Driving a Manual (Stick)

Discussion in 'Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Airplanes Talk' started by IndySpeed, Jan 5, 2016.

  1. Sanjeev Jain

    Sanjeev Jain Acquaintance

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    I grew up driving stick only as being from India,. Stick shift is the only way to go that was/is viable for masses and automatics were for rich guys and the traffic condition make it worse to drive an auto, even today.

    Over here, I had a VW Golf Stick for almost 8 years and got it new which was very hard to find in the first place.
    While I had my fun share of shifting, the Bay area traffic got me and had to replace with an EV.

    I still miss out the whole 0 to 60 sequence co-ordinating mind, body and acceleration.

    Still plan to get a Wrangler Jeep with stick one day. Not sure when though :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2018
  2. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I used to own a 1985 VW GTi with a stick. I loved that car. If I remember correctly, it was only around 101hp, but the thing was a blast to drive and was insane at cornering. Despite the low horsepower, it still had no problem passing once you were up around 60 mph. A little punch and 90 mph was easy. I had to sell it when my first kid was born. It wasn't very car seat friendly.
     
  3. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    Most of the Porsche purists have accepted technological advances like water cooled engines and PDK. I wouldn't mind an air cooled 911, but I live in the desert and when it's hot, an air cooled engine is more likely to break down as well as losing some performance. I used to be in t04r.com and many of us had crazy supras. But when we took them to the local track or even to tracks in cali, we'd suffer massive heat soak when pushing it really hard and our once fierce beasts looked like caged tame animals. After that phase I finally achieved my childhood dream of owning a 911 and even with less HP, I liked the steady performance of having a NA engine. That's why I wouldn't get a new carreras with turbos or any 911 with turbo even the GT2RS would likely have some problems in 110 degree heat at the track. That's why I like the GTS and GT3RS best. What the Porsche purists mostly dislike are the 991 longer wheelbase as you lose the go kart handling that made driving the 911 special. New models are just too easy to drive at 9/10ths. Other things like electric steering and electronic hand brakes are what purists hate. Most purists accept the 997.2 line, but not the 991.
     
  4. slankoe

    slankoe Tongue tastes of LH butthole

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    Driving stick is just plain better, and it's a "millennial deterrent," too. I think that actually makes me a "cool millennial."
     
  5. gepardcv

    gepardcv Almost "Made"

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    Just spent three days driving a manual for the first time in several years. Left-hand drive, no less. And... I can take it or leave it. It’s easy for me, but definitely not worth the effort in stop-and-go traffic and downright annoying in hilly cities. Got me thinking how it turned out that autos rule the US market but no others — auto cars are cheap in the US, and it’s not like everyone is a huge enthusiast everywhere else.

    Anyway, I thought a lot of racing moved to pre-programmed automatic shifting? I’m not a motorsports enthusiast, but remember reading that about F1 a few years ago.
     
  6. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

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    F1 & Indy, and I think most endurance racing, use sequential gearboxes where both the shift forks and the clutch fork are hydraulically operated via electrical signals from the steering wheel. So not automatic but semi-automatic, you have to press a paddle or button to operate. There is electrically-controlled rev-matching, so most shifting is clutchless.
    NASCAR is way old school, classic 4 speed H-pattern and conventional clutch. Although those guys also mostly shift clutchless by manually rev-matching.
     
  7. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    GTI power/weight ratio has remained approximately constant. My 2007 (6-speed manual) has 205 HP, but weighs twice your 1985 model.

    But Mrsdegraded never learned to drive a manual and we'll be going down to one car soon, so guess how this is going to go...
     
  8. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I paid $3200 for that GTi in 1991 with about 60k miles on it. It was reliable and I never had to put any major money into it besides the wear and tear stuff. I kept it pretty much stock except for a Euro headlight conversion, (like the later 16 valve models) and a short shift kit. So nothing done to improve the engine. I looked at buying a new one a few years ago since the kids had grown, but I think the price was over $30k, and I wasn't convinced that VW reliability had remained high. I ended up spending that much on a Jeep Wrangler, but that's fulfilling different objectives. Maybe some day I'll own another GTi as a fun car. My Jeep Wrangler is an automatic...
     
