Who here has a manual and an auto?

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
03/24/2015 at 15:01 • Filed to: None

How hard is the transition? Do you ever forget what transmission you're driving? I alternate fairly irregularly between my 5-speed Civic and my automatic Buick and only once have I reached for a phantom gearstick or clutch (panic stop). Furthermore, I noticed that I automatically left-foot-brake in the Buick and right-foot in the Civic. Anyone else? Do you ever drive your manual and confuse the clutch and brake? Forget that you have to change gears and wonder why you're hitting fuel cutoff? Forget to go to neutral while coming to a stop and stall the engine?

I'm curious, oppo

DISCUSSION (45)

HammerheadFistpunch > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:03

not an issue for me a all. Jump in the JSW...foot and hands know what to do. Jump in the cruiser...same story.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:04

Kinja'd!!!

Close enough.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:04

I currently own 3 manual vehicles.

cazzyodo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:06

So my daily is the FoST but once in a while I need to drive my gf's car or a rental for work. I don't get confused hopping into my car because there is more that needs to be done and it now just feels natural but with every automatic car I've jumped into in the past two years I keep my hand on the gear shift, step at an invisible clutch and generally carry an embarrassed look on my face when my boss asks "what are you doing?"

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:06

I've tried to press a non-existent clutch pedal multiple times before, and will knock my car into neutral from drive when coming to a stop. I've literally NEVER driven a manual car. I have no idea where my brain picked it up.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:06

My wife's car is automatic, I drove it maybe once a week. Sometimes I ghost clutch it when I'm coming to a stop. Once I accidentally caught the edge of the brake pedal doing this and almost put us through the windshield. Haha

I never have problems getting back into my car, though.

Party-vi > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:07

I went from a manual for 7 years to an automatic. I still try to push in a non-existent clutch when I come to a stop. I miss my manual....

Sn210 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:07

I occasionally do the phantom clutch and gearshift grab. Once or twice I forget to throw it in Park and just shut off the car in D, but I very rarely have to drive an auto.

Flat Six > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:07

I drive both manual and auto regularly. I never confuse the pedals. There have been a few times where I stalled out while crawling at very slow speed and forgot to use clutch. It is so embarrassing, especially if car doesn't start right away!

When I had a truck with a column shifter, sometimes I would reach for a phantom column shifter in the other car :)

Also I always get confused on windshield wiper controls. I never seem to get it right on first try.

David E. Davis > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:08

Manual WRX and auto Forester here. I find it an easy transition to go from one to the other. I don't left foot brake so that may make it easier.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:08

Well, I went from my auto Astra, to the manual ST and 944, it wasn't difficult, but I find it difficult and boring jumping into an automatic car that doesn't have some sorta "select-shift" feature like my dad's Magnum.

Something I find more difficult is switching between two manual cars with different clutch feels: In this case, switching between the 944 and the ST. The latter of which has no clutch feel. :p

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:08

I don't have to switch often since all of my cars are manual and pretty much always have been, but my first instinct when starting a car with an auto is to put my foot down on the dead pedal expecting a clutch to be there. I usually get used to it by the time I get moving.

yamahog > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:09

XJ is auto, bike and the car (being built this week!) are manual. I right foot brake regardless of transmission/vehicle, right hand on bike as well. Thankfully never had muscle memory get confused between shifting on bike and not in Jeep, although I often catch myself adjusting in my seat and leaning into turns in the XJ.

nermal > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:09

I have a truck with an auto and a GTI with manual.

The GTI didn't get driven much over the winter. No issues at all getting in it and going every time, even after long periods driving the truck.

I thought I would have issues with the truck, since it has a column shifter and a foot e-brake, thinking I'd smash the e-brake with my left foot when coming to a stop looking for the clutch. I do still move the foot for the clutch, but haven't hit the e-brake yet.

The truck does get verbally assaulted when it isn't in the proper gear, however. This is especially true when it upshifts just before going into a turn. Also when it won't downshift when I think it should. Drives me nuts!

Dusty Ventures > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:09

I daily a manual and am surrounded by autos, including the various work trucks I'll find myself in for 8 hours per day. Like you I automatically LFB the autos, though after a while I'll find myself unconsciously switching between LFB and RFB periodically over the course of the day. The only "problem" I ever have is I'll occasionally graze the clutch with my right foot when trying to apply very light braking in my car shortly after driving one of the trucks. Weirdly I never do this when I need to brake harder or panic brake, just when I want to apply the lightest touch of the brakes. Also sometimes when I jump straight from a manual into an auto I'm initially caught off guard by how light the brake pedal feels under my foot after having spent the last 30+ minutes with it working the clutch. This was even more dramatic back when I was driving the rally car around, which has the stiffest clutch in the world (seriously, it takes about 40 pounds of force to depress it).

