The Truth About Cars: "Three Pedal Fugue in A Minor&quo

[BlaRo]

The Truth About Cars puts out some great, although cynical, articles on cars, car reviews, and the GM Death Watch, but today they've really outdone themselves. I thought this article was utterly brilliant. Epitomizes almost everything I love about cars and driving. I want a manual car desperately now.

Three Pedal Fugue in A Major
By C Douglas Weir
July 7th, 2006 1,849 Views

22.jpgThere has been a little throw-down among the TTAC writers of late regarding the benefits of the DSG paddle shift transmission vis-à-vis the gold-standard fully synchronized five, and six-speed marvels of metallurgy, casting and machining. I have to conclude that some folks just can’t master the manual shift manipulations to the point of self-satisfaction. Well, I can’t play guitar by ear, so I like those electronic effects that help cover up my musical shortcomings. But Chet Atkins and Van Halen like straight axes. So what’s up with all the happy talk about automatics?

So neophytes can’t shift or clutch properly, but they can flick those little shifter paddles– letting the computers match all the moving parts– and feel manly and proud. Well those who have spent a lifetime distilling the purity of driveline harmonics will always enjoy more of the real essence of driving. Computerized shifts all feel and sound synthetically perfect and uniform. But a maestro working the loud pedal, clutch and shifter does more than drive; he expresses individuality and emotion. Think electronic drum machine vs. Buddy Rich.

If you don’t quite get the value of this automotive self-expression thing, let’s start with the typical launch. All that is required is a good clutch, accurate throttle and some decent hardened steel pipes. OK; feeling a little down? Go for a low-rev clutch-drop. The engine bogs down slightly until it catches and runs up to the first shift point. A longish idling pause while snatching second continues the melancholy mood. The slow second gear climb-out extends the dark, minor-chord. All who hear intuitively understand the underlying color, whether or not they realize it.

Excited? Hurried? Joyful? Then it’s a high-revving slip-clutch launch for you. Spin the clutch facings a bit, then the [hopefully rear] tires. When the traction finally locks-in at a few thousand revs, quick shift to second and upwards. You have just performed the rapidamente movement of a concerto. Light, frolicking, and gleeful. O happy day! The fortissimo roll out, on the other hand… We’re talking a hammer-down, barking and staccato assault; an unmistakable musical notation that leads the listener to expect a crescendo of speed and fury.

Then there are the shift nuances. Remember: computers don’t have emotions. Their mission is perfection in all things. But this aria is human. Are the shifts over-revving, clutch stabbing locked-down-throttle wailings? Or are they blipped, measured and even? Maybe there are uneven runs– long in second, short in third, matched in fourth and fifth—signifying indecision and doubt. You are weaving an aural story as you drive, synchronizing man and machine, reacting to the environment, mastering Mother Nature through your own unique animal nature.

Finally, the downshifts. Does a slow turn end in a boggy fade-away or a two-gear drop and run? Insight? You bet! Coming to a stop, and nothing until a second or first gear catch… a little bored maybe? Or is there a focused grouping all the way down through each gear? Even some double clutching and blipping? That’s a high energy player there. And when everything tightens up with higher and higher pitch at the end of a gearing-down halt, it’s simply voicing the angst felt at the end of speed and forward progress. But sometimes there is the sound of total surrender: the clutch-in coast-down to a full stop. Maybe you’ll feel better tomorrow.

The modern car is more than its parts. It’s an instrument. The designers and engineers create the musical score. The suspension comprises the percussion section. The aero is the woodwinds. The exhaust the brass. The engine plays the melody while you conduct. The steering wheel is your baton. The clutch and shifter set the tempo, while your throttling raises and lowers the orchestral dynamics. Hushed here, hell raising there, you throw your head back and celebrate all that is sound, vibration and movement like a true conductor.

My point is this: when you want to DRIVE, when you want to fully experience all that hurling large amounts of shaking and slamming metal and shape-shifting rubber encompasses, if you want to stand in front of the orchestra and feel it respond to your every whim, you have to take the baton and lead with your soul. Commuter cars not withstanding, when you get your Cayman S, your Corvette Z06, Stradivarius Lotus Elise, or any really drivey road rocket, if you check the automatic box on the spec sheet you are robbing yourself of the thrill of being master, commander, large and in charge. Your Song will not Remain the Same (apologies to Led Zeppelin).

