Auto tranny for speed

does Lamour know about this?

 

Hasn't this been covered to death?

For the last time, hopefully:

Yes, technology is great

Yes, manumatics shift faster

Yes, they're a ****load easier to drive fast, especially on the track

Yes, It's F1 technology for the street

Yes, it's great to put in auto mode and let the car do it's thing in traffic

That being said, "Luddities" such as myself will never drive anything but a manual because it's ******* fun to row your own gears, using the clutch as an interface.

And yes, I do feel superior to others in that I can execute clean heel toe downshifts anytime. Nissan's attempt to bridge the gap with it's new Syncro-Rev 6 speed in the 370Z is clever for the lazy; I'd never use the feature knowing it can (and should) be done with practice and good driving technique.

Funny though, that the arguments for manumatics mostly come from people who cite the technology, not the driving experience as reasons for abandonment of the archaic manual transmission.

Can we put this to bed already? To each his own, fer chrissakes.

 

How about a car that drives itself, without even a steering wheel. You can save weight by not having driving controls for the driver and the computer would steer much better than a human.

If you take too much control from the driver, an enthusiast won't want to drive the car.

 

AMEN! +100

 

In the future you'll be able to sit in front of your big projector HD television and drive the car of your choice on any race track in the world, an F-40 at Nurburgring for example, with full force feedback and surround sound making it almost real, without even leaving your house. Oh wait, you can do that now. What was the question again?

The more control you hand over to machines, the less necessary you become. Which is why airline pilots often like to fly lil puddle jumper taildraggers on the weekend.

 

No wonder Pininfarina had such a hard time. Apparently started when this younger generation began buying cars. Perhaps this also explains the California's styling challenges....

 

I miss my manual starter. Now where did I put my crank handle?

 

The less driver involvement, the more a car becomes like the subway. Just buy a ticket

 

I have nothing against technology that makes a car more enjoyable. For instance, modern engine management that allows 120bhp/liter is a good thing.

I don't want technology that reduces my enjoyment of driving. For instance, paddles.

I could take the 10K I saved buying a stick and have lots of lessons that will make me quicker than a pair of paddles ever could.

Dave

 

Does this wrap it up for anyone else...? I'm quite content with the entirety of this post. I think manual transmission fans should start their own country, and redline76 should be our president.

 

Sorry, but that's a historically very odd statement for a Ferrari owner to make.

 

Nah, this one would do fine if only enough people voted with their left foot.

-warren-

 

True dat.

 

If speed and control are placed above everything else, get out of the car and let a computer take over... your slow, heavy and in the way by comparison.