The death of the stick shift

[Bray123]

Many of us learned heel toe techniques back in the day when autos were very inefficient and hand brakes even less so (and a hill start was required). I learned on a car without synchromesh on first gear so balancing accelerator/brake with the same foot was essential.

I now drive a mixture of autos and sticks and I don't even have to think which one I'm in today, it's all (erm) automatic. But paddle changes I can't get on with, even when trying to drive quickly. They're just one more gimmicky toy that salesmen boast about but you never actually use in real life along with the dozens of other options buried deep in the menus.

 

[Bisexguy70]

My first vehicle I drove was my fathers 1950 Ford truck. It had a non synchronized 4 speed transmission. This meant you had to “double clutch”. Put the truck in gear, push the clutch, put it in neutral, release the clutch and depress it again, then put it in the next gear and release. You never had to use 1st or granny gear on the road so technically it was only 3 speed. But that truck was fun as hell to drive. It made me a better driver and I had to pay attention. I should mention the brakes had to be pumped up before you could stop. I learned to drive with no brakes and to this day keep my following distance. I hate people who tailgate so close, its why theres so many rear enders.
Ive had several manual transmission vehicles and liked them but as I get older i prefer automatic. Hell, even big semis are going auto and use a computer to select the correct gear….not a fan.
Dont get me started on EVs. Look at the amount of energy it takes to obtain the metals to make the batteries. Plus, the amount of electrical strain on the grid to recharge them. No one seems to think about the energy needed to recharge them. What are we going to do with the batteries once there past the useful life cycle?? Im not saying we dont need an alternative but I dont think EVs are going to save the planet. Stick or no stick.

 

[cdstefi]

I've driven some godawful manuals in my time, nasty notchy ones and vague sloppy ones, but I still love it. There's just something satisfying about matching engine revs to gear selection, or a fast pull-away snicking up through the box and keeping it on the torque, or the continual concentration when on a twisty mountain road. Autos are just dumb by comparison. I know people will say they've got much better but I've driven plenty including a Nissan CVT, an old three-speed in an FX4 taxi and a modern 9-speed in some continent-sized minivan I rented last time I was in the US, and I remain unconvinced.

No need to tell me how great your auto is in your Porsche or Audi, I'm not in the market for those kind of cars. I like my little sweet-shifting, free-revving and 2008-vintage Micra just fine (although it could really use a sixth cog for motorways).

 

[Wonderer67]

My first time driving in England (2012) and they had a Nissan Juke. Stick shift. Hadn’t driven one in many years, but got the hang of it pretty quickly, even if the gear shift was on the left instead of the right.

Pedals were in the same order at least.

Driving in England on the left side of the road was another matter all together! The roundabouts… the navigation system was somehow set to avoid all major roads, and I couldn’t figure out how to change the mode.

A 2 hr ride from London to Wolverhampton took 6 hours and 3739936727199 roundabouts.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

My first vehicle I drove was my fathers 1950 Ford truck. It had a non synchronized 4 speed transmission. This meant you had to “double clutch”. Put the truck in gear, push the clutch, put it in neutral, release the clutch and depress it again, then put it in the next gear and release.

lol, this got me recalling my first truck, can't recall the year but it was a Black Mercury side step with a three on the tree. It also had the floor starter switch and the manual choke. Such a treat to start in the winter around here....

 

[Bray123]

My first time driving in England (2012) and they had a Nissan Juke. Stick shift. Hadn’t driven one in many years, but got the hang of it pretty quickly, even if the gear shift was on the left instead of the right.

Pedals were in the same order at least.

Driving in England on the left side of the road was another matter all together! The roundabouts… the navigation system was somehow set to avoid all major roads, and I couldn’t figure out how to change the mode.

A 2 hr ride from London to Wolverhampton took 6 hours and 3739936727199 roundabouts.

I can't get on with sat-navs either. I'll either check online maps before I go or navigate by instinct. Go north for an hour, east for 30 mins, that sort of thing. The only time I can recall getting lost in the last 20 years was when I tried sat-nav, it took me on some God-awful roads and I didn't have a clue where I was. It made me feel ill.

 

[AlexBailey]

The first real vehicle I drove was my dad’s Jeep CJ5, off road starting when I was 11. I could barely push down far enough to disengage the clutch.

We had a large piece of country property with a couple miles of dirt roads. Before I got a license my dad would let me drive around with my friends in four wheel low in first and second gear on flat terrain. Looking back I can’t believe he let me do that.

When I got my permit at 15 1/2 dad had me drive into San Francisco and go up and down the hilly streets. A stop sign at the top of a steep street was terrifying the first couple of times, but after that everything else was second nature.

The only manual transmission I ever had trouble with was a girlfriend’s parents classic Alfa-Romeo when they let us take it out for a formal date. Her dad stood in the driveway and hid his laughter as I ground the gears in front of him. I was so fucking embarrassed! He gave me some pointers and said not to worry, that everyone did that the first time they drove that car.

 

[Comshaw]

I miss driving manual transmissions.

Yeah, me too. I learned to drive at the age of 12 in a 1943 GMC farm truck. I've driven heavy over-the-road trucks for a lot of my career. In the 70's I was driving medium (18-26,000 lb GVW) trucks with a five-speed tans and a two-speed rear axle. I graduated to 12, 15 and 18-speed Road Ranger transmissions. The most difficult one I ever drove was an old 60's Peterbilt with a 5-speed main and a 4-speed auxiliary transmission. With 20 gears it sometimes was difficult to remember what gear I was in; all of those I could and did shift without ever using the clutch.

I've had manual transmission in most of my vehicles up until the last 15 years or so. It's gotten to the point you have to special order a manual (if it's even available) to get one in a car or pickup.

And it does afford the driver a lot more control in snow and ice.

Comshaw