Manual versus automatic car?

tuxy

Sandwich wrote:

The 'point' of changing gears is that the car is cheaper

If auto's become really popular in Europe then it will become like America where it is more difficult or expensive to buy manuals. I don't care what other people drive, just once I can easily buy a manual. I don't spend much time stuck in traffic so that's why I prefer manuals.

colm_mcm

Max_Damage wrote:

While we are on the topic of autos, I have a few questions to ask about them:

1. When stopped at the lights, does putting on the handbrake (with your foot removed from the brake pedal) and leaving it in 'Drive' do any damage to the 'box?

2. On standard autos (without Tiptronic or any of that), does shifting between 'Drive' to '2' and 'L' or '1' while the vehicle is in motion do any damage to the 'box?

It's never a good idea to use the gears in an auto box to slow the car down, but if used in conjunction with braking, it's ok to manually shift down an auto box.

Esel

maoleary wrote:

To have a good, comfy auto, you'd need 2.5 V6 + to get a decent drive.

I also think this statement is twaddle. I've driven 3 different 2.0 automatic cars, and never had any problem or improper gear selection.

Guy:Incognito

Sandwich wrote:

The 'point' of changing gears is that the car is cheaper and fuel economy is better.

In that case we should all be driving 1ltr Micra scos th epoint would be that they are cheaper and more economical.

dingding

colm_mcm wrote:

It's never a good idea to use the gears in an auto box to slow the car down, but if used in conjunction with braking, it's ok to manually shift down an auto box.

Would an automatic car handle better under an emergency stop as the wheels would be connected to the engine till you stop. Also no clutch to worry about ?

Michael G

nialler wrote:

always leave it in D at the lights as I'd believe constantly shifting to N would cause damage to the torque converter.

Tiptronic I've used for fun in overtaking on single lane roads rather than the kickdown (that way you can go down a couple of gears) as for the motorway, cruise is the only way to go.

My dealer told me that holding the car on the brake (whether footbrake or handbrake) with the box in D hurts the gearbox. I've seen Honest John in the Daily Telegraph (best motoring column around in my view) say the same thing.

I agree with you about cruise. That's another thing I would never be without again.

Wishbone Ash

Max_Damage wrote:

2. On standard autos (without Tiptronic or any of that), does shifting between 'Drive' to '2' and 'L' or '1' while the vehicle is in motion do any damage to the 'box?

My auto has 4,3,2 and 1 in addition to Drive. It will not allow a gear to be selected which it deems to be too low in relation to wheel speed and likely to damage the engine. Those gears are designed to be pre-selected and not used while actually driving at speed. For example, if towing a trailer/horsebox down very hilly terrain.

colm_mcm

holding the brake for too long with trans in P is bad for transmission and in some cases can cause brake discs to warp.

Wishbone Ash

Michael G wrote:

Honest John in the Daily Telegraph (best motoring column around in my view)

I read his column regularly but I don't agree with his relentless endorsement of left foot braking (in autos).

Wishbone Ash

colm_mcm wrote:

and in some cases can cause brake discs to warp.

I think that was a major problem in Peugeot 607s.

Guy:Incognito

Wishbone Ash wrote:

My auto has 4,3,2 and 1 in addition to Drive. It will not allow a gear to be selected which it deems to be too low in relation to wheel speed and likely to damage the engine. Those gears are designed to be pre-selected and not used while actually driving at speed. For example, if towing a trailer/horsebox down very hilly terrain.

Are the settings not to limit the highest gear, ie if you set it to 3 it wont go over 3rd for say lots of twisty backroad driving to stop it hopping up in to 4th and back down again when your on the brink of the changeup speed? Surely they dont expect you to stop the car completely when your back on straight road, change to D and drive off again?

Anan1

The Atheist wrote:

Are you one of those drivers that sears my eyeballs with 1000 watts of red light when parked in front of me at lights - regardless of how long you know you are going to be there? Thanks for that.

Re Autos - got one this year. Love it. End of story.

What do you do at lights?

Wishbone Ash

Stekelly wrote:

Are the settings not to limit the highest gear, ie if you set it to 3 it wont go over 3rd for say lots of twisty backroad driving to stop it hopping up in to 4th and back down again when your on the brink of the changeup speed? Surely they dont expect you to stop the car completely when your back on straight road, change to D and drive off again?

Yes, of course but I meant that if travelling at 100kph and you suddenly decide to select 2nd gear, it won't co-operate.

Wishbone Ash

Anan1 wrote:

What do you do at lights?

At night, when driving an auto, it's considered appropriate to engage the park brake to prevent burning the eyes out of the driver behind!

colm_mcm

I always put my car into P with the handbrake off at lights, it's quicker and handier to take a car out of P and into D than it is to take it from N to D and then release the handbrake.

