"car guys" driving automatics?

[FLYNAVY]

Most people who can't deal with a manual transmission in traffic have trouble with it because they don't know how to do it properly. You don't accelerate and stop with traffic, you let a gap form, idle along and minimize your starting and stopping. Watch how truck drivers do it sometime.

the problem is that to *not* accelerate if traffic is at socal snail pace, you actually can not fully remove your foot from the clutch pedal.....at least in my car you can't, even in first gear. So you have the clutch half depressed for 30 mins straight. Which is shitty for your car as well as the leg.

[varg]

clearly you've never driven in california traffic. you let a gap of more than a length form here, and someone will swoop into it thinking they can gain ten feet. then you're back to clutch in and brake again. it's really not fun in a car with a lightweight flywheel, a stage-2 clutch, poly mounts everywhere, corbeau fixed-backs, etc..

Luckily I haven't driven in CA traffic, and I don't plan on it because I don't plan on spending any length of time in that state any more than I plan on developing an allegiance or love for the one I live in. I can assure you though, that a bad traffic jam is a bad traffic jam no matter the state or nation, and they're shitty in every state and country I have ever experienced one in. Sure it's "not fun" nobody in this thread said anything about it being fun so that's moot. Talk to some truckers about how to deal with a traffic jam, they all use pretty much the same technique, and if your car isn't on ridiculously tall gearing you can creep too.

As for the fixed back seats, I wouldn't put those in a street car so I can't relate.

I guess it comes down to this then: You can certainly mod your car to suck in traffic but the point stands; manual transmissions aren't inherently a pain in the ass in traffic and most people who have that problem are simply doing it wrong.

[e34john]

I don't understand the what makes a "car guy" and what difference does it matter how much is spent on mods.

I've driven stage 2 Kleeman AMGs and not one of those cars had their transmissions swapped, I'm not even sure what they would be able to use. I wasn't able to row through the gears but 0-120 in that car was still fun and I don't think getting to shift would have made it any more exciting. I know it would have made it slower.

I love cars, big or small, fast or slow. The fun ones are fun regardless. I won't swap my e34 even if though I keep adding more power, have the e30 and e10 to keep me entertained when I want to drive with both feet. Hoping to get a big American convertible from the 60s next, certainly won't be putting a third pedal in that either. Not because it will be a pain in traffic, cause I hardly even think about it. It isn't that bad but I also ride the clutch excessively.

[decay]

I guess it comes down to this then: You can certainly mod your car to suck in traffic but the point stands; manual transmissions aren't inherently a pain in the ass in traffic and most people who have that problem are simply doing it wrong.

they may not be inherently a pain in the ass in traffic (for people too timid to build a real performance car ;)), but they deliver no benefit in that context either.

guess it's a good thing that i can afford to have two different cars (tools) for two different use cases (jobs), then.

[Julien]

^

so your using a "old 2 spd" power glide huh

lenco ;D

[HennaE30]

Luckily I haven't driven in CA traffic, and I don't plan on it because I don't plan on spending any length of time in that state any more than I plan on developing an allegiance or love for the one I live in. I can assure you though, that a bad traffic jam is a bad traffic jam no matter the state or nation, and they're shitty in every state and country I have ever experienced one in. Sure it's "not fun" nobody in this thread said anything about it being fun so that's moot. Talk to some truckers about how to deal with a traffic jam, they all use pretty much the same technique, and if your car isn't on ridiculously tall gearing you can creep too.

As for the fixed back seats, I wouldn't put those in a street car so I can't relate.

I guess it comes down to this then: You can certainly mod your car to suck in traffic but the point stands; manual transmissions aren't inherently a pain in the ass in traffic and most people who have that problem are simply doing it wrong.

That's what I love about where I love about traffic here, even though it's thick, it actually moves. So you don't ride the clutch at all. The big problem is that in a traffic jam you get rolling and when it comes time to slow down, they just push in the clutch again and ride the clutch the entire way. I get enough speed to roll up the distance, and then put it in neutral and roll... Not riding the clutch, and resting my leg, which saves you from some of the pain...

And I don't get the fascination with fixed backs in street cars, especially since it's really dangerous without any rollover protection because adjustable seats are actually designed to "fail" in rollover situations to protect the driver/passengers.

[stonea]

I never got it either. Theres a guy who had a gorgeous e46. He put more money into it than I probably have, lol, but he lived in NYC and after moving from the farm land to a city with shitty traffic I kind of get it, but I'd never had an auto in a performance car, unless maybe it had paddle shifters, but I'm sure those loose their "fun" factor after a while.

Also I was looking into Ls1's for a while and found this, kind of cool I think.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/1402-powertrain-control-solutions-paddle-shifters-kit/

[e34john]

Most of use don't hit the apex leaving their culdesac or do a scandinavian flick to drift the onramp every morning, we are just trying to get to work LoL

[613EDRTY]

It's not about how fast you can shift. It's all about how much enjoyment you get out of driving the car.

Nailed it. I don't understand people that enjoy automatics, even in traffic.

I do understand buying a car because its clean af and just happens to be an auto.

If you consider yourself a car guy I hope you can drive a manual car.

[ELVA164]

So you have the clutch half depressed for 30 mins straight. Which is shitty for your car as well as the leg.

Yikes, I wonder what your clutch disc and pressure plate look like :shock:

I will say that installing refurbished fuel injectors and spiffing up my intake system made it very possible to sit just over idle in first gear in my car, as long as throttle application is delicate. Might be something to look into for your car.

[ajhostetter]

I was driving from Seattle to Portland two weeks ago on 405...literally going between 5 and 20 MPH. There was a guy next to me in a 458 Italia. I would go nuts. I love my Escape for heavy traffic/long commutes. On the weekends, it's the E30 for giggles. "It's a lot more fun to drive slow cars fast than fast cars slow."

[estoguy]

Nailed it. I don't understand people that enjoy automatics, even in traffic.

I do understand buying a car because its clean af and just happens to be an auto.

If you consider yourself a car guy I hope you can drive a manual car.

This is the ticket right here.
I just can't enjoy driving an automatic as much as a stick. Years ago I test drove a Tiptronic... yeah, it was kinda cool, but nowhere near the same as a true manual. That and I keep looking for the third pedal when I drive one. LOL

[FLYNAVY]

Yikes, I wonder what your clutch disc and pressure plate look like :shock:

I will say that installing refurbished fuel injectors and spiffing up my intake system made it very possible to sit just over idle in first gear in my car, as long as throttle application is delicate. Might be something to look into for your car.

maybe I am just ham-footed, but that was my experience. Motor/trans/injectors/drivetrain were pretty newly swapped (and mostly new) at that point, so I don't think that was the issue. It has a pretty short end, so that is probably part of the issue. And yeah, I think my clutch is probably in general, worn......though years later, it doesn't really have any significant symptoms.

[GillesBigCowboy]

There's a lot of "car guys" out there that can't drive a stick. The car guy universe if vast and welcoming, but if you want to call yourself a driving enthusiast, you have to master the art.

[15Michaeljoseph]

while we were on the topic of driving stick in traffic, talking about semis and such..... Lets say traffic is crawling. i let one and a half car lengths open in front of me, i pull the clutch a bit, not giving it gas, then once i start rolling pretty good, pop it in neutral and coast untill i brake to a stop, left foot on the dead pedal. Is this the 'right' way as far as stress on the clutch goes? or is there a better way?


--Mike