Commuters driving stick
 

First of I’m a huge fan of this forum and be over looking in the shadows for about 2 months now and just recently had the guts to finally make a user name :D

Anyways I had some questions regarding the FRS commuters here on the forums. I am currently in the market for a FRS since I got in an accident about 2 months ago. Nothing serious just re-ended and you know how the rest of that goes.

I am really interested in getting the Manuel transmission but have concerns that the commute from work since I hit mild to heavy traffic daily would affect that. If any Manuel transmission commuters can let me know about their experiences with this it will help me greatly!! I’m not too experienced with manual transmission but I feel getting this care they’re certainly no other choice haha...

Do you guys recommend going auto for commuters or suck it up and buy the Manuel?

If anyone lives in Southern California and drives on the 210 east/west i would be greatly appreciated on your experiences on this freeway since you probably know it’s crazy at times...

Thank you in advance :thumbup:

I wouldn't but then again i would just buy a motorcycle lol. I stayed in long beach for 2 months in my STi, and traffic everywhere fucking blows.

I commute about 30 miles each way and I'd say about 20% of that is in stop and go traffic. It's not that bad to drive a manual in traffic. The clutch on these cars is super light and as you get better, you won't even think about it anymore. Well worth the sacrifice for when the traffic clears and you can really have some fun. :burnrubber:

I'm in socal and commute daily on the 5 and 405 in a manual frs. Sometimes it really does suck in traffic but I've never regretted my decision. I think it ultimately depends on the person, there are plenty of guys who can deal with it but then again theres a lot of the guys here at the office who could never commute in a manual car.

Test drive both then decide. As others have said, the FR-S is very easy to shift.

But I am kinda an anti-automatic guy...:burnrubber:

How much do you like driving a manual car?

My answer: a lot
My choice: MT
My regrets:



























...sorry, I was too busy dropping the clutch around that last corner.

Same here. I commute everyday in Houston and the traffic in the galleria area is TERRIBLE. However I do not regret my decision at all. The fun you get to have when there is no traffic is worth the sacrifice :D

I just bought my Manual FR-S four days ago and it is also my first time owning a car with a manual transmission. I also commute to and from work every day in traffic and it doesn't bother me at all. I look at it as practice for finding that perfect timing for letting off the clutch and stepping on the gas in first gear.

I don't regret my purchase at all.

It's simple: will you be on your phone when you're driving? If so, don't get a manual to commute unless you can live with juggling a stick shift and a phone.

Otherwise it's just preference. This car's manual transmission is no harder than operating a Civic or any other $20-25k car. It may be more notchy than average, but it's easy to drive.

You may want to rethink the manual transmission idea after this mornings fatal accident on the 210W. The commute was horrendous...

-alex

I commute in stop and go traffic daily. I was concerned about getting the manual also, but was pleasantly surprised at how manageable it is. It actually helps me stay more alert and less bored during the commute.

I've only driven manual for about a month now, my BRZ being my first MT car.

It took about a week of late night driving runs to become consistent enough with the clutch to make it my DD. I'm pretty much at the point now where manual feels more natural than auto. IMO the manual is more fun than auto in traffic because it keeps me from being bored :lol:

First of all never use the phone when driving. Second of all never use the phone when driving.

Can't stand these morons who text or talk on the phone especially in stop and go traffic. They tend to sit in the fast lane and leave huge gaps stalling traffic. Luckily the FR-S lets you do hands free calling.

This +1

Had a 2011 WRX, switched over to an Auto 2013 Wrangler and missed the manual every single time i drove it. One of the reasons I got the FRS was for the stick, and the other was because I missed having a sporty little car.

just give yourself a lot of room between the car infront of you. Why do people think you always have to be glued to the car in front of you?

Because when you give up too much room, someone in another lane sees that as in invitation to jump in front of you. At least that's how they drive around here...

Why does it matter if another car get in front of you? If anything that would relieve the congestion. just give them space too.

Get the manual....I have 20 minutes until I leave work and am already looking forward to driving my brz.

I drive about 65 miles daily round trip in LA and the traffic can be very heavy. I don't mind it, each trip can be 1.5 to 2 hours in heavy traffic, still no regrets so far. Keeps you engaged lol

If you like to 'drive it like you stole it' a manual can get very tiring in heavy traffic. If you can kick back and go with the flow it will make a big difference. Just keep your rpm's low but stay above lugging and you can have a very relaxed commute home to work or vice-versa.

Another MT, 40min commute guy. It is a PITA but worth it for those times when you are not in traffic.

Yes, leaving some room (1-2 car length) is the way to go. It will allow you to shift less.

However, in the traffic I drive in. If you leave a 4-5+ car length gap in front of you. The lane next to you will quickly fill up those spots causing your whole lane to slow down. Then you create a new 4-5+ car length gap and it happens again. Until it becomes a vicious cycle, where you become the jackass holding up everyone behind you.

If you like to block people cutting you off it might be harder in a stick shift. I like to drive like a truck driver shifting as little as possible. Slow and steady, also makes it less stressful. Once the traffic passes, downshift, :burnrubber:

I live in Philadelphia, and I work about 10 miles away. There is ALWAYS traffic coming home on 76 East when I get off of work. Is it annoying? Yes. But not so much as some people would say. I'm not ripping my hair out every night. Plus, once it clears and I'm on an open road, that just makes the WOT infinitely better.