So suffer a bad shift. Kill the motor (preferably at a busy intersection). Miss a gear. Hit the limiter. Laugh at your foibles. Have fun. Modern love is not automatic.

Link here

What do you think?

[SL65]

I thought that was a brilliant article, thanks for sharing The Truth About Cars is a great site, I've always valued their articles and their roadtests.

The modern car is more than its parts. It’s an instrument. The designers and engineers create the musical score. The suspension comprises the percussion section. The aero is the woodwinds. The exhaust the brass. The engine plays the melody while you conduct. The steering wheel is your baton. The clutch and shifter set the tempo, while your throttling raises and lowers the orchestral dynamics. Hushed here, hell raising there, you throw your head back and celebrate all that is sound, vibration and movement like a true conductor.

Haha thats friggin' awesome You might get bashed up if you say that aloud next to people who don't like cars but meh...

I must confess though - I got a tad lost here

If you don’t quite get the value of this automotive self-expression thing, let’s start with the typical launch. All that is required is a good clutch, accurate throttle and some decent hardened steel pipes. OK; feeling a little down? Go for a low-rev clutch-drop. The engine bogs down slightly until it catches and runs up to the first shift point. A longish idling pause while snatching second continues the melancholy mood. The slow second gear climb-out extends the dark, minor-chord. All who hear intuitively understand the underlying color, whether or not they realize it.

I've been driving for only 6-months and I'm yet to drive a proper manual so I'm in the dark when it comes to all this stuff.


Anyways - I am basically growing up and starting off with the tiptronics whereas most of you that are older than me would have learnt on a manual. I've said before, I like some tiptronics and I love the technology the DSG's offer. It wouldn't give you the same 'driver involvement' as the manuals but I like the simplicity of it. But I'll definately be driving a manual within the next 6-months so I'm licenced to drive a manual.

[fbc]

Brilliant article - long live the manual gearbox

I don't care how good autos / SMG's / DSG's / flappy-paddles etc become, they'll *never* surpass a manual in the ways that really matter.

[watto]

Manual drivers shall inherit the earth. When I see a high end sports/super car with an auto, I cringe and think 'You could have so much more fun'

Who cares if the auto 997 Turbo is faster than the manual? Get the manual, become involved in the cars inner-workings. Tell the car what to do, YOU be the boss.

My car (Mk III Golf CL) might not be fast but it's an absolute hoot with the 5-sp manual, keeping the revs up, zipping through traffic. I hate to think how boring my life would be without the manual gearbox.

[jayhawk]

That article summed up the reason why I only own cars with manuals.

BlaRo, pursue that dream, make sure you do not comprimise. After you learn the basics, you can then learn advanced techniques like rev matching and heel and toe downshifting. After alot of practice (and still learning!) I can downshift through 4th, 3rd and 2nd in about a second per shift or less.

Nothing brings more satisfaction than a 2 gear downshift at a tight corner. I'll try to describe it: Foot on the brake, the side of my foot blipping the throttle the same time I press in the clutch....Whoooom!.....a quick one into 3rd....Whoooom!....rev this one a little higher for 2nd gear....Hold the brake towards the apex, roll into the throttle at the apex and drift out, the engine singing itself to its redline, I shift into third and pursue the next corner.

[YF19pilot]

After learning how to drive stick, I've never wanted to go back to an automatic. The fact that I can have that much more control over my car, it makes me feel that I know what my car is going to do before it does. Also, owning a proper stick forces on to focus on the road even more. Cell phone? Sorry, both hands busy. Not to mention you constantly have to read your engine and the traffic, to find the gear that's right for the traffic.


And when there isn't any traffic, you through caution to the wind, and sound the trumpets of speed!


Though I have to go one step further. I learned to drive stick without the benefit of a tachometer. The first manual car I bought didn't have a tachometer. And now, not only does my Volvo have a tachometer, it also has a shift light. One that I tend to ignore...

[un-dee]

Originally Posted by SL65AMG~V12~612BHP!!!!!!!

Anyways - I am basically growing up and starting off with the tiptronics whereas most of you that are older than me would have learnt on a manual. I've said before, I like some tiptronics and I love the technology the DSG's offer. It wouldn't give you the same 'driver involvement' as the manuals but I like the simplicity of it. But I'll definately be driving a manual within the next 6-months so I'm licenced to drive a manual.

Where you live maybe. Here in Europe only a manual is offered for most of the cars. And I think its good that way, you only need auto boxes for cruisers like a 7-series and S-class and track-oriented supercars where every millisecond counts. In all other cars it's just a waste.

