Automatic/Manual, Which is Faster?

  • Thread starter loz567
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RustyNut
Manuals are good for many reasons outside of racing.

-better mpg
-better control over the car in general
*less corrective braking needed
*more control in snow/ice
-manuals last longer than automatica, clutches are cheap trannies are not
-more fun/interesting and more involved to drive, making you pay attention to the road more and in turn making you into a better driver, unlike the typical lazy non-skilled auto driver
-real men drive a stick
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Agree with all those except the MPG claim... That's all about how you drive and when you change up :sly:

As for the 'real men drive a stick', I think it's more like 'real men can drive a stick'. I can drive manual, but choose to drive auto as I live in a super-super congested big city and can't be bothered using the clutch every three seconds.

As for GT, I'm in the process of teaching myself manual... Am finding it tricky with the DS3 though...
 
Is it true that, in game, manual transmission is faster? I'm not talking opinion, I'm looking for people who are proficient with in game manuals and have tested both auto and manual.
 
It technically should be faster, since in most cases the Automatic shifts a few hundred RPM early, and with the manual you can usually shift a few hundred RPM into redline. You also have more control, downshifting and all.
 
I read an article by an licensed amateur driver on this, and she put a great light on it. In GT5, automatic transmissions are not automatics. They are manual transmissions that have built in switch points. They don't lose the power or weigh more like real world automatics.

Yes, you can go faster in certain cars with a manual if you switch just right. But automatics are not as slow in GT5 as they are in the real world.

Having said all that, I use manual. In some corners, I don't keep track of my entry speed so much as my entry gear. I'm probably a lousy driver, but that is easier to do. Oh, and one can also use engine breaking with a manual.
 
ChadSpeed
It technically should be faster, since in most cases the Automatic shifts a few hundred RPM early, and with the manual you can usually shift a few hundred RPM into redline. You also have more control, downshifting and all.
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^this and because it's more fun
 
Merged with a previous question. This title was more descriptive, though... so I'm editing the title of the older one to fit.

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Manual is faster, period. There are times when you will need to concentrate on steering and lines and footwork, and an AT will help, but the AT in the game is rubbish. Doesn't always shift when it needs to, holding gears going uphill while slowing down, refusing to downshift at certain corners.

Much like a real-life automatic, actually.
 
Been using manual in games for a while now I find that if i am in the wrong gear I can't get around the corners automatic is just too random with "right gear for right corner" driving style that I have. I have tried auto a few times mainly because after B spec it seems to be set to auto, to use auto I need to watch the speedo and learn a speed for each corner which I can't do for some reason after using manual for so long :P If you learn manual you will never go back.
 
I just started using manual this week. My main motivation was missing out on round 2 of GT Academy by 3 tenths. I can say that my enjoyment of the game has gone up and I was already loving it.

I drive a manual car in real life but always used auto in GT before this week. I think it was because of the no clutch on my DFP. There was some sort of disconnect in my brain about shifting with no clutch. Slowly figuring it out though.
 
Egg and Spoon
In real life I hate manual gears. Unless you are on a track I cannot see the point.

In all racing games I always choose the manual transmission option.

It's hard on some cars though. Most cars you know when to change because of the sound of the engine. But some cars hit the limiter when they don't sound like they should. The bus in the Top Gear challenge is one such example.

Use manual as much as you can. You'll really feel more engaged with the driving and ultimately it's more rewarding.
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Better reliability, better fuel economy, more power to the ground, less wear on the brakes, more traction on slippery surfaces at low speeds, less expensive to repair, costs less to buy, etc.

Downsides: City driving, takes a whole day to learn how to drive one, more difficult to eat/drink/talk on the phone and drive ...
 
jdmAP1
Maybe 5 years ago but recently, it is auto/sequential (eg dsg) cars that get better mpg than manual/shift cars. CR-Z, Jetta, Golf, ISx50, the list goes on. In the game, it matters even less, if at all.
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Yes but any car I can afford is older than 5 years :)
 
Jmac279
Better reliability, better fuel economy, more power to the ground, less wear on the brakes, more traction on slippery surfaces at low speeds, less expensive to repair, costs less to buy, etc.
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Maybe, but with the newer generations of automatic and double clutch transmissions, they are able to get fuel economy equal or even better than manuals.

