Traffic sins
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@dcon said in Traffic sins:
@Jaloopa said in Traffic sins:
@RaceProUK said in Traffic sins:
Only if they're a dumb and don't use their handbrake
Eh. As long as it's not too steep and you know where your buying point is, the handbrake isn't necessary. Hill starts really aren't that tricky
Remember that when you stop at the top of
I don't see the problem. Now try parallel parking there :P .
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@masonwheeler said in Traffic sins:
@anotherusername said in Traffic sins:
(Seriously, though, if you ever have the opportunity to learn to drive a manual transmission, take it. There's no better way to really understand everything that's happening than to be in control of every detail if it. ... that said, the argument only goes so far; I wouldn't argue for the benefit of learning how to operate, say, a manual choke.)
That's the thing, though. When I'm going 60 MPH down a highway with certain death or maiming a foot or two to either side of me, I don't want to have to think about how the car works. The more the car can do for me, the less cognitive load I have on distractions that keep me from focusing on the most important thing: responding properly to road conditions around me.
At 60 mph you don't need to shift because you're using the highest gear anyway. When I'm visiting my parents and I'm on the 200 km stretch of the Autobahn, there are exactly two times I'm shifting gears: When I'm entering and exiting the Autobahn.
(Unless I need to do a pit stop or there's a traffic jam or something, of course).
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@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
That dumb fuck is about to run right the hell over a median
Is a median what I'd call a central reservation?
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@dcon said in Traffic sins:
Unless you have a Subaru - mine had a hill holder clutch - when you applied both clutch and brake fully, it kept the brake engaged until you started letting the clutch out.
My citoren has that too. Takes a bit of getting used to, especially when I also drive another car without it, and I wouldn't want to rely on it in case it stops working and I will back into another car
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A while back I heard they were looking to pass a new law in Congress, making it illegal to plant little purple flowers down the middle of a city street.
Apparently a lot of people want to reduce violets on the median.
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@Jaloopa said in Traffic sins:
My citoren has that too.
I'll have you know that that is totally not what I read the first time I read that.
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@anotherusername said in Traffic sins:
I'll have you know that that is totally not what I read the first time I read that.
You beat me to the same response.
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@HardwareGeek said in Traffic sins:
My first manual also had a manual choke.
Did it also have ignition retard on the column? Were the wheels made of wood? Did it start via a crank on the front of the car? Did it have a lot of things made from brass on it?
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@Deadfast said in Traffic sins:
What about a manual transmission without a synchro? Man, am I glad I didn't have to deal with that!
They're not that bad really.
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@Jaloopa said in Traffic sins:
@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
That dumb fuck is about to run right the hell over a median
Is a median what I'd call a central reservation?
I have no clue what you funny foreigners call stuff.
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@Polygeekery Did yours? You're as
as I am
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@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
@HardwareGeek said in Traffic sins:
My first manual also had a manual choke.
Did it also have ignition retard on the column? Were the wheels made of wood? Did it start via a crank on the front of the car? Did it have a lot of things made from brass on it?
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@HardwareGeek said in Traffic sins:
@Polygeekery Did yours? You're as
as I amPffffbt. I'm 37. But my first car was carbureted.
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@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
@HardwareGeek said in Traffic sins:
@Polygeekery Did yours? You're as
as I amPffffbt. I'm 37. But my first car was carbureted.
Sorry, I thought you were one of the
crowd. Anyway, my vehicle with the manual transmission and manual choke was a 1974 (IIRC) mini-pickup. I think you'd have to go back to my grandparents' age to have that sort of car. My dad might have been old enough to have a car of that vintage as a very old, used first car, but I doubt it.
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@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
@Jaloopa said in Traffic sins:
@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
That dumb fuck is about to run right the hell over a median
Is a median what I'd call a central reservation?
I have no clue what you funny foreigners call stuff.
If someone said central reservation to me, I'd be thinking of the 800 number you call to reserve a hotel room.
