Why Manual Ferrari's Are Gone For Good

[gossy]

^^^ BUT, there is nothing like rowing your own gears and driving it home with precision ^^^

[78xcgxl]

Originally Posted by gossy

^^^ Why not??? ^^^

When i first received my licence i only wanted to drive manual and saw autos as rubbish (also unmanly) but as i learn from my mistakes and after driving my dad's 2014 G6E ecolpi i was blown away by how amazing autos really are. It changes gears 100 times faster than one can physically can do so in a manual vehicle, it always know what gear to be in and have instant power when you need it at any speed. Absolute peach and relaxing to drive. I have also driven a FG xr6 turbo ute and FGX XR8 all with autos again absolutely sensational.

Autos these days, are quicker, tow better, drive much better and even use less fuel. In my eyes i can't understand why one would want to give up on all these advancements in technology when buying a new car to get one with a manual transmission that has virtually stayed the same since being first invented. Not to mention the nightmare of driving a manual car everyday in traffic, that just becomes a difficult choir with no advantage in doing so.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by SumoDog68

Dual clutch automated shift gearboxes are very different beasts to torque converter transmissions . DSG is basically a manual box that eliminates driver from operating the clutch(es) . You still retain the manual gearbox feel and efficiency of direct mechanical connection between engine and driven wheels.
Torque converter transmissions are ( despite some really great ones nowadays) still a bit "doughy" in delivery . Ferrari ,Porsche and other manufacturers still maintain that manual feel with superfast shifts . I would class those as automated manual gearboxes rather than automatics.

Whilst Dual clutch automatics have had genuine reliability issues, I think the above characteristic is something that contributes to many of the complaints. Many are coming from "slushy" torque converter style auto's and are not used to the more direct feel of a DSG, they just don't have that complete smoothness.

[99AUXR]

Really depends on the quality of the DSG box...

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by 78xcgxl

Autos these days, are quicker, tow better, drive much better and even use less fuel. In my eyes i can't understand why one would want to give up on all these advancements in technology when buying a new car to get one with a manual transmission that has virtually stayed the same since being first invented. Not to mention the nightmare of driving a manual car everyday in traffic, that just becomes a difficult choir with no advantage in doing so.

There is no denying that modern autos are fantastic, but there is still that enjoyment you can get from a manual that you cannot from auto.

Problem is I don't always want that enjoyment and sometimes just want a nice relaxing drive, so I will always own an auto as a daily.

[MITCHAY]

I've never doubted the performance credentials of modern autos at all. They just don't feel the same to drive to people who like a H pattern and a clutch. There are some who like to pretend that a tiptronic is the same thing but it is not.

I have no doubt that one day I will have no choice but I will hold onto the manual option as long as I have it

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by gossy

^^^ BUT, there is nothing like rowing your own gears and driving it home with precision ^^^

Try using a 15spd Roadranger all day/night. Manual gearboxes loose their novelty real quick

[Sabantien]

Ferrari will be devastated to have lost the custom of the posters on here.

I must admit, I always went for manuals, and it was on my list when I bought my current car, but wasn't top priority. Sure, doing the gear changes can be fun, but I also found it tiresome in traffic. Now I have an auto, well, there's very few times I want to drive manual.

Very unlikely I'll ever be buying a Ferrari anyhow, so won't make much difference.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

I've never doubted the performance credentials of modern autos at all. They just don't feel the same to drive to people who like a H pattern and a clutch. There are some who like to pretend that a tiptronic is the same thing but it is not.

I have no doubt that one day I will have no choice but I will hold onto the manual option as long as I have it

Agree. I really enjoy driving my FG manual. Autos are for those who can't be bothered with gears and clutch and just want to steer and go. Drivers of autos don't have that direct connection with the car like real drivers have with manuals. Why do auto drivers keep crashing into shop fronts and other objects in carparks?

And why the big headline? It was well known that Ferrari ditched the manual completely some years ago.

