Auto Vs Manual

I'm more of a manual guy, but I will say, the 2 hours I spent today going through Atlanta with stop and go traffic from on side to the other made me wish I was in an automatic at least for the stop and go. Then again I enjoy paper logs..

 

Well automatics in cars almost always got worse gas mileage then a stick shift did, except for city work like a taxi car. One reason the car makers are coming out with 6 to 8 speed automatics or CVT (continuously variable transmission) is to boost gas mileage to meet the US CAFE standards.

They are also using turbochargers on small <2.0 liter 4 cylinder gasoline-powered motors for the same reason. Sure that will work in the short term, but gasoline motors will not last very long under that kind of boost, unlike a diesel powered vehicle would and, in fact, has to have to have enough power.

I can remember a time when 13 speed air-shifts were used extensively, after the move away from twin sticks, but you dont see them as often anymore. Seems like most companies have gone with either the ten speed in direct shift or the Super 10 split-gear, and now we have these frakking auto-shifts which are slower then hell to get up to speed and very costly to repair when they bust..

 

Spent years driving mountains and slick roads, maybe a case of "can't teach an old dog new tricks", but I prefer the control of a manual over auto any day especially with a smooth bore tank. When going up and down hills the weight is constantly shifting from drives to trailer axles. Auto is nice in heavy traffic but when it comes to driving in adverse conditions I prefer manual.
There's my serious post for the year.

 

After doing it for one day, you couldn't force me to pull a tanker with an automatic truck EVER AGAIN. Plus, dropping and hooking with an automatic is a PITA.

Now if they ever come up with a CVT for big trucks, I'd be willing to test that out. But today's automatics / "automated manuals," hell no.

 

CVT's in cars leave a lot to desired. I have heard of them crapping out at 60K miles. I dont think
A CVT or any kind would work in a rig, since they dont work well in cars.

 

I would slightly prefer a manual over an auto. The surge really messes with the shifting, especially at slow speeds and on hills. For instance, leaving a truck stop can be a pain, usually I just put it in manual and shift on my own. The problem is that doing it that way causes the shifts to be much slower than I can do with a stick.

It is not too big of a deal really and I wouldn't turn down a job because of it, that is taking it a bit extreme. It's just a minor annoyance.

 

The tank company I work for won't but autos (thank god). All the trucks we do have are also 13 speeds. I spent 10 years before this pulling heavy equipment with an 18 speed. I have no use for an auto and would be lost if I didn't have that extra splitting option. Maybe it's laziness but I like being able to stop a gear without actually shifting. Lol. An under powered engine can be somewhat remedied with the proper gearing and tranny but a strong engine can be killed by the wrong tranny.

 

I'm driving one of these now too. Not too bad

 

I didn't realize they had CVTs in cars yet.

 

They have been in some cars for about a decade or so, most all from non-US name car companies. The Honda Civic is but one example. They feel very weird as there is no shift at all. I dont like them.