interesting behind the wheel day to day. Thats why I drive stick.

Adair

An interesting simplification, but essentially, quite true.

D.T.P

EXACTLY!
been driving stick since 12 years old, and i hate driving auto, makes me smoke a lot with all that freedom of not having to shift and boring drive lol

miss_jess

iTrader: (2)

lol @ basically everyone on TCC driving before having a license, I call BS

MPR

Hey, I was driving tractors, not cars...

ray-110

i was in the Philippines so driving before my license was not a big deal :P although my mom did let me drive the standard ford focus in canada when i turned 13 haha :P in a parking lot though so

ADMcivic

Ive been driving a stick for almost 2 years now. Feels weird in an auto now.
The real sad part is we are a dying breed. Ferrari's last manual will be offered in the California and the sequenial trannys are replacing manual trannys. Look at the new EVO, GT-R, and McLaren MC12-whatever no thrid petal. All supercars that require half a brain to drive. We are gonna see less and less manual transmissions offered from auto manufactures and Honda soon too (CR-V and insight as examples that offered manuals) however the civic will most likely carry a manual option for sometime.

speedo

Nothing beats the "STICK". I've been driving for 16 years now, and I still enjoy the power and technicality of having a manual tranny. The only bummer is getting stuck in traffic, but once your in the open highway...OH boy! it brings smile to your face in each shift you made...

D.T.P

ADMcivic, if you look back at some muscle cars, many had turbo transmissions, which were essentially just like sequential. That's what they use for drag...reason being you can shift much faster. Now having the clutch adds a lot of control over the vehicle. Especially in winter time.

Speedo, I absolutely agree with you. The constant stop go in traffic gets to you buy all worth it in the long run when you get to boot it on an empty road.

MPR

A lot of muscle cars have auto's cause they can handle a lot more power and torque, not just for shifting speed.

If you look at these new 'paddle shift automatics' like they use in the GTR, Ferrari's, evo etc... they are not true automatics. They have no torque converter. Most of them have twin clutches that are opperated electronically. The GTR, evo and VW's DSG trannies use twin clutches where one clutch is engaged with the current gear and the 2nd clutch is dis-engaged with the next gear ready. With the flick of your finger, the one clutch is dis-engaged and the other engages with the next gear, all in a split second. The now dis-engaged clutch is ready with the next gear for the next shift...bla bla bla.

All sounds cool, and yes, they can shift faster then any human. However, there is a limit to how much power they can handle. It takes away from the experience and skill in the ability to control the vehicle, which to me, makes it boring and 'too easy'. It's also questionable as to how long the clutches last, and repairs can be super expensive. In time they will get better and easier to maintain/repair, but for the moment, I'll stick with my old-school, tried and true manual.

ADMcivic

I agree the twin clutch trannys are great, many they can shift fast than we can blink but flipping a paddle isnt nearly as fun or skillful as a true stick.

CivicsGalor3

Well said. I've tried to teach my gf and she began to grasp it ( only in the car for 20 minutes and at least 20 stalls ) but she turned around and said just that. I enjoy controlling the power output and not just slapping it in drive and going. It does get redundant in traffic and the usual, but I still enjoy it to this day. I bought my civic with the basic 5 spd, clutch to gas the gears inbetween, i drove it across toronto the first day I had it and I was good to go. The only thing that terrified me was HILLS! To this day I remember what it used to be like and it gets nerve wrecking especially when a douche bag behind you is almost kissin your bumper. A friend had told me just before i got the car " when you hit your first hill, your probably gonna snap. and when that happens, you will end up trompin on the gas and ripping it up the hill just to get passed it." That happened on dufferin and davenport, the hill is incredibly steep even for automatics. I left a trail up the hill.


5 spd for life

MPR

Ahh yes...starting on steep hills! hehe...always fun the first few times.

NorthernEG

I ended up teaching myself at the dealership I worked at. Never got to do it on the road but leanred the basics. When I bought my civic from there I took it up north the first weekend and got stuck in traffic on the 401, so learnt pretty quick how to drive in first gear for an hour or so.

rick10

Yes I was scare of hills at the beggining , now its all good

Tdot_civic_club

lol hills are scary when the weather is bad and icey.

MPR

^meh...just need more practice!

PurpleStuff

+1.

tait72

My son just turned 16 and is all over me about driving my civic he keeps telling me he's going to be a natural. I'm putting in a new clutch soon, so before that goes in, the natural will get to learn on the old one just to be safe.....

Adair

Wise move. It's great that he wants to learn right from the beginning.
to TCC!