I really hate automatic gear knobs like this. 

"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada) 03/15/2016 at 14:06 • Filed to: RANT

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It should not be all confusing and odd like this, it should be simple and straight, only diverging for the manual mode, if it’s there.

Really, how hard is it to just make it simpler?

/Rant

Party-vi > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:09

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I mean, it’s a gated shifter, and it’s sporty to have to contort your hand around to get into Drive, don’t you think?

not for canada - australian in disguise > Party-vi 03/15/2016 at 14:10

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It may be sporty, but it’s also butt ugly and confusing.

Party-vi > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:13

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>.>

Is not sporty at all. Is gimmicky.

HammerheadFistpunch > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:15

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bwahaha!

not for canada - australian in disguise > HammerheadFistpunch 03/15/2016 at 14:16

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I love Jag, but damnit they can’t design a shift pattern if their life depended on it.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:17

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heh knob

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:18

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I was working on the radio in my daughter’s (well, my , really) ‘89 Camry last night. Great big shifter right in front of the radio. Really annoying. And those automatic seatbelts that attack you whenever you open the door or turn on the ignition.

Wait: that wasn’t your point, was it?

gin-san - shitpost specialist > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:20

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It is pointless - my biggest beef with these is the +/- orientation. Forward for downshift, pull back for upshift instead of doing it the other way around. I know Mazda has this right, I believe BMW/Mini also does it this way, but majority of cars have this all wrong. Then there are those truly awful ones where you have to push left or right in gate to shift, at which point I just wish they didn't include the manumatic feature at all.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:20

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HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > HammerheadFistpunch 03/15/2016 at 14:22

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they should look like this

or this

not for canada - australian in disguise > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/15/2016 at 14:23

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This is how it should be done. Shame the only companies that do it fuck it up by making the buttons look like every other button most of the time.

HammerheadFistpunch > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/15/2016 at 14:24

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I finally heard a good argument FOR these the other day. It turns out the module is about 50% the cost of repairing or replacing the column shifter if/when it goes out which has been know to happen with the RAMS of recent past. So, thats nice.

spanfucker retire bitch > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:25

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My Mazda3 has a similar shifter and I’ve never once been befuddled or confused by it.

It’s a fricken’ automatic, it ain’t hard.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:25

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Kinda cheapy plastic, though.

Sweet Trav > HammerheadFistpunch 03/15/2016 at 14:28

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You know what doesn't fail, a mechanical linkage.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/15/2016 at 14:29

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Or this:

But not this:

Driver_41 > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:29

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Counterpoint: It’s easy to determine what gear you have selected purely by feel using a gated auto. No need to check the display to be sure you made it out of N. Then again, I want all my automatics to be column shift. Off my lawn, you kids!

HammerheadFistpunch > Sweet Trav 03/15/2016 at 14:31

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They don’t? I’m pretty sure that’s not true. Bushing go to crap, cables stretch, catches and stops get worn, etc. I mean there are a lot of things to be said for the mechanical linkage but failproof they are not.

Sweet Trav > HammerheadFistpunch 03/15/2016 at 14:36

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The GM Column shift mechanism found on GMT400 trucks is pretty much failproof.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Sweet Trav 03/15/2016 at 14:37

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false

HammerheadFistpunch > Sweet Trav 03/15/2016 at 14:39

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We owned 2 GMT400 trucks and while I can’t say they ever failed, they both got worse with age.

LongbowMkII > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:42

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Squiggles ftw.

J_P_Cars10s > Sweet Trav 03/15/2016 at 14:56

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The mechanical linkage on our 2006 F150 failed. Would not go all the way into park, would not start, had to be towed to the dealer.

Azrek > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 14:57

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I hate gear boxes like this....

McMike > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 15:03

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The biggest crime is having upshift (+) being the forward motion.

Fight me.

Algimantas > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 15:13

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what really annoys me is gear levers where you have to push it forward to upshift. Otherwise I wouldn’t care but in sports cars like porsche it’s just bullshit. Also I don’t think anybody cares anymore because f1 style gear buttons are ubiquitous now.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Sweet Trav 03/15/2016 at 15:14

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Except for when they do fail. The linkage on my Honda has failed twice

Cé hé sin > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 15:17

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That design was quite a thing at the time.

Known as the Randle Handle, after Jag engineer Jim Randle.

Cé hé sin > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 15:23

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Fiat!

Figure that one out...

Sweet Trav > HammerheadFistpunch 03/15/2016 at 15:35

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What component on a vehicle gets better with age?

HammerheadFistpunch > Sweet Trav 03/15/2016 at 15:39

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Nothing on a GMT400 I can tell you that with confidence. That being said, an electronic module typically doesn’t get worse with age, they are usually binary, its perfect until it fails.

facw > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 15:43

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Worst:

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > HammerheadFistpunch 03/15/2016 at 16:15

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J-gate!

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 16:27

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It’s amazing to me how often car companies fuck up ergonomics when being able to work the controls without taking your eyes of the road is vitally important to keeping you from dying in a fiery wreck.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/15/2016 at 16:29

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This would be a fine idea IF and ONLY IF the dial has a prominent feature on it that makes it easy to determine the orientation without looking at the dial.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 03/15/2016 at 17:14

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I’ve used them in the Ram, and they kind of “click” into each gear. so you can feel it go into reverse, neutral, and drive.

Still heeps better than this.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > not for canada - australian in disguise 03/15/2016 at 23:40

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With that pattern that you hate, you have more feeling without looking as to what slot you’re in. You don’t have to rely on the the readout from an otherwise straight shot of positions because you can also feel the left to right movement.

Seems like a win to me?

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/16/2016 at 08:08

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This issue I have is that when you put your hand on the knob, you should be able to tell immediately and independently of the indicator lights what gear you’re in, much like you can when you put your hand a manual or standard automatic shifter.

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > facw 03/16/2016 at 16:35

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I don’t see a problem with that! One side for the strong man, and the other for the fragile, sensitive woman. Oooohhhh... I’m sorry I had my brain stuck in the 1930's. Ah the good old days, when blatant sexism was not only accepted, but encouraged!