Manual Transmissions - A Rant - I Vent

Some of us felt the same way about the air-cooled cars.

(James is still holding on to his six-speed 993 Targa)

 

Very, very well written - I'm going to keep this. I agree 100%

 

I guess I agree with most of your rant, but with all of the electronics onboard every modern sports car you and I really aren't entitled to much of the credit anyway.

Brake by wire, drive by wire, traction control, stability control/active suspension, ABS, engine management computers, variable rate steering, active aerodynamics... anyone who thinks something like a Ferrari F430, Porsche 997, Audi R8 or other high end car is a "do-it-yourself-er" hasn't driven a Jag XK-120, Porsche 356, Lotus Elite, etc., where you're effectively doing everything short of feeding petrol into the cylinders.

So, you're right, but it's all relative.

 

Never owned anything but a manual until my current DD.

There's always the aftermarket of course.

Interesting you posted this - I've been looking at F355's and it seems like all the cars on the market are F1 transmissions!!

 

I have only owned manuals too. I think Porsche is one of the few companies that will continue to offer true manuals on most of their models for many years to come.

To the original poster, I suggest you contact Porsche with your concerns regarding the next GT3. BMW continues to listen to American enthusiasts who demand that they offer true manuals on some of their most exciting models.

 

Well said, Billy!

Brian

 

OP, you just stated the exact reason why I am losing faith in supercars. Very, very well written.

 

As others have stated, well written. I hate when people say that they like the paddles because they are faster. Realistically, over 90% of the population couldn't even drive a miata at 9/10ths, much less a Porsche/Ferrari. If you want to be "faster" the time that you save going from stick to paddles isn't going to really help you.

 

If you really want manual, go back to the early race cars with a manual fuel pump. :\

Synchromesh ruined driver experience too I'm sure.

 

Audi and VW also offer 3 pedal cars throughout their lines...In fact, some Audis and VWs can only be bought that way.

 

The reason you only see F1 transmissions is those of us with 6 speeds love our cars and are not selling. Best of luck in your search; one will come up it just takes longer to find a 6 speed.

 

to each his own. i left the gt3 family after 4 happy yrs of dd and 20+ track days precisely because it doesnt offer paddles. choice is best way to go - just make pdk an option

to the op- dont sweat it. i guarantee porsche will continue to offer a manual in their sports cars

 

i suspect this is exactly true!

 

There are enthusiasts around who still contend that a 'crash box' (no syncros), when mastered, is better because it's more direct.

I supppose that's becoming a lost art (one that I never learned, btw).

 

The death of a manual tranny seem's as if it is very close to becoming a reality and that truelly saddens me.

 

Well said, Bill Ng!

SAVE THE MANUALS!

(Pic:http://automotivenginerd.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/save-the-manuals-600x600px-jpeg-439x439.jpg)

If only this were a market forces issue. We all know it's not.

Most people I talk to feel that there's way too much nannying in sports cars. And while a lot of the techs bundled in the paragraph I quote have improved things that needed improving (starters), or made it easier to learn how to handle such a car (well thought out ABS, Nissan's rev-matching, etc) most haven't.

I have no problem with these techs being in place as long as (i) the driver can turn them off in a way that absolves manufacturers of liability, (ii), they're designed in a way that keeps weight down.

But none of the techs listed in the above parallel the taking away of manual transmissions -- even if they did pointing to the industry's evolution doesn't address the desire many have for manual transmissions.

Whoever's heading the M division these days told Car and Driver that a manual M5 has been discussed at BMW and that it's up to the US market to make the requisite noise (BMW tried to do away with manuals for the US market not too long ago. By the time they realized their mistake Porsche's 986/987 sales reflected the advantages of offering options in this market.)

If I ever earn enough to consider a Ferrari, and if current trends continue, the most I can hope for is a Scuderia that's retrofitted with the manual from a "standard" 430 (I heard Novitec was working on a manual 458. I'm not holding my breath, not sure I'd want to be dependent on a great but small concern for parts and service guidance.) I'm sure that's a seriously difficult and expensive thing to do, but it's how I feel, it's what I want -- I simply have no interest in a paddle shifting mid-engined sports car.

 

I'm trying to get a manual for my next car. Hoping to trade my Honda Fit for a WRX or a Saab 9-2x Aero.

 

Go with the Scubby!!! No disrespect towards Saab as that is just a personal opinion yet I also have a few quicks regarding Subaru.

 

The Subaru would be my first choice, but since the Saab aero is basically a WRX at a $2000 discount I'm not ruling it out.

 

You're OK with Nissan's rev-matching, but you're not OK with a dual clutch transmission that does the rev-matching for you.

Some would say rev matching is the core skill in driving a pure manual gearbox-equipped car. After all, you are selecting the gear in either case.

It's very hard to draw the line. A visible gear lever is a small part of the equation, IMHO.

 

We are getting a 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD with the 6-speed. Certainly not a sports car, but Acura still offer the stick, with 305 HP and AWD.

 

I'm OK with Nissan's rev matching as either a learning tool or something one uses when one isn't in the mood, an option made possible by the fact that Nissan's system can be shut off.

And they'd be right, IMO.

Why limit choices, though?

And again: if all of this were market driven, living with it would be far, far easier. It'd be just as unnecessary and ominous, but easier to live with. It isn't market driven, though. And all this tech doesn't come cheap, so we're tossing money out the window in the name of the latest incarnation of the Sky Is Falling myth.

 

It sort of is market driven. I see two things pushing this,
1. Most people are happy with a PDK/dual clutch/paddle shifter
2. It's cheaper to design and develop 1 transmission for the car maker.

 

I agree, but I'm thinking of the sports car makers that wouldn't go this way if they weren't being held accountable to a nonstandard. (A million gears that engage automatically makes it easier to pass Emissions.)

I wouldn't order and FF with a manual, for instance, but can't imagine enjoying a 458 longterm because of the paddles. Thank God I'm several million dollars worth of income away from having to suffer this way . . .