manual transmission difficult and dangerous article
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manual transmission difficult and dangerous article
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com//ed...ls/1101237418/
"Heaven help the chicken that decides to cross the road in front of a driver using a manual transmission. "
"Operating a manual transmission is an inherently difficult and dangerous procedure... "
"Why do enthusiasts cling to manuals when the safety and efficiency drawbacks are so obvious, and the alternative automatic transmission so well developed? Sometimes it's ignorance. "
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not sure where to begin commenting on the wrongs of this editorial. Check it out for yourself, and let Bob Elton know how you feel:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/contact.php
-B
"Heaven help the chicken that decides to cross the road in front of a driver using a manual transmission. "
"Operating a manual transmission is an inherently difficult and dangerous procedure... "
"Why do enthusiasts cling to manuals when the safety and efficiency drawbacks are so obvious, and the alternative automatic transmission so well developed? Sometimes it's ignorance. "
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not sure where to begin commenting on the wrongs of this editorial. Check it out for yourself, and let Bob Elton know how you feel:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/contact.php
-B
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Originally Posted by Beanboy
"Why do enthusiasts cling to manuals when the safety and efficiency drawbacks are so obvious, and the alternative automatic transmission so well developed? Sometimes it's ignorance. "
By his logic, nobody should be driving at all, rather, we should all be taking trains! I mean, train track technology is vastly superior to road technology. Did you know that you can actually steer on a road and possibly hit a tree, light pole or pedestrian!
"Although this research didn’t examine the role of the manual transmission, its potential risks are patently obvious."
That says it all right there. An admission of a lack of facts, followed by an opinion (all presented as a fact).
What a douche. Just cause he has trouble with a stick shift doesn't mean we all do. Most people can shift without even thinking.
That says it all right there. An admission of a lack of facts, followed by an opinion (all presented as a fact).
What a douche. Just cause he has trouble with a stick shift doesn't mean we all do. Most people can shift without even thinking.
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OOH, OOH, here's another quote from the first paragraph of the article:
"Archaic system of transferring engine power to the wheels requiring the use of 2 feet, 3 pedals, both hands, visual, aural and fine motor coordination to operate the car? Yep, got that too."
Heaven forbid someone use both hands, visual, aural and fine motor coordination to do something as simple as drive a car! LOL
Edit: here's some more quotes, this is just too easy!
"The lack of a foot available for the brake pedal is even more critical since the car is now moving faster"
Yes, it's much safer to have one foot on the gas while the other is on the brake, especially at high speeds!
"A properly sorted automatic is always in the correct gear"
What a douchebag!
"Archaic system of transferring engine power to the wheels requiring the use of 2 feet, 3 pedals, both hands, visual, aural and fine motor coordination to operate the car? Yep, got that too."
Heaven forbid someone use both hands, visual, aural and fine motor coordination to do something as simple as drive a car! LOL
Edit: here's some more quotes, this is just too easy!
"The lack of a foot available for the brake pedal is even more critical since the car is now moving faster"
Yes, it's much safer to have one foot on the gas while the other is on the brake, especially at high speeds!
"A properly sorted automatic is always in the correct gear"
What a douchebag!
Last edited by BlingBlingBlue; Dec 1, 2004 at 06:04 PM.
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From: ghettos of malibu, yo
I was in the passenger seat with my friend driving his dad's bmw 850i, automatic.
He wasn't driving fast, but steadily speeding up on a freeway on-ramp. Suddenly, the car downshifted, and a burst of V12 power was sent to the rear wheels, causing the car to enter the freeway completely sideways.
Luckily, he caught it, and recovered safely, but this unpredictablility is precisely why automatic gearboxes are more dangerous than manuals. We don't prefer manuals to simply come out of a corner in the right gear; its for better control over the car, and control is what helps us avoid accidents.
He wasn't driving fast, but steadily speeding up on a freeway on-ramp. Suddenly, the car downshifted, and a burst of V12 power was sent to the rear wheels, causing the car to enter the freeway completely sideways.
