Automatic or Manual ??

  • Thread starter kitchenboy
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Regardless of AT or MT, some premium cars, like the old ones such as the Samba Bus, that even when you drive it with AT, will still show that as if the driver is doing the shifting. Some others that are modern, like the GTR when driven in MT, features that it's AT just being engaged in manual mode. Well, it's a given though.
 
I use AT and have since gt1. Though I do use MT to drift, and in some license tests. Just a bad habit I got into and am unable to change. I managed in 197 online races, 62 pole positions and 41 wins so not sure how much closer to getting the platinum I would be if I was driving manual. I'm pretty sure the MT is plenty quicker though.
 
I also use a AT with a DS4. I find that a AT really hurts me more on lower HP cars N-100 To N-300 class. Race A with the Mustang Mach 1 is a perfect example. I'm losing a second more per lap with the AT compared to the MT.

Adding a wheel can gain another 2 seconds or more. So I find I'm leaving almost 3 seconds on the table by using a DS4 and AT.
I'm normally 3 seconds off the #1 spot and only 1 second and sometimes less from the #10 spot in the top 10.
 
i use automatic most of the time though i can use manual fine. its a little slower but i have set top 10 times with it before too. some cars just can't set very fast laps with AT though, like the f1 car for example since gear 1 and 2 arent needed but AT will put you in them
 
Also a possible reason why others don't use or like the AT in the game is because in gameplay, it doesn't act like an actual one. For example, a typical AT would change its behavior by upshifting or downshifting depending on the input made in the throttle. However, in gameplay, the AT behaves much like a MT, where it doesn't upshift at all nor drop the RPM down when you let go the throttle and doesn't downshift as you push the throttle down when it should. You need to wait for it yet to reach a certain RPM just to do those shifting. So it's just essentially a MT controlled by an AI, that the engine speed would always match with the speed of the car while running.

The real AT in the game are the cars that have only one gear, those with CVTs that when you use, only indicate 'D' in the display and they somehow really act like one because the RPMs would drop when you don't press the pedal at all. I don't know if all those with CVTs in the game act like this but I tried it with the Mitsubishi i Concept in stock tranny and it certainly behaved that way. Maybe PD fixed this in GT Sport, which I haven't played yet because I don't have a PS4.

This drives me nuts in GTA 5 because I like to drive slow and following the speed limit, more often than not I'm driving at 25 MPH at 5k RPM(close to redline) because the car won't upshift until I hit 30 MPH.
 
on a DS4 here and have gone for manual M/T on GTS - much prefer manual as I can choose the gears, such as holding a gear and still accelerating into a corner without the change up/down an auto box will do, use manual for engine braking, plus short shifting is an option too.

nothing wrong with A/T, I think you just give up that level of control, once you go M/T you wont go back
 
I suppose I'm old-school. I've always thought MT was the "correct" and certainly the more connected way to drive. When I was in high school (long ago) I had to beg and badger friends before someone took pity on me and would teach me to drive a stick. (My family only owned automatics because my mother never learned to drive a manual)

Every car I have ever owned is manual. The only reason my truck has an automatic is because I bought it from my brother and he didn't offer it as an option. :)

Now I'm wondering if I'll be able to get another one. I'm driving a Nissan Z now (and hope to for another 7 years) but after that I may not have an option (unless I can afford Porsche I suppose).

I started GT with automatic but switched to manual in either GT or GT 2.

It is true that a modern automatic can be faster than manual. It's true about my car. But that misses the control and connectedness, not to mention that an automatic transmission reacts to what you are doing whereas with a manual you can shift and then make your move (thinking of downshifting here).
 
manual is a little faster, but on long runs (like 1hours races) I prefer automatic because I can focus more and be more consistent
but when you want use automatic without big time-lose u need good gearbox setup, other than for manual
 
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When my wheel was out for repairs, I used the tilt/motion feature of the DS4 controller for steering, R2 and L2 for gas and brake, shifting with the square and X buttons :) I did a test run with AT, but it shifts soo slow and not at the right moments it’s just frustrating. So I used the aforementioned button layout to run MT.

Like others mentioned, the AT in the game is just an AI controlled transmission, not really a simulation of how a real AT would(/should) work.
 
I use a DS4 for GTS despite having a wheel which I use for Assetto Corsa and PCars2. I use MT with X and [] for changing up and down respectively.
 
I usually forget that when i try to use manual, i forget to shift up until its too late. Then i forget to shift all the way down when i lose lots of speed.
 
