Ram questions

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

IdaD wrote:


In a pickup I don't disagree. In a sporty car a stick is still the way to go by a huge margin - a stick and clutch really enhances the driving experience.

I agree, in a sports car you gotta get a standard just for the fun factor alone.

These guys disagree with you.
I haven't driven a Vett with the new 8 speed and likely never will so I can't speak of which one I would like better. All of my sudo sports cars and most of my cars were standards. All of the big trucks (Class 6)I drove were standards.

All of my pickups were autos and will be autos from now on.

It doesn't really matter anyway. It's like me saying I like tuning carburetors instead of FI. Anybody that says they can out drive a computer is out to lunch and is living in a dreamland. A person might "think" they know which gear is better but it's not so. Modern transmissions can be programed to shift at anytime. The engineers know exactly where they need to be shifted to get the best performance and to meet smog requirements. Not so with a standard.

I predict GPS shift points will be coming on line soon. I say within the next 10 years. Smog requirement are also tightening. With a take rate around 5% and getting less every year the manual is dead or will be soon.

Sorry gear jammers, but your daughters daughter will see your pickups in a museum and ask, "mom, what's that 3rd peddle on the left there for?" :B

I don't disagree with you that they will be extinct; look at Ford and GM who discontinued them several years ago. I disagree that an automatic knows which gear to be in at all times. As an example, climbing a grade in the city in my 2012 F-150 will cause the truck to be in 3rd gear. Come up to a traffic light on that grade that turns yellow causing the driver to let off the throttle in preparation for stopping. The truck will instantly shift up to 5th gear even though the driver is looking to stop. A very unnecessary set of shifts and one I see often. Another scenario is when coasting up to a light in about 4th gear, light turns green before stopping and so the driver gives the truck some throttle. The transmission instantly downshifts to 2nd or sometimes 1st depending on speed causing harshness and sudden RPM increase to 3k. These are both scenarios of completely unnecessary shifting that I see often. Why? Because the transmission cannot see the road! There are plenty of other scenarios but those are two that come to top of mind. I would also hate to see what these fancy autos will cost to repair in the future because with them being so complex, expensive trouble is inevitable.

I think a lot of the trend towards autos is pure laziness. People nowadays (especially the younger generations) do as little as possible with as little effort as possible. Drinking lattes, texting, putting on makeup, etc. has become much more important than putting effort into anything including driving, learning a new skill, and paying attention.

Many other parts of the world are still primarily manual transmissions; it seems North America is the exception to this.

In any case, off my soapbox now!:B