Pixel > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:10

The only time I ever had an issue was when I was living in a household with four cars, each of which had a different floor shift. There were two manuals with different shift patterns, and two automatics with different types of shifters(1 normal, 1 B&M ratchet shifter). If needed to move a car or two to get yours out, or take the one at the end of the driveway for a short errand there was always a moment of "How the hell does this one work?"

jariten1781 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:10

I don't own any autos currently, but I do travel for a week at least once a month which means lots of auto driving. Usually the transition is seamless with maybe an airball clutch stab, but one car gave me issues.

Altima Hybrid...the engine auto-start/stop was really poor and rough. Whenever I'd be stopped at a light the engine would shut off. Then, when I went to go, the engine start up shook and felt to all of my driving sense like the car was stalling...so I'd reflexively stab the accelerator in 'prevent stall' mode which would cause the car to surge forward at which point I'd have to re-jab the brakes to prevent rear-ending people. Happened over and over again all week and unless I was consciously thinking about it I'd end up looking like a dumbass. Driven a number of cars with start/stop and that was the only one I had that issue with. Terrible.

Takuro Spirit > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:10

My first two winter cars were manual while my DD was auto. I'd stomp the invisible clutch pedal the first few times I went to start the DD on a nice day, but my BIGGER problem was going from column shift auto to floor shift automatic cars. Kept grabbing for the stick in the wrong place.

HammerheadFistpunch > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:11

My post not show up? cool, thanks impending kinja 3.0 (just getting ready)

stuttgartobsessed > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:14

I only have a manual but when I visit my grandparent's I drive their lexus and sometimes put it in Park after reversing thinking I'm selecting 1st...

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:14

Other than reflexively pushing down on a clutch pedal or reaching for a shift lever that is not there on occasion...not a problem.

But I guess the key is what you default to. I default to manual.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Takuro Spirit
03/24/2015 at 15:14

Only once have I turned on my wipers on the Civic when grabbing what I thought was an auto shifter.

Takuro Spirit > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:15

It'll happen more, just wait

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Pixel
03/24/2015 at 15:16

I work at a car lot and drive ~20 cars per day, all with completely different configurations. The most fun part is figuring out how to get the goddamn key back out of the ignition (or even rotate the tumbler). Do I push in? Is it in accessory? Which position is 'off'? Why, oh god WHY does Ford make me hit a fucking LEVER to get my key out?

And shifters. So many shifters.

5-Speed Gangsta > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:20

I am the only one in my family who has a manual at the moment. Whenever I drive my sister's pilot I have an urge to push the non existent clutch and shift. I also have a tendency to leave them in drive when I park. Once I was driving the e90 and forgot to put it in park and it wouldn't let me take the key out. I swear I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong before I put it in park. Nobody else in my family uses their parking brake unless they park on a steep hill so I am sure they are always confused when they get in their car and it is on.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > nermal
03/24/2015 at 15:22

Automatics are fantastic if they're eager to downshift or have a performance shift mode (or you have personally tuned them), but there is NOTHING more frustrating than an idiotic automatic.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/24/2015 at 15:24

No.

Nooooooooooo

nooooooooooooooooooooooooo

My dad has a B5.5 and I hate the transmission so much. Manual shifts take for-freaking-ever and it's supposed to be pull back to shift up not push forward! So frustrating. And in auto mode it holds onto gears FOREVER which is awful for economical driving, and refuses to downshift if you stomp the gas. Blech.

2005 Passat TDI

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:24

Several times when borrowing cars I'll look for a nonexistent clutch pedal, but if it happens at all it usually only happens once (I did once go to clutch in in a Honda Accord with a really wide brake pedal and bring the car to an aggressive halt). I've never had an issue going to a manual from an automatic, but the last time I did that was when I traded in my Bonneville for the WRX...and even when I bought the WRX and it was stock it was still very good about reminding me to shift. Loudly.

duurtlang > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:24

I've got 4 cars plus a company car, all manuals. However, I had an auto last summer (E30 Touring). The first time I drove that was the first time in a long time I drove an auto. It was, well, different. Uncomfortable. Especially when coming to a stop a traffic light, my left foot became restless and my right hand occasionally went for the shifter.

nermal > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:30

I don't think the one in my truck is bad, as much as it's the first auto I've ever owned, so I'm not used to driving it.

In the car, I can floor it while in any gear without downshifting. This results in a fixed amount of acceleration, dependent on gear and speed. In the truck, flooring it results in hyperdrive kicking in. While fun, it's a different dynamic, that takes some getting used to.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:37

Apart from the reversed direction of shifts, none of that matches my experience with tiptronic. Shifts are smooth and well-timed. It does downshift, and has a kick down for if it doesn't. Must be a slightly different transmission, plus I4 diesel vs. V8 gas.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:39

My total hours in a manual dwarf my total hours driving an automatic (100:1, maybe 1000:1?, over the course of 21 years), so my most common thing to do is go for the clutch when coming off the highway in an automatic.

