AT vs MT

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Usc_trojan949
I'm at level 23 and I consider myself a big time rookie. Still race with the line on but have reduced TC down to between 0 and 2 depending on the car. The one thing I haven't tried is shifting myself. Trying to concentrate on staying on the road, especially in say the minolta running through a city course is taking all my concentration. My question is how much of a benefit to lap times do you get using MT?

Thanks
 
Manual transmission will significantly improve lap times, simply because there are times when shifting up before a corner would actually slow you down, and generally an automatic will choose the wrong gear for the corner. Say you're racing an auto and through the corner it shifts into 2nd, but keeps the RPM's high, when you accelerate again you have to shift into 3rd. If you were using a manual you could stay in 3rd through the corner, and when you accelerate you wouldn't lose the time shifting, leading to a better lap time. It's the little things that add up in the end.

Just go to practice mode and try some laps with a manual transmission. Once you get used to it, you don't even realize you're shifting, it becomes second nature.

Parker
 
i'm a no-aids guy, i like the challenge, it makes it more realistic and promotes me to drive better... not to mention, being decent at the game without driving aids makes you simply incredible when it comes to using driving aids, i.e. when your mates who don't have the game force you to use them in 2 player!

i use manual every time and have absolutely everything at 0 or off (apart from ABS which i have set at 1)

automatic gives you no involvement if you ask me; all you do is brake, accelerate, turn, brake, accelerate, turn! having to change up and down ratios yourself adds a whole new dimension of responsibility to your game and makes you feel so much more 'connected' to the racing

still using a Sixaxis controller though :indiff:! waiting for the HKS Racing Controller to come out.... i've no place in my bedroom for a wheel :(

EDIT: just as mentioned above, it becomes second nature. it really isn't that hard; two or three laps of a circuit allows you to remember what gear you need to be in for each corner, and from there, it's just a matter of keeping yourself in the right gear!
 
On Prologue i used to Time Trial Suzuka with my Tuned Viper alot. I drove with AT and got Times arount 2:11,5 or something like that. Then i turned to MT and my very first try with MT was instantly a 2:10 and then got a 2:09,xx after a few times.
Now in GT5 i drive with all aids off, just TC in a few cars on.
 
Manual is the way to better driving and lap times, I'm a casual user compared to a lot on here so found it easier to go auto on any driving game. I knew that manual would be quicker but every time I tried it I would get frustrated quickly and revert to auto after a lap or 2, I don't get time for 6 hour+ sessions so felt I would get more fun this way...until last weekend. I was racing a 50% race in F1 2010 and the settings forced me to use manual gears, after 5 laps or so I was going faster than ever and with WAY more control, as one of the previous posts said you gain so much more time in corners as you select the correct gear for both the corer and your driving style. This way you actually understand the behaviour of each car a lot better and begin to know so much more about how to tune the car to your style and each track.

Its a tough first few laps but worth every one, try 10 laps at Suzuka in a car you're quite familiar with and you'll never go back.
 
I can't help but laugh a lil when people use auto in games, honestly its the easiest of the aids to turn off and learn, you just need to be sure your listening, listen for the rpms to bounce of the rev limiter or get way to low, there will be a few times initially where you will be like "Oh damn, need to shift!" and you will loose time because of it, but stick with it after a week or to you wont even notice your shifting, I dont even look at RPM anymore usually I almost always shift by noise as soon as I start with a car.

If you every get into drift at all to it gives you a whole new dimension of control to the car, it might very well do this in grip to but I stopped using auto in gt2 when I was like...12 so I might not of realized the difference back then, for downshifts a general rule of thumb I have gone by is when your about 50% down the tach shift down into a lower gear.

It really is insanely simple though as I say just be aware of the noises the car is making, if you pay attention to them something will click telling you something is wrong as its bouncing off the rev limiter then as I said it will be seconds nature.
 
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I was always an automatic guy until we got the wheel for Forza 3. We decided to use manual and shifting came to me really, really quickly - only took a couple of laps to get used to it. Refining the technique takes longer. You have to remember to shift down consistently through the breaking zone (not like Webber!) otherwise your car will become unsettled at turn in, and on your first lap in a new track+car you have to remember what gear you need for each corner, especially if the last downshift brings you out at the top of the gear - don't bother next time.

The paddles make shifting so much easier. When I'm using a controller I still try and use manual (just can't race with auto these days) but I find it strangely more difficult, I think my brain is out of the "driving a car" mindset.

TBH I don't blame you for using manual with a controller!
 
Soullessvessel
If you every get into drift at all to it gives you a whole new dimension of control to the car, it might very well do this in grip to but I stopped using auto in gt2 when I was like...12 so I might not of realized the difference back then, for downshifts a general rule of thumb I have gone by is when your about 50% down the tach shift down into a lower gear.
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Top tip for this - as you shift up while accelerating, your engine will always stay in its powerband so you spend almost all your time listening to the same pitch of the engine. When braking, the pitch drops, and at some point it'll drop to the point where you should downshift. This will be an unusual note for you because you should almost never hear it. So, when braking, listen to the notes that you don't recognise. As soon as it becomes lower than you're used to hearing, downshift.

