Commuters driving stick

[GNS]

Buying an automatic car for the daily commute is not a valid excuse

[humfrz]

Well, @rawrmatty, my short answer is that if you "like" to shift, get the MT, if you don't like to shift, get the AT.....

humfrz

[GT 86 Brah]

the fact that it keeps you occupied during traffic makes me kindve happy but angry at the same time. its fun to let loose a little once ur out of traffic i always leave like 5-10 car lengths in front of me in stop and go traffic in 2nd. no regrets here

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by rawrmatty

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]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!!

First off welcome to the Forum!

I've only ever driven manual. My first car was a Jetta 1.8t 5spd, my second car a Mazda 3 2.3 Sedan 5spd, and now my Raven FRS.

The clutch on this car is decently light, has a medium pedal throw, shorter than the previous two cars I mentioned, but by no means SHORT (compared to a Celica GTS which had a very short cluth throw)

I commute 25 miles in HEAVY Miami traffic 6x a week. It's not a bother to me at all, the car does great and after a while you don't notice it. The only time it really gets annoying is when you're revving too high to be in first but trying your hardest not to go into second, but then inevitably have to go into second and then shortly after you come to a dead stop and have to repeat the process. That can get repetitive and annoying, but if you enjoy being in the car, and driving the car, and saying to yourself "I bought an awesome car" then I don't think any of that will matter.

That's my .02

[GT 86 Brah]

Originally Posted by Takuro

Don't be one of those FRS owners who complains and trades their AT for an MT later on. Just get a manual transmission from the get go. Driving manual in traffic will also make you a better driver learning to engage the clutch, downshift, etc. If I had to choose an automatic, I would've gotten a completely different car entirely, preferably with 4 doors also.

its true.. almost every person i know wants to trade their auto for manual

[BPM]

All day everyday, SF traffic and hills don't stop me from driving stick.

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by GT 86 Brah

its true.. almost every person i know wants to trade their auto for manual

I believe it. I can't drive auto for 5 min without wanting to rip my face off. It's incredibly boring and when I "punch" on the gas I hate the amount of time the car takes to think about what it's doing. This is even more pronounced in economy cars....when I've had rentals cars, such as base civic, base jetta, kia, etc.

I enjoy (for about a minute) the hands free and left foot freedom, but then I get antsy, I want to step on a clutch, I want to shift something. When I step on the gas, I feel the car doesn't listen. I also feel sometimes it wants to change gears when it shouldn't be.....so many issues with auto.

I was at the Miami International Car Show this week and was HORRIBLY disappointed at all the manufacturers that don't have manual.

The M5, the GTR, and other cars all have that electronic-double-clutch system. Ok, so it's an electronically controlled "automatic manual" transmission with paddle shifters. Where's the clutch? Where's my stick to actually SHIFT into gear. I know it's faster on paper and on the track, but I think it takes the fun away from driving. People should buy more manual cars to keep car manufacturers making them.

BMW barely even ships manuals to the US, you have to special order them from BMW. That new Mercedes CLA that came out, doesn't even come in a manual...at all....not even the AMG version. So disappointing.

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by BPM

All day everyday, SF traffic and hills don't stop me from driving stick.

I wish there were hills in Miami...flat roads are really boring :/

[corry29]

Originally Posted by BPM

All day everyday, SF traffic and hills don't stop me from driving stick.

x2!!

I drive to SF everyday to work, go through 280 and 19th Ave traffic in the Sunset area everyday. M/T all day!

I purposely roll back a little on the hills to scare the shit out of the person behind me to remind them not to get too fucking close behind me. Then I go back up a little on 1st gear while practicing my clutch and gas technique.

JK!!! I don't do that...

seriously, don't do that.



I personally would NEVER go for an A/T for my own car. I'm kind of a purist when it comes to cars. I'm coming from a generation where M/T is the true way of driving and all that A/T, paddle shifter and that new CVT shit is all for pussies who think they can drive. <--That's obviously not true. But that's what I grew up with.

My future family/wifey's car is probably gonna be A/T though and probably 4-5drs, so don't get me wrong. I don't hate A/T's THAT much. I just don't prefer it. Right things at the right times

Especially when it comes to cars like FR-S. You should get it in M/T and ONLY in M/T. As for traffic, just deal with it. Eventually it will be second hand nature to you. When it becomes nature to you, and you still find it as an hassle. Maybe you should rethink on what car you should get. It's just my opinion. Other people's opinion is obviously going to be different from mine, and would definitely disagree with what I just said about the FRS in M/T only and I apologize ahead of time. Sorry.

Yo, I heard the A/T with those cute little paddle shifters were good though. Never tried it in my life though. Never bothered, never considered, didn't even want to get in it. But people were flaming me telling me it was good though

[headlikeahole]

If you are a good MT driver it will become second nature. I sometimes an hour + in heavy stop and go traffic and not once has the clutch or shifting crossed my mind, let alone become an annoyance.

Guys who claim AT would be better just need more time behind a MT. Or they are doing something wrong.

[MarcFr-s]

It's a sports car, I really wanted a m/t. I was pleasantly surprised driving in LA at how easy the clutch is to push in, and how easy it is to drive in traffic. You just lay back a little and you don't have to shift that much. Not bad at all.

[Efferalgan]

Originally Posted by GT 86 Brah

the fact that it keeps you occupied during traffic makes me kindve happy but angry at the same time. its fun to let loose a little once ur out of traffic i always leave like 5-10 car lengths in front of me in stop and go traffic in 2nd. no regrets here

He-he! 5-10 cars distance in stop & go traffic? In Moscow you wouldn't be moving at all

[Luis_GT]

I've been in stop and go traffic for hours in my car... still love my stick

[PollosHermanos]

Get the stick. All day long.

Leg cramps are not a real thing if you're driving the car properly.

Now if you want to smoke your clutch AND do leg day on only your left each morning then, by all means, keep that clutch halfway or all the way in the whole commute.



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