Auto v Manual

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Tokyonino

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Tokyonino
Hi all I am really struggling with some lap times, for example World Gran Turisimo.
I feel that I have done a perfect lap, only 2 be 1 or 2 seconds short each time.
I am always on Auto as I struggle with Manual.
Are some of these races or challengers impossible on Auto ?

Thanks again.
Nino
 
Manual will always be quicker than auto because you can keep the revs in the powerband for longer before shifting up.

It can also work the other way on down shifts too by using engine braking instead of the foot brake to slow you down.

I always used to roll with the auto 'box as I just couldn't get my head around using gears with the control pad as my hands just didn't seem dexterous enough.

When prologue came out though, I went and bought the DFGT wheel. Using manual gears with the wheel is so much easier IMO as you're not having to use your fingers to do the accelerating and braking as well.

Now I could never go back to auto gears. It just doesn't feel right to me.
 
It's so much easier with a wheel.

As for your laptimes, how much do you really understand about racing? Are you sure you're getting the best possible exit out of every corner? By perfect, do you mean "exactly what the driving line says"? Because there's always a few seconds to be found on that at least.
 
Been stuck in Manual mode since GT1 put in GT5 couldnt find the option to get my paddle shifter back was going crazy running the auto makes the game very borring not getting into the most real effect now to buy one of those seat and wheel jobs the wife would love that I still use the basic controler
 
Since I started the license events, that's when I started to use manual mode; and have not changed back to automatic.

Practice makes perfect.

(Using DS3, also; can't wait to get a wheel)
 
I'd always used auto in the past, why give myself more work? I could complete more or less every challenge any game throws at me by driving automatic and I was having fun, so screw having to think about something else as well.

That said, I'm easing myself into manual with GT5 in practice mode just for the sake of learning something new.
 
i have always been a manual shifter and no aids, but i know on gt4/3/2/1 you were able to hold the gears in auto by holding R2 even in auto it would not change up or down if you held R2:) not sure if its the same on gt5
 
Wow the snobbery on here is amazing ;)

So what if someone wants to use automatic gears. They paid for the game, let them play and enjoy it how they want.
 
When using a Dualshock, I use auto, since the lack of car control when trying to change down, brake heavily, and thread your car into the corner, is immense. There is only a disadvantage to using Auto in terms of pace down the straights and through corners, so what's the problem?

When using a wheel, I use manual with the paddles, as your hands are so much more "free", and there is therefore much more control.

I don't think there is a problem with using an Auto gearbox, it's just down to preference.
 
Some things are better with auto. Like some of the tricky rally challenges- look, the car slides anyway, you can't USE the top revs and you lose attention to the constant gear changing. In some situations it's okay to be getting stuck in higher gears a lot and I think rally is one of them- particularly if you're trying to clear a challenge.

On the track with a car that takes at least a second to get through most gears? Yeah, manual. I like manual :)

With something like a formula car where it'll go through a gear in a quarter second? I don't believe I'll be shifting that much better than the automatic, so I'd go back to automatic pretty happily at that point.
 
You should be able to win any event in GT-Life using an auto tranny. It is better to use manual but if you are not used to it then you will be slower at first due to hitting the rev limiter, short shifting and/or coming out of corners in the wrong gear.

If you are having trouble winning races with an auto and do not feel comfortable with a manual then you will likely struggle more.

As for being easier with the wheel I have to disagree. The paddle shifters are great but there are times while turning that you need to shift and it can be hard to get to the paddle shifter due to how much the wheel is rotated. On my DFGT I just hit the stick in some cases but on my PWTS I do not have the shifter mounted yet and am forced to use the paddles. There are times when this is an issue. With the controler shifting is a cake walk if you set the layout right.
 
HBR-Roadhog
As for being easier with the wheel I have to disagree. The paddle shifters are great but there are times while turning that you need to shift and it can be hard to get to the paddle shifter due to how much the wheel is rotated.
Click to expand...

By "there are times while turning", you mean "when you go off". Otherwise you shouldn't be needing to remove your hands from the wheel (and away from the paddles). I only find the paddles hard to press when I've got full opposite lock or am otherwise returning to the track - and even then it's only a question of which one is up and which one is down!

If you are removing your hands from the wheel during normal steering - don't. You'll find your car control improves dramatically.
 