Luckily, he caught it, and recovered safely, but this unpredictablility is precisely why automatic gearboxes are more dangerous than manuals. We don't prefer manuals to simply come out of a corner in the right gear; its for better control over the car, and control is what helps us avoid accidents.
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Dear Mr. Elton
I have recently just read your article, “Death to The Stick Shift” and I must say I am inclined to disagree with your entire stance on this issue. Not only is your article opinionated and biased, it completely ignores many of the important things to consider when driving a manual transmission.
First, your statement “Operating a manual transmission is an inherently difficult and dangerous procedure...” is obviously the words of someone who has never driven a manual transmission. Operating a manual transmission is a difficult task at first, when you are learning, but after one has learned the relatively simple concepts in operating a manual transmission, it is actually quite easy. As someone who drives a manual transmission on a regular basis, I can personally vouch for the fact that it is not, in any way, shape, or form, a more dangerous way to operate a motor vehicle.
Moving on to my second point, your statement “To start from standstill, the driver must coordinate both feet, using the right foot to bring up the engine speed and the left foot to slowly engage the clutch. At the same time, he has to judge the engine speed to anticipate the change to another gear” is simply a blatant lie. There is, in no situation, a need to shift gears while taking off from a standstill. There is also no need to judge engine speeds, that is what a tachometer is for. Also, when you make the implication that looking at a tachometer is bad, it is no worse than stopping to look at a speedometer. This, I must point out, is something even the so-called “better” automatic transmission must do.
Thirdly, your statement “…move the shift lever in coordination with his or her feet. The lack of a foot available for the brake pedal is even more critical…” is yet another blatant disregard for any driving while using a manual. In modern cars, there are things called synchros. These enable a driver to shift gears without double clutching, a process used in large trucks and older vehicles. Double clutching was a process that was accomplished by first engaging the clutch, shifting the shifter into neutral, and “blipping” the throttle to match the transmission speed with the engine speed, so the gear teeth would mesh properly, and then shifting. This is no longer required. Synchros allow a driver to shift while his right foot is off the gas, and thus enables him to brake if it is needed.
I would like to make a closing comment. People choose manual transmissions because a) they have a performance car that they want to operate at its peak; b) they prefer the superior handling and control of a manual transmission; or c) they simply prefer them. Any of these reasons is a better reason to buy a manual transmission, because using an automatic transmission is not, in fact, driving, it is steering. I can see no reason to purchase a car with an automatic transmission, unless, that is, you have no left leg.
I have recently just read your article, “Death to The Stick Shift” and I must say I am inclined to disagree with your entire stance on this issue. Not only is your article opinionated and biased, it completely ignores many of the important things to consider when driving a manual transmission.
First, your statement “Operating a manual transmission is an inherently difficult and dangerous procedure...” is obviously the words of someone who has never driven a manual transmission. Operating a manual transmission is a difficult task at first, when you are learning, but after one has learned the relatively simple concepts in operating a manual transmission, it is actually quite easy. As someone who drives a manual transmission on a regular basis, I can personally vouch for the fact that it is not, in any way, shape, or form, a more dangerous way to operate a motor vehicle.
Moving on to my second point, your statement “To start from standstill, the driver must coordinate both feet, using the right foot to bring up the engine speed and the left foot to slowly engage the clutch. At the same time, he has to judge the engine speed to anticipate the change to another gear” is simply a blatant lie. There is, in no situation, a need to shift gears while taking off from a standstill. There is also no need to judge engine speeds, that is what a tachometer is for. Also, when you make the implication that looking at a tachometer is bad, it is no worse than stopping to look at a speedometer. This, I must point out, is something even the so-called “better” automatic transmission must do.
Thirdly, your statement “…move the shift lever in coordination with his or her feet. The lack of a foot available for the brake pedal is even more critical…” is yet another blatant disregard for any driving while using a manual. In modern cars, there are things called synchros. These enable a driver to shift gears without double clutching, a process used in large trucks and older vehicles. Double clutching was a process that was accomplished by first engaging the clutch, shifting the shifter into neutral, and “blipping” the throttle to match the transmission speed with the engine speed, so the gear teeth would mesh properly, and then shifting. This is no longer required. Synchros allow a driver to shift while his right foot is off the gas, and thus enables him to brake if it is needed.
