Manual or Auto Transmission? (valve, driver, racing, cars)
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I'm curious to find out how many in the Upstate drive a standard and how many drive an automatic. I'm originally from MI, not to say no one drives standard there, but it seems standard to drive an automatic lol. I'm just curious cuz I've met more here in the south that drive a standard and now that it's all we have, I'm forcing myself to learn. (You can choose both in my poll if you drive both)
I drive a street/strip AOD-E. I'm thinking of switching out for a C4. I don't know why people like manual trannies. I can drive a stick like a pro but I can't stand them in traffic. Too much room for error with sticks too. I've won a lot of races against cars that were much faster because the driver didn't know when to shift or how to shift fast enough. It's much easier shifting an auto when you're being sucked into your seat.
You don't shift an auto - that's the point of it being automatic.
If people can't shift properly its not because there's too much room for error, its because they lack the skill to do it. Practice, practice, practice.
You would be stupid not to shift if you are racing and your auto is built for it. Do you know what a C4, C6, or powerglide is? A lot of cars are leaving the factory with shiftable automatics too.
sure one can be more consistant w/ an AT, especially a built one. My old school days, the minimum work was to modify the fluid travel ( the simple "shift kits" ) to ge a quicker shift response. Or we took ours to a manual valve body for complete control, but with a lack of a "drive" option. So if you ran in brackets, it was easier to keep to the set time in an AT.
BUT, whether it was with a hi revving small block matched with a close ratio muncie, or now with a tuner car that needs to be run thru the rpm range--a manual is just more fun.
Maybe modern cars with all the electronic controls allow one to leave it in 'D' and with a flick of a switch it will shift for performance. But in older performance cars ( and I'll assume new ones racing as well ) you still controlled the shifts.
My fastest car had an AT; didnt mean it was the most fun....
Getting back to more mundane day to day driving, we (wife and I) both had auto in the US, as I suspect most people do, but here in the UK my wife prefers manual- she says she likes to feel more in control, whatever that means.
I went to auto years ago mainly due to driving 30-40,000 miles per annum, much of that in large cities.
My current auto has a manual over ride via the gear lever and also has paddle shift on the steering wheel. I hardly ever use it, just leaving it in drive.
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(You can choose both in my poll if you drive both)
