Automatic v Manual?

facade

400ixl said:

jeffuk said:

I was taught never to use my left foot in an auto.

Because the majority of people ride the pedal which causes overheating and potential brake fade. Do it properly and not an issue, but many won't so they discourage it.

Its also not really needed 99% of the time in noirmal driving.

These are the same people who would ride the clutch pedal in a manual, and wonder why they need a new clutch, or at least a new release bearing so often.

I keep my left foot away from the pedal except when I'm likely to need to brake- like manoeuvring or in town traffic.

(So if that piano playing Nun landed in front of me on a motorway I might well press the brake with both feet at the same time- but the car would likely decide to brake before I did!)

Iceweasel

Grumpy_chap said:

Iceweasel said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Driving an auto is less to do than driving a manual so not really a challenge.

You are so very wrong if you really think that.

However, if you meant that as a joke,  then ha ha very funny, I like it.

Well, I drove manuals for a very long time.  It so happens that we now have an auto.

Let's consider taking a break on the journey and then setting off to travel at 70 mph on the motorway.
(Leaving out all the looking, indicating, etc for brevity as these elements are unchanged between manual and auto.)

Manual car:

• Start engine
• Press left pedal
• Move stick
• Press right pedal while lifting the left pedal and clicking the handbrake to push down
• Press right pedal so speed picks up
• Once speed has picked up a bit, press left pedal, lift off right pedal
• Move stick
• Press the right pedal while lifting the left pedal
• Repeat last 4 actions another 3 or 4 time until speed has achieved desired 70 mph
• Feather right pedal to maintain appropriate speed at or around 70 mph, taking into account other traffic and gradient of the road

Auto car:

• Start engine
• Press right pedal while clicking the handbrake to push down
• Press right pedal so speed picks up until speed has achieved desired 70 mph
• Feather right pedal to maintain appropriate speed at or around 70 mph, taking into account other traffic and gradient of the road

Seems like a lot less to do in the auto.

Even in the example you gave later of a "clutchless" manual, there is still more to do in the manual than the auto.

Because you choose to do it that way and that's fine.
But I and others choose to be more involved - because we choose to be- and that's  fine too.

kinger101

Iceweasel said:

Grumpy_chap said:

badmemory said:

Thanks for the info everyone.  The next question I need to ask myself is if at my age it is a good idea to change the kind of car I am driving.  I have been driving manual for 60 years now & don't need to think about what my hands & feet are doing.  Guess I will need to stick with manual for now.  But give me a year & I could well be ready for the next new challenge.

Driving an auto is less to do than driving a manual so not really a challenge.

You are so very wrong if you really think that.

However, if you meant that as a joke,  then ha ha very funny, I like it.

In what way is he wrong.  I was handed one by a rental company the first time I hired a car.  I manage 500 miles over two days without incident 

400ixl

Iceweasel said:

Because you choose to do it that way and that's fine.
But I and others choose to be more involved - because we choose to be- and that's  fine too.

Because the vast majority choose to do it that way. When you are in the minority trying to say someone in the majority is wrong does not work.

Personally I do a mix of both and have no issue with people saying that an auto is far less complex to drive as most stick it in D and go. Most don't use the sport mode, let alone semi-auto.

Iceweasel

I never said anyone did anything 'wrong' - not at all.
Folks need to accept that the way they choose to do things in not the only way.

Inforapennyinforapound

Iceweasel said:

facade said:

Iceweasel said:

Grumpy_chap said:

badmemory said:

Thanks for the info everyone.  The next question I need to ask myself is if at my age it is a good idea to change the kind of car I am driving.  I have been driving manual for 60 years now & don't need to think about what my hands & feet are doing.  Guess I will need to stick with manual for now.  But give me a year & I could well be ready for the next new challenge.

Driving an auto is less to do than driving a manual so not really a challenge.

You are so very wrong if you really think that.

However, if you meant that as a joke,  then ha ha very funny, I like it.

I've been driving autos (and manuals) for over 40 years, and there is less to do in an auto- kind of the point of having one!

I just select D and never mess with the gears again until I stop, or have to change direction.

The only time I've ever messed with the gears when going forwards was in my old RangeRover, when I put it in 1 to go down a slope that I wouldn't have tried to walk down myself!

However, driving with two feet has stored dozens of fault codes in my Citroen, as Citroen think it is impossible to press the brake with the accelerator still pressed, so there has to be a fault with the switches in the pedals!