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@dcon said in Traffic sins:
@Jaloopa said in Traffic sins:
@RaceProUK said in Traffic sins:
Only if they're a dumb and don't use their handbrake
Eh. As long as it's not too steep and you know where your buying point is, the handbrake isn't necessary. Hill starts really aren't that tricky
Remember that when you stop at the top of
Doesn't look too steep to me, no more than around 20% or so; I've done hill starts on that sort of thing with a manual shift. (Heck, I even had to do it when I was learning to drive.) If you're in actual hill country, you've got that sort of fun as part of your daily life.
The important thing to remember is that you need independent control of your clutch, accelerator and brake to do it safely. You get the car on the handbrake, in first gear and with the clutch down; then you let the clutch out and apply some gas until you get to the point where it's starting to take the weight of the vehicle off the brake (which sounds a lot more complicated than it is), then you take the handbrake off, gun the gas a bit more, and away you go. Which is a manoeuvre that takes a second or less with practice.
Going over a double-blind junction with that sort of hill start required to get moving at all is into the “challenging” part of driving, just for the sheer number of things you have to do at once to be safe…
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@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
Just don't be John Nestor.
TIL
He also achieved fame in the Washington, D.C. area in 1984 after The Washington Post published his letter describing his favored driving method: On highways Nestor would settle his vehicle in the far left lane and set the cruise control at the speed limit, at the time 55 mph. He would not move to the right for drivers behind him. "Why," he asked, "should I inconvenience myself for someone who wants to speed?" [3] Nestor also believed he was performing a public service by forcing people to obey the nationwide 55 mile-per-hour speed limit.[4]
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@antiquarian said in Traffic sins:
@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
Just don't be John Nestor.
TIL
He also achieved fame in the Washington, D.C. area in 1984 after The Washington Post published his letter describing his favored driving method: On highways Nestor would settle his vehicle in the far left lane and set the cruise control at the speed limit, at the time 55 mph. He would not move to the right for drivers behind him. "Why," he asked, "should I inconvenience myself for someone who wants to speed?" [3] Nestor also believed he was performing a public service by forcing people to obey the nationwide 55 mile-per-hour speed limit.[4]
He also worked in approvals for the FDA and in his entire career never once approved a drug.
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Fresh off the traffic apocalypse called "traffic close to a big mall, three days before Christmas":
When you're in the middle of an intersection waiting to turn left, step on the motherfucking brake, especially if the road is inclined. Don't leave the car in 1st gear and try (and fail miserably) to hold it in place using the clutch, especially if I'm right behind you and you end up backing into my fucking bumper, because I swear to God, I'll fucking stab you for hitting my bumper and for abusing your poor clutch. Don't test me, random motherfucker.
The green arrow on the lights means "everything's clear in that direction, you can go", not "normal rules apply, yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians" you dense motherfucker, who gave you a license?! About a half of red/green cycles on any intersection that uses directional signals will have one of these idiots at the front, blocking everyone else.
Remember where your goddamn clutch and shifter are. Seriously, write it down on a post-it note or something, I'm sick of watching idiots rediscovering how to drive their car seemingly every time a signal turns green. There's no reason for you to spend more than half a second putting your shitbox into 1st gear and driving forward.
Don't get behind the wheel when you're methed out of your fucking mind, because there's no other way I can explain what this one guy was doing. I pulled up to him when he was stopped in the middle of the road about 30m from an intersection. I thought he just pulled out from a parking spot. So I stop behind him and he slooooooowly starts driving toward the lights, where the green light changes to yellow, with me still behind him. So he stops... and then starts going forward again, while the light is still red. Then he absolutely freaks out and stomps on the brake, while he's already past the lights and on a pedestrian crossing. Then he puts his car in reverse and backs up (I didn't move forward so he had plenty of room) - except he backs up about maybe 10 cm and stops again. Then he leaves the car in reverse for the rest of the red light's duration. When the light turns green again, he starts going forward, and then abruptly stops again just after the intersection... I just can't even. What the hell was that?!
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@Polygeekery said in Traffic sins:
I am never surprised about the idiocy of people behind the wheel.
I was on a suburban road. Normally 2 lanes in either direction, but there was a major widening project going on. So it was one lane through the construction zone. They'd effectively torn up one side of the road, which was now all dirt and loose soil-- and all traffic was sharing the other side. So obviously things are slower than normal-- one lane, pylons everywhere, twists and turns, odd markings. But traffic is moving well enough.
