Ready to order... convince me to get the manual

[GNS]

Originally Posted by tez2013

Thanks for all the replies! As expected, an overwhelming majority prefer the manual.

My situation is somewhat unique, in that for those truly great mountain runs and weekend drives on open roads (where manual really shines), I'll be taking my Z. However, I still want a fun experience for running into town, mundane highway drives, shopping and daily commute; which is the whole reason I'm getting an FRS to begin with.

Question is would manual be more fun/exciting for those more mundane tasks? Put another way, if all you manual guys had no way to drive it in a more spirited fashion on twisty roads, etc. would you still get a manual?

Yes.

Excepting certain high end cars that I'll probably never own, a good MT is what I will always go for. It gives me a much greater degree of control, it's much more reliable and it makes the car more engaging.

A good AT has its place when you don't know how to drive a car, or if you're injured, or you're constantly distracted, or if you drive in terrible traffic all day (we're talking hours here), or if you're a pro race car driver and you need to keep both hands on the wheel at all times due to the insane speeds you drive at.

[regal]

OK, my last post I didn't see the OP that you occasionally track and have good experience driving a stick.

One thing to keep in mind is the torque converter can help with turbo lag, just saying if you plan on that.

For you this is a tough decision. A manual generally takes more abuse and will last much longer than an Auto. Its also much less expensive to maintain a manual in general. But in start stop traffic, the clutch, throwout bearing, and slave cylinder will take a beating. Good with the clutch so that will probably not be an issue but the slave cylinder and throw-out bearing will hit more cycles than normal, because you push in/out a million times. Some of the track drivers are reporting better luck with the auto for non-pros, gurus, whatever you want to call it.

It really boils down to how long you want to keep the car. In 100k miles I'll bet my last paycheck that the stick will be worth a lot more than the auto. Like I mentioned in the other thread that its not "easy" to fix an auto especially a 6 speed auto. But if this is a three year car for you thats probably not an issue.

Tough call.

[russv]

Originally Posted by Efferalgan

Very simple: if you are planning to spend in this car at least 2 hours every day in traffic like this (5-10 mph average spped):



Then auto is the only option.

But I don't think you guys have such traffic anywhere in the US So if staying 30 sec at a crossroad waiting for green traffic light you call "traffic" - this car deserves to be bought with manual transmission.

Try driving in Lis Angeles in rush hour!

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by regal

OK, my last post I didn't see the OP that you occasionally track and have good experience driving a stick.

One thing to keep in mind is the torque converter can help with turbo lag, just saying if you plan on that.

For you this is a tough decision. A manual generally takes more abuse and will last much longer than an Auto. Its also much less expensive to maintain a manual in general. But in start stop traffic, the clutch, throwout bearing, and slave cylinder will take a beating. Good with the clutch so that will probably not be an issue but the slave cylinder and throw-out bearing will hit more cycles than normal, because you push in/out a million times. Some of the track drivers are reporting better luck with the auto for non-pros, gurus, whatever you want to call it.

It really boils down to how long you want to keep the car. In 100k miles I'll bet my last paycheck that the stick will be worth a lot more than the auto. Like I mentioned in the other thread that its not "easy" to fix an auto especially a 6 speed auto. But if this is a three year car for you thats probably not an issue.

Tough call.

dead nuts accurate! manual should prove to be more durable over the long term,and as op stated,biggest concern,really,is with the throw-out bearing.
constant in and out movement over time will wear it out,however should still last way over say,150k miles or so! the "slushbox?" well,that's a crap shoot,and when,and if it does go WILL indeed cost much "scratch" to repair,especially a 6-speed "slush" if you do buy the slush,make "gotdamn"
sure you do the fluid changes when called for,and,IF possible,let your wife drive it more often (she will probably keep it in "d" most of the time)and give it a chance to last!..just remember, if the slush breaks out of warranty,you WILL be f**ked! if you don't know how,LEARN to drive "stick" and you will love the difference!..just sayin'

Originally Posted by russv

Try driving in Lis Angeles in rush hour!

no thanks! right! forgot about the left coast!

[Jason952]

Originally Posted by bebopblues

if you have to ask, then get the automatic.

it is as simple as that.

This

[showbe]

If your going to mod it dont even get an auto. I always laugh at people who get autos and then they mod it. Kinda pointless if you ask me. Unless if they are disabled or something thats really dumb. IT cost more for auto, you get better control w/ a manual and better gas.

Once I drove my first manual I never went back. Automatic isnt any better unless if you cant drive manual for some odd reason. More pros to get a manual and less cons. It isnt that hard to drive manual and one you get it down traffic isnt even that bad it atleast gives you something to do.

[tez2013]

Originally Posted by Efferalgan

Very simple: if you are planning to spend in this car at least 2 hours every day in traffic like this (5-10 mph average spped):



Then auto is the only option.

But I don't think you guys have such traffic anywhere in the US So if staying 30 sec at a crossroad waiting for green traffic light you call "traffic" - this car deserves to be bought with manual transmission.

Hello, neighbor. I remember having to deal with that nightmarish traffic you have downtown Moscow. Not even funny. Nowhere near as bad over here.

[SPEEDGOD]

Get whichever one you want in the end of the day, no one will know if you have a manual or automatic, they'll just see a sexy ride and that's all that counts.

1. Get manual not because it's cheaper $1200 (or $10/mth cheaper depending on the lease or finance) is nothing if you can afford a car that's in the mid 24-27K range (depending where you are), you get it because it's "cool" and you're a super pro racer and can shift gears like no tomorrow

2. Get an automatic if you think it's 13% better on fuel and it'll make your commute more enjoyable and you think it's cool like Super Cars these days where it's automatic/semi-automatic not manual (GTR, LFA, etc.)