[jayhawk]

Well, heres the counter point by someone whom I am thinking is unable to drive a car with a manual tranny.

Death to The Stick Shift
By Bob Elton
November 23rd, 2004 3,288 Views

Another stick shift car bites the dust (and gets a free shower) Check out the standard features on the latest automotive delicacy. Electronic engine controls? Check. Variable valve timing? Check. Throttle by wire? Anti-lock brakes? Speed-variable power steering? Electronic stability system? All-wheel drive? HID headlights? Air bags, front and side? Check, check and double check. Archaic system of transferring engine power to the wheels requiring the use of 2 feet, 3 pedals, both hands, visual, aural and fine motor coordination to operate the car? Yep, got that too.

Of course, the last feature is actually a traditional manual transmission and clutch. It seems that engineering progress has reached everywhere in the enthusiast's car except for the footwell. Today's manual clutch is the same antiquated system that's been around for the last 100 years, and it's a fundamentally unsafe way to control a car.

Driver distraction is a real bitch.Driver distraction is one of the major causes of vehicle accidents. According to a 2001 national survey conducted by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), roughly 25% of all fatal automobile accidents are caused by driver inattention. Although this research didn't examine the role of the manual transmission, its potential risks are patently obvious. Operating a manual transmission is an inherently difficult and dangerous procedure…

To start from standstill, the driver must coordinate both feet, using the right foot to bring up the engine speed and the left foot to slowly engage the clutch. At the same time, he has to judge the engine speed to anticipate the change to another gear. This he does aurally (listening to the revs) or visually (watching the tachometer). Listening to the engine can distract the driver from important auditory stimuli (e.g. approaching emergency vehicles), while watching the tachometer removes his eyes from the road. At the same time, neither foot is available for instantaneous braking.

A skinned Mercedes CLK automatic transmission. That's better!Once underway, the dance of the feet begins anew– except now the driver must use his or her right hand to move the shift lever in coordination with his or her feet. The lack of a foot available for the brake pedal is even more critical since the car is now moving faster, and the driver is now steering with one hand.

Consider that this has to happen five or six times just to get to cruising speed, requiring driver concentration at some level. The amount of distraction caused by downshifting, shifting while turning a corner, and so on is even greater. Heaven help the chicken that decides to cross the road in front of a driver using a manual transmission.

VW's brilliant DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) gives drivers the best of both worlds-- except one of those worlds is still dysfunctional.Contrast this process with the fine art of driving an automatic transmission. The driver slips the shifter into drive and presses the accelerator. He's free to carve a corner without reacting to changes in vehicle speed or conditions by removing his right foot from the gas pedal. The transmission's electronic control system monitors the vehicle's speed, lateral and longitudinal acceleration; the steering wheel position and acceleration; and changes gear ratios accordingly.

Stick shift sticklers often defend their archaic rituals by arguing that manual transmissions are more fuel-efficient. Not so. While EPA numbers occasionally favor manual versions of a particular car, the comparison is skewed by the testing process, differences in gear ratios, engine tuning and vehicle option content. In real-world operation, manual cars never get mileage as good as a comparable automatic. The manual's mechanical efficiency advantage is always lost because drivers never shift optimally for efficiency. Engines are invariably over-revved, either through ignorance or the pursuit of aural pleasure. A properly sorted automatic is always in the correct gear, never makes a mistake, and demands infinitely less attention from the driver.

Why do enthusiasts cling to manuals when the safety and efficiency drawbacks are so obvious, and the alternative automatic transmission so well developed? Sometimes it's ignorance. Many enthusiasts have never driven a car equipped with a state-of-the-art automatic transmission, complete with electronics that adapt to the sporting driver's shifting preferences. More often the attitude is rooted deep in the car enthusiast's psyche: 'I want to be in control' or 'It connects me more intimately with the car'. Strip away the human vs. mechanical rationale and Zen posturing and all that remains is simple, willful resistance to change and progress.

The manually shifted automatic transmission seems to offer a compromise solution. These systems give enthusiast drivers the option of overriding the automatic function with either a separate gate to manipulate the transmission's logic circuit, or paddle shifters that ape the controls of a Formula One car. It's a logical "cake and eat it too" solution.

Though admirably sophisticated, the combined manual - automatic transmission is a technological dead-end. By the middle of the last century, many American automobiles used variations of the semi-automatic transmission. None survived the development of the automatic transmission, for four good reasons: safety, reliability, driving pleasure and, above all, common sense.

