• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

The End of Manual Transmission

Richard Cranium

FBBO Gold Member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:07 AM
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
58,040
Reaction score
197,653
Location
Maskachusetts

The End of Manual Transmission​

Stick shifts are dying. When they go, something bigger than driving will be lost.

original.jpg


AUGUST 8, 2022

I drive a stick shift. It’s a pain, sometimes. Clutching and shifting in bumper-to-bumper traffic wears you out. My wife can’t drive my car, which limits our transit options. And when I’m at the wheel, I can’t hold a cold, delicious slushie in one hand, at least not safely. But despite the inconvenience, I love a manual transmission. I love the feeling that I am operating my car, not just driving it. That’s why I’ve driven stick shifts for the past 20 years.

That streak may soon be over. When it comes time to replace my current car, I probably won’t be able to get another like it. In 2000, more than 15 percent of new and used cars sold by the auto retailer CarMax came with stick shifts; by 2020, that figure had dropped to 2.4 percent. Among the hundreds of new car models for sale in the United States this year, only about 30 can be purchased with a manual transmission. Electric cars, which now account for more than 5 percent of car sales, don’t even have gearboxes. There are rumors that Mercedes-Benz plans to retire manuals entirely by the end of next year, all around the world, in a decision driven partly by electrification; Volkswagen is said to be dropping its own by 2030, and other brands are sure to follow. Stick shifts have long been a niche market in the U.S. Soon they’ll be extinct.

We can’t say we weren’t warned. For years, the stick’s decline has been publicly lamented. Car and Driver ran a “Save the Manuals” campaign in 2010, insisting that drivers who “learned to operate the entire car” would enjoy driving more and do it better. A #SaveTheManual hashtag followed. Shifting gears yourself isn’t just a source of pleasure, its advocates have said, or a way to hone your driving. A manual car is also less likely to be stolen if fewer people know how to drive it. It’s cheaper to buy (or at least it used to be), and it once had lower operation and maintenance costs. You can push-start a manual if the battery dies, so you’re less likely to get stuck somewhere; and you can use the stick more easily for engine braking, which can reduce wear and make descending hills easier and safer.

But the manual transmission’s chief appeal derives from the feeling it imparts to the driver: a sense, whether real or imagined, that he or she is in control. According to the business consultant turned motorcycle repairman turned best-selling author Matthew Crawford, attending to that sense is not just an affectation. Humans develop tools that assist in locomotion, such as domesticated horses and carriages and bicycles and cars—and then extend their awareness to those tools. The driver “becomes one” with the machine, as we say. In his 2020 book, Why We Drive, Crawford argues that a device becomes a prosthetic. The rider fuses with the horse. To move the tool is to move the self.

Crawford argues that this cognitive enhancement is possible only when you can interpret the components of the tool you’re operating. As a rider must sense the horse’s gait, so must a driver grok the engine’s torque. But modern automotive technology tends to inhibit that sensation. Power steering, electronic fuel injection, anti-lock braking systems, and, yes, automatic transmissions obstruct the “natural bonds between action and perception,” Crawford writes. They inhibit the operator’s ability to interpret the car’s state and capacities through a healthy feedback loop of action and information. To illustrate the point, he tells a story about test-driving a 400-horsepower Audi RS3 with all the options, including a paddle-shifting automatic transmission. It was powerful and capable, he says, but “I could not connect with the car.” That description is a common one among gearheads, a way of expressing that the human operator and the machine are out of sync.

The stick shift has become a proxy object for that loss. When manual transmissions were the norm, drivers had to touch and manipulate the shifter, in tandem with the clutch, constantly while operating a vehicle. Passengers saw this action taking place, and shifting gears became imbued with meaning. It represented the allure of the road, for all its good and ill, and stood in for the human control of a big, hot, dangerous machine screaming down the pavement. The manual transmission’s impending disappearance feels foreboding not (just) because shifting a car is fun and sensual, but also because the gearshift is—or was—a powerful cultural symbol of the human body working in unison with the engineered world.

