manual trans pros n cons

[310accord]

Ok as some. If any of you know I'm getting my first cb7 next week.but I dnt want to make another mistake by getting a automatic,is it easy to learn how to drive stick would it be a good idea with la ridiculous traffic. So I need some pros and cons on manual cars I also will do the h22 swap in the near future an I know it would be faster as stick than auto

[batever]

Ok as some. If any of you know I'm getting my first cb7 next week.but I dnt want to make another mistake by getting a automatic,is it easy to learn how to drive stick would it be a good idea with la ridiculous traffic. So I need some pros and cons on manual cars I also will do the h22 swap in the near future an I know it would be faster as stick than auto

Pros (mechanical)

manual tranny will never die unless you severely abuse it. Say goodbye to $2000 transmission jobs.

Improved gas mileage--5 gears to choose from makes better fuel economy possible.


Cons (mechanical

no cons


Pros (drivingwise)

a lot more fun to drive, there's just more to do so it makes driving more interesting.

Improved ability to drive in the snow or rain (slide recovery): (you can regain rolling traction just by pushign the clutch pedal in)

in the snow you can also just baaaaaaarely catch the clutch to inch the car forward without breaking traction on severely slippery surfaces starting from a standstill. Can't do that in an auto. EDIT: Putting an auto into 1 and not coming all the way off the brake does much the same thing in an auto. Though switching an auto into neutral during a loss of traction incident (to regain rolling traction) requires removing a hand from the steering wheel and takes longer than just pressing your clutch pedal in with your foot.

cons:

An auto will beat you out of a stop light unless you are trying. At least, most autos beat ME out of a stoplight.

Due to our somewhat deskilled society, your friends or family members may not know how to drive stick. If you have a girlfriend the odds are even higher she doesn't know how to drive stick so you can't switch cars when one of the cars is having an issue. (This is my experience).

It's harder to do a reverse 180 or a bootlegger front 180 turn (handbrake 180) on a manual car because of the extra hand and foot action. I can do the bootlegger turn but I've never pulled off the reverse 180 so far. This is not a serious "con" for most people but I thought I'd mention it if only partly in jest.

More to your situation: driving a manual tranny in lock-stop and go traffic for an extended period of time, say half an hour or more on a regular basis, is a pain in the ass. If you find yourself often in half-hour traffic jams you might not want a manual tranny. You need to engage the clutch manually every time you stop and every time you go. Even if you're throwing the car in neutral during the longer stops. With an auto you just leave your foot on the brake when stopped and remove it when moving forward. I tend to throw it in neutral on a longer wait when driving auto, but even that is easier than the manual tranny.


Personally I'll take manual trannies anyday even with the so-called cons.

[310accord]

Thanks for the fast reply I'm gonna have my mind made up real soon thanks again

[93_Accord_EX]

Ok,is it easy to learn how to drive stick would it be a good idea with la ridiculous traffic.

My first car was a stick cb7 and i lived in boston it becomes second nature after about a month you wont even have to pay attention to to shifting you'll just do it

[batever]

Thanks for the fast reply I'm gonna have my mind made up real soon thanks again

I say go for it, manual is more fun. Automatics make we want to fall asleep when I'm driving (slight exaggeration).

The opinion of other SoCal drivers may be important though. I've never driven in California so I don't know the traffic situation.

It doesn't take that long to learn to drive stick. Although as with everything there are fine points and there is some distance between just being able to use it and really knowing how to use it well. But from my point of view that just adds to the appeal and gives me something to do and take some pride in beyond just putting my foot on the gas pedal and the brake like in an auto tranny car.

To be fair, there are fine points to using an auto tranny to best advantage and I know them but I still find manual more enjoyable for almost all purposes. UNLESS MAYBE you sit in hour long stop and go traffic jams every week. Even then I'd probably choose stick but truth is I've never actually ever had to deal with that except on trips. And it is also true that you will probably never have to worry about your manual tranny failing as long as you keep it filled with fluid. Even 20 years later or 30 years later. .

[batever]

Try to find a manual car to rent for a weekend and see how you adjust to it.

