Automatic Vs Manual Part Duex

[Barry]

Gaurav I will always respect your opinions and experience but automatic gearboxes will never be for me in any driving situation. I don’t want to have to miss gears or push buttons to make the car do what I want it to do. I have been driving manuals since way before I ever got a driving licence so it’s second nature to me, it feels completely natural and I’m in control. With an automatic, I don’t feel in control, the car is. I’m just controlling the throttle. I’ve only ever owned one automatic car and I didn’t gel with the driving experience. Having a high revving engine and wondering wether the car will shift gear or stick and blow the rods out through the block wasn’t a nice experience for me. I have only ever driven a manual in the desert and it performed perfectly. I told the car what to do and it did it. I had 2 small stucks due to lack of experience but I recovered myself quickly and nobody even noticed. A bit of clutch control and I was out easy. If I had been in an automatic I would have been calling rahim  bhai for a tow. 

 

[Gaurav]

Barry, why I prefer auto in desert because in steep climb downshifting from 2nd to 1st require a PHD that too just to downshift tad above 3K rpm or else power band will die. In such scenario, 1st is too short and 2nd is too long. Auto box (if well designed) downshift in nanoseconds when human reaction is getting nervous and thrilled while dune bashing at 60 kmph speed.

I have suffered in my manual Nissan Patrol for 2 years and you can ask any seasoned offroader who ride manual about this pain point.

[Srikumar]

@Gaurav your vehicle is special that you are able to keep it on 1st gear, and you have the '1' gear option in your auto transmission. This is mostly likely because it carries the gene of the award winning Pajero Dakar Rally model. I have also seen the '1' gear option in Rahim bhai's Pathy as well but not in many other cars. I have honestly struggled with my newer version Pajero where it would continuously upshift in tiptronic mode.

 

I have been driving a manual vehicle for the past 8 months, and in the initial period my gear shifts were never smooth. As a result I was unable to downshift from 2nd to 1st in time. So I used to attack a dune in 1st gear, but was able to reach a maximum speed of approx 55 km/h with the engine at its limit and some clutch being burnt due to the high rpm. So I can relate with what gaurav mentioned that while the adrenaline is pumping, its quite difficult to downshift.

I got my clutch changed a couple of months ago, and I have also learnt to do smoother gear shifts. Now, when I reach the base of a steep dune I am on 2nd gear at a speed of almost 80 - 85 km per hour. As I loose momentum during the climb, I am able to quickly downshift to 1st gear and get the last bit of thrust for the final part of the climb. Have been doing this quite successfully over the past few drives.

I have been using my vehicle for my daily drive as well so am continuously practicing the quick shifting of the vehicle and now I dont need to see the rpm or the speed anymore as I do the gear shifts based on the engine sound. Though the gear shifts are still not the smoothest, but I am continuously practicing to try and improve it.

Edited February 28, 2018 by skumar83

[shadow79]

so i guess there is no nail for this coffin...i have driven manual and auto both and i favour the manual as you can do many other fancy things with a good manual gear car whereas the auto will get left behind 

[Gaurav]

7 minutes ago, skumar83 said:

As I loose momentum during the climb, I am able to quickly downshift to 1st gear and get the last bit of thrust for the final part of the climb. Have been doing this quite successfully over the past few drives.

1

Now you are very special buddy

[shadow79]

@skumar83actually now you and the jeep are mingling at the right frequency then...

[Barry]

With regards to downshifting in a manual, heel and toe technique and rev matching are king. Once you master the art of proper footwork, the clutch pedal becomes redundant in situations other than starting or stopping. I can shift up and down gears flawlessly without using the clutch pedal. Experience I guess. 

But I think Saleem is right. This coffin can never be nailed down. Everyone has their own experiences and their own style of driving.  

IMO manual will always be king but I can see from the side of girls who can’t shift properly 

[Gaurav]

1 hour ago, Barry said:

IMO manual will always be king but I can see from the side of girls who can’t shift properly 

 

lololol. Will see when you ride a manual in the desert long hill climb.

[treks]

15 hours ago, Gaurav said:

With all due respect to your experience and knowledge, only 1 in million NEED to cross continents.

I totally agree that in real hardcore sturdiness manual win hands down but our regular off-roader here doesn't take more than 100 - 500 km in a week.

Nope, that's not the point. This manual selection is only needed in some auto box that automatically upshifts. In my ride 90% of my time I drive in D, even in steepest hill climb as it downshifts gear SUPER FAST to 1st when I need it the most.

Gaurav, 

You are right that not many people NEED to cross continents. However, there is a REASON why those that do, never use automatics to do it with, and that reason does not primarily involve the poor reliability of automatics when they are pushed really hard.

The primary reason has to with the fact that the driver needs to be in full control of the vehicle and its gearing at all times to make it to the other side of a sand trap or sand dune, or whatever the obstacle happens to be, which is something automatics DO NOT allow, no matter how near or far that driver is from home.  

Many people will disagree, but speaking strictly for myself, the fact that automatics are NEVER used in long overland expeditions settles this debate once and for all.  

[shadow79]

we had a live demonstration of automatic vs manual on friday with both the cherokees in the group when @skumar83 climbed the iftar bowl in all his attempts and @sertac with his automatic one failed a few times when @Gaurav tried it went up could be because of the driver and cars having different set of tyres and driving style as sertac is afterall new to all this then sri is according to experience...