Crawford admits that he might connect with the Audi if he put in enough hours at the wheel. But even knowing this, “the car left me cold,” he writes. In part, that’s because the coarse feedback that one gets while driving an all-electronic vehicle might be—or feel—too subtle for a brute human mind. Cars have, in a way, become too good. Human understanding slips off their surface, like ice off a hot hood.

The decoupling of humans from their driving machines will accelerate in years to come. If the automatic transmission made the stick shift a monument to lost control, the autonomous (self-driving) vehicle aims to do the same for steering wheels. At that point, the loss will be so complete that it may not feel so alienating. Any pretense that the automobile is a prosthetic will be eliminated, so car passengers can move on to other things. Like people on a train, they might settle into a book or take a nap or open up an Excel spreadsheet.

But fully autonomous cars might never be in widespread use, and even mostly autonomous cars could be a long way off. In the meantime, the automotive industry will take away drivers’ control in slow, lumbering steps, just as other industries have for other appliances, apparatuses, and services. You can now flush a toilet or operate a sink not with the force of your hands, but by means of sensors. Web and product searches yield the results some third party wants you to see, rather than the best matches to your requests. Maps, now digital, show points of interest in place of raw information; travelers let the apps that host those maps tell them where to go and how to get there. Customer-service agents follow scripts to solve your problems, your doctors follow automatic diagnostic templates, and the streaming platforms on your television calculate which shows you should watch next.
 
I appreciate some parts of driving an automatic transmission but I find it more enjoyable to row a manual transmission when tooling around town on errands and driving my old cars. I have cars with a Muncie, a Toploader and an A833 - they are all good. My GTX has a 727 torqueflite and shifts better than I can shift a manual but it’s just not as much fun.
 
When I was a kid, my parents only had automatics. We moved in 1976, and my Dad rented a U-Haul. I was so impressed with him driving a stick shift! It’s all I ever wanted. F8 green would not have been a color I would have wanted on my Charger when new. But I would have taken it over any other color if it was the only one on the lot with the Pistol Grip 4 speed.
E31322B4-89AE-4D91-B860-BEB8F610071B.jpeg
7E9FE7AB-86ED-4C18-A2DA-8F15D8D5B102.jpeg
 
As a commercial trucker for over 23yrs I hate driving manual transmissions at work...love the new auto's in the commercial trucks and have driven them for years at my previous employer. Been asking for one at my current job but they won't do it...all the other drivers are violently opposed to them even though not one of them has ever driven one on a regular basis.

As for my personal vehicles...my old 84 W350 cummins crewcab I built is motivated by a NV4500 5spd, and I do like it..dead nuts reliable for towing and hauling big loads with never an issue with over heating or cooking and auto. I've been humming and hawing over converting my 68 T/C wagon to a 4spd for years....have all the parts to do it but when I was looking for a 71 Superbee I was trying to find a 4spd car so i didn't have to convert the wagon. But after getting back my old Coronet convertible, which is an auto, I think I can now do the 4spd swap in the wagon! :thumbsup:
 
As a commercial trucker for over 23yrs I hate driving manual transmissions at work...love the new auto's in the commercial trucks and have driven them for years at my previous employer. Been asking for one at my current job but they won't do it...all the other drivers are violently opposed to them even though not one of them has ever driven one on a regular basis.

As for my personal vehicles...my old 84 W350 cummins crewcab I built is motivated by a NV4500 5spd, and I do like it..dead nuts reliable for towing and hauling big loads with never an issue with over heating or cooking and auto. I've been humming and hawing over converting my 68 T/C wagon to a 4spd for years....have all the parts to do it but when I was looking for a 71 Superbee I was trying to find a 4spd car so i didn't have to convert the wagon. But after getting back my old Coronet convertible, which is an auto, I think I can now do the 4spd swap in the wagon! :thumbsup:
I was a truck driver in earlier times. I drove in the Bethlehem Pa. area. If I didn’t have a manual transmission, I would have been burning up brakes on a monthly basis.
 