Gonemad > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 15:49

My civic still has a 'ghost clutch'. Thanks Honda for the left foot rest. I still put it in neutral while waiting traffic lights for no particular reason.

And I see myself throttling in and out as if the car had a clutch and I had to change revs while changing gears; turns out I was trying to keep a distance from the car in front of me, and THAT car was a manual.

Skater Dad > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 16:10

It's very rare that I get tripped up. If I do, it's left foot braking the autos. But it's maybe once a year.

Have 1 manual and 2 autos.

blackchair > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 16:14

I switch between my 6 speed and my wife's auto regularly and haven't gotten mixed up. What I do mix up is with the key as I have a push start and hers is the usual keyed ignition. I'm always grabbing at the dash looking for the start button.

twochevrons > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 16:16

Right now, my manual cars ('56 MGA roadster and '85 VW Scirocco) are both summer toys/projects, so I go through winter driving my automatic Volvo exclusively. There's always a bit of an adjustment period when I start driving them again in the summer, re-learning shift points and pacing, and re-establishing muscle memory, but that sorts itself out after just one or two drives. Even though they have very different transmissions – the MG's is a slightly unforgiving short-throw four-speed with no synchromesh in first gear and no spring action in neutral, while the Scirocco has a typical slightly-rubbery eighties five-speed – once I've gone through that initial re-learning period at the beginning of the summer, I can switch between them and the Volvo without any ill effect.

I right-foot-brake no matter what car I'm driving (left-foot braking just feels wrong), so I don't have that issue. I won't lie that when driving an automatic, I'll occasionally go for a phantom clutch pedal, and bump it into neutral while at a stop, but there's nothing that really negatively affects my driving. I've been lucky enough to have been exposed to many different cars with many different transmissions, and there are definitely related skills involved in quickly picking up the feel of a new transmission, and in adapting between different familiar ones. I think that an understanding of what's actually going on in the mechanicals really helps, as well as being an encouragement to change gears in a competent fashion.

twochevrons > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/24/2015 at 16:21

While I'm fairly impressed with the automatic transmission in my wife's Golf, I must agree with Jake on the tiptronic mode. It's nice to be able to shift it 'manually,' and I do, but the noticeable lag between requesting a gear shift and it actually happening makes it really difficult to get used to. It's been the same in every tiptronic automatic transmission I've driven (not counting DSGs), and it's entirely understandable, given what's going on mechanically, but there is a world of difference between it and a manual with a clutch.

Shift24 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 16:50

Have two autos and one manual waiting for tires. And there is a big difference between the cars that i dont have that problem. 92 Accord 5sp, Camaro and K1500 are auto. I do left foot brake on the autos all time but in the manual its rare. I dont know if thats because i was raised on honda manuals and my first car i had for 2 years was a manual so

Spasoje > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 17:07

I only drove my first automatic - a column-shifted Taurus - after about two years of driving the manual I learned on. I'd frequently press a clutch pedal that wasn't there when coming to a stop, and reach for a gear lever when setting off.

Today, many years later and with a floor-shifted automatic also in the family, I found that it's like riding a bike - once you learn (to constantly switch between manual & auto cars), you never forget.

Now if I could only make that so for wiper stalks...one car has you press it down, while the other has you press it up! That messes me up more than the change in transmissions ever did.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > twochevrons
03/24/2015 at 19:23

I realize that, I've driven stick and was kidding.

Purgso > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 20:31

I have auto. Couldn't find any good manuals that fit my needs and were in my price range.

twochevrons > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/24/2015 at 21:42

Whew. Had me worried there for a moment.

Have car, will drive (now has a motorcycle too) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 21:52

I drive an auto most of the time, and drive my wife's manual (which was previously my daily for over four years) probably once every couple of weeks. When got my current car and first switch back to auto I did find my left foot trying to "clutch in" coming to a stop, but now I can switch between the two without issue.

To add complication, our two cars have their indicator stalks on opposite sides of the wheel, but I seem to have mastered that changeover too!

I also commute on a manual motorcyle, but I think my brain knows that it sufficiently different to a car to not get confused.

MM54 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 22:00

Sadly I only have an auto, but I do drive friend's and other manuals fairly often. I don't have much trouble - automatics I left-foot brake and manuals I (obviously) don't. A good friend of mine has a late 90's Olds 88 and a 2002 M5 (weird combo, right?) and obviously there's the auto/manual gap, and it's never been an issue for him, either.

Only once have a hopped in a car and spiked the brake because I expected a clutch, and that was a rental. No idea what was in my head at the time. I think I'm just so used to driving other peoples' manuals that getting into an unfamiliar auto threw me off.

MM54 > Takuro Spirit
03/24/2015 at 22:01

I do this all the time. It's sort of embarrassing when other people are in the car