Then take some air out. Nobody is forcing you to overinflate your tires.

 

uh when he says sensations... i think it means he likes it...^

 

I have to agree with all the reasons given so far.

*More fun to drive
*More control
*Overall, better FE(especially on the highway)
*Less weight(not sure if this has been given yet)
*Easier to work on.
*In the situation of damage/malfunction you can usually limp a manual home.
*Cheaper to repair/replace
*Another factor that I don't know if it's been addressed yet is anticipation.


What I mean by that is if I want to pass someone your brain knows this in advance and you can work the manual with far more ease, accuracy, and precision than an auto.

The only question is about reaction time. I would think a manual driver with resonable reaction times who is familiar with driving a manual will be able to react and adjust faster then a computer controlled automatic.

Mike

 

Why a manual? For me it's because I love to drive, not just sit it in a car like a lump. Having to shift makes it feel like I'm participating in the driving and not a passenger and I like the feeling of power (whether it's real or not, it *feels* good). All my cars have been manuals; RX-7, Celica, DelSol, MR2, except for my Insight. Unfortunately I couldn't find a manual and my husband occasionally drives it and he wanted an auto *sigh* I feel like an old lady driving an automatic trans, I almost fall asleep at the wheel it's so boring (and that has nothing to do with the car itself, any car with an auto is boring to me). I definitely miss a manual trans..... Hey anyone have some Geritol?

 

Beats me.....I swore to never buy another automatic when my eagle just wouldn't go one day, so I always bought manuals. But alas, the left leg "clutch-a-tosis" while stuck in endless, mindless gridlocked metro highway traffic swearing to never buy another manual, .... So alas, I went with the auto trans again to give my leg a break...(no pun intended)....really did break my left leg skiing so it's auto for me, unless I move to UK or Aussie....

Plus the number 1 reason to buy an auto trans.....

My wife........

 

For me, it's fun to drive until I fractured my left knee. After two weeks of driving an Accord V6 (auto), I switch back to my HCH. Now I use a stick to push the clutch. Talk about stick shift. :-)

Another thing I notice about MT, after 96,000 miles on my car, the front brakes still at 40% and rear at 45%.

 

Ralph

Not sure what you think will be different in UK, OZ, Japan or other right hand drive cars? We all rest the left leg in automatics!
Many years ago I drove a car with the gas pedal in the middle with brake to the right and clutch to the left. It was very novel!!

Nigel

 

ah, politics and religiion... i love these discussions, as y'all well know by now...

short story: me, in my '69 427 [7-liter for you kids out there] corvette; 3.08:1 rear axle, 390 hp, 390-ft-lbs of torque], driving to work one day on packed snow. gotta go up a hill, darn it. i slow down and go to first gear at the bottom of the hill, assuming the slow speed will help control of the car. wrong! 25mph in first: too much torque; fishtailing all over the place. 25 mph in second: same; 25 mph in third: SAME THING!; 25 mph in FOURTH gear, up the hill, straight and narrow, without fishtailing. probably couldn't do that with an automatic.

ah, but the fun.... tooling down route 202 near somerville, nj, three guys in a jacked-up mustang [the original] pull up next to me at 55 mph. the driver downshifts and they all look over and smile at me. i wave, smile, and downshift. i smile again, wave again, downshift AGAIN and pace them for about 100 feet. they frown. they can't downshift. i punch the gas and leave them behind in second gear, which has a shift at 70 mph.

ah, the fun....

then there's my '04 Prius. dang! can't buy it with a stick....
don't need to. it has all the shifting fun and does all the shifting thinking.

but remember, stick shifters, as i've said before: if you decide one day to stop shifting at high rpms, and do ALL of your upshifts at no more than about 2000-2500 rpm, you'll probably pick up at least 10% in fuel mileage.

happy motoring!

 

This answer has been given plenty, but really the data speaks for itself:

 

Thus the 'problem' with Honda's..... all of the fun is above 5000 rpm. Guess I am probably better off with the CVT whether I like it or not.