So who is building an unbreakable overdrive manual trans that can be married to (mostly) any motor by changing bell housings? You may be ahead of the game, don't know!
Same trans with transfer case for any 4wd? I'll invest!
 
I love daily driving a manual, adds some fun to the commute. And when I was looking for a b body, I was only looking for 1 thing, I have my favorite years, but I only cared about the extra pedal because all b bodies are beautiful. Sure driving an automatic is easier, some might say more relaxing. But nothing beats rolling gears, it takes the cool factor, and fun factor up a notch. There’s an adrenaline rush, and an almost high feeling chasing that perfect shift, long live the manual!

86B4E01B-94F3-44B9-97F0-EB56EE5D9CEF.jpeg


A5FFDA60-F74B-4675-AB91-646707FBC131.jpeg
 
I love my manuals. Still have my first car - '91 Daytona turbo - and I got it for a steal brand new because nobody wanted a manual trans in Tysons Corner, VA (DC suburb). My Cummins is a stick (6 speed) mainly because the Cummins likes to eat the Dodge automatics...but also because you can't beat the control when pulling a trailer (and I live in the mountains so lots of up and down!). My Daytona? Factory clutch. My Ram? Got a clutch at 250k. I have the large parts to convert my factory-turbo minivan to stick (the transmission and the K member with the bobble strut brace)...I just haven't been able to find a console, shifter, pedals and cables yet. Yes, they made manual transmission first-gen minivans (84-90)...but they're pretty much all gone now so it's tough finding the parts. Soon as I do, though, she's getting converted and the boost is getting turned up!

Autos are good for consistency at the track, and for LOTS of heavy stop-and-go...but my Cummins isn't bad because you can simply lift off the clutch and it goes. She ain't gonna stall! And the South Bend clutch I put in it (single-mass flywheel; plate; disc; hydraulics) is actually lighter than the stock clutch was so it's SO easy to drive!

I have paddles in my Grand Cherokee and I'll use them when going up or down the mountain for engine braking or to keep the boost up...but it's just not the same.

So who is building an unbreakable overdrive manual trans that can be married to (mostly) any motor by changing bell housings? You may be ahead of the game, don't know!
Same trans with transfer case for any 4wd? I'll invest!
Lots of companies make bellhousings for the "universal" T56 6-speed (found in the Viper, among many others) to fit up behind just about any engine...just have to use your google-fu to search yourself an adaptor and clutch setup for your particular application...
 
When we ordered-bought our 96 Porsche 6 speed it was nice for awhile but I didn’t like the jerky transition from a start, unless it was revved up it would choke out easy (driven sticks 40 years or more) Don’t know if it was a timing issue or what, I thought a heavier flywheel would have worked. Kept it fives years and the dealer bought it back (5000 miles on it). In hindsight should of got the Tip Tronic, I would still have it.
The VW GTI was the best I’ve ever owned, so easy a cave man could drive it!
 
Last edited:
I've had (built, mega-boosted) cars like that when they have super-HD clutches in them (like when I was building and playing with 11-second 2.2 turbo Dodges with between 38-44psi boost). I could usually get that herky-jerky behavior out of them after a little driving and wear on the disc. Granted, the HD disc material is a little harder to "scuff up" sometimes...but you can absolutely bend them to your will with enough patience. And sometimes some on-purpose clutch slipping with that lovely peanut-butter odor...just to scuff 'em up and make 'em do what YOU want them to do.
 
Every Diesel truck/SUV I've owned had manuals (all 5-speed trans)
1993 Dodge D350 Club Cab 4x2
1996 Dodge 3500 Club Cab 4x2
2004 Dodge Crew Cab 4x2
1971 International TravelAll 4x2

Well, OK, one exception:
1996 Ford F350 Crew Cab 4x4

Man, do I miss every single one of those trucks, too.