  9. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    I have two Honda Civics. A '99 auto that is my winter/crappy weather car, and a 2018 Type R that is a 6 speed. Prior car was a 6 speed 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD and it was a hoot, but the CTR is in another league and the transmission is really good, though some have reported 2nd gear grinds. Have also owned manual trans MS3, S4, and an EVO IX, among others.
     
  10. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    The Mk7 and 7.5 are likely to be the last ICE + 6MT GTIs. Mk8 (likely coming to NAR in 2021-22) is rumored to be getting the mild 48v hybrid system we're just now seeing in some Audis (and if Mk8 goes hybrid, that's the end of the 6MT in a GTI). If sloshing through the gears is important to you, it might be good to start looking.

    I've only thrown about $700 worth of parts at the engine in my Mk7 GTI Sport 6MT and it's likely making about 300whp, and about 370 wheel torques. In a 3000-ish pound car, it's a riot.

    Edit: as far as reliability, the EA888 Gen3 TSI in the Mk7-7.5 is a pretty stout motor and the MQB platform as a whole is proving to be one of the most reliable to come out of VAG.
     
  11. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Mrsdegraded agreed to lessons, and we did the first today. Nobody cried or died, so we might be keeping the GTI.
     
  12. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    I've had my CTR out in the unseasonably warm weather we're having here around the Great Lakes and holy wow did I miss that thing. Just rowing the gears is such a more immersive experience, for me, to drive around. And then a roughly 340 fwhp car in 45 degree weather? Granted traction can be tricky, but good god is it fun.
     
  13. Roen

    Roen New

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    I shift without the clutch....because my tranny is 30 years old and I don't give a shit
     
  14. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    I never could bleed a damn clutch, so I learned to shift clutchless as a victim of my own ineptitude.
     
  15. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Respect. My dad cold do that, but he started driving without syncromesh. In fact, before UK driving tests.

    Double declutching and really good rev matching. Maybe not that difficult with practice --- but I never did the practice.
     
  16. Roen

    Roen New

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    My synchros hate me when I'm inaccurate.......and I also hate myself.
     
  17. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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    I remember getting my CA driver license, read a book for 15 min, then an easy multiple choice quiz. The driving test was like around the block, then do a parallel parking between 4 cones with space for a bus, for a dane that was a joke....

    I have always preferred a manual, they're just more fun. My first car in CA was a Ford Contour 2.5 V6, managed to locate one with manual. Later on I was driving a Volvo S60 2.4 Auto.

    I have had fun cars in Denmark, first fun one was a Volvo 240 where I blew the engine. So I found an used 2.1T engine and put in, added an intercooler and turned up the turbo pressure... It was great fun beating Porshes with that Swedish Tractor...

    Later on I was dring a Ford Sierra Cosworth, of course manual, again turning up the turbo pressure a little, that one was very very fast....

    Nowadays the family have two almost identical Volvo V50 2.4, great cars, still Manual.

    But my next car will be "automatic", because it will probably be a fully electric one.... I like to have some torque and Its getting hard to find reasonable priced cars with more then four cylinders here in Denmark, so the solution is electric engines.
     
  18. Roen

    Roen New

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    I switched from Manual to Dual Clutch......and will only go back to Manual when I get a fun car.
     
  19. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    It's rare. But did that yesterday. My completely-non-car-aware wife said, "What was that noise?" I replied: "Me driving like a beginner."
     
  20. Chops

    Chops New

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    Every vehicle I have owned has been a manual, and will continue to be until either I die or simply can't buy one in this lazy country anymore. At that point, I'll move to Japan.

    I drive a 370Z. Love the thing and don't plan on selling it anytime soon. It's the most current "old school" sports car.
     

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