Why the love for a manual trans for offroad?

[ShooterMcGavin]

From the responses so far, I can tell that nobody has any strong feelings on the subject

Being a nooBie to the offroad scene, I think an auto is probably the way for me to go. I have never owned a vehicle with an auto. I'm a die-hard manual transmission guy, but I'm willing to try.

 

[Rockdawg84]

True in theory but not in reality. I normally wheel with about 6-8 other 3rd gens. Out of all of them, the auto ones have broken almost 25 CV's between 2 rigs. The manual rigs have only broken 1 or 2 (3 rigs i think).

And yes same trails/lines/etc.

As long as you have clutch control and don't just dump the clutch when you want to get moving, i don't think the stress is any higher with a manual. In fact its lower from the axle count

maybe your small sample yes, but it is true in reality as well. its just physics, you cant get around it. autos are much easier on the drivetrain.

The irony of this is that you are both right. Auto protect from shock loading that is true but they also don't let the driver feel when a wheel is bound up and so auto drivers tend to just give more gas and that is when parts (CV's, u-joints) break, with a manual you have more shock loading which can break stuff but the driver of a manual is more likely to back off or stall when binding occurs. I personally prefer to wheel a manual with dual cases. But the reality is that both auto or manual can be very reliable and user friendly. wheel what you have and enjoy then bash your friends with the other:lol:

 

[snivilous]

The irony of this is that you are both right. Auto protect from shock loading that is true but they also don't let the drive feel when a wheel is bound up and so auto drivers tend to just give more gas and that is when parts (CV's, u-joints) break, with a manual you have more shock loading which can break stuff but a manual is more likely to back off or stall when binding occurs. I personally prefer to wheel a manual with dual cases. But the reality is that both auto or manual can be very reliable and user friendly. wheel what you have and enjoy then bash your friends with the other:lol:

That's a really interesting fact you pointed out I would never have considered, that you can feel the power being put down in a manual vs an automatic and that can help eliminate over stressing stuff. I just learned something

 

[KidVermicious]

I just learned something

I tend to pay attention when Rockdawg speaks up. :thumb3:

 

[Rockdawg84]

I tend to pay attention when Rockdawg speaks up. :thumb3:

That is high praise thank you good sir

 

[inthepipe5by5]

Most of the good points are already covered here and I wish there were resources like this when I started wheeling about 2 decades ago. I started and did most of my wheeling on Sammys with different stages of build, manual because I've never actually seen an auto one. What I've come to learn is this: the limits are easier to read with the manual due to the feedback (there was no power assist anything on these rigs) and if you were having any sort of trouble with your gears, you w ere either taking the wrong line or putting yourself in danger by going through.

I don't care much for the manual vs auto front as shifting and modulation become second nature and you adapt to what your rig is equipped with. It's judgement that becomes compromised that leads to breakage of car and driver. All I know is it's easier to carry and do a field repair on a clutch plate and flywheel than an entire auto tranny with associated fluids. Leaves way more space for beer to impair your judgement!

 

[arctic4runner]

But at the same time my love for the manual transmission goes back to being a kid, learning to drive dad's old manual frustrated in a parking lot, then over the years feeling like I've learned the machine and it's learned me. To me the challenge and the connection to the vehicle a 5-speed makes me feel is worth the frustration it sometimes also brings with it. Like any good relationship.

BRAVO. :clap2: :clap2:

 

[JohnsD90]

Auto's make the situation much less stressful and easier, no doubt about that, and i would almost consider one for a trail rig.

I only wheel my land rover (4 cyl 4 speed manual steering), its geared well enough and i am competent eneough to be able to get going up over stuff with minimal/no rollback, and if im not stressed out i can usually do it pretty stuff without much drama. I personally am way more comfortable getting a standard off the line on a hill or going over a rock, than with an auto. I just like manuals, never been an auto fan, i like them specifically in trucks and SUV's, especially diesels.

 

[billman0]

1999 4runner question

I am in the process of looking at two 4runners and need advice. The first one is closer and is a 99 limited E-Locker with 112K miles looks very clean but is from canada and has no service records. $6K

The other is a 99 SR5 with 190K miles 4 hours away but is a 5 speed and is owned by a mechanic from california. The 4runner also has body armor all over rear bumber, front grill and underbody amor a 4" lift and newer tires. He has also changed all the fluids and replaced rear diff seals. $5200 OBO

Which 4runner is the better buy? I want sothing that will have a relativly low startup cost and last me a long time. It will be used for my family on vacations but I wont be rock climbing or anything extreme.