My only manual truck now is my 1969 Dodge D300 cab and chassis - 318/NP435
 
As one who grew up with 3 on the tree, and then all other type manual transmissions, it was impressed upon me that if one can drive a manual then they can drive just about anything. Hate to see them eventually disappear but having had the experiences of driving manual transmission vehicles, I now actually enjoy the automatics for their versatility and ease of operation. Especially if one has the ability to shift through the automatic gears like a sport shifter...cr8crshr/Bill:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::usflag::usflag::usflag:
 
Manuals transmissions are
(most) 'Youth', Pepsi gen. Z/Milinial driving deterrents...

US old farts/boomers still like them
many are archaic/outdated tech compared to today's modern trans too

I have both & to be honest the stock truck f350 4x4 dually diesel
with a 6 speed manual is a PITA in traffic
or backing up a 5th wheel trailer in a tight spot,
especially backing up hill or down hill etc.
'you need 3 legs'
thank god I live 100 miles away from any freeway/commute

I've had a manual trans in one or more of my cars/trucks
since day 1 of driving
or a POS 61 Peugeot 'rear engine' 4 speed converted to a sand buggy
stab the throttle & just dump the left foot, you couldn't baby it
you'd sink
I really properly learned at 10 y/o in a 53 F100 with a hopped-up 352, T10
& an old 3 on the tree Galaxie, or the tractor, really easy to drive learn
I had been driving motorcycles already with a clutch
so I understood the concept

we all had motorcycles/dirtbikes/MX/enduro,
or shifter gocarts or mini-bikes 1st

It's fun in a car with some guts
in a gutless 'crap box' not so much
but in that crap box, if it has an auto, it is even more gutless

I don't mind an auto in my RR (even the dreaded column shift) at all
probably run circles around most, testosterone-laden cars
with the manual trans cars too
in the curves & on the straights

I've owned 13 different 68-70 RRs now, 8 were 4 speeds
about the same of 12 68-70 Chargers, 8 were 4 speeds
I've own many Trans Ams z28s 442s GSs almost all 4 speed
unless they were racecars, you are handicapping yourself

Most all my fast cars had a clutch, but planetary shifted trans
Lenco, Jeffco, Clutch-flite & Brunodrive
or Liberty, a completely different animal,
I beat most the traditional manual cars, every time
almost all my Jeeps & PowerWagons you name it 4x4s
mostly had a manual trans too

depends on what you're doing, what it's being used for
for a 'run of-the-mill' street car/daily driver pick-up
a lowly 3 speed, a good 4 speed/5 speed etc. is fine

you aren't suddenly more viral/masculine :jackoff:
just because you have a manual trans :poke:

tech in autos is crazy today, leaps & bounds different
torque converter tech has way, way, way improved too

in a lil' sporty/spirited type driving car, you need a manual

my $1.25
Wall of text.jpg
 
Last edited:
I believe it is also pressure from epa on automakers to reduce manuals due to the puff of emissions every time clutch is pushed in and gears shifted, along with revving to get vehicle moving.
 
Not so much that as you cant do that goofy start -stop crap at traffic lights with a manual.

Manuals always had better mpg ratings due to lower parasitic drag / drivetrain losses...
 
One thing I hear mentioned a lot is “automatics are more consistent”. I drive my car for fun, not competition. The sound alone is worth it for me.
 
Not so much that as you cant do that goofy start -stop crap at traffic lights with a manual.

Manuals always had better mpg ratings due to lower parasitic drag / drivetrain losses...
That is incorrect, we offer manual trans jeeps and they have start stop on them triggered by the clutch pedal position. I've actually had to be involved on a repair with one.
And higher driving emissions due to what I mentioned. They started doing testing driving down the road rather than just sitting in a test cell. It's how they found the volkswagon bs.
 
And higher driving emissions due to what I mentioned. They started doing testing driving down the road rather than just sitting in a test cell. It's how they found the volkswagon bs.
I know here in Texas they love doing epa testing on highway entrance ramps…..you know where everyone is being the least efficient :lol: .

But who hasn’t cheated on tests:lol:
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top