Jmac279
Downsides: City driving, takes a whole day to learn how to drive one, more difficult to eat/drink/talk on the phone and drive ...
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This should be considered an advantage as it makes people focus on driving.
 
I went manual for GT5, all the others I used with auto.
I feel it is more engaging to use manual, it brings a bit more realism to the game.
 
My IRL car, an FPV F6 Typhoon, the auto is quicker down the quarter then the manual, 12.8 sec v 13 sec. Old autos (Borgwarner 35 anyone?) were unreliable, temperamental pieces of weak garbage for the majority, but the newer ones with sequential shift like the ZF ford use, are a joy to drive on the road and track. Best of both worlds really. The only drawback is you could probably lease a small country for the cost of replacement or repair.
 
In the a real world acceleration test (1/4 mile) automatic beats manual.
I still haven't completely adapted to the manual transmission in GT5; I find it useful for cars that get 'stuck' at a high rpm and won't shift.
 
i have started to use manual gears now, interesting experience, enjoyable though if you arent in an X1, im not quite as fast yet, keep leaving it in 5th gear when i end up in gravel traps lol
 
You really do owe it to yourself to persevere with manual , on average its nearly a second a lap quicker and gives you so much more control approaching corners enabling you slow without the brakes
thereby stopping the sudden weight transfer that makes the car step out and break traction :bowdown:
 
If you ARE addicted to auto and want to pass more driving tests or get more gold, try it in manual, you'll do better.
 
I always used auto in the previous GT games...when I got GT5 I committed myself to start driving manual. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I'm faster now driving in manual and it makes the game more fun and immersive for me.
 
niky
There are times when you will need to concentrate on steering and lines and footwork, and an AT will help
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I really don't know if this is even true anymore... much like real life, manual transmission has become second nature to me, the only time I am really thinking about it is when I downshift, and even then it's not really all that distracting to me....
 
What got me playing with Manual Gears is that in Automatic, you cannot cruise around in high gear at low revs... it's always :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: reving and in low gear...

Now I cannot play with automatic and when I mistakenly do - I feel restrained and I'm not enjoying the whole experience... I always use manual, in every racing game, no matter how long the race is...

Best thing is - When I see the driver in the car having sequantial shifter I use the shifter on my wheel, when the padles are behind the wheel I use them, makes it so much more real... :sly:

Ohh and I'm much faster with Manual than my auto friends... I can even set in which gear to get off the line - e.g. X2010 1st gear is really short so I start in second gear...
 
Supermelon
Maybe, but with the newer generations of automatic and double clutch transmissions, they are able to get fuel economy equal or even better than manuals.
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That's true in some cases, but you can usually beat an auto with a manual if you're smart about it. Most modern cars with manual transmissions shut off the fuel injectors if you're coasting at a decent speed in high gear. An example would be coasting down a hill in 6th gear going 40mph. No fuel injectors running = no fuel being burnt. I'm not sure if dual clutch transmissions do that as well, but anything with a torque converter sure doesn't.



In the a real world acceleration test (1/4 mile) automatic beats manual.
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That is sometimes true, but more often than not it is false. For drag cars with insane amounts of horsepower yes an automatic is the way to go. But race an automatic equipped Civic against a manual equipped Civic and the manual version will win every time.

Anyway, I only use manual in the game. And both cars I have in real life were never available with anything but a manual transmission (not that I'd have it any other way...even when I lived in NYC).
 
Spacegoat
Once you go Manual you'll never go back.
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Very true. I've always used auto since I first started playing video games (i.e. since GT2) and a couple of weeks ago I put it into manual just out of boredom. The next thing I knew, I was racing without traction control, and loving it! Who'd ever have thought it?
 

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