Not to mention all the times we get to drive without being in traffic... it more than makes up for the short periods where we are caught in rush hour. Driving an auto (unless you really, really, love automatics) might make traffic more tolerable, but it'll make every other driving experience less...drivey. Just my opinion, though.

+1. Don't force the controls. Shifting becomes force of habit with time and practice

It isn't so bad until your left leg starts to cramp from all the leg workout it's doing lol.

These clutches are super light and not heavy or hard to engage at all. My right leg gets more work than my left does. After first gear I hardly use the clutch at all.

haha i get the idea.... :w00t:

My wife is from CA so I drive out there a couple of times per year when we visit. It's interesting because out there, the highway traffic (from what I've seen) isn't really stop/go like it is on the east coast. It's usually slow down to 10-15 mph, then go.

If that's true of your commute, then stick won't be too bad. Stick is only really hell in traffic if you have to completely come to a stop, then accelerate again.

East coast highway traffic shift pattern: 2-N-1-2-N-1-2
CA highway traffic shift pattern: 4-2-3-4-2-3-4

Just my observation.

My point isn't about using a phone... it's about being distracted.

A stick shift requires you to use both hands, so you can't even drink coffee or eat a piece of bread/sandwich/etc or anything else that requires hands. Most people will at least look at their phone for missed messages or calls, so that's the basic premise I am working with.

If you have the need to use a phone or drink coffee or whatnot, don't get a stick in rush-hour commute. The location of cupholders and lack of storage space in this car makes having a stick in a stop-and-go commute that much worse...

Yeah, sadly 2 people died today on the 210 in Pasadena...

No, it's bad when you have an aftermarket clutch with a much heavier pressure plate. That's when you regret all the mods.

You clearly have not been on any of the freeways when it counts.

Morning:
60W
10W
405N
110N
101 (both directions)
5N

Afternoon:
opposite direction of above listed freeways

And your shift pattern should be:

East coast highway traffic shift pattern: 2-N-1-2-N-1-2
Los Angeles highway traffic shift pattern: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-1-1

I'm going to screenshot capture LA traffic to share one of these days. It's too epic not to.

-alex

I deal with light to mild traffic, a few stop signs, and three lights. 15 minute commute no matter the way I look at it (except on days when nobody is going to work elsewhere... or the students don't have class).

Do I wish I had an automatic sometimes? Sure. Especially on days where people go, suddenly stop, and the go right after stopping. Reallly throws me off. But do I ever have regrets? None. It keeps me busy, alert, and active. And it's TONS of practice in the lower gears.

It's easy to drive a manual fast. It's a challenge to drive one slow. But if you can drive one slow, you can really drive one fast. At least, your shifting will be better.

Interesting. Her family lives in Orange County and I've taken most of those roads (5N, 101, 110, 405). We've left around 8:30-9am at times during the week driving to LA and rarely hit true stop/go traffic on any of the highways. There's definitely a bunch of cars and I usually have to slow to ~10 mph at points, but not really a lot of actual stopping. Might just be lucky I guess.

You don't choose a transmission in this car based on your time in traffic. You choose the right transmission for the times you will be having loads of fun. Go manual.
Welcome to the forum.

IMHO: if you're set on this car, get it in 6MT. Of course AT is more manageable in traffic but I would personally find that my experience of this vehicle would be significantly limited if I had the AT.

I actually live in Upland and I take the 210 to work everyday.


It really depends what time of day you drive to work and how far you have to drive. My commute is about 56 miles (I work by LAX), and I have an automatic.


I know a lot of people are die hard manual drivers, but the type of traffic I'm stuck in and the distance, I prefer the automatic.


Plus, it's supposedly a little better on gas mileage. I've gotten almost 400 miles on one tank. :D


Ooh, and there's also the cool paddle shifters...

I lived in Los Angeles for 13 years (North Hollywood). I was fortunate to get swing shift (4:00 pm to midnight) for a few of those years. So the traffic flow was a little better.

However, I had to get a new clutch on a 4 speed Mustang I drove during rush hours.

I've got probably 4000 miles of freeway stop and go rush hour commute traffic in the SF bay area on my 6MT FRS, average speed is somewhere around 20-30 mph on the slow days.

No regrets, I'm not terribly smooth just after waking up or after 8+ hours of work but I don't have any passengers complaining. Every once and awhile I'll miss a shift or something but it isn't the end of the world. LA traffic is a slightly different animal with drivers treating the pedals as switches, although I would totally do it.

I have the auto. I don't find I'm missing anything when the traffic clears. All my previous cars were manual so I do know what it's like in a manual when the traffic clears. IMO, this car is about cornering speed which is not affected by having a clutch or selecting gears using a stick. just my 2c.

p.s. the auto in manual mode is very good...
p.s.2 the only knock on an auto I can see is that maintenance is more expensive (more quarts of ATF and much more complex procedure.)

No doubt go manual...This car deserves to have a proper stick



Signed,
A DDing MT

depends on when you're on the 210 lol, if you are going east everyday around 4-6...i would probably go with an automatic lol.

i'm in claremont, and have a stick but i don't drive a whole bunch, and have other cars to drive if/when i need to.