Americans and manual gearbox.

[Lurch]

Funny you should say that, I managed to juggle eating a fully loaded (every veggie and sauce) subway footlong and 48 oz drink while shifting a 13 speed at 80300 gross (so tons of shifting). Got mad skillz yo.

[MrcTOtheJ]

A good number of people here drive Automatics, take my mom for instance, never has driven a Manual in her life, makes her mad that I can and she just kills it every time she tries.

 

But their are still plenty of manual and auto cars over here, I'd say 50-50 easily.

 

@Lurch, Multi-Tasking at it's finest.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Mr.c TO the J

[Lurch]

I'd say more accurately 90/10 auto to manual. Might go up to 70/30 if you factor in big trucks.

[Mr.Funny12]

I think alot of americans drive automatic because they are infact lazy. They don't want to be bothered to take the time to learn manual. Also, fast food joints, cell phones, ipods, etc are all very common in many drivers in america. People can't shift and text.

 

I'm happy that I was raised in a family where my dad loves and owns muscle cars, and my mom has never driven an automatic. Before I got my license I knew how to drive stick.

 

All in all, it goes back to lack of interest and laziness of americans.

[Ronnyboy]

As a guy who now drives both on a regular basis, I can easily see where the issue lies. People who drive automatics get used to the scenery, the music, and the ease of gas and brakes. But in a manual, you have to take mention of gears, clutch, throttle, and all that good stuff. American's used to be a lot more into the driving experience, but now its the experiences you can have while driving that matter more. I will say this though, I have 10x more fun driving my Grandfathers big ole F-150 around town then my Bonnie.

[epoxi]

That's true. Here you would get stopped and fined instantly if the police every saw you eating or texting on your phone, whereas when I was in the US, I looked into other people's cars on the highway and 90% of them were eating, talking on the phone or even watching TV. It is just a completely different culture, and the US can afford to do it safely because everyone drives on wide, straight roads.

[Lurch]

It is just a completely different culture, and the US can afford to do it safely because everyone drives on wide, straight roads.

I love how you automatically know everything about all of our roads in this 3,794,101 sq mi country from visiting one stupid f*cking sh*tty city in the whole goddamn country.

 

 

f*ck Detroit. Come to my part of the world and I'll show you some real roads.

[kokot]

Lurch, no doubt there must be roads in the States where you would struggle to watch a DVD while driving...

 

but in the UK that's every road.

 

 

and cycling is pure suicide.

[Lurch]

The mountain roads near me are some of the best driving roads in the country. I'm talking straight up canon-carving sh*t. Plenty of S-curves, big sweepers, and some really tight technical stuff. Like our version of the Nurburgring almost. And they have a huge following from the car and bike enthusiasts in the area.

 

If anyone here ever finds themselves in East TN with a fun car, they should definitely hit it up.

 

[epoxi]

 

I love how you automatically know everything about all of our roads in this 3,794,101 sq mi country from visiting one stupid f*cking sh*tty city in the whole goddamn country.

 

 

f*ck Detroit. Come to my part of the world and I'll show you some real roads.

Actually I went to DC, Chicago, New York, various places in Michigan and even went to Toronto and Niagra in Canada...travelling between the cities by road (i.e. through cities like Baltimore, Philidelphia).

 

So if there ever was a representative sample for the way most of the North American populus gets from city to city I'd say the highways I travelled on were pretty appropriate. Just because you have winding twisty roads in your country, that doesn't mean 90% (i.e. the 90% who drive automatics) of people actually use them.

[Lurch]

Still a fairly tiny grid and more or less out of the Appalachias. You can't really get a good feel for a country so big in that small of an area. Yes, once you get out of the mountains, the roads start getting pretty boring. For instance, Kansas had the most boring roads I've ever seen when it was completely flat, but in places where the roads have to snake through mountains (i.e. anywhere in the rocky's or appalachias) they're just a proper hoot to drive.

