Article-"The End of Manual Transmissions"

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Bonnewagon

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Good piece, and sadly true. I seek out or change over to a manual trans every time. It's how I learned to drive.
 
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64nailhead

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Reading that makes me want to start buying up every TKO ad T56 I find haha.

We are at a ridiculous point of no one understanding what's going on under them in their cars. I shouldn't say no one, but rather most motorists. Most every purist can drive a stick, but we are becoming fewer and farther between.

Last week I commended one of my kids' (young employees) that is putting together a Nissan 240 with an LS, an AR5, and turbo of course. What a blast that thing will be at 500hp.

Look at the truck world, standard transmissions are going to be a thing of the past within 5 years, as well as backing up skills haha. The new Eaton/Cummins transmission is total junk. I've never seen so many transmissions swapped on vehicles less than 3 years old in my life.
 
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Nov 4, 2012
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Look at the truck world, standard transmissions are going to be a thing of the past within 5 years, as well as backing up skills haha. The new Eaton/Cummins transmission is total junk. I've never seen so many transmissions swapped on vehicles less than 3 years old in my life.
Lots of old school "truck enthusiast" type guys will refuse to give up their 13 and 18 speeds, but the majority of steering wheel holders could care less. I've driven a handful of different trucks with different transmissions. In local traffic, especially in an unfamiliar area, it is nice to focus on your directions and where your trailer is. But on the highway, I'd take a manual all day, especially in an area with hills. My first cruise through the West Virginia mountains with a heavy shotgun coil was white knuckle driving in an automated 10 speed that likes to upshift regardless of what you want it to do. Damn thing refused to hold a gear. I did however drive an automated 13 speed and that truck was a lot faster and smoother to shift and held gears the way it was supposed to.

All this said, more than 90% of new trucks are automated transmissions and companies like them because they are more fuel efficient and they aren't replacing clutches and gearboxes all the time because rookies aren't grinding gears and riding the clutch in them.
 

Built6spdMCSS

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Jun 15, 2012
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Reading that makes me want to start buying up every TKO ad T56 I find haha.
T56 stuff has pretty much peaked right now, they are getting hard to come by but companies are also selling them at a price that isn't far off what some want used beat to crap junk for. Then again that's people. I've saved all the parts from ones I've tore down over the years, that stuff is worth it's weight in gold, helps to replace what I tear up in mine.

My daily driver is a 5spd Honda Civic. The 3 people before me couldn't buy the car because they couldn't drive it.
Those of us who can drive 3 pedals are a dying breed.

Crammed a T56 in my SS back in 2010 when I built it and it's been fun since. 🤘

O3z95sH-1.jpg
 
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Streetbu

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Daily driver, I want an automatic. Coffee in one hand, steering wheel in the other, waking up on the way into work. Fun car, manual hands down. But they serve different purposes. Right tool for the right job makes a huge difference.
 
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Oct 14, 2008
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Lots of old school "truck enthusiast" type guys will refuse to give up their 13 and 18 speeds, but the majority of steering wheel holders could care less. I've driven a handful of different trucks with different transmissions. In local traffic, especially in an unfamiliar area, it is nice to focus on your directions and where your trailer is. But on the highway, I'd take a manual all day, especially in an area with hills. My first cruise through the West Virginia mountains with a heavy shotgun coil was white knuckle driving in an automated 10 speed that likes to upshift regardless of what you want it to do. Damn thing refused to hold a gear. I did however drive an automated 13 speed and that truck was a lot faster and smoother to shift and held gears the way it was supposed to.

All this said, more than 90% of new trucks are automated transmissions and companies like them because they are more fuel efficient and they aren't replacing clutches and gearboxes all the time because rookies aren't grinding gears and riding the clutch in them.
Yeah, my 505 HP Detroit Diesel in my 2020 Frieghtliner has the 6 speed Allison. It barely pulls through our valley hills with 25,500L of fuel on, let alone the 32,500L it holds legally. These newer Diesel are all horrible on fuel. I have to fill my 258L tank twice in a day minimum for local driving. I did like the dual range 13 spd Volvo I shift automatic clutch standard more. It doesn't really matter what transmission is behind these thirsty, unreliable diesels. A TKX 5 spd is pretty tempting over a 4L80E. I wouldn't mind a 6, 8 spd or 10 speed in the 70S. Problem is controlling them and they are huge to fit without cutting floors.
 

64nailhead

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In local traffic, especially in an unfamiliar area, it is nice to focus on your directions and where your trailer is.
That’s only because your left leg and right arm and thumb weren’t on auto-pilot.

I did however drive an automated 13 speed and that truck was a lot faster and smoother to shift and held gears the way it was supposed to.
You need more practice! No ultra shift, autoshift or Endurant can shift faster than a human., unless the human needs some skills honed.

;). Just pickin Joe.
 
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