I would like to make a closing comment. People choose manual transmissions because a) they have a performance car that they want to operate at its peak; b) they prefer the superior handling and control of a manual transmission; or c) they simply prefer them. Any of these reasons is a better reason to buy a manual transmission, because using an automatic transmission is not, in fact, driving, it is steering. I can see no reason to purchase a car with an automatic transmission, unless, that is, you have no left leg.
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let's see how old bobby fells about that..
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Heres what I wrote to him:
Earlier today, I was pointed to your editorial, “Death to Stick Shift”, and found many different flaws in your argument against the standard (or manual) transmission.
First, I would like to start off by stating that I have driven and owned vehicles with both Automatic and Manual transmissions. I also would call myself a “Performance Enthusiast” much like those who you describe in you editorial, and enjoy driving to a great degree beyond the normal driver. Some might say that this gives me a different view than the normal reader, but my understanding was that we as a group are whom you were addressing.
In the first two paragraphs of your editorial, you begin by stating many of the wonderful advancements that we have gained over the course of “automotive time”. Very few would argue with you on the fact that we have come a long way, and that today’s improvements make driving infinitely better. However, what I and many other car enthusiasts would argue is wrong is your analysis of the manual transmission.
Your argument begins by stating up front that in your opinion, the manual transmission – a system used for 100 years - is a “fundamentally unsafe way to control a car”. You even quote data stating “According to a 2001 national survey conducted by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), roughly 25% of all fatal automobile accidents are caused by driver inattention.”. How is one to say that people operating a manual transmission adds to this number? The fact is that we have no conclusive data that proves any of this. Many other things cause far more accidents than manual transmissions do, including cell phones, GPS navigation, radios, even laptop computers.
Here is a simple experiment:
Hop inside a car equipped with a manual transmission, turn it on and hold your cell phone up to your ear. Now, start driving, and try to shift while still using your cell phone and carrying on a conversation. This is nearly impossible to do, and though people try (and usually fail) this is not due to the manual transmission but due to the cell phone that they are using.
Now one must look at your second argument: that manual transmission equipped vehicles are difficult to drive. It is common knowledge that learning to drive a standard is a difficult process – lurch, stop, lurch, stop – as many of us learn as we are taught or as we teach ourselves. However, once you learn it is much like riding a bike; you never forget, and though you might get rusty you can almost always pick it right back up. This is common knowledge among those in the population who drive a standard transmission, and most of us would say I believe, that driving a manual is not a difficult process one you learn. You yourself most likely would say this about driving one.
Next, you state that the distractions of a manual transmission make you more likely to get into an accident. Sound, which the driver uses to judge engine speed, is the first example you use. You state that when the driver listens to find just the right speed to shift at, it is a distraction from other more important things like emergency vehicles. However, in the average drivers environment there are many other noise making devices that are much louder than the engine, such as radio’s and talking navigation systems. With modern day engine muffling inventions, these items many times drown out the sound of the engine. In this case, the driver must look to the tachometer for guidance. This causes the driver to look down, much the same way he looks down to glance at the speedometer, or even gas gauge, which takes his or her eyes off the road. This obviously is a distraction, but is it any worse than things that I see drivers of automatics do every day, such as sip coffee, fiddle with the radio or HVAC controls, or turn on the lights? In my mind, these things distract me much more than looking at my tachometer every once in a while ever has.
The biggest flaw I found in your argument was when you discussed how the use of the left foot as a clutch foot, and the left foot as a gas foot slows the reaction time in an emergency situation. To disprove this, I will use logic that a psychology teacher I once had taught me. In stressful and emergency situations, the body does what it knows, and what it has been taught. Besides a few professional and rally drivers, we are taught that the left foot is NEVER to be used for braking, This leaves the right foot to do all the work (brake and gas) in both automatic and manual cars. This means that in an emergency situation, it is highly unlikely that we will use our left foot to brake.