Thanks

 

[CallMeAnEngineer]

You can select a gear from 2nd-first on the manual trans with the drive selector. Still serves the same purpose!

 

[LMR]

I'm glad there is a lot of love for the manual here. I was worried that posting on the forum here I would get flamed for having a manual since most of the people I have wheeled with have auto's and would say "what was I thinking" when I got a manual. My reasoning for getting a manual was that when climbing up or going down a hill the manual would be easier to manage with being in 1st and 4wd low and that it would be good on all terrains as well. Well that was till I was with a friend in Arizona and we got on a trail that was full of big rocks. That's when I realized where an auto would be better. But I'm still completely happy with manual as that is what I have driven my whole life. I may get a crawl box for those rock crawling trails.

 

[adkinsadam1]

Everybody will always have their own biases, and I don't think the answer can be said to whether one is better than the other.

I do think that the main word against the manual does not apply to many of us. Rock crawling on terrain that is obstacle-ridden enough for a manual to be an inhibiting factor is something I feel that most of us don't come across. I run off road trails all the time here in Colorado, and I can't think of a time where I've crawled over rocks so large and precarious where I'd be begging for an auto.

Sure, for the die-hard off roader who makes the yearly pilgrimage to Moab to crawl over increasingly challenging boulders, an auto may be more convenient, and maybe even more efficient, but for those of us who run more typical trails like Red Cone and Black Bear and Argentine Pass, a manual will be a wonderful option. And for those Moab'ers with auto... they STILL have to drive back in their auto. Wouldn't they be wishing they had a manual for the cross country trek home?

 

[JimG]

As much as I like standards, so much so that I've pretty well decided against replacing my '99 with another 'Runner when the time comes, I kinda wish I had had an auto late last year when I un-intentionaly went off road.

Was the last Monday of the year, and I was heading out to a buddies place to borrow his full size pickup to bring some lumber back from the city, it had stormed earlier, and this was well before dawn. Those of you familiar with the rural prairie winterscape will know the conditions, when everything is the same flat colour. So I'm leisurely popping down the grid, (in to high a gear for my speed) when I turned into his driveway I half caught the lane and was down into the ditch. I stood on it, but I was going to slow and the engine just didn't have the torque, and I could not downshift fast enough to keep moving. No traction in the powder to get moving again. I think if I had had an auto I probably would have made it, as it was I was only a foot or so of the front wheels grabbing the road.

 

[D Farms]

I downshift with my auto all day, just click o/d off then shift to second at about 35mph. sure the linkage between the engine and the wheels has a small range of slop but it can be done. whoever said you cant engine brake with an automatic is wrong. One annoying thing about the automatic though is that its very difficult to control the engine rpms, and also making the torque converter lock below 45 is impossible, so If i want to get decent fuel economy i need to take roads with at least a 40mph speed limit.

Because of the nature of the clutch and how it wants to work, being fully engaged/ unengaged( or partially which can wear it out quickly, think of riding the clutch basically) the auto trumps the manual in any slow stop and go driving situation, and also on my 02 ive got a lever for switching into 4wd lo which is super slow. even if you have your super low ratio gearbox, you are going to have to be letting on and off the clutch the whole time, with a manual you are basically just burning the clutch every time you start again on the automatic it has almost no effect on the transmission.

Now that being said Id still have a manual because going offroad really is more fun with the extra challenge of the manual gearbox, if I didnt want the extra challenge or if I was not as experienced or wanted to lower the risk of damage to my vehicle Id go with an automatic.

 

[JamesDean91]

There's a reason 99% of competition offroad vehicles use automatics.
That extra 1% usually come up at the back of the pack for manual transmission failure.

 

[3rzrunner]

I don't know if this has been said before but after listening to my custom stereo all night off road and the car dosent start I AM GLAD to have a 5-speed I push started it and I was on my way! with an auto you would be stuck.

 

[3rzrunner]

I am in the process of looking at two 4runners and need advice. The first one is closer and is a 99 limited E-Locker with 112K miles looks very clean but is from canada and has no service records. $6K

The other is a 99 SR5 with 190K miles 4 hours away but is a 5 speed and is owned by a mechanic from california. The 4runner also has body armor all over rear bumber, front grill and underbody amor a 4" lift and newer tires. He has also changed all the fluids and replaced rear diff seals. $5200 OBO

Which 4runner is the better buy? I want sothing that will have a relativly low startup cost and last me a long time. It will be used for my family on vacations but I wont be rock climbing or anything extreme.

Thanks

You have already made a thread on this Forum about this. "Double threading" and also "thread jacking" is pretty offensive to the OP