The MT you loved and hated the most...

[tekFRS234]

Some folks started talking about manual transmissions they loved and hated in the MT Questions thread and I thought it was interesting. Let us know what about MTs you loved/hated, and why...

Here are some posts from MT Questions....

"Personally I like a stiffer and notchier positive shifting action like I had with the Hurst Competition + shifter for the T5 in my 4th gen Camaro... absolutely loved that shifter; perfect balance of a precision throw and positive gear engagement! The old stock camaro shifter one was absolute GARBAGE in comparison, so vague and sloppy it was easy to miss third gear...third gear, the easiest freaking gear in a MT to grab when on the move! If I could get the FR-S shifter closer to the feel of the Hurst Competition + shifter it would be a nice thing...but I'm okay with how it is stock.

I also feel the stock clutch is VERY good... I really like it, though it could use a little more feel. Perfectly repeatable and precise in its grab point along with having minimal effort required... really is nice and easy in heavy stop and go traffic. I have had no need to change it from how it came from the factory." Vracer111

"I had the same shifter in my 70 Coronet R/T and yes I agree it was a great one. I tried 3 or 4 before I found it." Tcoat

"...I think my favorite was the Muncie with Hurst short throw in my old 1960 Willys CJ5. Pedal effort was a bit heavy but damn that thing was accurate and the least notchy ever." gravitylover

For me, Ford Bronco II and Chevrolet Corsica were the worst. Back in the early-90's, I learned on the Bronco II, beautiful truck by the way, and recall it being VERY sensitive (stalled a lot). The Chev Corsica had an extremely cheap/sloppy feel to it, along with all the interior plastic rattling at every bump in the road. Mazda GLC and MX-3 were my favs. The MT in those cars felt just right, not overly sensitive and not sloppy. Test drove a new Mazda 3 before buying the FRS, and it wasn't the same. Loved the small, light cars with MT. The new Maz3 seemed too big/heavy compared to GLC/MX3, but the MT was fine.

[CatDaddysBBQ]

Loved the shift in the :
rX8,
MKV GTi (b&m short shift kit),
2004 GTO,
fRS after moddictions anvil knob add on,
996 Carrera

Hated:
2010 camaro SS,
Anything from Hyundai I've ever driven
Mk4 Gti vr6 (smooth but wiggly and long throws)

[Teseo]

I loved to shift in the nsx (n1) its short and precise

[gramicci101]

Loved the S2000 and 997tts, they were clean and precise. Hated my '91 Toyota tercel, it was soft and floppy. You couldn't tell what gear you were in and it didn't matter anyways.

[NWFRS]

LOVED the manual gearbox in:

Every MX-5 I ever test drove.
My 1970 Fiat 124 Sport Spider.
My 1971 Toyota Celica ST coupe.
My 1974 Toyota Celica GT coupe.
My 1977 Toyota Celica ST coupe.
My 1977 Toyota Celica GT liftback.
My 1992 Toyota MR2.



HATED the manual gearbox in:

A buddy's 2012 Subaru WRX.
The 2013 Scion FR-S.



I test-drove a number of other cars as well before I bought my FR-S. Most were just "meh". In the end I just loved the FR-S, but I thought it had one of the worst clutches and the clunkiest gearchanges. I opted for the six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. I figured it would be easier for me to learn auto than for my wifey to learn manual. I also plan to keep this car as long as I can as it's my first new car. I'll be fifty in twenty years. I had my first kidney transplant just a little more than three years ago. I want to be capable of driving my little car, no matter what physical condition I happen to be in. :-)

[Sideways&Smiling]

Have never personally driven anything with a better shifter than the one in the S2000. Have heard good things about the Tremec Magnum/Super Magnum (much, much better than a regular T56, which is supposed to be pretty awful). Liked the shifter in the FRS/BRZ. It's pretty good (talking about the shifter, not the clutch.... the clutch is weird). Miatas and RX8s are also supposed to be quite good.

[bcj]

Very much over: Any old car with "Three on the tree". Those were mostly dire at best.

Most novel: An early 60s Datsun pickup with 4 gears on the steering column (plus reverse)

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Sideways&Smiling

the clutch is weird

Yes it is. Here's my gift to those with a frustrated left foot.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...11#post2016411

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by bcj

Very much over: Any old car with "Three on the tree". Those were mostly dire at best.

But of course you had options!

