Is manual really better then automatic?

[Hollow]

Well, if it is in time trial.. then why?

And how much of a difference does it make on a laptime?

 

[spyrrari]

Well,its just better that you yourself decides when to change gears...especially in downshifts this makes a difference!!

As in real life,i want to choose in wich gear i am driving,if an automatic does it for you,its often not in the best gear ....



spyrrari.

 

[TokyoDrift]

I find it much better, as you are able to maintain the gear you want and hold higher revs through corners, as well as quickly downshift when needed. At the moment I'm using R2 and L2 to upshift and downshift respectively, but this does mean I'm using the face buttons to accelerate and brake. I think I'll switch back to using R2 and L2 for accelerate and brake (more subtle control) and map the gears to a couple of the face buttons.

Just as you would in a real car (assuming you drive) choosing the right gear is just a matter of listening to the engine tone. The less you need to look at the on-screen dials etc., the more you can just concentrate on the track ahead.

 

[Feschka]

Yep, not only you're faster, it's even much more fun

 

[Hollow]

Weird thing for me is that I'm used to automatic but I know how to drive manually too. So when I ran a few laps, I couldn't beat 1.41.690, then i switched to manual and did a 1.38.964 instantly. Then i switched to automatic again and I did a 1.38.622. Im kind of confused now judging which transmission is better lol

 

[Owen.C93]

I tried for the first time today after I hit my limit at around 1:42, I shaved 1.5 seconds after 15 laps in manual, despite me forgetting to change numerous of times. Using third out of the corners is sooo much better.

 

[Hollow]

then you have ALOT of room to improve owen =p

 

[Owen.C93]

then you have ALOT of room to improve owen =p

Yeah I know, the extra traction out of corners using 3rd was a god send. Though I plan on getting below 1:40 in the next week and will try to break that with my Christmas wheel

 

[TokyoDrift]

Weird thing for me is that I'm used to automatic but I know how to drive manually too. So when I ran a few laps, I couldn't beat 1.41.690, then i switched to manual and did a 1.38.964 instantly. Then i switched to automatic again and I did a 1.38.622. Im kind of confused now judging which transmission is better lol

I think your improvement there is more to do with simply knowing the lines of the track better, and where to brake into/accelerate out of the corners. I'm sure that regardless of input method/settings (pad/wheel/manual/automatic/traction etc.), a competent player who has a good feel for the car and knows the track well will be able to get within a second or two of the top time. I assume that there is a limit though, where you can really only improve further by using a wheel with manual gears.

 

[Hollow]

I guess so, but I have a feeling that I could easily go below a 1.38 as I know exactly where I'm losing time. Its mostly the S bend or the first corner that I mess up. I know how to take each corner perfectly, if only I could do all corners perfectly in one lap lol