[99AUXR]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Autos are for those who can't be bothered with gears and clutch and just want to steer and go. Drivers of autos don't have that direct connection with the car like real drivers have with manuals. Why do auto drivers keep crashing into shop fronts and other objects in carparks?

Ouch that hurts.

Brought car 2nd hand and manual F6 in NZ are rare as ****.

[furiousgibbon]

In a seriously high performance car like a GT3 or 488 I could quite easily live with a sequential gearbox. There is enough of an assault on your senses that you wouldn't miss the extra involvement of the third pedal and shifter.

My wife drives a DSG equipped car, it's quick, efficient, comfortable. It does the job, but it bores me even though it has decent performance.

One of my favorite things to do in my manual F6 is drop from 6th straight to 3rd on the freeway, bring the revs up with a stab of the throttle and then nail it. So satisfying. The same process with the DSG is to click a little plastic paddle 3 times, wait a bit for it to drop through each gear, check the dashboard to make sure it's actually registered all 3 clicks, then nail it. It's like comparing the final moment in sexy time to having a yerk in a banana peel. End result is the same, one of them might even take less time, how you got there though...

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by gossy

^^^ BUT, there is nothing like rowing your own gears and driving it home with precision ^^^

True, but you don't need a $500,000 car to do that, and if the manual is going to decrease your performance, then it seems to be counterproductive to get the manual in a performance car.

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Agree. I really enjoy driving my FG manual. Autos are for those who can't be bothered with gears and clutch and just want to steer and go. Drivers of autos don't have that direct connection with the car like real drivers have with manuals. Why do auto drivers keep crashing into shop fronts and other objects in carparks?

And why the big headline? It was well known that Ferrari ditched the manual completely some years ago.

My 17-year-old self (in 1997) said to tell you he agrees with you 100%. My 35-year-old self says it's 2015 and we are not comparing 6-speed manuals to 4-speed automatics anymore. Also your last point about auto drivers having more accidents, it couldn't possibly be the fact that 99% of the cars on the roads are automatics, could it?

[Franco Cozzo]

I'm a manual fan boy buy with my project EF I'm going to leave it as auto as its better for spooling up turbos compared to manual cars.

[XR Martin]

Gated shifter or nothing.

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The problem with DSG gearbox applications isn't just the stigma associated with the colossal failures of the VW unit.

I wonder how much comes from people using DSG as a catch all label when it is only the VW name

[kato2]

Originally Posted by Sioso

My dream car has always been an NA flat 6 911 with a manual box and these won't exist after March 2016.........very sad.

Not nearly as sad as the missing Falcon line up...what will we do?

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The problem with DSG gearbox applications isn't just the stigma associated with the colossal failures of the VW unit. Even a well built one will wear and need replacing at some point. At this point, a reco isn't possible because no one carries spare parts for them. They were designed as a throwaway item when it crapped out. If a transmission shop went to the trouble of buying several complete DSG boxes for the purpose of dismantling them for parts, the labour would be too cost prohibitive (both the disassembly and remanufacture of the customers box).

Meh, sign of the times, nothing more.

I don't think too many gearbox shops have reco ZF 6 speed sitting the shelf ready to go. From what I've read they don't get rebuilt.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by chevypower

My 35-year-old self says it's 2015 and we are not comparing 6-speed manuals to 4-speed automatics anymore. Also your last point about auto drivers having more accidents, it couldn't possibly be the fact that 99% of the cars on the roads are automatics, could it?

Another car page I am on has a massive manual following, which is all good. But half the manual fan boys have never driven a modern auto and seam to think autos are slow at changing, clunky and always in the wrong gear. Most autos built in the last 10 years don't have those problems.
Funniest one I read yesterday was someone saying auto gearboxes cause unintended acceleration which damages the engine. Lol wtf.

Combine that attitude with half of them thinking because they can drive manual they have some special skill, a lot they have big egos and the comments section has some big arguments.