I always use manual on a wheel.
On the controller I used to always use auto in pretty much any driving game, but since I use the right stick for throttle/brake in games that allow it (all or most sims, but too few arcade racers), R2/L2 - or alternatively R1/L1 - for gears feel completely natural. I also use motion control steering when possible, it feels great and responsive in GTS and DriveClub but a bit too sluggish in Project Cars 2.
 
I have a wheel and I still drive with auto.. Made a thread here on how to learn paddleshifting and even though a lot of guys gave me tips and even though I practised for hours I just couldn't wrap my brain around the paddles.. I was told the H-shifter doesn't really work in GTS like it should so I stayed with the automatic.. I did notice some of the benefits of manual though..

Come to think of it, I've been racing with automatic since Grand Prix Circuit so that's nearly 30 years of automatic.. IRL I can't stand automatic gears..
 
IRL I can't stand automatic gears..
I used to be the same, but last year I got a DSG and I love it. Never going back to manual now. Not having to keep going 1st, 2nd, 1st, Neutral, 1st etc. in traffic is amazing. Also, the dual clutch is so quick it is ridiculous... plus, if you want you can knock it to manual and use paddles, which I find fun from time to time :)

In the game, I also use automatic... I just can't coordinate my hands to do steering, accelerate, brake, look behind, check fuel map, TCS, brake balance and change gears... going up is fine, but changing down whilst braking and steering for a corner is too much :lol:
 
Manual mostly.

I don't find it intuitive when using a controller, but once you kind of get the hand of it, it feels even weirder to go back to AT.

It's much easier to use MT instinctively when using a wheel I think.

For me the distinct benefit of MT is the ability to stay in a higher gear when exiting a corner to avoid wheelspin, and Engine braking on big stops can be useful too - however, there's pro's and con's... the additional control will only make you faster if used correctly, but incorrect or late shifts are just as likely to mess up a lap.

I've owned both in real-life, and don't naturally have a preference - there's a lot of self-affirming nonsense spoken about manuals that I think is laughable, but I do understand that the experience is different enough to give people a preference either way.
 
Das ScheissGetriebe :P I hate these cars, especially with a loud exhaust, sounds like they've got a problem with flatulences :lol:

I can't remember when I shifted from Auto to Manual, I guess it happened when I got the PS3 and GT5 on day -1 :D Previoulsy I only had manual trans in the NFS drag races and I hated it :boggled:
 
Das ScheissGetriebe :P
:lol:

Das ScheissGetriebe :P I hate these cars, especially with a loud exhaust, sounds like they've got a problem with flatulences :lol:

I can't remember when I shifted from Auto to Manual, I guess it happened when I got the PS3 and GT5 on day -1 :D Previoulsy I only had manual trans in the NFS drag races and I hated it :boggled:
I know what you mean.. it is a sort of 'pop' noise between gears! Fortunately I don't have a bean can on my car and the noise is quite nice though :) and the fact that I am already pulling hard in the next gear before I could have even changed manually is a good feeling :P.


Me too! If you live in a populated area of the UK, there's very little point in a manual gearbox anymore. :lol:
👍 I drive the wife's car sometimes and get so ****ed off with manual!
 
I used to be the same, but last year I got a DSG and I love it. Never going back to manual now. Not having to keep going 1st, 2nd, 1st, Neutral, 1st etc. in traffic is amazing. Also, the dual clutch is so quick it is ridiculous... plus, if you want you can knock it to manual and use paddles, which I find fun from time to time :)

Haven't tried DSG but generally the autos feel much better than 10-15 years ago.. Used to drive a taxi (Benz C) in my early twenties and that automatic was ****.. Plus my useless left leg went numb in every shift :D
 
Haven't tried DSG but generally the autos feel much better than 10-15 years ago.. Used to drive a taxi (Benz C) in my early twenties and that automatic was ****.. Plus my useless left leg went numb in every shift :D
Yeah it will be a bit (a lot) different to that...

A quick Google for 'DSG acceleration'... just watch the RPM needle

 
Any input is greatly appreciated.

For me, manual transmission allows me to:-
  • Use engine braking when I want to, setting up the appropriate gear for corner exit, and
  • Short shift (in other words, move to a higher numbered gear prior to the peak power range), for improved controllability, especially at lower speeds in higher powered cars
 
I use manual transmission since the good old days of NFS Underground, it just feels so much better I feel weird having to drive auto again on GTA
 
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