This! People tend to forget that the US isn't the only place in the world. MT still outnumber AT in places like Europe by a long shot. We're just too lazy and stupid to teach all of our kids how to drive properly. I mean, look at our driver's ed compared to theirs.

 

i couldnt agree with you more, but look at the price of cars that are being used to drift. >$100k right? less expensive cars will always have manual. like the FRS for instance. there is no way that an entry level sports car gets a dual clutch tranny.

 

no joke. in Finland you have to be able to drift bc of snow driving before you get your license. thats why they have the most successful rally drivers in the world coming from the country.

 

Scary thing about this is what I encountered when I was looking at FR-S and BR-Zs - they not only didn't commonly stock the MT, they steered people away from it. "Automatic is faster to 60, shifts faster than a human can and gets better gas mileage". I had 3 different dealerships try to turn me away from a MT. Needless to say, I never went/am going back.

 

im not sure that the frs' tranny can shift faster than i can. it doesnt cost enough to be faster than me.

 

There will always be a place for MT, especially in mid to low end sports cars. It's part of what defines a sports car in the first place. Of course, look how far MTs have come in the last 100 years. Anybody have to double-clutch anymore?

That being said, there are times I like the convienence of a DCT Will they ultimately replace the MT? Probably for the majority of applications but there will always be MTs in some situations.

 

No, but you have to pull the pedal up off the floor with the &%^$#@# CSC jams up.

 

I got to think that many of the negative comments on AT(double clutch system)
are from guys that have never driven a real double clutch car.They may be
thinking AT like in the 350.Its a "trip-tronic" type of deal that allows you to
manually shift.If you have the opportunity to drive a well designed double clutch
car,you may change your tune.I've driven a few.The GTR has a great system.
If you get into some of the high end cars,you would not believe the performance.
I was able to drive a Mclaren.You cannot believe how fast the shifts are.These
systems are now getting more affordable.As mentioned,the FRS/BR-Z have them.
To be sure,MT will always be offered with some cars.Again on the upper end,can't
see Lamborghini without a manual managing all that brute N/A power.

 

sometimes i wish my Z was auto, but thats why i have my other car thats an auto. autos is def easier for city driving. it takes off faster and you dont have to rev it up. but when you do some spirited driving, manual is the way to go. makes you feel more enganged with the car, giving you more control of your revs.

 

i love mt except when on steep hills or in traffic!

 

No one has mentioned this, but MT and using a hand-held cellphone is not possible Anyway when I do my talking it is usually on the freeway going a straight line, or at a stop.

 

Not possible? Hmmmm I guess I've been defying the laws of physics... Haha. I assure you it's more than possible. Only tricky bit is shifting mid-corner while on the phone.

 

My boss had a MT F430, i couldn't believe it. I must have walked past the car atleast a dozen times before i actually looked in to see the tall shifter and exposed gates. I always assumed the 360s were the last of the MT ferraris. Boss said he didn't care that his was most likely slower, he just loved driving the car and part of the experience was shifting through the gears. In my mind he is a true enthusiast.

 

Yep the F430's were the last Ferrari to offer the M/T and F1 electric-hydro transmission. I envy your boss.

 

Best part is, guy is well into his 60s. Everytime he left the shop it was like his house was on fire.

 

The manual isn't dead, though advancements in technology will probably phase it out over the years. What is dying is the idea of what automatic transmission means - they aren't big slow go-carts anymore like your grandma's 90's Buick.

I've got an 85 MT 300zx and an 06 AT 350z, and one really isn't better than the other ... they both require different driving techniques. Look up drag racing or even drifting in an AT 350z - not only can it be done, if you know what you're doing it can be done very well.

What gets me is when Z owners argue over transmission ... you've already got a god-tier car ... it's like arguing about whether Apollo is cooler than Ares. Shouldn't you be more focused on pitying the fools who aren't driving Z's?

 

Winner!

 

^+1

But I think there are still ways to advance the technology in MT's.

BRZ has this thing when tuned with ECUTEK- you don't have to let your foot off the gas while powershifting and it holds the RPM without reaching and bouncing off the limiter until you let go of the clutch after shifting.

Now if a car manufacturer paired that tech with a more accurate Rev-Sync from the 370Z the I think it would be something. (I noticed the rev-sync in the Z34 blips the throttle even though you haven't shifted into the gear)

btw. AT Z isnt that bad, especially with VB upgrade.

 

Damn that is cool! Last weekend I took the Z out for some errands and I ran across a 75 year old man that was driving an McLaren SLR. He said he was going to open it up on the fwy!

This is very true and I should remember because I used to see 'street' A/T 300ZXTT running 10's at Pomona.

 

That would be so awesome.