[Adamz Ghia]

I like the comments that say only manual drivers are real drivers. Give me a break. I'm an auto fan, always have been. To say because I don't enjoy shifting the gears myself I'm not a real driver is so brain dead it's funny.

The lack of a clutch didn't stop me avoiding a kangaroo that hopped right in front of me, didn't stop me recovering the car after hitting black ice, and it didn't stop me from saving myself after I was forced off the side of the road at 100km/h. I'm not a perfect driver by any stretch but having a clue behind the wheel is far more important than shifting your own gears.

[Carrion]

All cars should be manual now days.

It would help prevent this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4y_JuCceBA

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Carrion

All cars should be manual now days.

It would help prevent this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4y_JuCceBA

No it wouldn't, Trust me.

The worst driver I know has only ever owned manual and I have seen him pull his phone out while driving.
He is just an all round useless driver. No idea how he hasn't crashed yet. He has told me about some of his close calls though.

Plus that ad is pretty bad. Worse than the pinkie one.

[Cheese3]

Originally Posted by 78xcgxl

Autos these days, are quicker, tow better, drive much better and even use less fuel. In my eyes i can't understand why one would want to give up on all these advancements in technology when buying a new car to get one with a manual transmission that has virtually stayed the same since being first invented. Not to mention the nightmare of driving a manual car everyday in traffic, that just becomes a difficult choir with no advantage in doing so.

Biggest cop out when people mention traffic + manual = nightmare, it becomes second nature when owning a manual you don't even notice it. People who complain about traffic don't know how to drive a manual properly.

I bought a new Fiesta ST this year and I won't be going back to a auto again unless I lose a leg, my last auto was a TL50 and I would of had a manual if they made them in fairlanes. The ST would be lackluster and lifeless if it was paired with an auto, there is a reason why the Fiesta ST is still the benchmark in hot hatches because it's so engaging also VW have reintroduced the manual after many years of autos only. I get 7L per 100 out of my ST and a guy at work who has a 3 cylinder ecoboost fiesta uses more fuel than me, so their goes your assumption on that.

In my eyes the only people who drive autos are the lazy people of society that never had the privilege to learn properly on how to drive a manual.

[Express]

I’ve owned manuals since I got a licence and also don’t see them as a bad thing in traffic.

Sure back when I started driving in the 70’s the clutches in some V8’s where as heavy as and splitting gears was a regular occurrence which could make them a cow at times to drive in traffic but these days with soft clutches and girlie easy shifts they pose no problem at all.

Though to be fair I will concede that an auto by the sheer fact you just steer, brake and accelerate is easier when it comes to stop and start driving but that doesn’t mean a manual is hard to use, just a different thought process.

Apart from that I do understand why manufacturers are leaving them behind if the sales don’t warrant the cost of R&D, the quicker performance is just a bonus to sell them to the public.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Meh, sign of the times, nothing more.

I don't think too many gearbox shops have reco ZF 6 speed sitting the shelf ready to go. From what I've read they don't get rebuilt.

There are several auto trans shops that have rebuilt ZF's by the dozen sitting on their shelves. The cabbies running later FG's have necessitated a drive in, drive out service.

[78xcgxl]

Originally Posted by Cheese3

Biggest cop out when people mention traffic + manual = nightmare, it becomes second nature when owning a manual you don't even notice it. People who complain about traffic don't know how to drive a manual properly.

I bought a new Fiesta ST this year and I won't be going back to a auto again unless I lose a leg, my last auto was a TL50 and I would of had a manual if they made them in fairlanes. The ST would be lackluster and lifeless if it was paired with an auto, there is a reason why the Fiesta ST is still the benchmark in hot hatches because it's so engaging also VW have reintroduced the manual after many years of autos only. I get 7L per 100 out of my ST and a guy at work who has a 3 cylinder ecoboost fiesta uses more fuel than me, so their goes your assumption on that.

