why does everyone seem to dislike auto trans

the truth is most of these guys think they are only real men by driving a manual transmission
before the naysayers flap thier gums in 1972 i was driving a Autocar 10 wheel dump with a 16 speed 2 stick quad box
and no power steering I have more then fufilled my manly requirement
today i like my auto and i can shift it manually to keep rpms up on hills etc i just dont need to wear my knee out shifting
i dont even ned to float it to downshift just push a button

 

I have driven an Automatic and really liked it especially in rush hour traffic, but to start out with I think it's better to learn to drive a manual because most companies still use them. It will help down the road when looking at new companies to drive for.

 

yes of course everyone should know how to drive a stick
as i paid for 6 kids to drive cars only 2 know standards
but the companies should train kids on stick shifts
when they charge $1000
I am so old the gym teacher taught drivers ed in school for free sigh
i will be 59 saturday please bury me before i stink

 

1. The "automatics" are computer controlled. Computers are a long way from being 100% reliable, especially in heavy trucks. Pay attention to the number of "computer trucks" and cars you see sitting alongside the highway because some tiny little sensor or other thingamajig has decided to take a dump and shut everything down...... requiring a hook trip to a dealership and a staggering repair bill. I know this is heresy to the younger generation, but computers are a part of the "throw away" generation of products that are obsolete 2 hrs after you buy them.

2. Programming. Any given dealership in America usually has exactly one "mechanic" (sorry.. techician) that knows how to program the various computers in your truck and he was hung over the day they discussed the cure for your particular problem. So you wind up with the wash rack kid who plays the "try this" game all day at $100 per hour of your money.... and you leave with more problems than you started with.

3. I am an "old fart" who has grown up driving a standard through weather and conditions that would make TP's "maleness" fall off and crawl under the bunk whimpering. I know what I can do and control with any number of manual gear changes under extreme conditions. I'm in control, not some anonymous computer programmer.

I understand that it's a "different world" now and that you "youngsters" have been taught to do what the computer says... so do whatever you like.

 

KF it is not only what they have or have not had programmed into them,it is the fact that they,for the most part,know it all and tell you as much when they brag about attending a driving school.They know it all because the book said it was a certain way or their "trainer"( who has been driving for 2 years) told them so. The difference is a vast one between the new breed and drivers like myself.

Oh well.I'll continue assisting them,and all drivers, when i can and keep passing it on like an older driver did for me a very long time ago,making such an impression that I feel tasked to continue the tradition-

 

I learned to drive on a manual in CDL school and the school would not let you take the test with an automatic, you had to use the manual, unless you had a medical problem. Once the DOT got one of the students in the auto truck, and he was happy to pass the test doing that....but the instructor was sure pissed when he found out his student used the auto. I can float the gears now after 30,000 miles of driving, but I am still a rookie driver.

I drove my brother's Ultrashift last fall hauling corn out of the field in Iowa. It is programmed to start in 2nd gear, so I would switch to manual mode and start in 1st gear and then I would put it into autoshift and it worked great. You can control the shifts when under load by not giving it full throttle and it will hold itself in the gear you want. I liked the way it shifted and thought it was a good setup....if you floor it, it will go through all the gears, but if you let up on the throttle at, say half to 3/4 throttle it will not upshift if under a load.

The jake brake worked really well too, and it would downshift 3 or 4 more times than I would manually, so it was making full use of the jake brake from the time you let off the gas until you roll up to the stop sign! I liked the downshifting of the auto shift more than the upshifting part.

....I was amazed at how much time my right hand spent on the shifter using a manual vs. the automatic....it really is an experience to drive an auto truck and have both hands on the wheel all the time!!!

Plus, I now have a right shoulder nerve impingement, so I can't drive a manual shift anymore.

 

based on regular comments, apparently the majority of the people on this site aren't funny then, cause the can't drive an auto

 

really? what the manufacturers don't give them any real world testing before putting them out? they only slap them together then throw them to the wolves?
WOW, wonder how Navistar has managed to get 1.75 million miles on an automatic equipped Lone Star they run out of Denver 24/7. One week it runs Denver to Goodland, KS and back around the clock, the next week they run it Denver to Grand Junction and back. AFAIK, it's been on the hook twice in the last year of testing, both time for ENGINE FAILURES not trans failures.

 

LOLOLOLOLOL, I'll have to remember this one, so following this logic, any driver who can't/won't chain up in the winter I can look down upon and call a loser? Any driver who refuses to learn something new I can look down upon and call a loser. Cool.

 

i can drive a 93 foot boat. a manuel and an auto do i get a prize?