[cdrazic93]

My dad had an old edsel...the E D S L were the gear changes on the steering wheel lol

[mmcelroy]

Loved:
TRACKDAYBRO Mk1 Miata - Honestly have no idea what he did with it but the shifts are really smooth and quick.
2.5 RS Amateur RallyX build - Straight shift, 'nuff said
Nissan 300ZX - totally stock, solid, very clunky/manly shift

Mixed:
Hyundai Veloster Turbo - very smooth and easy shift, kind of feel-less though

Bad:
2000 Ford Focus wagon - Clutch was useless, easier to RPM shift
2000 Hyundai Accent - If there was a gear, its now many bits on the road
2012 Honda CRZ - Clutch grabbed very strangely/suddenly

[extrashaky]

I liked the transmission in my Triumph TR6. The BRZ is a close second. The reason I liked the TR6 is because in addition to the tactile feedback you got through the shifter knob, the Triumph made great sounds. You could hear the synchronizers spinning up. Shit was happening under there. Today people would probably whine about that and take the car back to the dealership thinking something was wrong with it.

The transmission in my dad's MGB was also very good (and just as noisy), but the throws were shorter. The pattern in my mom's MG Midget was so tight that I never really got comfortable with it.

As for transmissions that were "meh," I had a Mazda B2000 and a Chevy S10, both of which were just sort of there. They were so bland that I had forgotten the S10 was a manual until I started thinking about manual transmissions in the other thread.

The "worst" is sort of relative, because I wouldn't exactly call it a bad experience. When I was a teenager my dad bought a 1959 Chevy Apache pickup for $700. It had a "three on a tree," which is a three speed transmission with the shifter on the steering column.

If I remember correctly, reverse was up and toward you, first gear was down and toward you, second was up and away, and third was down and away. You used your whole arm to shift. There was no pattern printed on the shifter knob like what most of us are used to. That would be pointless, because the shifter knob pointed variously at the roof and the passenger door.

The clutch in that beast didn't swing toward the firewall the way modern cars do. You had to pick your whole leg up and shove the clutch straight down through the floor. It had something like a foot of travel. It was so highly levered that you couldn't really feel the engagement point. You just knew it was making contact when the truck started moving.

Another neat thing about it was that it had a floor starter, which was a little round pedal that closed the connection on the starter instead of using the ignition switch to crank it. You turned the key in the dash to turn on the ignition, then closed the contacts on the starter with your right foot on the starter pedal. The key wouldn't actually stay in the ignition switch and would fall out on the floor while you were driving.

The truck had some problems. Second gear was bad. It would BANG out of gear and kick that shifter down with enough force to break your fingers if your hand were in the wrong place. Every now and then you'd get stuck in neutral with the shifter flopping around disconnected, and you'd have to pull to the side of the road, take the shifter linkage apart and put it back together. Then you'd drive on your way with greasy hands.

I'm hesitant to characterize it as a bad driving experience, though, because that thing was fun once you accepted you weren't driving a performance vehicle. It also helped me years later when my key grip on a low budget movie shoot looked at me and said he couldn't drive the elderly 20 ton box truck full of lighting gear we were picking up from the equipment rental house. It turned out that on a set full of New Yorkers, most of whom could barely drive at all, I was the only person on the shoot who could actually drive that truck every time we moved to a new location. Even though it had a floor shifter, it felt just like driving that old Chevy.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

The truck had some problems. Second gear was bad. It would BANG out of gear and kick that shifter down with enough force to break your fingers if your hand were in the wrong place. Every now and then you'd get stuck in neutral with the shifter flopping around disconnected, and you'd have to pull to the side of the road, take the shifter linkage apart and put it back together. Then you'd drive on your way with greasy hands.

.

This was actually a pretty common thing for the late 50s Chevs. My wagon used to do that all the time. Just be reaching to go to third and WHAM!

[gravitylover]

I can't actually say I hated the shifting in my 1980 Ford Courier but it was the sloppiest piece of sh1t ever. Sometimes I would forget to use the clutch but it didn't really matter because you could just move the stick around and put it somewhere in the vicinity of where it was supposed to be and call it good and the truck would keep moving forward. It made it much easier to drive home after long sessions playing pool at the bar...

Melting the throwout bearing carrier 1200 miles from home on Dead tour in my 1972 Chevy LUV was fun. Had to turn it off as it was coasting up to a traffic light or stop sign then turn the key again and hope it didn't flood out because your foot was on the gas pretty hard to get it going again. Had a similar issue when the shifting fork snapped on my 79 Ford Fiesta Sport 300 miles from home. Got both of them home and only had to replace the bad part not the whole clutch.

Ahh the things we dealt with when we were young and just accepted. :shrug: