Im sick of driving automatic trannys

[Koz]

Manuals are becoming thing of the past for most vehicles. On some vehicles you have to pay more for a manual. Some auto trans are even getting better gas ratings in the city. They are being designed with intelligence (computer controlled) and are almost maintenance free. The auto in the 4th gen 4R actually works very well in various conditions and is very durable. You can manually select the gears if you feel the need for more control. I personally manually downshift when I plan on passing some asshole just to make sure I

 

[rickst29]

I suspect YOUR STYLE isn't as good as the auto....

I hate that it downshifts earlier than I would like when climbing,

My 4R (V8) does excessive downshifts during hill climbing *if* I have cruise control on. But when it's not on cruise, the auto's decisions are VERY good.

Maybe the V6 drivetrain computer isn't as well-designed as the V8 (gen4, VVTi). But if you've got the V8, take a hard look at your driving style-- the engine loves to rev, and lugging it at 1300-1500 RPM on a grade would be bad for the engine parts, even though it would (in many cases) have enough torque to do it if you had a manual and just left it in the higher gear.

BTW, every *CAR* I've ever bought has been a manual, I do know how to drive them. Even here in the Sierra foothills (Reno NV), I prefer to *drive* the car.

I hate the hunting it does when towing over hilly terrain.

If it's hunting, shift down! You want it to tow with the tranny "locked"-- look for the RPM dropoff, about 200 RPMs, as it locks up. This will not occur in a too-low gear, and will not occur until the 4R has been running in gear for a few seconds. Hunting and driving without lockup puts more stress on the fluid and clutches, try to avoid "unlocked" operation while cruising at constant speed with a trailer.

A manual also makes the vehicle feel snappier, though that is not so important in my truck. I would hate it if my old 911 had an automatic, even though Porsche has shown that a manually shifted 911 is slower around the Nurburgring than an automatic for all but the most skilled professional drivers.

I strongly agree on both points: I LOVED taking my old SHO to 8500 and doing a well-coordinated "pop it and floor it"

But my SHO, and your 911, were NOT towing vehicles. Dry clutches and towing don't mix very well. BTW, as you can tell from my "8500 RPM" habit, the rev limiter was off and I had pretty radical underdrive pulleys. The original Yamaha engine was good for 10K+, the limiting factor was all the Ford $##& built around it.

 

[Boston_Runner]

Manuals are becoming thing of the past for most vehicles. On some vehicles you have to pay more for a manual.

Koz

You still can find alot of manuals in 3rd world countries.

 

[Light_Mania]

I'm certainly aware of and do use the strategies ricst29 suggests for reducing hunting, but its still irritating to me when while cruising at about 70 mph and 2000 rpm in OD, the transmission wants to unlock the torque convertor and even downshift going up a bit of a hill.

With a manual just putting the pedal to the floor and keeping the top gear would usually do fine to maintain speed - and at 2000 rpm you aren't lugging the engine.

Niggling complaints? Sure. They make no real difference in the overall scheme of things. Still, I find auto tranny behavior irksome at times.

 

[ToyotaDan]

Re: Manual Tranny

As mentioned above, most Americans are just simply too damn lazy to bother with shifting gears. Most folks would drive 1/4 mile rather than walk; hence our national epidemic of obesity. :frown: Also, when is the last time you saw much of anything with a stick shift on a dealer's lot? More often than not, you have to 'special order' them. Dealers often don't have "demo" cars with stick shifts, since that will render it useless for someone who may be interested in that model car but cannot operate a clutch.

Another thing to consider is that so few folks ever learn how to drive a manual transmission in the first place. It used to be that some schools had stick-shift cars for their driver education programs. Now you can only find auto-shifters - even if you can find a school that still offers driver training.

In the olden days when I was coming of age, the only car we had was a stick-shift Chevette. I had no choice but to learn how to drive one, and have generally preferred to row the gears myself ever since.