And idiot in a pickup behind me is doing the "swerve swerve" thing, getting impatient. Like, buddy, what do you even think is going to happen? There's solid traffic in front of us, you can clearly see that being in a tall vehicle. Even if I wanted to pull aside-- which I don't-- there's no shoulder. Just a line of pylons, beyond which is dirt terrain.
And like a fucking idiot, he yanks his car into the construction zone and floors it, trying to pass effectively offroad. He hits the first dirt mound, and it nearly launches his pickup into the air. He lands hard enough that I think the tires touched the wheel well, and I wouldn't be surprised if he hit his head on the ceiling. He hit another mound of dirt, bounced again, and I could hear the CRUNCH of his axle breaking. The truck just kinda slumped to a stop.
It was glorious to watch.
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@Lorne-Kates
And as an added bonus, he now gets a Double The Fine ticket for failure to control!
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@anotherusername said in Traffic sins:
The procedure for stopping is:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
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@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
Some people prefer the feel of meshing chunks of metal together using a lever.
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@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
When not in heavy traffic, it can be a lot of fun to have the greater amount of control over the vehicle. But it does suck big time in stop-start traffic.
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@RaceProUK Traditionally European automatic gearboxes were fucking awful. This isn't really the case these days - modern automatic gearboxes are superb, especially if it's one of the direct shift gearboxes.
With modern automatic gearboxes there's not really a benefit to driving a manual.
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@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
@anotherusername said in Traffic sins:
The procedure for stopping is:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
Simple. There are a bunch of timepod Luddite car enthusiasts who firmly believe that in addition to being a more engaging experience, manual transmissions offer better fuel economy, less parasitic losses and quicker shifts than automatic transmissions. If you've been paying attention, modem automatic transmissions have made huge advances on all those fronts in the last couple decades to the point of having outstripped manuals. This then raises a question that begs to be answered: why do they clutch to such antiquated technology? Whatever their reasoning, I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.
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@Groaner I have both kinds. Automatic is easier and simpler to drive. However, the manual requires more skill and also really gives you a feel for what the engine's doing. Hence I'd recommend at least learning to drive it if you ever have the opportunity.
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@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
one lane, pylons everywhere... he yanks his car into the construction zone
Made they required... additional pylons?
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@RaceProUK said in Traffic sins:
@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
Some people prefer the feel of meshing chunks of metal together using a lever.
Some of us Americans do, too. When we can find a manual transmission, that is.
@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
Simple. There are a bunch of timepod Luddite car enthusiasts who firmly believe that
in addition to being a more engaging experience, manual transmissions offer better fuel economy, less parasitic losses and quicker shifts than automatic transmissions. If you've been paying attention, modem automatic transmissions have made huge advances on all those fronts in the last couple decades to the point of having outstripped manuals. This then raises a question that begs to be answered: why do they clutch to such antiquated technology? Whatever their reasoning, I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.manual transmissions are fun.
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@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
It seems like a lot when written, but like many other things, it becomes routine, not requiring conscious thought, after a very short time. As others have noted, it sucks in stop-and-go traffic, but otherwise it's no worse than driving an automatic.
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@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.
@Groa-- oh.
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@anotherusername said in Traffic sins:
@Groaner I have both kinds. Automatic is easier and simpler to drive. However, the manual requires more skill and also really gives you a feel for what the engine's doing. Hence I'd recommend at least learning to drive it if you ever have the opportunity.
There's a good chance that if I have a good chunk of money to throw at a project car*, it'll have a manual.
*Probably an LS swap into something like a Nissan 350z/370z.
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@abarker said in Traffic sins:
@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
Simple. There are a bunch of timepod Luddite car enthusiasts who firmly believe that
in addition to being a more engaging experience, manual transmissions offer better fuel economy, less parasitic losses and quicker shifts than automatic transmissions. If you've been paying attention, modem automatic transmissions have made huge advances on all those fronts in the last couple decades to the point of having outstripped manuals. This then raises a question that begs to be answered: why do they clutch to such antiquated technology? Whatever their reasoning, I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.manual transmissions are fun.The group you speak of and the group I speak of are not necessarily the same group, though there may be some overlap.
