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The US is keeping the stick shift Porsche alive

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Old 02-21-13, 05:53 AM
  #16  
Infra
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Originally Posted by Dream36
no offense to these "engineers" and "knowitalls" but a sports car is not a sports car with an auto. sure the flappy padals are fun but you still dont have the same feel as you do with a clutch. to much "go" and not enough fun.
I'll say it and prepare to be dogpiled - the love for manuals is nothing more than nostalgia. In fact, it's a perfect definition of the word. The manual transmission is now inferior in just about every way, and the only reason people choose them is due to a "feeling that a sports car should HAVE A MANUAL."
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Old 02-21-13, 05:58 AM
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Originally Posted by 4TehNguyen
Drive a Ferrari 458 (I have on a track) there is no way a manual can keep up with one not in its wildest dreams.

nowadays you wanting to "feel" the car will get you defeated in races. My first two cars are manual, they were better than autos back then for mpg and performance but with the advent of these newer transmissions, manual is inferior from a performance standpoint. I'll shoot a bolt action rifle if I want nostalgia and to feel a gun but I will run to a semi auto when I need to. Manual is a beneficial skill to learn but with current technology it is not king anymore
The problem with "feeling" a car is that a human simply cannot process and react to all the data coming in. If someone wants to feel a car, drive a go kart. There's just no place for it in a modern car unless one can acknowledge one is giving up performance for it.
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Old 02-21-13, 06:00 AM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by Dream36
no offense to these "engineers" and "knowitalls" but a sports car is not a sports car with an auto. sure the flappy padals are fun but you still dont have the same feel as you do with a clutch. to much "go" and not enough fun.
AGREE 100%

I could not imagine driving with a slushbox in any Vette, 911, Cayman, Boxster, 370Z, 350Z, Miata, FR-S, BRZ, etc etc. Gives you a waay more direct connection to the car IMO.

...another reason I love the Z06 and ZR1 -- MN6 only!!!!!
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Old 02-21-13, 06:31 AM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by Infra
I'll say it and prepare to be dogpiled - the love for manuals is nothing more than nostalgia. In fact, it's a perfect definition of the word. The manual transmission is now inferior in just about every way, and the only reason people choose them is due to a "feeling that a sports car should HAVE A MANUAL."
I agree that a manual is inferior in everyway (except cost if these DCT's break) but for a weekend sports car that is meant for fun, I would only want a manual transmission and yes, for nostalgia purposes and the fact that you feel like you are driving the car and not the car driving you. If I had a DCT tranny for a weekend car I would likely not even take it out of auto mode unless I was racing someone, what is the point? It's not like flipping a paddle or hitting a button is a lot of fun or takes any skill.
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Old 02-21-13, 06:40 AM
  #20  
Dream36
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Like I said, I agree that manuals are obsolete now, however the drivetrain control is there. think about braking, how much extra are you spending per life of car for brake pads? I know I took a new car all the way to 150k miles with the stock brake pads on a manual car, but the most I ever got from brake pads with an auto is 60k.

since I covered feel already I will jump into control. deals gap is a perfect example actually. I rode it many many times and found that second gear was always best as you can rev out the full rpm range. this type of driving would be impossible without a clutch due to when you enter a turn just a little too hot and you can "phase" down to the next gear vs the flappy padals which would drop it immediately into the lower gear. Plus, I dont trust a computer just yet on "proper launch control" how the hell is the computer going to know the exact conditions I am trying to launch on? is there a sensor dragging along the road surface to tell the ECU that we switched from asphalt to concrete? or how about when going from wet road to ice road. I sure as hell would want a clutch for going over a bridge in 32* weather.

now this is my opinion. call me old if you like, call me a control freak too, I just prefer to have four limbs working in conjunction to achieve a goal.
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Old 02-21-13, 07:20 AM
  #21  
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I understand that an automatic will outperform a manual nowadays, but frankly I don't give a damn. I don't race or go to the track. I just want something that is fun to drive, and automatics are not, IMO. I absolutely abhor the way the 4 speed in my LS shifts. I have it for sale right now, and I'm trying to find a good car with a manual transmission for my next one.
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Old 02-21-13, 07:39 AM
  #22  
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problem for me is most people can't drive a stick smoothly, so i pretty much get ill as a passenger from all the jerking around.
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Old 02-21-13, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
problem for me is most people can't drive a stick smoothly, so i pretty much get ill as a passenger from all the jerking around.
Do you say "Do you even shift bro?"
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