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RE: [RC] automatic vs. stick - Libby & Quentin Llop DVMJust drove 25 hrs. there and back with our stick shift. I would never get an automatic, because with a diesel when you run out of fuel there isn't enough battery to run the new fuel through and start the truck again. Considering that we ran out of fuel 3 times this trip, with an automatic we wouldn't be home yet. Libby -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 9:24 AM To: scottj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] automatic vs. stick As others have said, there is a lot of personal preference here, but I'll go to my grave driving stick shifts for five reasons--1) hills, 2) ice, 3) rough, rutty areas, 4) EXTREME towing situations, and 5) ease of planned stops using downshifting. With regard to hills, I can see the top of the thing, but my truck can't. If it is just a tiny way to the top and I want to ease it on over without shifting, I don't want the thing slamming into a downshift 50 feet before I hit the crest. But more importantly, if the thing is steep and long, I want to be able to keep it at higher RPMs at my own discretion without it shifting UP on an easier stretch. (Yeah, I know--you can put it into first or second on the automatic--but then what's the point of having an automatic?) Ice is the next one--I want to be able to finesse the rig along at low RPMs without ANY danger of it downshifting. On these river roads in the winter, that could well mean my life. Rutty, bumpy areas (crossing fields into ride camps, places around my house, etc.) are the next one--I want to be able to put it in low range low gear if need be and creep along at 1 mph. Extreme towing circumstances are the last reason--somewhat similar to the above. If I REALLY need the power, I can drop it into low range and tough out a steep spot with a big load, or finesse a gooseneck load of hay over a ditch, or whatever I need to do. Just don't have that option with an automatic. And number five--I can ease my way into a stop without using my brakes except for a tiny whisper at the end. You don't wreck your brakes, or overuse your trailer brakes this way, and personally, I think it's easier on the horses than the way many folks use brakes. Somebody mentioned hauling 28 hours there and back this past weekend and not being able to "hold up" with a stick shift--well, as another poster mentioned, once you hit the highway, you aren't shifting all that often. I likewise just did 20+ hours "there and back" this past weekend, and don't mind my stick shift at all. I used to do "marathon" hauls from central Oregon to Texas (2000 miles each way) regularly, and got them down to around 40 hours each way with a good long sleep at the turnaround point, and never had an issue with fatigue due to the stick shift. But if this is a real issue with you, then you are better off with an automatic. I would also consider an automatic if I had to fight stop lights for most of my driving--it may be hard on the tranny, but that's about the ONLY time I get bored with my stick shift. Heidi PS: I should mention mileage here as well--a GOOD driver with a stick shift can get better fuel mileage than you will get with an automatic--which is the reason why you can hardly buy an automatic anything in Europe, where fuel conservation is a far more major issue than it is here. But the flip side of that is that if you don't know how to use a stick shift efficiently, you may actually get worse mileage. So whether you want to save fuel by getting a stick shift or not depends on how much effort you want to put into how to use one well. ============================================================ When you ask a Quarter horse for something he says - Sure - and when you ask an Arab for something he says - Why? - ~ Heidi Smith ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ============================================================ There is no better way to see the world than from the back of a horse. ~ Teddy Roosevelt ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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