Does Your Transmission Make You A Car Guy/Girl?

After a long day of work I sat down to relax and watch some YouTube videos. I came across a YouTuber by the name of SmufinWRX who posted a video (linked here) about why people who drive an automatic are “real” car guys. This sparked some interesting internal debates and got me thinking, “Does the transmission in your car change your status as a car guy/girl?” Let me get to SmurfinWRX’s reasons before I give my own point of view.

SmufinWRX’s Reasons

1. Manual transmissions are most common around the world

I agree with this point, by in large, manual transmissions are still the standard in cars around the world. With that being said, in the U.S., automatics are king by far and have been since the 90’s.

2. Maintenance

SmufinWRX’s reasoning was that with a manual transmission you will have to replace a clutch where automatic transmissions require little to no regular maintenance. Generally speaking, a modern automatic transmission will require less maintenance than a manual would. As always, there are exceptions to the rule for both transmissions. I know guys that have put over a 100,000 miles on a stock clutch behind a 500hp truck, where other guys with the same model truck only get to 20,000 miles. I also know guys that can’t keep an automatic transmission behind their motor for more than a few thousand miles before it dies.

3. Convenience

SmufinWRX touched on how with a manual you have to constantly clutch in and out every time you start and stop. This is true and the convenience of an automatic cannot be denied. However, automatics are so much more forgiving on a day-to-day basis. You want to pass that car ahead? In an automatic, push your gas pedal down and the car does the rest. In a manual, down shift once or twice, pass the car, then upshift again. With that being said, I think the process of downshifting is fun and makes the event of passing someone more exciting, but that’s just me.

4. Faster

SmufinWRX’s view point of a car with an automatic transmission is better at being consistent and generally faster than a manual transmission is a mixed view to me. The point about automatics being vital at the drag strip is something I agree with. From growing up with my Dad, who was a very good bracket racer, the key to winning with bracket racing was consistency. But the idea that automatics are by default fast is a very grey area in my opinion. If you look at a super car manufacturer like Porsche, who has spent millions on developing the most advanced race-inspired transmission today, yes an automatic is faster. However, if we are talking about what 99% of us drive, a manual transmission is more efficient at transferring the power from the motor to the rear/front differential. The general rule is 10-15% loss with a manual and 15-20% loss with an automatic. Again, there are a lot of factors here, RWD vs. FWD vs. AWD, how many gears are in the transmission, what type of fluid is in the transmission (weight and crude vs. synthetic), etc…

5. Modern Super Cars Do Not Come With Manual Transmissions

This last point seemed kind of pointless to me. SmufinWRX’s example of a Nissan GRT not coming in a manual option is true. The counter point to that would be that the SRT Viper only comes with a manual transmission. What auto manufactures do with their halo cars does not affect what the “standards” are to be a car guy/girl.

This now brings me to my view of this whole topic. What are the “standards” to be a car person and who made them up? For me, there really isn’t a set of standards written in stone. The way I see it, if you care about your car/truck and see it as something more than a utilitarian device, then you are a car person. It doesn’t matter if you spent your whole life saving up for your one dream car or if your a multi-billionaire who just bought your tenth Ferrari, if you care about your car then you’re a car person. Whether you spend your nights and weekends turning wrenches or working extra hours so you can pay someone else to wrench on your car, you’re still a car person.

Our core values are the same, we love our vehicles and would do anything to spend more time with them or keep them safe. It is these same values that lead us to park our nice cars at the very end of the parking lot, away from all of the other cars. Part of the motivation for this is to keep our car away from others who would carelessly ding or scratch it; but more so is the ability to build up the anticipation of taking the car for a spin as you’re walking towards it.

So whether you drive a manual or automatic, import or domestic, exotic or muscle, we are all car people.
As always, please share on your favorite social media site and chime in on the discussion below.

Thanks,

Brandon