I'm not going to unlearn over 40 years of driving with two feet at my age........

It's because you don't, in your words "mess with the gears" that there is less for you to do.

I must agree that if one selects D and do nothing else then you have chosen to have far less to do - and if that is how you want an auto to perform then that's great.

Some of us are far more involved in the driving experience than others and make use of the considerable extra control and choice of gears that a modern auto brings.

That is why most performance cars no longer offer a manual - because the driver can choose to be much more involved than just move a gear lever and operate the clutch.

In heavy 'stop-go' traffic I leave the auto-box to do it's own thing, but for the rest of the time it is me, the driver, who makes the decisions.

Sorry Iceweasel I don’t understand your reply. I have just bought my first auto after 50 yrs . All I do is put it in D and away I go. How do I become more involved? Unless I’m reversing ? My ‘modern’ auto doesn’t offer changing gear etc so how do you ‘as the driver make decisions’?

I appreciate there will be an answer ro my question but confused how I can be more involved. My car is a Honda fwiw

daveyjp

The one time you may have to be involved with an auto is if it runs away down hills.  If you find yourself sitting on the brakes its time to lock it into a lower gear so you can make use of engine braking, just as you would drop down gears in a manual.

Inforapennyinforapound

daveyjp said:

The one time you may have to be involved with an auto is if it runs away down hills.  If you find yourself sitting on the brakes it’s time to lock it into a lower gear so you can make use of engine braking, just as you would drop down gears in a manual.

How do I lock into a lower gear? It’s an automatic..more confused now

Grumpy_chap

Iceweasel said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Iceweasel said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Driving an auto is less to do than driving a manual so not really a challenge.

You are so very wrong if you really think that.

However, if you meant that as a joke,  then ha ha very funny, I like it.

Well, I drove manuals for a very long time.  It so happens that we now have an auto.

Let's consider taking a break on the journey and then setting off to travel at 70 mph on the motorway.
(Leaving out all the looking, indicating, etc for brevity as these elements are unchanged between manual and auto.)

Manual car:

• Start engine
• Press left pedal
• Move stick
• Press right pedal while lifting the left pedal and clicking the handbrake to push down
• Press right pedal so speed picks up
• Once speed has picked up a bit, press left pedal, lift off right pedal
• Move stick
• Press the right pedal while lifting the left pedal
• Repeat last 4 actions another 3 or 4 time until speed has achieved desired 70 mph
• Feather right pedal to maintain appropriate speed at or around 70 mph, taking into account other traffic and gradient of the road

Auto car:

• Start engine
• Press right pedal while clicking the handbrake to push down
• Press right pedal so speed picks up until speed has achieved desired 70 mph
• Feather right pedal to maintain appropriate speed at or around 70 mph, taking into account other traffic and gradient of the road

Seems like a lot less to do in the auto.

Even in the example you gave later of a "clutchless" manual, there is still more to do in the manual than the auto.

Because you choose to do it that way and that's fine.
But I and others choose to be more involved - because we choose to be- and that's  fine too.

I don't think it is a case of choice to do it that way.  An increasing number of automatic cars simply do not have a conventional gear box behind them allowing the driver to choose anything other.  Even if we consider a "clutchless" manual, there is still less to do than a proper manual:

Manual car:

• Start engine
• Press left pedal
• Move stick
• Press right pedal while lifting the left pedal and clicking the handbrake to push down
• Press right pedal so speed picks up
• Once speed has picked up a bit, press left pedal, lift off right pedal
• Move stick
• Press the right pedal while lifting the left pedal
• Repeat last 4 actions another 3 or 4 times until speed has achieved desired 70 mph
• Feather right pedal to maintain appropriate speed at or around 70 mph, taking into account other traffic and gradient of the road

"Clutchless" manual car:

• Start engine
• Click lever for 1st gear
• Press right pedal while clicking the handbrake to push down
• Press right pedal so speed picks up
• Once speed has picked up a bit, flick lever
• Repeat last 2 actions another 3 or 4 times until speed has achieved desired 70 mph
• Feather right pedal to maintain appropriate speed at or around 70 mph, taking into account other traffic and gradient of the road.

The semi-auto "clutchless" manual is less to do than the manual.

The auto is less to do than the semi-auto "clutchless" manual

badmemory

Is it automatic drivers that sit with their foot on the footbrake at the lights etc.  Now that is truly annoying.