 

You chose a boring f*cking region to represent us. A good portion of the country isn't like that. f*ck the 90% though. I'll give you the fact that most drive on straight roads (major highways) due to convenience, but don't group the whole country's road system into that mess. It's pretty diverse.

 

 

See, I dun watched this here show called "top gear" and like, they was all like drivin on this thing called a dual carriageway through Europe, and they looked about as boring as most of the interstates in the US, mang.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Lurch

[epoxi]

I am by no means using it as a representative of the USA as a whole, but I am using it to reason why so many people drive automatics: you say yourself people drive on straight roads for convenience, something we don't really have the option to here. I know the motorways on Top Gear appear bland, but as kokot mentioned: the rest of the roads are winding and complicated.

 

Two things I frequently saw in the US that I have never seen in my entire life were: straight road grid systems for residential areas; and highways that are perfectly straight to the horizon both in front and behind you (save from a couple of our hilly 'Roman roads' which are nonetheless littered with speed cameras and roundabouts). Despite what you have seen on Top Gear I can assure you that most highways in Europe (especially the UK) require you to consciously steer in a particular direction at all times, and residential roads are more tedious and congested than any road I am aware of in the US (apart from Lombard Street ).

 

This video gives you an idea of what typical British roads look like:

 

 

Edited April 3, 2012 by epoxi

[Lurch]

and residential roads are more tedious and congested than any road I am aware of in the US (apart from Lombard Street ).

Yeah, that happens when you cram 62 million people into a country smaller than Texas.

[MrcTOtheJ]

I'd say more accurately 90/10 auto to manual. Might go up to 70/30 if you factor in big trucks.

Well I was talking less about the ammount of Auto to Manual cars, and more of the people who can drive a manual, to some extent. Well at least arround here, where I live in Hell Billy eastern oregon ATM, where most people learn to drive farm trucks at six or so, a good number of them are manual, hell I learned to drive stick on my dad's old 1980m chevy step side. Might be a diffrent story else where I don't know for sure.

 

But yeah I'd say that's an accurate number of cars on the road of Auto to Manual.

 

Also those look like some beautiful roads to drive on, I'm jealous, the only thing near as nice as that in my vicinity is Hells Cannon, and it's not as nice as those look.

[Lurch]

 

Also those look like some beautiful roads to drive on, I'm jealous, the only thing near as nice as that in my vicinity is Hells Cannon, and it's not as nice as those look.

The section of the devil's triangle between between Petros and Lake City is a pretty awesome drive and one of my personal favorites. The mountain is a hot spot for logging, coal, and gas wells so you always have a lot of big trucks driving up it and as such, the curves all have very wide lanes and are banked. The wide lane turns are great in car because it lets you easily flick the tail out without crossing the double yellow.

 

What's crazy is how fast those massive coal and logging trucks drive the mountains at 80k lbs. A lot of times they fall of the cliffs and die, but it's still a sight to see regardless. Trucks like this filled to the brim with coal, rolling smoke, jake break sounding like a jack hammer, and rowing through the gears (some of them have 5+4's). Old macks.

 

Edited April 3, 2012 by Lurch

[Algonquin Assassin]

If I come over to the U.S I'd be demanding my rental car to be a manual. Also If I was looking at an American muscle car to import that sh*t better have 3 pedals.

 

Automatics have their purpose, but I've always felt more in control of a manual. The only thing I'd have trouble getting used to driving an American car is being on the wrong side.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Miamivicecity

[cold blooded]

good luck with renting a manual. i have never seen a manual rental car, aside from a Shelby GT-H at Hertz

[Lurch]

I thought even the GT-H was an auto? Unless you're renting a class 5-8 from Ryder, I'm doubtful any rental place has a manual you can get.

[Ronnyboy]

I thought even the GT-H was an auto? Unless you're renting a class 5-8 from Ryder, I'm doubtful any rental place has a manual you can get.

Correct. Only a 5 speed Auto. However, I've heard of Budget offering Manauals, but it's usual on Kia's or Hyundai's out West.