The shift point does change as you increase speed but you should easily pick up this technique and it'll serve you well. At least in GT5 if you downshift too early you just get neutral, not like Forza which just happily ruins your engine! (although I do prefer that model)
 
I mostly use manual but there are a few races I used auto with my ZR1 that I couldnt win. I noticed I paid attention more to the road (instead of the tach) with auto which = less mistakes.
 
The first thing I learnt when I first started using manual transmission back in need for speed hot pursuit is that, if you're understeering and about to leave the track, shift down a gear and you'll make the corner.

That's only scratching the surface :]

Wait till you get a clutch, you can blip the throttle to spool up turbos earlier and do all kinds of cool stuff.
 
With MT, I like to rev to the last possible point. Decreases lap times.

Also, when going through a tricky chicane or s curve, its best to leave it in one gear.
 
As I'm progressing into the game, I'm discovering that it's hard to use the H shifter for intense races on tight courses. I'm forced to use the paddle shifter. Hats off to you if you still use the clutch and Hshifter for those kinds of races. Part of my problem is the bar between my feet on the playseat.
 
I love manual so much that, once I learned to use it back in the day on GT3/4, my next car (real car) was a manual. I'll probably never drive an automatic again.
 
the one thing that sucks with AT in this game, is that it is really AS (auto shift) it does not act like a real AT. (no kickdown when you floor it)
 
FxsX24
the one thing that sucks with AT in this game, is that it is really AS (auto shift) it does not act like a real AT. (no kickdown when you floor it)
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This is VERY true. I'd love to see a game actually have a realistic automatic transmission. I bet nobody would want to drive it like that.. lol.
 
Racing games become so much more fun and engaging when you start to use manual gears, it adds a whole new dimension to the game, give it a try dude!
 
Ok so when i am driving in real life, i know, i can feel when i must change gear, in gt5 as someone said above u must do the course a few times to know what gear to be in?
 
nowayback
Ok so when i am driving in real life, i know, i can feel when i must change gear, in gt5 as someone said above u must do the course a few times to know what gear to be in?
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If you're reasonably experienced behind the wheel you can look at any given corner and estimate what gear you'll likely want to be in.

Of course it also depends on the car but I generally figure out what corners require what gear in any given car after launch 👍

Much larger thread on the topic here
 
Uscbryan
I'm at level 23 and I consider myself a big time rookie. Still race with the line on but have reduced TC down to between 0 and 2 depending on the car. The one thing I haven't tried is shifting myself. Trying to concentrate on staying on the road, especially in say the minolta running through a city course is taking all my concentration. My question is how much of a benefit to lap times do you get using MT?

Thanks
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Your going to shave seconds of your lap record if you use MT well that's what happened to me anyways with Auto when you reach the limit it automatically shift up for you and when your around a corner you want to get the maximum speed without losing traction and that can be done in Manual but not Auto. Auto will just shift you up dropping you to low KMS which means slower around a corner.
 
I used to drive all the GT's manually, and after I lost my GT5 data. I decided to play GT5 different so I went auto. What a difference auto makes, the game is more intense and it becomes better, you feel more involved. I have tried manual since but I cant drive, and change back. I wonder why I didn't do it in previous GT's.
 
guyr1
I used to drive all the GT's manually, and after I lost my GT5 data. I decided to play GT5 different so I went auto. What a difference auto makes, the game is more intense and it becomes better, you feel more involved. I have tried manual since but I cant drive, and change back. I wonder why I didn't do it in previous GT's.
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Hmm, really? Lol I usually get annoyed when Im using auto. It feels like I dont have full control of the car and the fact I cant use my wheel shifter.
 
It's also a good way of keeping some of the supercharged American cars in the right power band. Take the 2002 Viper as an example. The redline is near 7000rpm so Auto changes gear there, but the car already loses power by about 6000rpm, so with manual you can change gear earlier and keep the good ol' Viper in the power band it wants.
 
On a controller I was always using automatic, mostly due to it being difficult to shift with a DS3 (in my eyes) compared to a wheel. When I switched to a wheel, I went to manual and once I got used to the wheel mechanics, my lap times sky-rocketed. Not only due to the precision of the wheel but the ability to choose my gears where necessary rather than really on the awful automatic gear process.
If you have a wheel, manual is the way to go. Even if you start with the paddles on the back, and then move to the real shifter as time passes. Manual is not only quicker but its also fun and rewarding. Being able to know when to shift and learning the revs of a car are a real joy of using manual, especially if you drive without the HUD!
 
TwistyDrift
Hmm, really? Lol I usually get annoyed when Im using auto. It feels like I dont have full control of the car and the fact I cant use my wheel shifter.
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I never said I had control of the car, with some cars you are more involved trying to keep it on the track.LOL.
 
I changed to MT from AT at around level 30 IIRC. I soon adapted as others have said. However, I decided to not use it and reverted to AT, for most of my races. This was because the simple act of changing gear on my DFGT was making my Arthritis flair up in my wrists. So now I only go back to MT if I'm struggling to win using AT in a challenge. I don't see that much difference most of the time, but sometimes on some corners of some tracks the AT makes silly changes as a previous poster mentioned and using MT I can avoid them.
 
guyr1
I never said I had control of the car, with some cars you are more involved trying to keep it on the track.LOL.
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Oh I might have said it wrong, lol I meant I felt like I had control of the car when Im using manual.
 

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