Wishbone Ash

colm_mcm wrote:

it's quicker and handier to take a car out of P and into D than it is to take it from N to D and then release the handbrake.

You could leave it in D and apply the park brake.

Wishbone Ash

Oops - just to clarify - when I say 'park brake' I don't mean P but the hand brake or foot operated park brake!

Guy:Incognito

Surely that wont do the handbrake any good at all.

colm_mcm

I'd never do that. you can hear the engine revs dropping and almost hear the transmission giving out to you!

Anan1

Wishbone Ash wrote:

At night, when driving an auto, it's considered appropriate to engage the park brake to prevent burning the eyes out of the driver behind!

I have to say that in 20 years of driving I have never either heard others complaining about brake lights at traffic lights or found them a problem myself. I have already outlined why the footbrake is safer at traffic lights than the handbrake. In any case, you're at a standstill! Do you all really sit there gazing into the brake lights of the car in front?:)

Alun

Anan1 wrote:

I have to say that in 20 years of driving I have never either heard others complaining about brake lights at traffic lights or found them a problem myself. I have already outlined why the footbrake is safer at traffic lights than the handbrake. In any case, you're at a standstill! Do you all really sit there gazing into the brake lights of the car in front?:)

It's not really a problem in daylight, but since the widespread introduction of high-level brake lights it has become a problem at night. I mean, if you're looking forward, you can't really help but stare into them, can you? Anyway, I'd dispute your suggestion that keeping your foot on the footbrake is going to make any significant difference to any whiplash injury you might suffer if rear-ended. Is this just supposition, or do you have anything to back it up?

Wishbone Ash

Anan1 wrote:

I have to say that in 20 years of driving I have never either heard others complaining about brake lights at traffic lights or found them a problem myself. I have already outlined why the footbrake is safer at traffic lights than the handbrake. In any case, you're at a standstill! Do you all really sit there gazing into the brake lights of the car in front?:)

I find some vehicle's brake lights quite sore on the eyes and, when stopped at night, I would always show consideration for the driver behind me.

R.O.R

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I find some vehicle's brake lights quite sore on the eyes and, when stopped at night, I would always show consideration for the driver behind me.

Ditto

Especially on a Dark Rainy night on the M50 - always tried to keep off the breaks as often as possible as the high level breaklight from the car in front really burns in to your retina's after staring at it for 30 mins, and knowing there is probably another hour of it to come :mad:

michaelanthony

There is more gearbox wear and tear associated with changing out of D and into N at the lights and back to D than just leaving it in D all the time.

Tails142

But if you go from park, to drive, dont you go through reverse and your reverse light flashes on? That always looks a bit stupid...

I just bought an auto-box there recently;

I had been putting it into netural and using foot brake while sitting at lights and then back into D; I hardly ever use the hand brake, only when parking up.

You can hear the engine straining when you're sitting in lights in Drive with the foot brake on, surely this is bad for the clutch disk and causes excess wear??

what_car

Tails142 wrote:

But if you go from park, to drive, dont you go through reverse and your reverse light flashes on? That always looks a bit stupid...

I just bought an auto-box there recently;

I had been putting it into netural and using foot brake while sitting at lights and then back into D; I hardly ever use the hand brake, only when parking up.

You can hear the engine straining when you're sitting in lights in Drive with the foot brake on, surely this is bad for the clutch disk and causes excess wear??

autos are designed to be in D with foot on brake at lights...
thats part of their functionality... as mentioned before moving from D to N and back again at lights causes more wear that leaving it in D.

i always leave the car in D at lights with the foot on the brake. makes my car more visable on the road at night too!

Dades

Anan1 wrote:

What do you do at lights?

Pick my nos... I mean pick my music.

Like the others - I've noticed some newer model cars have seriously bright brake lights, which like everything else in heavy traffic become a source of irritation when forced to look at them for an hour.

I'm a handbrake => neutral guy, unless I know the lights are going to stay red only briefly. Perhaps that wears out the handbrake, but to me that's like not driving to save your tyres, and sure I can't bitch about it if I don't do it myself.

Wishbone Ash

Tails142 wrote:

You can hear the engine straining when you're sitting in lights in Drive with the foot brake on

I've never experienced that in my car. If i take my foot of the brake it creeps forward very slowly but I've noticed BMWs that I've driven will advance quite smartly if the brake is released.

(Some automatic buses require a lot of pressure on the brake pedal to prevent them from moving forward).

Dades

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I've never experienced that in my car. If i take my foot of the brake it creeps forward very slowly but I've noticed BMWs that I've driven will advance quite smartly if the brake is released.

My auto (admittedly it's 35 yrs old) strains at the leash like a crazed dog when braking in "D".

cjt156

We've got two cars at home, a Swedish 2.0 Turbo automatic and an Italian 2.0 manual. I love them both but for very different reasons.
The auto is for transport - effortless and stress-free.
The manual is for driving - lots of effort:D .