In my eyes the only people who drive autos are the lazy people of society that never had the privilege to learn properly on how to drive a manual.

Hahah....... yeah ok so i don't know how to drive manual that's the problem.

I'm sorry but i don't find pleasure in shifting into first and back into neutral 500 times stuck in stop-start traffic after a hard days work and all I'm wanting to do is go home and relax. Yes novelty of driving manual everyday for 1year and half has worn off quick. I understand those who have only driven manual and never an auto in terms of not noticing it (as they don't know any better) but after i drive an auto car instead of my daily manual ute home, you can actually relax and not have another workout after a 9 hour day at work.

[ebxr8240]

Modern auto's can be driven in manual if you wanted..
Comparing manuals to auto's in a Ferrari is possibly nothing any of you keyboard warriors have ever done..

[Cheese3]

Originally Posted by 78xcgxl

Hahah....... yeah ok so i don't know how to drive manual that's the problem.

I'm sorry but i don't find pleasure in shifting into first and back into neutral 500 times stuck in stop-start traffic after a hard days work and all I'm wanting to do is go home and relax. Yes novelty of driving manual everyday for 1year and half has worn off quick. I understand those who have only driven manual and never an auto in terms of not noticing it (as they don't know any better) but after i drive an auto car instead of my daily manual ute home, you can actually relax and not have another workout after a 9 hour day at work.

You just reaffirmed what I said you are just lazy. It's not a novelty when changing gears become second nature, I don't even notice that I'm changing gears in Melbourne peak hour traffic. Manual is relaxing as it's enjoyable for me to do it.

If you want a lesson or two on how to drive manual I'm more than willing to teach you.

[stig_3754]

Originally Posted by 78xcgxl

Hahah....... yeah ok so i don't know how to drive manual that's the problem.

I'm sorry but i don't find pleasure in shifting into first and back into neutral 500 times stuck in stop-start traffic after a hard days work and all I'm wanting to do is go home and relax. Yes novelty of driving manual everyday for 1year and half has worn off quick. I understand those who have only driven manual and never an auto in terms of not noticing it (as they don't know any better) but after i drive an auto car instead of my daily manual ute home, you can actually relax and not have another workout after a 9 hour day at work.

I was an auto driver for the first 12 years of my driving life, then switched to manual as the car I wanted at the time wasn't available in auto. 5 years on and I can't see myself going back to auto, and yes that's with daily commute in Melbourne peak hour traffic.

[Silver Ghia]

After driving my AU Fairmont and BA Ghia for 10 years much of it in Melbourne city peak hour traffic, my left leg was getting very restless and feeling dead from non use. I longed to go back to manual and after purchasing my manual XR50, I actually enjoyed the drive more. I automatically concentrated more on anticipating the traffic ahead and around me because you need to with gears. Keeping my mind more active. Not a burden at all changing gears in stop start traffic, anticipating the traffic flow ahead. Which many drivers generally don't do all that well.

And the 'manual' mode was of no benefit to me when I had my Ghia, nothing like a true manual transmission which gives a much better connection to the car. I hardly used that feature.

[stig_3754]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

After driving my AU Fairmont and BA Ghia for 10 years much of it in Melbourne city peak hour traffic, my left leg was getting very restless and feeling dead from non use. I longed to go back to manual and after purchasing my manual XR50, I actually enjoyed the drive more. I automatically concentrated more on anticipating the traffic ahead and around me because you need to with gears. Keeping my mind more active. Not a burden at all changing gears in stop start traffic, anticipating the traffic flow ahead. Which many drivers generally don't do all that well.

And the 'manual' mode was of no benefit to me when I had my Ghia, nothing like a true manual transmission which gives a much better connection to the car. I hardly used that feature.

Agreed. Speaking of novelty, nothing more novelty than 'manual mode' in an auto car. I used it for about 1 week when I had it then can't remember ever using it again.