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[RC] [RC] automatic vs. stick - Jonni JewellWe went back to a stick when we got our 2001 Ford Powerstroke. I personally prefer having what I personally feel is more control of the gearing when towing a large load. (remember, this is one of those personal opinion things...no right or wrong answer as far as I'm concerned) BUT, the newer trucks have come leaps and bounds above the old ones in Automatic transmission durability for towing. I have driven a stick shift since I was a teen, and do feel capable of giving the animals in the trailer a smooth ride. Some people feel that stick shifts jerk the trailer ride more, and not as smooth as automatic transmissions. That indeed may be the case for some drivers. If you tow a lot in city traffic, the shifting gets old. But usually, we hit the highway fairly quick heading out with the horses, and don't do a heck of a lot of shifting until we exit again. Exceptions are on long or steep hills, where we may need to downshift. Some will say you will be replacing clutches with stick shifts, while others say towing with automatics burns out transmissions. Again, I think it is often user issues. Again, with the newer trucks, it seems the automatics are not as "fragile" as the ones on older trucks....but we still love our manual transmission, and would get another if this truck was still not so "new" to us! Jonni in TX ============================================================ REAL endurance is dressing for 20 degrees in the AM and by noon its 85 degrees! ~ Heidi Sowards ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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