[SleepyG]

I was abled to do a full moving 360 ending in the same direction I started.

Was in a huge parking lot and snowy of course.

As for your family/gf not being abled o drive it. I say thats a good thing

Manual gets annoying in traffic especially if you have a stage 2 or higher clutch.

Personally I would not buy another auto car ever unless it was a shared vehicle of sort, just gotta live with the cons because the pros are better. Manual FTW.

[batever]

I was abled to do a full moving 360 ending in the same direction I started.

Was in a huge parking lot and snowy of course.

As for your family/gf not being abled o drive it. I say thats a good thing

Manual gets annoying in traffic especially if you have a stage 2 or higher clutch.

Personally I would not buy another auto car ever unless it was a shared vehicle of sort, just gotta live with the cons because the pros are better. Manual FTW.

HAHAHA!

Love the snowy weather at 1-2am in the morning! I've never pulled off a 360, that's something to work towards!

OP, the stock clutch is not so bad in traffic. Stage 2 or higher has a stronger spring so harder to depress the clutch pedal, which would definitely be a pain in extended stop n go traffic.

Regular manual clutch isn't as bad as that though.

And actually, it isn't THAT much of a pain in the ass to drive a manual in stop and go traffic, as compared to the actual fact that you are in stop and go traffic. Even driving an auto I'll slip it into neutral during an extended stop so it's no different (except needing to use the clutch pedal) in a manual car.

[310accord]

Try to find a manual car to rent for a weekend and see how you adjust to it.

yea ill do that first before i buy the car but after racing movies/youtube vids i.e ,f&f gone in 60seconds id love to drive a manual car

[Nurega]

I live near the Santa Monica area, so I see the insane traffic on a daily basis. However, I commute via bicycle, so I only drive through bumper-to-bumper 405 30 minutes a week. Those 30 minutes are fine if the speed is around 20mph, but very few American drivers try to fight the "wave" that traffic flows in. So try as you might, coasting at 15mph in first gear will still make you stop and go a lot. My worst traffic experience was driving from Santa Monica to UC Irvine. The 60 mile trip normally takes an hour for me, but I spent 3 hours once. That's an average of 20mph, and I had one hell of a sore left leg.

Long story short, if you don't have to commute in the morning (or 3PM - 8PM), then you're golden. Stick shifts are much more fun when driving. It doesn't matter if you're sipping a latte in the morning, terrorizing Muholland Road, or cruising at the speed limit. You'll love it. The learning curve is about one week.

Icing on the cake? The fuel efficiency can be much higher.

[310accord]

I live near the Santa Monica area, so I see the insane traffic on a daily basis. However, I commute via bicycle, so I only drive through bumper-to-bumper 405 30 minutes a week. Those 30 minutes are fine if the speed is around 20mph, but very few American drivers try to fight the "wave" that traffic flows in. So try as you might, coasting at 15mph in first gear will still make you stop and go a lot. My worst traffic experience was driving from Santa Monica to UC Irvine. The 60 mile trip normally takes an hour for me, but I spent 3 hours once. That's an average of 20mph, and I had one hell of a sore left leg.

Long story short, if you don't have to commute in the morning (or 3PM - 8PM), then you're golden. Stick shifts are much more fun when driving. It doesn't matter if you're sipping a latte in the morning, terrorizing Muholland Road, or cruising at the speed limit. You'll love it. The learning curve is about one week.

Icing on the cake? The fuel efficiency can be much higher.

coo; ;o; ur close to me i live in the venice/mar vista area but on the hand i might have a deal of a life time 91 accord ex it just needs a radiator because the other one has a leak but the guy is asking 500 for it

[cvc7chris]

only con is driving around the neighborhood getting head

[Nurega]

only con is driving around the neighborhood getting head

hope she has her eyes open, lest the possibility of her 'jobbing the gearshift. That can be quite catastrophic.

[SleepyG]

only con is driving around the neighborhood getting head

Sooooo true. Gotta stay in 2nd gear lol. Still its a pita. Pretty much not worth it.

[cvc7chris]

^ no fun reaching a stop sign while getting head either