There used to be a wide chasm in gas mileage between auto and stick shift, but electronics and technology have closed that gap. Better engine-management, customized gear ratios and engineering advancements have virtually eliminated the "power loss" from having a fluid coupling.

As for swapping gearboxes, that was easily done in older cars. Of course, everyone knew someone with an old Camaro or Chevelle who yanked out the Powerglide slushbox to install a Muncie four-speed......but that is not so easily done nowadays. You have the electronics to worry about, but also must contend with clearance problems, different wiring, sensors and other such obstacles.

Since so many cars and trucks have moved upscale, perhaps it would not fit the 'neo-luxury' image to have a stick available in a new 4Runner. Or perhaps only 3 to 5 percent of potential buyers might desire to shift their own gears. I am not sure. Anyway, I love my 4Runner - automatic and all - and can always jump into my five-speed 2002 Sentra GXE if I feel like rowing the gears.

As I drive a large commercial diesel truck for a living (equipped with a seven-speed manual), shifting gears in my car during rush hour traffic is not as much fun as it used to be. Or maybe I am just gettin' old.
:bash:

My corvette c6 has a stick shift. They had plenty at the dealer and I picked one up there. If Americans are so lazy shifting, then why do we have so many motorcycles here? Not too many bikes with auto trannies around. Americans like autos because of all the traffic jams, weird speed limits, etc. Not because we are lazy.

But I do agree about the walking part. That is lazy.

 

[Koz]

You still can find alot of manuals in 3rd world countries.

You are correct. I was in Chile this year and 99% of vehicles have manuals. They even made it mandatory that you must take your road test, for your license, with a manual.

Koz

 

[gonzo]

i almost opted for the xterra over the 4runner just to get the manual transmission. in costa rica all the prados that i saw were manual diesels. i would love that!

 

[Offroader]

In Europe, most cars are Diesel, and very few are automatic.

Basically, three reasons for the manual transmission:

1. They find it fun
2. It makes them feel they are more in control of the vehicle.
3. They don't waste additional fuel, like traditional automatic transmissions.

The only automatic transmissions that have the same fuel economy as a manual transmission are:

1. Continously Variable Transmissions
2. "Automatic" transmissions consisting of a manual transmission coupled to a computer-controlled electrohydraulic clutch system, such as Audi's dual-clutch DSG or BMW's SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox).

In an automatic transmission, energy is wasted in the torque converter and in the transmission itself.

This is more evident in smaller engines. This is why in the U.S.A., where cars have been traditionally heavier, with larger, less fuel efficient engines, the automatic transmission is a no-brainer.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Obviously none of you guys live in big mountains. Automatic transmissions are terrible in the mountains when you want to use the drivetrain to hold you back on a hill. Yes, automatic transmissions can hold back reasonably well on hills, but not as well as a manual. I've also found in my experience that automatic transmissions aren't as reliable in the mountains. I've had the automatic trannys go in both a Mazda MPV and GMC Yukon. Never had a problem with any manual transmissions, besides having to replace the clutch every once in a while (which is easy and cheap compared to replacing an automatic transmission). I'll never own an automatic transmission vehicle, even if I live in the city.

 

[Offroader]

. Yes, automatic transmissions can hold back reasonably well on hills, but not as well as a manual.... automatic transmissions aren't as reliable in the mountains. I'll never own an automatic transmission vehicle, even if I live in the city.

I agree. This 4Runner is the first automatic vehicle I own, after 7 manual transmission cars.

I'm downshifting all the time. I miss my manual tranny.

Gonna have to get a little sports car with a stickshift for the weekends.

 

[gizmopt2002]

Hey ToyotaDan. Your from Cary! Finally someone that lives close to my town. or even know what it is.

 

[Fro-Runner]

Manual transmissions are great in 4 cyclinder pocket rockets or high dollar sports cars, but not in an every day used SUV.

