Vehicle & Technical > Not Anything Listed Above....
Auto V Manual
Johnny Yen:
Im looking at getting my first offroader and im thinking an automatic might be the way to go. Im thinking it will be cheaper because I wont be burning out clutches and it will be easier offroading as my clutch control isnt the best despite years of driving.
On the flip side, I can swap out the clutch myself for a heavy duty one and get better with the clutch because ill be doing a lot more low speed stuff offroad?
Thoughts please, im an a tight budget too.
SteveGoodz:
You don't say what vehicle you're thinking of buying so my answer will have to be non-marque specific. Not having great clutch control really shouldn't be a problem as almost everything you do off-tarmac should be done with the clutch fully engaged. Slipping the clutch does very little for you either in the traction stakes or car control.
As to which is better - auto vs manual - I'd go with the manual. There are occassions when an auto has advantages but on the whole a manual gives you more options and better control UNLESS you have an autobox that lets you lock it into whichever gear you want at the time. Most older autoboxes don't do this (except for 1st gear) but the "tiptronic" type generally do.
I speak from the experience of having owned and driven both manual and automatic Discovery 1's off-tarmac. Other peoples' experiences/preferences will vary :-)
Have fun :dance:
Johnny Yen:
Really unsure what marque I want at the moment so it was a general question really :)
The more I think about it the more im wanting a manual anyway, ive never got on well with automatics so will if there are no real benefits offroad ill give them a wide birth.
dxmedia:
And from the other side of the fence, having driven plenty of manual's off road, I'd say auto (which is what I've got at the moment), you've full torque from start, far smother than manual, and if your talking auto, your also talking large engine, so auto's are fine tow wagons as well.
I've a jeep grand cherokee fyi.
SteveGoodz:
--- Quote from: dxmedia on May 18, 2009, 15:43:25 ---And from the other side of the fence, having driven plenty of manual's off road, I'd say auto (which is what I've got at the moment), you've full torque from start, far smother than manual, and if your talking auto, your also talking large engine, so auto's are fine tow wagons as well.
I've a jeep grand cherokee fyi.
--- End quote ---
Not wanting to get into some big arguement here but it is the torque issue that leans me towards the manual box. In really slippery situations the ability to start off in a higher gear (say 3rd) often overcomes the tendency to spin the wheels you would get in 1st and (unless you can manually lock your autobox into 3rd) from an auto.
Having said that my current vehicle (and the previous one) is an auto Discovery and I love it to death :doh:
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