Auto vs. Manual Fuel Efficiency?
05-16-2012, 08:06 PM
#41
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Only a good manual transmission > good automatic trans for me.
If the manual transmission is a pain to use or annoying, I'd rather just get the automatic. Example: I would only get the manual versions of the MX-5, RX8 and TSX, but I'd get an automatic in the 335i or G37 because I dislike certain things about the manual transmissions in those cars.
We already have infinite-gear auto transmissions-- CVTs. 
However, CVTs seem to suck as a rule; I didn't like the one on the Nissan Rogue rental I drove for a couple of days.
If the manual transmission is a pain to use or annoying, I'd rather just get the automatic. Example: I would only get the manual versions of the MX-5, RX8 and TSX, but I'd get an automatic in the 335i or G37 because I dislike certain things about the manual transmissions in those cars.
However, CVTs seem to suck as a rule; I didn't like the one on the Nissan Rogue rental I drove for a couple of days.
05-17-2012, 06:12 AM
#42
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normally mt's are better that at, but as others have mentioned, more gears in the at will help mileage.
I had a subaru outback that was mt and the at got better mileage.
My 02 frontier that i had only got 15mpg no matter what i would do. At 70 mph it would tach 3500 and it screamed, i hated that part of the truck.
I had a subaru outback that was mt and the at got better mileage.
My 02 frontier that i had only got 15mpg no matter what i would do. At 70 mph it would tach 3500 and it screamed, i hated that part of the truck.
05-17-2012, 10:05 AM
#43
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Only a good manual transmission > good automatic trans for me.
If the manual transmission is a pain to use or annoying, I'd rather just get the automatic. Example: I would only get the manual versions of the MX-5, RX8 and TSX, but I'd get an automatic in the 335i or G37 because I dislike certain things about the manual transmissions in those cars.
We already have infinite-gear auto transmissions-- CVTs.
However, CVTs seem to suck as a rule; I didn't like the one on the Nissan Rogue rental I drove for a couple of days.
If the manual transmission is a pain to use or annoying, I'd rather just get the automatic. Example: I would only get the manual versions of the MX-5, RX8 and TSX, but I'd get an automatic in the 335i or G37 because I dislike certain things about the manual transmissions in those cars.
We already have infinite-gear auto transmissions-- CVTs.
However, CVTs seem to suck as a rule; I didn't like the one on the Nissan Rogue rental I drove for a couple of days.
Last edited by WdnUlik2no; 05-17-2012 at 10:10 AM.
05-17-2012, 11:08 AM
#44
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The vibrating shifter would be such an annoyance in rush-hour and slow-moving traffic.
Otherwise, the G37's clutch and actual shifting action felt pretty good-- better than the 335i clutches and shifters.
05-25-2012, 11:44 PM
#46
Manual's are usually more efficent than Auto's because they have an overdrive gear (ration below 1), however, Acura has two over drive gears (4th and 5th) on the Auto and it's even lower than the overdrive gear on the manual (and has a different final gear ration than the manual).
Acura has made the manual and autos two specifically different cars, with the manual more of the enthousiast car who would rather performance than fuel econnomy.
I have read in threads elsewhere that when the auto hits 4th (in the old TL-S) it dogged, and the BMW's and others would fly by at that point, so I guess the manual is set up to keep that from happening, but at the expense of 1MPG (not to bad).
Acura has made the manual and autos two specifically different cars, with the manual more of the enthousiast car who would rather performance than fuel econnomy.
I have read in threads elsewhere that when the auto hits 4th (in the old TL-S) it dogged, and the BMW's and others would fly by at that point, so I guess the manual is set up to keep that from happening, but at the expense of 1MPG (not to bad).
Modern automatics have had an option for overdirve ratios and have been that way since at least the early 80's a prime example would be a GM TH 2004R. Ford's AXOD series is another example, not to mention the 4AT/5AT used in the accord for the last 25+ years
Given identical setups with the variable being the transmission (and boh having a similar final drive ratio), a manual will typically give better gas milage due to less weight and power loss through the transmission. Compare a 5MT accord vs the 4AT one and the milage is in the corner of the 5MT. The CLS 6MT is an exception since the car is geared for performance vs economy....with the gears being much closer than those of the 5AT (and lower overall). The top 2 gears on the CL 5AT are < 1 (.67 and .49 I believe). The transmissions betwen the CLS and CLP share the same gear ratios.
Last edited by YeuEmMaiMai; 05-25-2012 at 11:46 PM.
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