Reason: More soccer moms would cause accidents trying to shift while tending to the many other things they do when driving automatics!

 

[r_mutt]

i'm looking for a gen 3 manual. they are hard to find, and usually go quickly as there are a few of us around who like to shift. auto cars and trucks just feel lazy and unresponsive. you feel like your floating down the road. i like to pay attention when i drive. it isn't ideal in traffic though- that's it's one flaw.

btw, i'm 37, not 18. what can i say? i enjoy driving and not cruising. i've had 9 cars and 6 of them have been manual transmission vehicles.

i think the people who prefer automatics are usually the ones who don't walk anywhere. i walk everywhere.

 

[TheBlueWave]

No one mentioned CVT. Has anyone driven one in a car? How did it perform? Did you like it? My friend said his mom's Nissan Altima performed very well with the CVT, although it took some getting used to the fact that it doesn't shift.

 

[jrs2]

I don't buy that BS that only youngsters like manuals and as you get older you want an automatic. Maybe for the old farts who get fat and lazy. I'm 56 and I hate automatics. I actually enjoy driving, both my 4Runner and my MR2. Maybe it also depends on the type of vehicle you drive. I hate driving boring sedans.

As for heavy stop 'n go traffic, that sucks whether you have auto or stick, the wear and tear on both the car and your mental health. If I had to deal with that every day I'd either take public transit, or get a different job or move. Life is too short as it is...

I admit that for your typical soccer mom driving the kids around in the minivan, auto is best. But there's just something not right about autos in trucks and sports cars.

 

[GatorGreg]

i'm looking for a gen 3 manual. they are hard to find, and usually go quickly as there are a few of us around who like to shift. auto cars and trucks just feel lazy and unresponsive. you feel like your floating down the road. i like to pay attention when i drive. it isn't ideal in traffic though- that's it's one flaw.

btw, i'm 37, not 18. what can i say? i enjoy driving and not cruising. i've had 9 cars and 6 of them have been manual transmission vehicles.

i think the people who prefer automatics are usually the ones who don't walk anywhere. i walk everywhere.

I really enjoy the 5 spd in my '00 (last year of the stick). So if you prefer manual trannys I think you should definitely take your time and look for a 5 spd - yes they are relatively rare but they are out there. Ebay and autotrader.com are your friends

 

[jrs2]

I really enjoy the 5 spd in my '00 (last year of the stick). )

I didn't realize Toyota discontinued the manual trans in 2001. How sad. I guess I'll never be buying a new 4Runner.

 

[SciRunner]

All my cars have been automatics. I let my right foot do all the "manual shifting."

Toyota's SMT on the last gen MR2 would be a nice option. While the SMT is not as good as BMW's SMG, SMT is a cheaper alternative for people who don't want to depress the clutch.

 

[r_mutt]

I really enjoy the 5 spd in my '00 (last year of the stick). So if you prefer manual trannys I think you should definitely take your time and look for a 5 spd - yes they are relatively rare but they are out there. Ebay and autotrader.com are your friends

i just missed 2- one somewhat far away and another locally. you've got to act quick on these i guess.

i do prefer manual shift so thanks, you've convinced me to look exclusively for a 5-speed- unless i stumble on a great deal on an auto- i might have to bite the bullet and buy it.

 

[AgeOfEmpires]

Your still young kid. Sell the Runner and buy yourself a Honda Civic. That way you can swap in as many tranny's as you please. As you get older, you'll desire the luxury of having an automatic over a manual. It comes with age. :

So true.

I sometimes feel out of place here on this board. It seems that 7 out of 10 here are 18 or under. I'm WAY beyond that. Back in the day, I used to think manual trans was cool. Had a 3 or 4 (even one on the column) and have driven more than that. I can tell you that I do prefer the auto. The coolness days are over and I just don't want to have to worry about shifting while I'm driving.

If you don't like the shifts points on your auto, can't you put in a chip and change them?