Who still drives a stick in 2025?

[FullMetalBucket]

That's half true. Look at the heat generated by an automatic transmission, which is to any physicist, "loss". Autos are not more efficient than manuals, but perhaps in many "in town" environments they may yield better net efficiency than most human operators of a manual transmission.

Really, what I think killed manual trans is a combination of the following:

1. Price pressure. It costs auto manufacturers more to engineer, test, and manufacture both variants. When competing with another brand that only does one, those who offer both will always have much higher costs.
2. Emissions testing costs of the manual is much higher than auto, or so I'm told.
3. Crash safety testing would require them to test both variants, or so I'm told.
4. New car buyers have always favored auto, whether due to age or other variables. We've seen this play out for decades, as it seems used car buyers (younger?) have always had a greater thirst for manuals, causing availability issues in used market.

Traffic is also horrendous now, way worse than 10 and especially 20+ years ago.

 

[Hay Dude]

During acceleration there is some loss due to the hydraulic flow in an auto. But all the current automatic transmissions lock up in the higher gears.

Mine locks in gears 2-6.
Only 1 is unlocked so the truck won’t stall at a stop.

 

[sd455dan]

You're going to have to go back to the 1990's to find one from Ford or Chevy, or early 2000's for Dodge and Toyota. I think I already said it about 20 pages back in this thread, but I switched to Dodge in 2005 because they were the only American brand still offering manual trans in a full-size 4x4 pickup with a v8 and extended cab.

You could still get a 6 speed manual Getrag up to 2018 if you speced the Cummins instead of Hemi in the HD trucks. Parts for repair would be from MAGNA because of the buyout.

 

[masseyrider]

About 7 more weeks.
Salt and road grit need to be gone.
Clear sunny weather.

 

[Rockbadchild]

About 7 more weeks.
Salt and road grit need to be gone.
Clear sunny weather.

for the GT ? 7 weeks that much ??

 

[Blue Mule]

It's not really up for debate. Look at the Monroney stickers. Today's automatics are achieving equal or better MPG than manuals in the same vehicles. There isn't nearly as much parasitic loss through a modern automatic as their used to be, there are double the gears, and the ECU can totally control operation. So, automatics are now more efficient than manuals.

And, for pickup trucks in particular autos can hold more input torque which is why the OEs have all gone away from manuals on the diesels. Ram tried to hold on as long as they could, but even then they would derate the Cummins if the manual was paired to it.

Still, I prefer a stick in my muscle cars so my Challenger 392 has a Tremec 6060. But I'll always take the auto in a pickup truck.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Manuals are maintenance free, now automatic transmission required filter change, belt and oil change (CTV).

 

[jyoutz]

Manuals are maintenance free, now automatic transmission required filter change, belt and oil change (CTV).

Manuals are not maintenance free. There are recommended fluid change intervals. And clutches are sure enough not maintenance free. They aren’t a fun replacement item.

 

[Blue Mule]

Manuals are maintenance free, now automatic transmission required filter change, belt and oil change (CTV).

Manuals are not maintenance free. There are recommended fluid change intervals. And clutches are sure enough not maintenance free. They aren’t a fun replacement item.

Exactly. Two years ago I spent over $4k getting a manual transmission rebuilt at 100k miles because the synchros were worn out and I took that opportunity to install a new clutch to minimize future costs. Plus, they need fluid changes every 60k.

By contrast today's automatics have 150k mile service intervals, or beyond. I've seen guys go 300k miles without touching the auto trans (which I do not recommend, but it happens a LOT).

 

[Darth_DMack]

Avid Jeeper here.

I've had so many in my day... all have been two doors, and manual transmission. My current Jeep is a 2022 Rubicon... two door, manual 6 speed transmission.

 

[scootr]

Manuals are not maintenance free. There are recommended fluid change intervals. And clutches are sure enough not maintenance free. They aren’t a fun replacement item.

When I was a kid I was forever replacing clutches...now that I've grown up I rarely if ever replace one... something has changed.

 

[fidowanttobe]

Exactly. Two years ago I spent over $4k getting a manual transmission rebuilt at 100k miles because the synchros were worn out and I took that opportunity to install a new clutch to minimize future costs. Plus, they need fluid changes every 60k.

By contrast today's automatics have 150k mile service intervals, or beyond. I've seen guys go 300k miles without touching the auto trans (which I do not recommend, but it happens a LOT).

These must be all newer vehicles?
$4000 for a manual rebuild? 100k?? 300k on an auto??
Our local classified often have "repairable" vehicles on there that the auto is out therefore the vehicle is totaled.
Nice vehicles. Some auto's have crazy rebuild prices apparently.
I have 260k on a manual, and only put a clutch in it cuz the throwout bearing died. I've NEVER had an auto hit 200k without needing a rebuild.
Back in the road construction days of the 80's I drove some extremely clapped out manuals that were still on the job. Not gonna do that with an auto.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I know so many people who replace or rebuilt their automatic transmission not counting the one that have a slip or clonky shift... changing a clutch is a lot cheaper than an auto trans rebuilt.

 

[tradosaurus]

Traffic is also horrendous now, way worse than 10 and especially 20+ years ago.

Stop n Go traffic in large cities cured my of driving manuals.
Now with Full Self Driving in a Tesla I wouldn't want to go back to automatic or manual.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Manuals are not maintenance free. There are recommended fluid change intervals. And clutches are sure enough not maintenance free. They aren’t a fun replacement item.

Automatics are also not a fun replacement item. And a clutch is usually cheaper to reolace.

 

[jyoutz]

Automatics are also not a fun replacement item. And a clutch is usually cheaper to reolace.

True, but over the past 40 years I have never had to replace an automatic transmission, just change the fluid/filter. I have probably replaced 5 or 6 clutches on the 20+ vehicles I’ve owned. Always at around 100-125K miles.

 

[jyoutz]

When I was a kid I was forever replacing clutches...now that I've grown up I rarely if ever replace one... something has changed.

Mine always went out at around 100-125K miles. I do not ride clutches. I would assume that clutches have also improved over the years.

 

[masseyrider]

for the GT ? 7 weeks that much ??

Mid-May, Victoria Day long weekend.
She ain't your daddies old Chevelle.

 

[masseyrider]

True, but over the past 40 years I have never had to replace an automatic transmission, just change the fluid/filter. I have probably replaced 5 or 6 clutches on the 20+ vehicles I’ve owned. Always at around 100-125K miles.

As a young Andretti wanna be I cooked a fair number of automatics.
That happens when you get less than 5000 miles on a set of rear tires racing from light to light.
I've always been good on clutches, automotive and agricultural.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Mid-May, Victoria Day long weekend.
She ain't your daddies old Chevelle.

Yeah, I get that, but I just figure with the temperature you guys get down there the salt and grit is long gone by early May, no?