Automatic vs Manual
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 93
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From: Burr Oak, IN
Everyone Sez My M50d Tranny Sux. I Love It. Change The Oil And Put Some Lucas Oil Stabilizer Every 20,000, And It Shifts Nice And Smooth. I Have An 03 With A 4.2 And 5-speed With 3.08's (soon To Be 3.55's). We Have An 1800# Truck Camper And Hitch Up A 20ft Pontoon Trailer And Go Everywhere. With The Diablo Chip, And 93 Octane, It Does Just Fine. Hauls More Than My 84 F150 302/auto Did.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 544
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Originally Posted by brokebronco
Guess why you don't see autos in the 18 wheelers? 80,000 lbs anyone?
Chris
Chris
Why is it everyone keeps saying "well all semis do it that way so thats the best"
just like when someone is comparing a inline 6 to a V8.......someone always says "all semis have an inline 6 so that means its a better truck engine tha a V8 is"
You do know know that there is automatic transmissions in viechles bigger, more powerful and heavier than an 80,000 pound semi truck.......right?
Hotshot
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 12,350
Likes: 4,383
From: SW VA
Originally Posted by oldhalftons
Its called "learning to drive". if you roll it back, you cant drive it, and are in the "bad or unskilled driver" catagory.
Even my friend who learned to drive on, and has been driving a stick for 8 years has had trouble.
And yes...there are semi's, and much larger vehicles with auto's in them.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
Likes: 13
From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by pennyless
So I think the general consensus is good drivers prefer the manual tranny for towing even though they are rated for less haha.
The automatics shift when they want (and you can override that my moving the gearshift of course and/or pushing the OD button), but there are a lot of reasons why manuals are prefered for towing.
The biggest one I can think of is when something goes seriously wrong. When you start to jacknife with a 40' gooseneck out back having a clutch/manual is a good thing. You can break the power from the rear wheels just by pushing the clutch. In an automatic you can pop it into neutral, but it's not as fast or intuitive as just romping your left foot down.
But I say that based on 21 years of driving stick. Though living in NJ, commuting during rush hour traffic, I have to say a stick sucks. Clutch from 2nd to 3rd to 4th, then immediately back down to 3rd then 2nd. Repeat 300 times per mile
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,899
Likes: 2
From: Lynnwood, WA
Actually, if you can drive in the 2nd, and god forbid, the 3rd or 4th gear, than it's not *that* bad. When I was commuting over Lake Washington (520), there were usually a couple of miles when I was cycling between first and neutral.... 
New User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 15
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My summer ride is a 94 Civic coupe. It's slammed to the ground but I have a hitch on the back for towing. I have a 4X8 utility trailer than I use to tow my 800+ ATV. It's only an 85HP 1.5L but it goes along pretty good considering.....I don't think it would do it with and auto tranny.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
Likes: 13
From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by aurgathor
Actually, if you can drive in the 2nd, and god forbid, the 3rd or 4th gear, than it's not *that* bad. When I was commuting over Lake Washington (520), there were usually a couple of miles when I was cycling between first and neutral....
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 833
Likes: 0
Hell I guess I'm retarded but I like in town driving with a stick. I love to shift, and I love to hear my engine goin thru da gears. I say its mostly a matter of what the driver is comfy with. I like to use my engine to help me stop, I like the control, I like to make fun of people with big diesel trucks that have auto,s. I like looking in a truck or old muscle car and seeing a stick jutting up through the floor. check out my gallery and see my truck with the big fat honkin stick keeping it loud and proud with a 1 foot bud tap handle on top. try puttin a 1 foot tall bud tap handle on a pantywaist column shifter. Thats why they call it driver skills and not driver put it in drive and mash the go pedal skills. I must however admit that my everyday driver 3/4 ton gas burner does have an auto in it. Now before anyone calls me a hipocrite (I know I can't spell) I got this truck used for a song and it does have cab lights which I might add are also important. Also don't forget that the 30 lb or heavier flywheel in front of that tranny has a purpose, to multipy engine tourque so to speak.
New User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
I don't like autos...
Originally Posted by F6Guy
Hell I guess I'm retarded but I like in town driving with a stick. I love to shift, and I love to hear my engine goin thru da gears. I say its mostly a matter of what the driver is comfy with. I like to use my engine to help me stop, I like the control, I like to make fun of people with big diesel trucks that have auto,s. I like looking in a truck or old muscle car and seeing a stick jutting up through the floor...
I was using it for a painting workbench (had header panel for Grand Marquis on it) and was going to put it away for the day. I jump in and have no forward gears (I coasted and pushed it to where it's sitting now). If the c6 is fried, I am seriously considering leaving it parked for a while and swapping in a 4 speed. 
I don't haul or tow loads with it, so it's basically a 4x4 car for me (it's an Explorer, BTW). 
I guess I'll just have to use the '98 F-150 (4.6/M5OD/4x4 - *NOT* electric shift) until the '83 is fixed. 
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 261
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, Indiana
It doesn't require an 18 speed fuller and a two speed rear axle to get a truck moving at legal weights unless it is behind a 20 horse briggs. There are quite a few 10 speed autos and 6 speed manuals. You don't see them used all that often for various reasons, but they work just fine, just not as efficiently or nicely as the other options.
When you have a truck that redlines between 1800-2200 rpms, you don't have a lot of rpms to play with. When max torque is made at 1,200 rpms (such as the N14-330 ESP+ 1350lb ft @ 1200), keeping the rpms around that area at crusing speeds isn't a bad idea for power or economy. The extra gears can let the driver get the perfect gear for his choosen speed. Plus, the extra gears that are pretty close in reduction can get a lower powered truck moving with less struggling. A lower horse truck equals better fuel economy than a higher horse truck.
When you have a truck that redlines between 1800-2200 rpms, you don't have a lot of rpms to play with. When max torque is made at 1,200 rpms (such as the N14-330 ESP+ 1350lb ft @ 1200), keeping the rpms around that area at crusing speeds isn't a bad idea for power or economy. The extra gears can let the driver get the perfect gear for his choosen speed. Plus, the extra gears that are pretty close in reduction can get a lower powered truck moving with less struggling. A lower horse truck equals better fuel economy than a higher horse truck.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 181
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From: Gananoque, Ontario
Originally Posted by dcf4x4
It's a control issue for me. My manual gives me more input and control over what my truck does.
causing a safety hazard imomy 96 has the 300 m5od and 2.73's out back although geared way to high for my liking, i'd still take it any day over a auto
As for rigs, only having autos thats not totaly true. starting to see more and more with autos so the companys can pull in more idiots off the street to drive for them and not have to teach em how to shift the thing.
from what i have noticed in the 13spd eaton the old mans dump truck has the low gears seem to be alot closer in ratio then the upper ones, this makes sense for gettting heavy weight loads rolling and up to speed
Anyways
Joe
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 833
Likes: 0
I've heard a few people claim that having more gears is not an efficient way of moving a vehicle, and that standards require more gears because they do not have the tourque multiplication of an auto because thay do not have a tourque converter. I disagree. My reasons are based on opinion and not facts so keep that in mind. On paper I can see how an engine that does not have to shift is efficiant, and until someone can come out with a dependable variable ratio drive that does not require shifting we are stuck using transmissions that shift. The way I see it the more gears a trans has the easier it is from a working standpoint, for an engine to reach cruising speed especially with a load. How else do you explain the recent trend of cars and towing vehicles having 5 and 6 speed autoes in them. I still think that they suck because there automatics.