The Joy of Shifting (with a Clutch)
Not too long ago, I got my first car ever that didn't have a clutch. Not by choice, but since "standard" now means automatic, and "manual" is only available in the very top-end model of the car I bought. To compensate, they equip the other models, like mine, with something they call "Tiptronic." It's pretty neat actually; essentially it's an automatic, but you can put it into a mode where it behaves more or less like a clutchless manual. You push the stick forward for each upshift, and backward for each downshift. Since, like all automatics, there's still no direct coupling between the engine and the wheels, there's a bit of a delay, but that doesn't bother me too much.
What I miss is the joyful rhythm of shifting a manual; having all my arms and legs involved, precisely synchronized with what my mind wants the car to do. If you've never got comfortable with a manual, you probably think I'm crazy, but if you have, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a level of immersive, physical contact with the machine that you just don't get with an automatic.
Maybe eventually I'll be clicking through those gears on my Tiptronic with my left foot happily at ease on the footrest, but so far, I've found I just put it in "Drive" mode and drone mindlessly along. With this car anyway, it's every bit as nimble as I can do with the Tiptronic.
What I miss is the joyful rhythm of shifting a manual; having all my arms and legs involved, precisely synchronized with what my mind wants the car to do. If you've never got comfortable with a manual, you probably think I'm crazy, but if you have, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a level of immersive, physical contact with the machine that you just don't get with an automatic.
Maybe eventually I'll be clicking through those gears on my Tiptronic with my left foot happily at ease on the footrest, but so far, I've found I just put it in "Drive" mode and drone mindlessly along. With this car anyway, it's every bit as nimble as I can do with the Tiptronic.
posted by R @ 6:38 PM
5 Comments:
At 11:48 AM,
cvo said…
My car has a Tiptronic but it's actually on the steering wheel as "thumb paddles" that you hit to shift up or down without taking your hands off the wheel.
I think all the Porsche Boxsters have that feature, and I think they were one of the first models to start using it back in the late 90's.
It is weird not having an actual stick shift, and I find myself not using it very much except on hilly roads to keep in low gear.
I too miss shifting and hitting the clutch on cars like my old 240Z's in high school.
At 8:43 AM,
jmeriwether said…
I have fond memories of Russell teaching me to drive in his VW in high school. Way back when 281 felt like a country road and I think a 7-11 was our destination. When I finally got the hang of feet and right hand moving together, I would forget about my eyes and left hand. Cries of "steer! steer!" were not referring to cattle in the road :).
Patrick and I still have a manual'93 Honda I bought from my brother Michael (Walter may remember it. I came to Austin to pick it up and Walter and I went to a Squeeze reunion concert - on a weeknight!) Our other car is an automatic Honda CRV and I'm one of the wimpy ones who is glad not to be distracted by shifting when I'm being distracted by my daughter making a ruckus in her carseat. I'm pretty sure, though, that the time honored observation, "The more you drive, the less intelligent you become." (Did I remember that accurately?) is a little less true for a manual transmission.
At 7:54 AM,
Unknown said…
Only very rarely, when I have the opportunity to borrow a friend's car, do I ever drive a manual transmission.
My last manual-transmission car was a 1981 four-door Honda Accord equipped with what Walter called "the Dune device". In addition to the manual transmission, there was a manually powered, mechanical switch that allowed me to lock or unlock the rear doors. Because there were no electronics involved in the actuation of the rear locks, the whole system seemed consistent with the spirit of Frank Herbert's "Butlerian Jihad" against "thinking machines" in Dune.
Once, when I was an undergraduate, I participated in a week-long seminar in Tulsa. As I was preparing to return to Norman, I noticed that the Accord's clutch had completely failed. Nevertheless, I managed to drive the car all the way from Tulsa to the Honda dealership in Norman with no clutch. Starting the car was the most interesting part. I had first to put the transmission into first gear and then to start the engine in gear. Whenever I came to a complete stop at an intersection, I had to turn off the engine and do this again. Upshifting and downshifting required synchronizing the engine speed with the wheel speed at the correct destination gear ratio and then slipping the stick into the new gear, usually (but not always) with some hideous noise.
In 1993 or so, my wife destroyed that car by letting it overheat; it's thermostat unfortunately needed rather frequent replacement, and so the driver had to keep an eye on the temperature gauge.
Since its passing, I have had no opportunity to acquire a car with a manual transmission. With the exception of my 15-passenger van, which I purchased from St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, my every vehicle has been a hand-me-down associated with some kind of charity from parents.
In any event, I agree completely with Russell's sentiment. There is something really good and satisfying about driving the manual transmission.
At 4:59 PM,
R said…
Yes there are many joys of a manual not least of which is the ability to drive it without any clutch whatsoever! My Dad taught me how to do that when the bug's clutch cable broke one time.
Julia, I'm pretty sure I also drove a previous incarnation of a Michael hand-me-down-with-a-manual (or was it from your Dad?), but it was a Toyota I think.
Curtis, you will have to give me some pointers on the paddle shifters; I have them too, but it seems like every time I want to use them, I'm also turning and they are not where my hands are. I'm guessing they are there mostly to make you think you are driving in Formula One or something.
At 3:26 PM,
jmeriwether said…
Hey Russell,
You're right that previous to my brother's Honda I had a Toyota Celica ('82) from my Dad. I got it towards the end of college. Although one would think it should have been a manual, it was an automatic. The rationale was that if Mom ever had to drive it, she wouldn't be able to handle a standard, so an automatic was purchased. Mom was so intimidated by the sporty look of the thing that I don't think she would have tried driving it under any circumstances :).
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