[trip]

good luck with renting a manual. i have never seen a manual rental car, aside from a Shelby GT-H at Hertz

I've only ever driven stick. My Corrado SLC was hit by an old lady in a Caddy, and while it was in the shop her insurance covered my rental. I was in a tiny 3 cylinder justy(sp?) automatic. It was just all wrong.

[Meno]

Im 19 and i have never driven or seen an automat car driving in person(like so i could recognize it's one) except buses.

 

 

[cold blooded]

 

good luck with renting a manual. i have never seen a manual rental car, aside from a Shelby GT-H at Hertz

I was in a tiny 3 cylinder justy(sp?) automatic. It was just all wrong.

LOL thats one car that should only come manual

[Nah Tso Gud]

Im an American, owned my Talon TSi AWD for 7 years before I finally got rid of it, manual transmission of course, learned how to drive in it too, so they are out there... ( Americans that can drive *stick* )... I still reach for the clutch with my left foot in my Lincoln haha... and its been about 6 months! As a now owner of both, I must say.. Auto really takes the hmmm.. soul(?) out of driving.

[Outcast]

i have never driven or seen an automat car driving in person(like so i could recognize it's one)

You probably wouldn't recognise an automatic even if you saw one as they're all but indistinguishable from manuals. Unless, of course, you were sitting in the car then you'd obviously just take a look at the gear stick.

[Ronnyboy]

Interesting question for you guys speaking of automatics. My friend drove my Bonnie today, and he was doing something strange. He was shifting down into 3, 2, 1 and starting off in the same gears. His downshifts were great, but the last one (2-1) absolutely felt terrible. A big jerk and shudder was all I felt and worried about. He told me that driving like this was not only economical, but the closest I would get to a manual.

 

Now, if I'm wrong here, doesn't that f*ck up an Auto tranny? So does shifting from N to D while moving or at a light right?

[Fozzy Fozborne]

You should read your manual for your car to see exactly what they recommend using '3, 2, 1' for. In my old car, 1 was used for getting out of mud, 2 was for towing and extra engine braking, and 3 was for... something I can't remember.

 

3 2 and 1 are not gears. And, in every car I've ever seen, did not recommend switching into them when you're going above about 5-10 MPH. D = drive. Keep it there. Also, switching into neutral at a stop light is a bad idea mainly because if you move into neutral and you forget, the gut reaction is to switch it back to drive while the revs are still up. Obviously this isn't so good for the tranny.

[Lurch]

 

3 2 and 1 are not gears. And, in every car I've ever seen, did not recommend switching into them when you're going above about 5-10 MPH. D = drive.

 

What? They most definitely are gears. The reason why shifting 2-1 is so hard is because 1 is such a low gear and the ratio step is so wide. I mean, when you drive a manual, you know you don't really downshift to 1st much at all until you're at about 5 mph or less. I mean, I can rev match down to 1st in my car at a decent speed but the engine braking of a 3.83 first gear will damn near put my head through the windshield. You have to be very easy on letting the clutch out when you do it as well.

 

I've shifted manually up and back down to 2 in an auto before and it's fine if not a bit sluggish. Just don't got 2-1.

 

 

Also, you're a bit wrong on what they're for. 2 Is not for towing. 3 or drive usually is. or 4 or 5 if they're direct. Whatever's probably labeled D. Basically, you don't tow in OD. OD's always seem to be weaker than the other gears. I think it might be that they don't get proper lubrication to see heavy loads and the high temps associated with them.

[Ronnyboy]

Thanks Lurch, I never really knew the full extent of Auto-manual shifting. I will most certainly keep it in D from now on.

[friendly luggage]

You probably wouldn't recognise an automatic even if you saw one as they're all but indistinguishable from manuals. Unless, of course, you were sitting in the car then you'd obviously just take a look at the gear stick.

The sound of automatics changing gear give them away I find. While one drives away from a traffic light, compare it to a manual and you'll know what I mean.

[DonutPT]

Manual gear is the real deal.