Automatic vs Semi-Automatic vs Manual - Part II

Background MANUAL.

Manual transmissions were the first and most common type of transmission to be fitted in cars to benefit from different gear ratios between the respective propulsion of engine and drivetrain. They basically involve the activation by the driver of the clutch by a foot pedal, the positioning of gears by a gear stick, and the respective coordination of the fuel supply through a throttle pedal.

Manual transmissions cost less to manufacture and their reparation in case of malfunction is less complex and costly than that of automated ones. As compared with fully automated devices, it also allows for a potential greater fuel efficiency (albeit not necessarily) as the driver can judge what especial conditions of driving allow for taller ratios and lower supply of fuel. The risk of engine breakdown due to over-revving has additionally been significantly reduced through the fitting of electronic rev-limiters.

More significantly, however, the greater advantage of manuals lies in the substantially different driving experience. Automobiles with manual gearboxes situate the driver in command of all the important functions of the vehicle, such as gear selection, amount and duration of clutch activation, fuel supply, all of whose related combinations allow for an infinite range of subtle variations of the dynamics of the machine. Automobile enthusiasts, that is, individuals related to vehicles seeking the sensorial experience of driving for its own sake rather than as a means of transport or of merely attempting to move measurably faster, tend to value all the mechanical operations implied by active driving rather than seeking promised marginal gains in speed by the delegation of functions to the vehicle's automated systems. The experience of directly controlling and operating the main variables and functions of the vehicle and for the driver to be organically integrated with the whole of the machine is believed to be of greatest appeal to car enthusiasts.


(c) Text: alernest
(c) Video Copyrights: Top Gear, BBC; Fifth Gear, Channel Five (UK).

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[PIMPL0RD1]

cos he dosnt know how to drive it

[alernest]

@heartlessvietboy

Speaking strictly from a personal point of view: It doesn't stress me AT ALL to drive manual, I don't think or plan while shifting, it's completely instinctive. It is moreover much more relaxing and especially GRATIFYING, REWARDING to merge sensorially with the machine and be in relaxed synergy with the machine, not thinking, with the machine as an extension of your organism, controling every single function of the entity.

I am sorry that you cannot drive/enjoy manual.

[iphonepunker]

i think the alfa romeo 147 selespeed has the best Paddle shifters system out there

[zippeduniform3]

Who cares about 1/2 a second????

[EvenSteven2004]

Hahahaha...wake up, you losers. The driver stated that he often got mixed up between upshifting and downshifting the PDK gearbox. He didn't mess up during the actual test run on the closed course. Because if he did, then they would have had to start all over again for a true comparison. Get over the fact that he ran faster with the manual transmission car.

[SneerfulWizard]

He can't drive the fucking PDK, so no shit its slower.

[Don17p]

the only thing he proved was that he cant drive an auto.......

[koswus1]

I didn't think this video was being objective with the race. How did they expect it to be fair when the guy repeatedly states he can't shift the semi auto correctly and gets them confused, its like putting a drive that drives auto in a manual and saying an automatic wins cause the manual driver couldn't shift the car correctly.

About connecting with the car, i get it but if a feature became to inconvenient no one would want it (i.e. hand cranking the engine to start it up).

[frankk323]

manual all the way

[goatmonkey2112]

This really only proves that Porsche's PDK is not as good on that particular track. There are many other videos that show just the opposite in different cars on different tracks. For example, the 370z and VW GTI are faster with automatics. Turbocharged cars seem to benefit more because you don't lose the boost as much while changing gears. Over time it is inevitable that DSG/PDK type transmissions will win all around once they are developed more.

[marshknute]

Flappy paddle gearboxes are the worst thing to happen to road cars. They were developed for racing, where quick gear changes make all the difference. Unfortunately, incompetent fools want to emulate racing drivers when they drive to the post office, so they ruin a perfectly good driver's car with a flappy paddle gearbox. The satisfaction of rowing through the gears yourself makes up for the 0.4 seconds you lose in each gear change.

[XDarkR3aperX]

@alernest some cars are cool in manual .. like sports - classics.. but everyday driving i prefer automatic..