The advantage of stick shift

[Gliderman8]

You might want to add electric parking brakes to the list.... what's so hard about stepping on a pedal to set the brake?

 

[JPSmit]

If I were King, automatic transmissions (and air conditioning) would be outlawed.

And FWIW Doc, that doesn't even enter the top ten list of why I am glad you aren't king.

That said, all the cars in the family are currently stick - and the next ones will likely be automatic. Mostly 'cause stick in heavy traffic is a PITA. So is a car without AC even in Canada. When you live in a city like Toronto, stick just doesn't make much sense and let's face it, automatic is miles better than it used to be.

BUZZKILLER!

 

[sd80mac7204]

Why does an "electronic push button" parking brake sound like a bad idea?

 

[AngliaGT]

I was surprised when I realized that all of our vehicles,
except one,are stick shifts.The Dodge Dakota is an automatic,only
because I could find a used one in decent condition with a V6 & 5-
speed.
The Wife's car,a 2007 Ford Fusion,is a 5speed,which is pretty
unusual.

- Doug

 

[Deleted member 8987]

When I bought my current 1950 Ford Tudor in January of 1970, it had an anti-theft device.
There are interior lights....on "Custom" models, there are door switches, but all have a dash knob next to the ash tray. Pull it out, lights are on, push it in lights are off.
Some Bozo had mounted a spare one of these in the back of the glove box wall. Zip cord ran out along the wiring harness (and elsewhere) to the distributor, where the same Bozo had knocked a hole in the bottom of the distributor housing with a big punch. He cut out the flex wire to the breaker plate, connected the zip cord, one to the terminal, one to the points. Connected the rest to the back of the switch.

Get to the jobsite, open the glovebox and smack the maps....pushed the switch in, opened the circuit, there was no way to even hotwire the car.

 

[AngliaGT]

The other things that irritate me are daytime running lights,
& vehicles that come with bright driving lights that people are either
too arrogant to turn off,or can't be turned off.

- Doug

 

[JodyFKerr]

I agree Doug. I loathe automatic daytime running lights and any other "feature" designed to take my control of the vehicle away from me.

On the flip side I've been wanting auto manufacturers to put potentiometers on brake lights for years. I want to instantly know whether or not the twit ahead of me is standing on his brakes or just resting his foot there.

 

[Sherlock]

I agree Doug. I loathe automatic daytime running lights and any other "feature" designed to take my control of the vehicle away from me.

On the flip side I've been wanting auto manufacturers to put potentiometers on brake lights for years. I want to instantly know whether or not the twit ahead of me is standing on his brakes or just resting his foot there.

I come from where daytime running lights originated and I like it, finding it improves visibility of other cars coming toward me at all times of day... Is it now required in the States as well?

Standard transmission? The only thing I'll drive, I think it makes for a better driving experience overall, and thankfully most traffic here in Calgary is fairly light, not many people live here in hinterland...

But I'm so surprised by how few people I know don't know how, a friend of mine born and raised here (owned an Escort GT stick shift), married a European lady who refused to drive a stick shift, I found it ironic considering that stick shift would be the norm in her home country...

 

[Deleted member 8987]

You don't notice that most of the DRL's are so danged bright you can see the shadow of your head on the sun visor? Or, see the outline of your car on buildings? In broad daylight?
Have to dim the rearview mirror in daylight?
Or, so blinded at dusk in the sideviews when making a turn at a 4 way stop, you almost have to get out of the car to see if there are pedestrians?
Those DRL's?

 

[Sherlock]

You don't notice that most of the DRL's are so danged bright you can see the shadow of your head on the sun visor? Or, see the outline of your car on buildings? In broad daylight?
Have to dim the rearview mirror in daylight?
Or, so blinded at dusk in the sideviews when making a turn at a 4 way stop, you almost have to get out of the car to see if there are pedestrians?
Those DRL's?

Never really noticed actually, maybe it's because we've had it up here for so long, I believe it was 1987 or so when it was introduced here...

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Big difference between running with your low beams on or separate, non-adjustable, dilithium crystal retina burners.

 

[AngliaGT]

I would like to think that I'm smart enough to turn
on my headlights when needed - not ALL of the time.
And what can you do to disable them when you have a-
low battery?Or when you're parked,& don't need them?

- Doug

 

[Sherlock]

Fascinating... I've never thought twice about DRL's, they are just a fact of life and driving up here and it was in place before I even got my drivers license, here's the wikipedia entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp Under the Swedish entry it suggests that the lower daytime light levels in winter of the more northern areas (Canada certainly qualifies there) make it more desirable, of course that lower light level certainly doesn't exist in California...

 

[weewillie]

IMHO drl's are a great safety device when the other car is coming towards you, however what ticks me off is that in low light conditions these people who can see so well with them forget( or don't know) that their rear lights are not on. :hammer:

and on the original topic I drive an A4 wagon with tiptronic so I have the best of both worlds (even if it is an electronic shift) :banana:

 

[Opa]

And what can you do to disable them when you have a-
low battery?Or when you're parked,& don't need them?

- Doug
When the e brake indicator light on the dash is on,DRL'S are off.Most DRL's run on a reduced voltage,somewhere between 6 and 8 volts.Some vehcles the DRL's are wired through the signal lite circut so the headlight goes off when the signal light is activated.
The whole system can be deactivated by pulling the DRL relay at the fuse panel.Illegal around these parts though.
I also have two pick-ups, 05 Ford F150 and a 07 Dakota that are leased to a traffic control company. These trucks run 10-12 hours a day with flashing lights, sign board,four ways etc. so e brake must be set to kill headlights otherwise the charging system will not keep up to usage.

 

[sd80mac7204]

My car has a combination drl/auto headlight kill switch... I believe it is there because of the police set up in that car though.

 

[Opa]

Dakota on the job

 

[DART]

I believe DLR on the LBC is better than driving w/headlights on. Sometimes run parking lights to get a little red showing at the back.

Have auto headlight function on the SAAB that varies the light intensity according to amount of daylight and turns them off when "key" removed. I like it. But I like the Daimler, too, so that may say something bout my mental status.

 

[waltesefalcon]

I had no idea that new cars had electronic parking brakes. When did this happen? As for daytime driving lights, when they first came out here I would instinctively start to pull over to the side of the road to wait for the funeral to pass.

 

[Gray_Cat]

Spend some time in my neighborhood and you may rethink negative opinons about headlights that automatically come on -
It's WAY too typical to see people driving their cars in the dead of night with either only parking lights on, or no lights at all! I'm not speaking of bangers, or the like, but moms transporting kids etc. - and this includes freeway traffic. :shocked:
Now if there were some automatic way to make cars stop at stop signs/traffic signals but that's a rant for another day! :thumbsup: