Manual Vs Automatic
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So everybody always says that manual transmission is much better than the automatic when driving in sand. Of the 6 times that i have been in the sand, 5 of them have been in a manual wrangler. Last week i was in an automatic nissan patrol and besides the drive feeling much smoother, it was a relief not having to restart my car every so often.
So is this a common thing with manual wranglers that when taking of (either in 1st or reverse gear), the engine keeps shutting down. Now of course to compensate the engine shutting down you press on the accelerator more while releasing the clutch, which doesnt help if you are trying get ‘un-stuck’, as it is going to spin your wheels more and get you ‘more stuck’. Also dont you run the risk of burning out your clutch?
Or is it that am i not getting some basic simple principle? iv read quite a few forums to find a solution to this but nobody seems to have experienced this problem?
Satyen, you are fairly new to the off road world. Hence, you are experiencing this problem. Give it a couple of more drives, keep driving the Wrangler and you shall get used to the manual as well. Obviously, the ride quality of the Nissan Patrol and behavior in the sand is gonna be much much better than the Wrangler. I prefer the Land Cruiser over any other car because it does no drama. Wrangler is famous for all it’s drama and that’s why the Wrangler lovers buy it.
There are actually pros and cons for both automatic and manual transmission, and the actual choice is basically one of personal preference.
Although Auto transmission offers smoother gear changes and less shift shock…there are several distinct disadvantages too…
If one is driving for lengthy sections in soft sand, The Automatic Transmission oil may overheat…which may lead to the transmission failure, if one does not immediately stop and let the transmission oil cool down.
Fuel consumption is always higher in Auto transmissions.
It is impossible to push start an Automatic if the battery is flat and jump leads are not available.
There is also the danger from lack of engine braking when tackling steep gradients.
The Manual transmission offers a greater degree of driver control when off Roading and one can control the car’s behaviour more precisely if one knows the torque curve of one’s engine, it just needs more skill to change gears fast…on a snatch…or the car may stall and get stuck.
A manual is definitely more useful if one is trying to self recover by the forward and backward technique and by controlling the gears one can make sure that the wheels do not spin…which will inevitably dig the car in deeper.
The only caution when driving with a Manual transmission is not to ride the clutch…which will simply burn the clutch plates and render the vehicle useless…perhaps, in the middle of nowhere.
So…my personal vote… obviously goes to the Manual transmission!!!
iv read in some blogs that in 4lo you can start the car without having the clutch depressed. only i have tried it and nothing happens.
The gear ratio of Nissan Patrol is very short. so if you are climbing a big dunes with a good pace you need to have a good ratio.Similarly the ratio of wrangler is much better than patrol in desert.As i know the petrol consumption of Nissan patrol 4.5 is not good due to gear ratio is too short so thats why rpm moves very fastly than other 4 wheel drives..no doubt that Nissan patrol is having good enough power..but still jeep wrangler is completely different than other SUV,s..I drove both Wrangler And Patrol but i saw a huge difference b/w both 4WD,s…if you are interested only for a desert toy then wrangler is best…Patrol 4.8 vtc is far better than 4.5..This is all what my observation says…
Cheers..
quote Ahmed Pervez:There are actually pros and cons for both automatic and manual transmission, and the actual choice is basically one of personal preference.
Although Auto transmission offers smoother gear changes and less shift shock…there are several distinct disadvantages too…
If one is driving for lengthy sections in soft sand, The Automatic Transmission oil may overheat…which may lead to the transmission failure, if one does not immediately stop and let the transmission oil cool down.
Fuel consumption is always higher in Auto transmissions.
It is impossible to push start an Automatic if the battery is flat and jump leads are not available.
There is also the danger from lack of engine braking when tackling steep gradients.
The Manual transmission offers a greater degree of driver control when off Roading and one can control the car’s behaviour more precisely if one knows the torque curve of one’s engine, it just needs more skill to change gears fast…on a snatch…or the car may stall and get stuck.
A manual is definitely more useful if one is trying to self recover by the forward and backward technique and by controlling the gears one can make sure that the wheels do not spin…which will inevitable dig the car in deeper.
The only caution when driving with a Manual transmission is not to ride the clutch…which will simply burn the clutch plates and render the vehicle useless…perhaps, in the middle of nowhere.
So…my personal vote… obviously goes to the Manual transmission!!!+1
quote Ahmed Pervez:The only caution when driving with a Manual transmission is not to ride the clutch…which will simply burn the clutch plates and render the vehicle useless…perhaps, in the middle of nowhere.any specific suggestions or tips on how to drive without riding the clutch? my biggest fear is not popping a tire – its burning my clutch!
quote satyen:quote Ahmed Pervez:The only caution when driving with a Manual transmission is not to ride the clutch…which will simply burn the clutch plates and render the vehicle useless…perhaps, in the middle of nowhere.any specific suggestions or tips on how to drive without riding the clutch? my biggest fear is not popping a tire – its burning my clutch!
Simple…use the clutch ONLY when changing the gear….otherwise…just let it be…
quote hashidada:quote Ahmed Pervez:There are actually pros and cons for both automatic and manual transmission, and the actual choice is basically one of personal preference.
Although Auto transmission offers smoother gear changes and less shift shock…there are several distinct disadvantages too…
If one is driving for lengthy sections in soft sand, The Automatic Transmission oil may overheat…which may lead to the transmission failure, if one does not immediately stop and let the transmission oil cool down.
Fuel consumption is always higher in Auto transmissions.
It is impossible to push start an Automatic if the battery is flat and jump leads are not available.
There is also the danger from lack of engine braking when tackling steep gradients.
The Manual transmission offers a greater degree of driver control when off Roading and one can control the car’s behaviour more precisely if one knows the torque curve of one’s engine, it just needs more skill to change gears fast…on a snatch…or the car may stall and get stuck.
A manual is definitely more useful if one is trying to self recover by the forward and backward technique and by controlling the gears one can make sure that the wheels do not spin…which will inevitable dig the car in deeper.
The only caution when driving with a Manual transmission is not to ride the clutch…which will simply burn the clutch plates and render the vehicle useless…perhaps, in the middle of nowhere.
So…my personal vote… obviously goes to the Manual transmission!!!+2
Just give couple of drives like 10 to 15 and you will have all answers..
quote khshareef:Just give couple of drives like 10 to 15 and you will have all answers..I have seen people burn their clutch on their 100th drive. And I have seen people breeze through the learning phase on a manual without a problem. It’s always a good idea to discuss 😉
Although the automatic of a TJ wrangler is made of concrete and will not die on you it does have the tendency to warm up the coolant quite a bit during desert drives (an experience I have been able to share with many of you on many a drive). The result was a trail of green fluid going from the starting point of the drives all the way to the finish… I now drive a ’97 wrangler with manual transmission and the temperature stays nice and low and I’ve noticed that the flora in the desert is in a much better shape these days. Don’t use your clutch to go up hills, that’s what your engine is for.. Looking forward meeting yet another Jeepofile! See you after my holidays.
My Cherokee has a transmission cooler. If I understand correctly this is an aftermarket part, probably installed by a previous owner. I guess this could be installed on a Wrangler as well. But last week it was the connectors of the cooler line which were leaking and when I bought the cherokee the cooler line was smashed (replacement: 800AED…). So having the cooler can cause some problems in itself :(. But My transmission stays happy in the desert 😀
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