A note to the anti-auto crowd

I drove an auto years ago, it rolled back, reved like crazy before it started moving, was a complete pain backing up to a dock, I said never again...... I finally was talked into driving my friends new 780 ishift, COMPLETLY DIFFERENT WORLD it's amazing how intuitive that thing is won't roll back easy to reverse to a dock engine brake works awesome When your in a traffic tie up going 5 mph or what ever it works great and the cruise works at crawl speed. Anybody with no experience on one should take one for a spin. They apparently have almost no issues and are warrantied for 5 yrs from the get go mechanic at the dealer has only seen 2 wiu issues both from the same company and the trucks are notoriously abused and the whole trans was replaced no questions.

 

Yeah I hear ya. That's what i like about this one. I can back easily and slow. Every now and then it will have a hiccup. But all the other times its been great.

Ethan

 

That depends on if you think 1,800 rpms is an early shift. That was the normal shift point on the 10 spd paddleshifter I had for 5 months. In town, I've seen it go as high as 2100. If you try to help it by manually shifting, it beeps at you and refuses to shift.

It's nice when it automatically downshifts while you're braking on an off-ramp but otherwise, I'll keep my 13 spd manual.

 

Yeah mine will go to about 1800 when on a hard accelerate.

And I usually cruise at 60 around 1300rpm compared to my 10 speed manual that hovered around 1460rpm @60mph

Ethan

 

First thing I'd do at night (day?) when I shut down, was search the floor for my fillings.
I was so happy when they invented super glue!

 

You can have your auto buddy I hate em most of them time especially on a older truck. There are a couple Pros and Cons i wont be biased but overall Id take a manual any day.
Pros - waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better engine braking, more focus on the road in traffic
smoother shifting, Cons, worst fuel mileage (i say this because in my 10spd i hated stopping so id drift to every light but with a auto i just stop and mash the gas again on green since i dont have to worry about pressing the clutch) On some trucks it just wont pick the right gear for the situation because it doesn't know what your trying to accomplish, and most important to me some of em think they are manuals and a 2011 cascadia i drive wont catch for a few seconds after you hit the gas almost like the truck is releasing the clutch slowly.

i typed this on my phone apologies for the run ons and such

 

We have alot of auto trucks here, they work very well anyone who drives a Volvo ishift will tell you what I mean, they're not necessarily better on fuel but it matters less who drives them! They usually have the same fuel consumption no matter who the driver is, that's the point of them really!

Apart from that they make life easier, I've had responses from American drivers on other threads that our trucks are " too easy drive, there's no challenge, my grandma could drive them" and i agree they are very easy drive, our grandma's could drive em but that's the point! I remember when I started driving trucks with two point cab suspension, underpowered and steel suspension I went home tired, worn out and usually in a bad humour wanting to do nothing except go to bed! Nowdays we have fourpoint cab suspension ( which makes our trucks as comfortable as a s class merc or 7 series BMW ) auto gearboxes ( which can be overridden at any time) braking systems that can outbrake most cars even when loaded , deep widows with fantasic allround visibility and big mirrors, virtually silent cabs and retarders and guess what? I go home in a great humour and even want to spend time with my family and I even take some exercise ! I know some pureists won't agree with me I for one, am happy trucks are Gettin easier to drive and autoboxes are nowdays very good and I'm pleased, besides, being easier to drive means we can go places so small it was never thought possible with a big rig so don't worry, there will always be opportunities to test your superior skills!!! But me, after 17 years I've proven enough, give me safety, comfort and an easier life, I ain't complaining !!

 

^Fatigue from noise and vibration is the worst enemy of drivers. Only crack I see in your logic is braking systems that can outbrake most cars even when loaded , that's just physically impossible.

 

So i guess this granpa will chime in one more time, I like to pick my gears not let the dadgum machine pick them for me. I know they can be overridden, though that button may only work when it wants to, not something I agree with. With a two stick, or an three way airstick I can make them mountains work for me, not the other way around , though the old coots that taught me how to drive were close to retirement anyway. Who knows they could be world class and I wouldn't want them, I took my paycheck instead of the keys in that reefer outfit , still no regrets about doing such a thing either . The boss called me saying he would raise the pay a few cents if necasary, still told him no.....

 

Ok great. So what does that have to do with me or anyone else? You readily admit that you're too stubborn to learn to drive the auto as it is meant to be driven. So how is that the fault of the auto? It isn't. How does that make autos bad? It doesn't.