We are also taught when we learn to drive a manual that when you put on the brakes, you put in the clutch. This also becomes an innate reaction when we put on the brake, thus meaning that in an emergency situation we will in all likely hood, use the clutch. Even if we do not, the brake will still work, and we will come to a stop in approximately the same distance that we would if we were in an automatic, or if we had depressed the clutch.
The fuel efficiency argument holds quite true, and the fact is that we who drive manual transmission vehicles do not normally drive them to their full efficiency. But, I would venture to say that most or many who drive Manual transmission cars do not do it for the efficiency, but rather for the pure driving pleasure.
You also venture to say that driving pleasure is an invalid argument to continue driving a manual transmission. I would be surprised to find 1 in 50 “performance enthusiasts” who would say that an automatic transmission connects you to the car in the same way that a manual does. The fact is that when you are driving and you must concentrate on the state of your motor at all times, you are more connected to your vehicle than you are when you are simply using gas and a brake pedal to go as fast or slow as you want.
That brings me to my last point of this letter: concentration. You write that to drive a manual takes a good amount of concentration, which nobody will deny. Wouldn’t you rather it though that someone must concentrate while driving rather than just being able to mindlessly go about the process? I personally would and enjoy that contact between my car and I.
I hope you read my comments, and thank you for your time. I would also enjoy any response that you have to my comments.
-Jeff
First, I would like to start off by stating that I have driven and owned vehicles with both Automatic and Manual transmissions. I also would call myself a “Performance Enthusiast” much like those who you describe in you editorial, and enjoy driving to a great degree beyond the normal driver. Some might say that this gives me a different view than the normal reader, but my understanding was that we as a group are whom you were addressing.
In the first two paragraphs of your editorial, you begin by stating many of the wonderful advancements that we have gained over the course of “automotive time”. Very few would argue with you on the fact that we have come a long way, and that today’s improvements make driving infinitely better. However, what I and many other car enthusiasts would argue is wrong is your analysis of the manual transmission.
Your argument begins by stating up front that in your opinion, the manual transmission – a system used for 100 years - is a “fundamentally unsafe way to control a car”. You even quote data stating “According to a 2001 national survey conducted by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), roughly 25% of all fatal automobile accidents are caused by driver inattention.”. How is one to say that people operating a manual transmission adds to this number? The fact is that we have no conclusive data that proves any of this. Many other things cause far more accidents than manual transmissions do, including cell phones, GPS navigation, radios, even laptop computers.
Here is a simple experiment:
Hop inside a car equipped with a manual transmission, turn it on and hold your cell phone up to your ear. Now, start driving, and try to shift while still using your cell phone and carrying on a conversation. This is nearly impossible to do, and though people try (and usually fail) this is not due to the manual transmission but due to the cell phone that they are using.
Now one must look at your second argument: that manual transmission equipped vehicles are difficult to drive. It is common knowledge that learning to drive a standard is a difficult process – lurch, stop, lurch, stop – as many of us learn as we are taught or as we teach ourselves. However, once you learn it is much like riding a bike; you never forget, and though you might get rusty you can almost always pick it right back up. This is common knowledge among those in the population who drive a standard transmission, and most of us would say I believe, that driving a manual is not a difficult process one you learn. You yourself most likely would say this about driving one.
Next, you state that the distractions of a manual transmission make you more likely to get into an accident. Sound, which the driver uses to judge engine speed, is the first example you use. You state that when the driver listens to find just the right speed to shift at, it is a distraction from other more important things like emergency vehicles. However, in the average drivers environment there are many other noise making devices that are much louder than the engine, such as radio’s and talking navigation systems. With modern day engine muffling inventions, these items many times drown out the sound of the engine. In this case, the driver must look to the tachometer for guidance. This causes the driver to look down, much the same way he looks down to glance at the speedometer, or even gas gauge, which takes his or her eyes off the road. This obviously is a distraction, but is it any worse than things that I see drivers of automatics do every day, such as sip coffee, fiddle with the radio or HVAC controls, or turn on the lights? In my mind, these things distract me much more than looking at my tachometer every once in a while ever has.
