re manual shift bigots in article c liw cax news rich bnr ca peon w o email eric youngblood writes in article qn lo c s vela acs oakland edu mje pookie pass wayne edu michael j edelman writes the big disadvantage of automatics is the hp they consume that never gets to the wheels in this respect they are at a disadvantage to a manual only when the torque converter is not locked up there are autos out there with converter lock up in nd rd and th gears dont forget that now that new speed manual trannys are available the drive train is more optimally geared to get the most out of the engine rare so are speed autos but very real bottom line is both manuals and automatics have vastly improved i think that automatics have advanced far more than manuals especially in shift intelligence i say that a smart automatic is better than the majority of drivers in terms of being in the right gear at the right time which to me is more important than torque converter losses i prefer the stick for fun and the auto for traffic who says you can t have your cake and eat it too a well designed shifter will easily facilitate manual clutchless shifts i am referring to the much copied mercedes jagged gate the only department where you lose out is in the number of ratios available and of course the converter losses if ayrton senna can drive a racecar with fully automatic transmission it can t be half bad eliot