Like I said in the end of the day, you got the car 'cause it looks good and performs well in either transmission. JUST DON'T spray it in pink or rice it up, then it's all good.

[tez2013]

Not sure if some of you have missed this, but I have pretty good experience with driving manual. In fact, I still rev match / heel-toe even in city driving. The difference is my Z is not my daily and I rarely run into any traffic at all with that car.

The question is whether the "really good" paddle shift auto is good enough to provide a different driving experience that is also satisfying in its own way.

I've heard of guys swear by the PDK, and say that it's just as satisfying and engaging. While this is no dual clutch, to me the principle / overall experience is similar (outside of slower shift times), no?

Finally, this car would stay mainly stock. My power addition is kept in check with my Z; at 500rwhp and 3,000 lbs, very few cars have come close in even approaching the level of excitement that kind of power causes. I may do a cold air intake and possibly exhaust to improve the sound though. May be some brake mods, depending on how it behaves on the track.

[NOHOME]

Originally Posted by bebopblues

if you have to ask, then get the automatic.

it is as simple as that.

I am going to have to agree with this.

If you commute in the soul-destroying traffic that most people do, please do yourself a favour and buy the auto.

The car is not a good "creeper".The FRs seems to have a fair bit of drivetrain lash, that combined with the clutch take-up point, would drive me nuts if I did the 2 hours of "30 miles in first and second gear" commute that many people do.

As a matter of fact, if I had that commute, I would not buy an FRS; agility in traffic is not one of its strong points.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by Efferalgan

Very simple: if you are planning to spend in this car at least 2 hours every day in traffic like this (5-10 mph average spped):



Then auto is the only option.

But I don't think you guys have such traffic anywhere in the US So if staying 30 sec at a crossroad waiting for green traffic light you call "traffic" - this car deserves to be bought with manual transmission.

Unfortunately, we do have such traffic in many regions :-(

+1 to your point about the suitability of AT for such a commute. That would be my only reason for ever not getting MT.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by tez2013

I've heard of guys swear by the PDK, and say that it's just as satisfying and engaging. While this is no dual clutch, to me the principle / overall experience is similar (outside of slower shift times), no?

Careful with that comparison. The PDK is Porsche's signature transmission - the one they're proud of and focus all that German genius engineering on. They offer the manual because, well, because the planets would come out of alignment if they didn't. With the BRZ/FR-S it's the other way around. The spirit of these cars calls for MT, but they offer auto because (in the US in particular) the market segment demands it (witness just here alone in this forum all the people saying they're not comfortable with manual).

[jflogerzi]

Originally Posted by einzlr

Careful with that comparison. The PDK is Porsche's signature transmission - the one they're proud of and focus all that German genius engineering on. They offer the manual because, well, because the planets would come out of alignment if they didn't. With the BRZ/FR-S it's the other way around. The spirit of these cars calls for MT, but they offer auto because (in the US in particular) the market segment demands it (witness just here alone in this forum all the people saying they're not comfortable with manual).

This is true. Here in the USA I would venture and say other 90% of car sales are autos.

[carbonBLUE]

Originally Posted by tez2013

Just joined the forum... seems like a great community here. Hoping to get your thoughts on a couple of things.

So, I've driven both, the manual and the auto. Both felt pretty good and I was actually surprised at how decent the auto was in the sport mode (keeping the revs high, downshifting aggressively and blipping throttle on downshifts).

I'm looking to get this car because it seems to be a very fun car to drive. This car would be my daily driver and I'd be spending a fair bit of time in traffic. Question is how much fun does this auto (which is pretty good) sap from the driving experience of this car? This would be my first paddle-shift car... seems like it improves the auto experience?

I'll also note that I already have a weekend manual car that I track quite frequently, so now looking for something that would be a lot of fun mainly on the street and autocross, but also occasionally on the track. That being said, I've never commuted in a manual car on regular basis, so I'm afraid it may get pretty old in traffic rather quickly...

So, I guess I'd like to hear from people that were in my shoes and have gone one way or the other. Per name of the thread, I'm leaning towards the auto due to practicality in traffic but wonder if I'm going to giving up a lot during more spirited driving?

:happy0180:

i would say the auto is just fine for daily/ and some track use but wouldnt recommend it on autocross, mainly just because its slow off the line, if you dont care about doing well and just having fun then it shouldnt be a problem because the auto is about 2 seconds slower to 60 than the manual variant, but on a track its slower because of the higher gear ratios in 3-4-5th in the auto

i drive an auto, ive also had manual cars/modified cars, but most of my fun is on empty streets and backroads, doing cruises so the auto is just fine for my intentions, i also plan on putting in a 5:1 rear end at some point vs the stock 4.1:1 my gas mialge should line up with the manual at that point but it will give me an advantage on the track and ill have more usable passing gears

hope my input helps

Originally Posted by einzlr

Careful with that comparison. The PDK is Porsche's signature transmission - the one they're proud of and focus all that German genius engineering on. They offer the manual because, well, because the planets would come out of alignment if they didn't. With the BRZ/FR-S it's the other way around. The spirit of these cars calls for MT, but they offer auto because (in the US in particular) the market segment demands it (witness just here alone in this forum all the people saying they're not comfortable with manual).

i wasnt comfortable with it on the main point of clutch engagement, i am used to a 6 pluck racing clutch the grabs a 1/2 inch off the floor lol... plus i wanted to test out the auto because of the praise it gets, and in all respect it is very good but not as engaging as any manual car, plus i dont plan on modifying my auto, sometime in the future ill pick up a manual and modify it. im mostly waiting on development of parts so i have a choice on what i want on my car plus parts will be cheaper in the future, and even better used parts like intakes will be dirt cheap(just replace the filter)