Manual Tranmissions

[mike stenson]

Fortunately my employer reserved specific slots for compacts, so there was some design support for the smaller vehicles.

There's a Dodge 2500 that's frequently parked in one of those slots at my office. Kind of glad I don't have to go anymore. Since cars are disappearing from the marketplace in the US, a 1/4ton pickup is pretty much a compact now.

btw, if you want a parking challenge.. for years I needed to tow. So I had a 1 ton diesel dodge dually, with a full bed and dual cab. I once made my sister drive it through a drive through.. and laughed.

[Michael J Evans]

I started driving 10 years ago. I wanted to learn how to drive a stick but couldn't because not a person I knew had one... So for my first pickup truck I bought a 01 5.9 Cummins with the 6spd manual. I literally learned how to drive it on the test drive lol. I told the owner ,"I don't know how to drive a manual , but I've ridden quads so I should be okay". He said well I can drive it for you, but I told him no I wouldn't buy a vehicle without driving it myself. Reluctantly he agreed. Luckily those diesels are damn near impossible to kill (you can start in fourth without Killing it) Took my test drive handed him 9k and then drove myself 100 miles home.
But TBH I really wish I would've got a auto. It gets real real old shifting that 6 speed in stop and go traffic. And my wife can't drive it, which means she can never pick anything up without me.

[Ronald Blue]

You haven't lived until you've driven a semi with a 5 over 4 split stick transmissions
Attachment 437827

-- not sure what the 3rd stick is for, some sort of 2-speed splitter I guess.
Not sure about the shift pattern shown, considering there's no "R" on it

Weren't they referred to as "double axe handles"? The newer ones went to air shift for the range selector I believe.

[Alex Zeller]

Simply put you can't hold your phone in one hand and your coffee in the other and shift a manual vehicle. Hence their demise.

[mike stenson]

Simply put you can't hold your phone in one hand and your coffee in the other and shift a manual vehicle. Hence their demise.

I encountered relatively few people who grew up in the US who knew how to drive manuals in the early-mid 90s. There were no phones then.

[Patrick Kane]

I first learned to drive on a 2000 beetle, 5 speed. Then, my first car i purchased out of college was a focus hatchback, also 5 speed. I now have an x3 m40i, and i can say i dont really miss a manual. The ZF eight speed transmission is far faster than i could manage in a manual, and driving a manual for long stretches becomes a little exhausting. I remember several instances of 12+ hours behind the wheel and 400-500 miles scouting sites and my left knee would ache. I always thought the paddle shifters were lame, but now that i own one, i dont feel that way. Sure, you dont have the same sense of accomplishment nailing a downshift perfectly before a turn, but i dont mind the instant gratification of clicking a paddle a few times.

[Kev Williams]

I encountered relatively few people who grew up in the US who knew how to drive manuals in the early-mid 90s. There were no phones then.

No phones in the 90's? I had wireless phones in my house in the 80's, and had a Motorola digital cell in 1992, maybe '93-- still have the thing I think...

Back on topic, manuals I've driven:
'61 Ford 3 in the tree; '66 Chev Suburban; '64 Dodge cop car, 383 &a 4 on the floor; several Ford and Chev pickups; '82 Plymouth TC3, '84 Dodge Lebaron; '86 I think Lebaron (my cousins); '95 Nissan Pulsar, which is probably the last manual trans car I owned-- Motorcycles, many, currently have an '84 Aspencade and a '76 chopped Sporty... I've also TRIED driving my friend's old cabover with a pair of 5/4 sticks, I actually did okay but it was weird! His sticks weren't to the ceiling like in the video, his were only about 18" off the floor, perfect arms length while sitting. An Eaton 13 speed split-diff setup is MUCH easier

[Jim Koepke]

I've driven in London, DC, Munich, Paris, San Francisco, LA, Berlin and NY with a manual

My 1957 VW Bus had a broken clutch cable. That didn't stop me from driving in San Francisco. My younger years were a bit crazy at times.

For those who are not familiar with San Francisco, it is mostly hills to one degree or another.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

No phones in the 90's? I had wireless phones in my house in the 80's, and had a Motorola digital cell in 1992, maybe '93-- still have the thing I think...

He probably should have said they were very rare back then. It wasn't anything like today where probably 95% have a cell phone.

I recall seeing a car phone for the first time around 1987. The service area was very limited back then.

[Jerome Stanek]

He probably should have said they were very rare back then. It wasn't anything like today where probably 95% have a cell phone.

I recall seeing a car phone for the first time around 1987. The service area was very limited back then.

My first cell phone was in 89 it was a bag phone and I still have the same phone number even after 5 different carriers

[John Stankus]

My 1957 VW Bus had a broken clutch cable. That didn't stop me from driving in San Francisco. My younger years were a bit crazy at times.

For those who are not familiar with San Francisco, it is mostly hills to one degree or another.

jtk

Isn't it more like San Francisco is mostly hills with 30 degree grade or greater, rather then one degree or another

[Bill Dufour]

On some of the hills the cable cars do not have good enough brakes to stop. They have cut flats spots in the road for the train to stop and load /unload. If a automobile gets in front of them on a hill the cable car has to just push it along ahead until the street is flat enough for the brakes to overcome gravity.
It happens several times a year that big rig trys to crest a hill and hangs up on their landing gear until a two truck can lifts them up and over.
Bill D.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombar...San_Francisco)

[Bob Turkovich]

Not sure if they still do it, but some of the big 3 used to supply the taxi fleets (gratis) in San Francisco with vehicles to get real life feedback on reliability. An urban area - with significant grades - and heavy usage (constant running under heavy load) - made it an ideal proving grounds.

[Anuj Prateek]

I haven't seen one of those on a manual transmission. Thankfully, because that'd just be stupid for the exact reason you mentioned

I learnt driving when I was 13-14 on a manual transmission (search HM Ambassador), in India. It did not have hand brake which was hand accessible. On hills you start with using same foot to slowly release the brake and press the accelerator. Other foot smooths out the transition using clutch. You won't roll back! Works in bumper to bumper traffic on steep grades. Well mostly!

First car I bought (a Skoda) was manual and had accessible handbrake. That makes life lot simpler. You can dedicated one limb to one control

After moving to US I drove a automatic for first time. It's fun and took some getting used to. Car had manual mode as well which was wiered in absence of clutch.

After driving automatic, I am not going to buy a manual here in Canada/US. Does not make sense for regular driving. When I go to India I still drive a manual. Automatic is not common there.

[Jim Koepke]

My first time driving an automatic was one with power brakes. Being used to a manual transmission caused a rude awakening the first time my foot went for the nonexistent clutch and hit the wide brake pedal instead.

jtk