The biggest flaw I found in your argument was when you discussed how the use of the left foot as a clutch foot, and the left foot as a gas foot slows the reaction time in an emergency situation. To disprove this, I will use logic that a psychology teacher I once had taught me. In stressful and emergency situations, the body does what it knows, and what it has been taught. Besides a few professional and rally drivers, we are taught that the left foot is NEVER to be used for braking, This leaves the right foot to do all the work (brake and gas) in both automatic and manual cars. This means that in an emergency situation, it is highly unlikely that we will use our left foot to brake.
We are also taught when we learn to drive a manual that when you put on the brakes, you put in the clutch. This also becomes an innate reaction when we put on the brake, thus meaning that in an emergency situation we will in all likely hood, use the clutch. Even if we do not, the brake will still work, and we will come to a stop in approximately the same distance that we would if we were in an automatic, or if we had depressed the clutch.
The fuel efficiency argument holds quite true, and the fact is that we who drive manual transmission vehicles do not normally drive them to their full efficiency. But, I would venture to say that most or many who drive Manual transmission cars do not do it for the efficiency, but rather for the pure driving pleasure.
You also venture to say that driving pleasure is an invalid argument to continue driving a manual transmission. I would be surprised to find 1 in 50 “performance enthusiasts” who would say that an automatic transmission connects you to the car in the same way that a manual does. The fact is that when you are driving and you must concentrate on the state of your motor at all times, you are more connected to your vehicle than you are when you are simply using gas and a brake pedal to go as fast or slow as you want.
That brings me to my last point of this letter: concentration. You write that to drive a manual takes a good amount of concentration, which nobody will deny. Wouldn’t you rather it though that someone must concentrate while driving rather than just being able to mindlessly go about the process? I personally would and enjoy that contact between my car and I.
I hope you read my comments, and thank you for your time. I would also enjoy any response that you have to my comments.
-Jeff
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From: ghettos of malibu, yo
imprezastifan you've got a good point in there that I didn't even think about...
I have never even started to nod off while driving a manual...in an automatic, however, there have been numerous times when I have seriously had difficulty keeping my eyes open.
Did anybody mention that manual's get better gas mileage? Therefore, people that drive manuals actually care for the environment more than people that drive automatics : ). Then again, I don't have any cats on my car...
I have never even started to nod off while driving a manual...in an automatic, however, there have been numerous times when I have seriously had difficulty keeping my eyes open.
Did anybody mention that manual's get better gas mileage? Therefore, people that drive manuals actually care for the environment more than people that drive automatics : ). Then again, I don't have any cats on my car...
The sound argument is bull**** . . . an automatic makes the same noise, it's not going to drown out an emergency vehicle, and I'm pretty sure I can listen for more than one thing at a time. It's not like you have to give 100% of your listening attention to the revs . . . once you get used to it you just do it . . . . You can tell this guy never drove stick.
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I did not get anything back from the author yet, however I did get a nice reply back from the sight owner.
Read what another person on that site just wrote in responce to Mr. Elton's arguement. It really is a good piece of work, and I agree with it.
Thanks for your feedback on the "Death to The Stick Shift" editorial on our site. I've forwarded your email to its author, Mr. Bob Elton, for his consideration.
Meanwhile, I'd like to say that your was the most rfespectful and reasoned of the dozens of responses to Mr. Elton's editorial. Thanks for bringing a measure of civility to what has become an ugly bun fight. ANd this from a driver of one of the most Gonzo cars ever made. Who'd of thunk it?
RF
PS Check back with the site later today. I'm posting an editorial responding to Mr. Elton's arguments.
Meanwhile, I'd like to say that your was the most rfespectful and reasoned of the dozens of responses to Mr. Elton's editorial. Thanks for bringing a measure of civility to what has become an ugly bun fight. ANd this from a driver of one of the most Gonzo cars ever made. Who'd of thunk it?
RF
PS Check back with the site later today. I'm posting an editorial responding to Mr. Elton's arguments.
Last edited by Magish; Dec 2, 2004 at 02:22 PM.
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"Bob Elton is an automotive engineer who, over the last 30 years, has worked for all of the big 3." With engineers like this guy on staff the thrilling ergonomics, and the marvels of innovation seen from American manufacturers is explained.