[un-dee]

Thats nothing more than intellectual masturbation of the writer. He doesn't even notice how stupid it is.

Manuals causing accidents... yeah, right...

If you drive an automatic you still brake with your right foot (maybe he does it with both?!?) and a manual does give you a better fuel economy if you know how to drive with it.

He makes this sound as if you have to think about every single shift, concentrating hard. The fact is that you do all these shifts without doing any thinking, you just do it when its the right time. That's what driving school is for...

*shakes head*

[Dins]

that article is brilliant. especially this part:

"If you don’t quite get the value of this automotive self-expression thing, let’s start with the typical launch. All that is required is a good clutch, accurate throttle and some decent hardened steel pipes. OK; feeling a little down? Go for a low-rev clutch-drop. The engine bogs down slightly until it catches and runs up to the first shift point. A longish idling pause while snatching second continues the melancholy mood. The slow second gear climb-out extends the dark, minor-chord. All who hear intuitively understand the underlying color, whether or not they realize it."

it's bang on. it's really like your soul is speaking through the way you shift. fantastic

[96vtec]

Written with true passion... absolutely fantastic... If you are a true driver, drive a manual with true passion, you understand everything thats written in that article. those who dont, havnt, or never have been good driving a manual will NEVER understand.

The counter article ??? Where did this kid come from? Manuals cause accidents? Go back to your Powerwheels Jr. Those who drive manual do it passively, without thought. Drive a manual with the deft touch, being able to feel the car, what its doing, and how it is. How many times do i climb into someone elses car and notice things they never have. Wake up and find some passion.

[jayjaya29]

I TTAC so much.

I don't know how to drive a stick....yet.

[fbc]

That counter-point article is hilarious, how someone can be so wrong is truly amazing - though I'm worried if the author is actually in control of a car somewhere...

[Peter3hg]

What a dick the writer of that counter-article is. I have so far only had 13 lessons driving (about 7 hours all in all) and I don't need to listen to the engine or look at the tacho to set off. You just feel the bite point and your away. And has he ever heard of engine braking which is basically impossible in an auto.
I really can't buy manuals being dangerous at all. I would think more accidents involve autos because they are normally driven by rich shits and their wives who can't drive properly (I'm talking about the UK here)

[Raven18940]

That's a good read. Reminds me of teaching my friend to drive stick, he kept stalling and I told him he had to move both feet...at once...in a cooridnated fashion, and he said, "Whaaaaaaat? forget this."

Originally Posted by fbc

That counter-point article is hilarious, how someone can be so wrong is truly amazing - though I'm worried if the author is actually in control of a car somewhere...

My thoughts exactly, somewhere he's driving...with his brake lights on constantly cause he has his left foot on the brake.

Originally Posted by jayjaya29

I don't know how to drive a stick....yet.

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by jayjaya29

I TTAC so much.

I don't know how to drive a stick....yet.

It's easy, Clutch in, put it in 3rd (gives a nice smell), apply about 55% throttle, slowly let clutch out. Or you can do what I do, clutch in, bounce of rev limiter, slip into 1st gear, pull foot off clutch as quickly as possible. Cops love this

If you don’t quite get the value of this automotive self-expression thing, let’s start with the typical launch. All that is required is a good clutch, accurate throttle and some decent hardened steel pipes. OK; feeling a little down? Go for a low-rev clutch-drop. The engine bogs down slightly until it catches and runs up to the first shift point. A longish idling pause while snatching second continues the melancholy mood. The slow second gear climb-out extends the dark, minor-chord. All who hear intuitively understand the underlying color, whether or not they realize it.

Slightly OT:
This also explains why Drag racing is not as pointless and stupid as many people (on here) like to make it out to be.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally Posted by thedguy

Slightly OT:
This also explains why Drag racing is not as pointless and stupid as many people (on here) like to make it out to be.

The only people who consider drag racing pointless and stupid are the ones who are too stupid to understand the work and passion that drag racers put into their art.

[Raven18940]

Originally Posted by BerserkerCatSplat

The only people who consider drag racing pointless and stupid are the ones who are too stupid to understand the work and passion that drag racers put into their art.

*nods* I thought it was a little lame til I actually tried it. Nailing a launch isn't that difficult, but when that tree starts lighting up everything goes out the window. So hard to get right run after run.