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@hungrier said in Traffic sins:
@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.
@Groa-- oh.
Congratulations, you correctly identified one! Can you find the other two?
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@Groaner "outstripped" and "clutch"
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@masonwheeler "engaging"
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@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
This then raises a question that begs to be answered: why do they clutch to such antiquated technology? Whatever their reasoning, I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.
They cost less. For the vehicle I've had my eye on, it's about $2000 difference. For that amount I'll get the manual.
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@abarker said in Traffic sins:
Some of us Americans do, too. When we can find a manual transmission, that is.
Yeah, I was really disappointed when that option vanished on the Subaru Outback. The Forester still has it - but I wanted an Outback. sigh.
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@brianw13a said in Traffic sins:
@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
This then raises a question that begs to be answered: why do they clutch to such antiquated technology? Whatever their reasoning, I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.
They cost less. For the vehicle I've had my eye on, it's about $2000 difference. For that amount I'll get the manual.
Does that include the cost to replace clutches?
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@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
@brianw13a said in Traffic sins:
@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
This then raises a question that begs to be answered: why do they clutch to such antiquated technology? Whatever their reasoning, I find that their unjustified disparagement of automatic transmissions really grinds my gears.
They cost less. For the vehicle I've had my eye on, it's about $2000 difference. For that amount I'll get the manual.
Does that include the cost to replace clutches?
Who replaces clutches? I bought a new Civic in 99 and sold it in 2013 with 275k miles and the original clutch.
I bought a 97 Wrangler in 2008-9 with less miles and while I'm not 100% sure, I'd bet it still has the original clutch.
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@Lorne-Kates said in Traffic sins:
@anotherusername said in Traffic sins:
The procedure for stopping is:
Why the absolutely fuck does anyone use manual transmission?!?
I find it more fun and engaging to drive. For commuting and such I prefer an automatic transmission, just because traffic in a manual can really suck. But for "fun cars", a manual is the way to go.
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@abarker said in Traffic sins:
Some of us Americans do, too. When we can find a manual transmission, that is.
This.
On the top of the list of statistics that make me sad:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/news/a30217/2016-corvette-manual-take-rate/
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@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
Does that include the cost to replace clutches?
My car with an automatic gearbox has twice as many clutches as my car with a manual gearbox. They'll need replacing at some point.
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@brianw13a 275k and 14 years? That's pretty good. My car (Peugeot 206 XS) turned 10 years old in October and I had to get the clutch assembly replaced (for what I assume was the first time) in August. It still worked alright, but it was making a weird sound - I'm sure it could have lasted another year at least, but better safe than sorry.
But anyway, the replacement cost me about 100 USD (total for parts + work), so if the difference between an AT and MT model of a car is 2000 USD, the car would have to last 2 centuries for the automatic transmission to pay for itself.
Also, cars in Europe with an automatic transmission seem to have a lower resale value, so that plays a role too. On the other hand, who knows how much a 200 year old car would sell for...
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@loopback0 said in Traffic sins:
@Groaner said in Traffic sins:
Does that include the cost to replace clutches?
My car with an automatic gearbox has twice as many clutches as my car with a manual gearbox. They'll need replacing at some point.
Technically, a DSG gearbox is an automated manual, not an automatic
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@blek said in Traffic sins:
On the other hand, who knows how much a 200 year old car would sell for...
If you live in the upper midwest (US), nothing. There's a reason it's called the Rust Belt. Now, if it's in south west...
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@blek said in Traffic sins:
275k and 14 years? That's pretty good.
I was very happy with that vehicle. Of course with that age and mileage there were other issues, AC coolant leak, brake lines rusted, exhaust manifold cracked, and a couple of the cylinders didn't hold compression so I was burning oil. But the clutch still worked great
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@blek said in Traffic sins:
On the other hand, who knows how much a 200 year old car would sell for...
A car that predates the invention of the car by 69 years would be worth quite a lot, I think :P
John Nestor - Wikipedia