The move from AT to MT is probably the most important thing to help you hone your skills and decrease your lap times so stick with it if you have early difficulties. It makes a big difference on and off road to control which gear you are in and when.

Back in GT3 days you could also hold the car in a gear while in AT mode (ie stop or delay changes up and down), it even worked with a controller.
 
This is an old, but good thread.

Motivation 1: To any AT users wanting to drive FASTER, learn MT.

Motivation 2: An easy way to begin is to select AT, but pretend to upshift and downshift as the car does. Listen to engine noise as it approaches the next gear. This will soon become easier to follow. Do this for many, many laps on different tracks. Eventually, configure a set up that works for you and begin to feel how manually changing gears allows for more stability, momentum, speed, etc.

Note: What most frightens AT users trying MT is probably braking and downshifting. Learn to downshift before heavy braking. At this point, you can now switch to any gear you want. Nervous about the tight turn? Switch to a high gear to prevent wheel spin! MT can act as TCS does. MT is the way to go!

Motivation 3: MT transmission allows for the driver to adapt to any turn, any track, s-curve, etc... It allows driver to maintain speed and allows for more control of vehicle momentum. When you can knock off a full second in ONE section (using MT) because you are able to maintain a high speed in a higher gear, AT becomes laughable and silly. Remember, AT is controlling YOU. With MT, you control the car.

Motivation 4: AT transmission does not allow driver to adapt to the track, turns, etc. Essentially, you are putting 100% faith into a robot to know EVERYTHING that is happening on course, which is unrealistic and SLOW. AT controls you. You are just going along for the ride.


Motivation 5: Watch your times dip. It feels amazing. I made the switch about a year ago. I was VERY fast with a DS3 + AT. Now I am even faster with MT. More than pleased.

Any questions or comments, message me or ask them here.
 
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There's no doubt that manual is the best way and also the quickest way. It really is worth learning. You can shave a noticeable amount of seconds off your lap time and, as others have said, it's the way forward if you want to get better at GT.
 
Tokyonino
Hi all I am really struggling with some lap times, for example World Gran Turisimo.
I feel that I have done a perfect lap, only 2 be 1 or 2 seconds short each time.
I am always on Auto as I struggle with Manual.
Are some of these races or challengers impossible on Auto ?

Thanks again.
Nino
Click to expand...


I ain't sure if the following comment will look simular to possible advices given allready seeing i stopped reading after 4 or 5 posts , but anyways here my tought .

First of all
All cars have different powerbands , even identical cars with different tunes can have different ideal shifting moments ....
For Example a BMW CSL at 550PP has a shifting moment with tune at the precise start of the redline , this is where the autobox will shift gears so not to much time will be lost .
A Lotus Charlton at the same PP with a tune will have a shifting moment at 5500 rpm however the redline starts at 8000rpm ( it might be 7500 not 100% sure ) but between 5500 and 8000rpm the power the car produces is beeing cut almost by 50% ....

hence you will lose time ...
Also cornering with an manual gearbox will give you an advantage you can break on you're engine , hence saving the brakes / tires and you can correct more easely by upshifting for example if the car starts to slide ....
Or between 2 close corners you just go a little over the redline instead of shifting with the autobox ....

There are many points on different tracks where you can gain time just by shifting you'reself . In the beginning the times will drop , and you will mklae mistakes , but in time you will get familiar with it and it will become more easy and you will see that you're old times will improve ....

GT5 is always an ongoing learning progress , people smart enough and willing to learn will always try and find ways to improve that makes the game so enjoyable ....
 
I use both. Why? Because switching between gearboxes makes me used to both. Same with 4WD, FR, MR and RR cars, I switch between them a lot.
 
GranTurismo916
I play automatic...I suck at manual....
Click to expand...

You got to try MT for one than one lap.

I was the same way. I said I cannot do this. But then I tried MT on the GT Academy trial demo before GT5 even came out.


Once I beat my AT lap by .500, I said, wow....this is only the beginning.
 
I have used AT (Automatic-Transmission) for a very long time. Until I just wanted to try MT (Manual-Transmission) one day in a free run around the Top Gear Test Track. To my surprise it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, not even with the flappy-paddles or stick. Just try it a few times and you will learn the shifting intervals in no time.

MT is great in racing, drifting, and dragging in my opinion.
The shifting is all up to you.
 

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