Automatic or Manual - Which is faster?

nitrous · 14th July 2008, 21:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by headers

Also auto shifting is more consistent than manual shifts and thats why F1 uses auto shifts too.

What are you talking?

Path_Finder · 14th July 2008, 22:07

Are you talking about the time it takes to shift gears or the speed of the vehicle with AT? AT systems are improving and the actual shifting is much faster than in today’s MT cars by any standard. However when it comes to this translating to vehicle speed, it will be a different story. This also will have dependencies on the Vehicle, the AT logic used, driving habits, traffic conditions etc. Generally it will be sacrificing speed and responsiveness for FE which is why ST gives much lesser FE.

Anyway waiting to see the poll result as to what others think about this.

Thad E Ginathom · 14th July 2008, 22:09

So far, the answers seem to ignore the lever!

An auto gives the best of both worlds, as one can change down manually just as easily.

One can also maximise the acceleration from a standing start by manually selecting lower gears on an auto.

Long time back, I used to drive my little 19-seventy-something Civic AT as a clutchless manual. Left to itself, the initial 0-30 (MPH) was dismal, although accceleration thereafter became quite nippy.

deepakvrao · 15th July 2008, 06:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaronikar

Manual gears tends to give that sudden thrust when you shift to lower gear while you need sudden acceleration whereas auto does give the thrust but less compared to manual tranmission. I would prefer manual in highways and AT inside city.

ATs also especially the newer ones also give fabulous acc with downshifting.

JRD · 15th July 2008, 07:05

MT. unless its a f430 or similar

Thad E Ginathom · 15th July 2008, 11:44

I forget which car, maybe a high end Audi, but it was certainly an expensive car --- but the Top Gear team pitted the manual against the auto, and none of them could get the manual to beat the auto's timings; it's 'brain' simply did a better job!

For those of us at the lower end of the market though, raw acceleration figures is simply not what it is about. Convenience is what it is about, especially for city driving.

Even for cruising: AT and Cruise Control --- the purrrfect combination

vasudeva · 15th July 2008, 12:04

As per some automag, for my Corolla, 0-100 is 9.8 s in manual, and 12 s in AT. I seriously wonder how does that matter in real time conditions. As I have said, having driven both manual and AT, acceleration in moving situation may be better in an AT, and also the ability to quickly take advantage of traffic gaps. Top speeds are roughly the same, and if someone is so punctilious about microseconds or seconds, he should get a job operating the Big Ben or the Delhi Clock Tower.

esteem_lover · 15th July 2008, 12:27

gimme a tiptronic, ideal for any situation

Akshay1234 · 15th July 2008, 12:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasudeva

As per some automag, for my Corolla, 0-100 is 9.8 s in manual, and 12 s in AT. I seriously wonder how does that matter in real time conditions. As I have said, having driven both manual and AT, acceleration in moving situation may be better in an AT, and also the ability to quickly take advantage of traffic gaps. Top speeds are roughly the same, and if someone is so punctilious about microseconds or seconds, he should get a job operating the Big Ben or the Delhi Clock Tower.

that because the corolla has an ancient 4 speed auto isnt it? im sure it would be much quicker if it had a better auto gearbox.

reignofchaos · 15th July 2008, 12:42

Twin clutch gearboxes are seemingly faster than stick shifters. Eg: The Evo MR with a twin clutch tranny and paddle shifters is slightly faster on track than the Evo GSR with a 5 speed manual. In 0-60 the GSR is faster than the MR.

GTO · 15th July 2008, 13:19

Superb topic, headers!

With most old-school automatics, the manual will be faster. However, there are exceptions to this rule. I remember an older-gen Corvette from the '90s where the auto was faster than the manual. It is safe to presume that <10 lakh rupee cars will use conventional automatic transmissions which are slower than manuals (Santro, NHC CVT, Corolla etc.).

On the other side, newer technologies such as tiptronic, DSG etc. have upped their game. Not only is it becoming increasingly common for them to clock faster 0 - 100 times, but they also boast butter-smooth shifts and ever increasing fuel efficiency.

My pick is still a 5 / 6 speed slick-shifting manual tranny though

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

The laura automatic (DSG) is faster than the manual one by 0.3 Seconds ( a 0-100 Speed)

Not only is a DSG faster, but it is also *consistently* faster. In a manual transmission, the driver needs to launch in exactly the same (faster) way to maintain his best 0 - 100 time. I can tell you its impossible to maintain exactly the same consistency over several runs.

CR-V · 15th July 2008, 15:35

DSG is faster than manual as in DSG in auto mode or DSG in manual mode?

If I am not wrong isn't DSG a mixture of a auto and manual? As in you can even change gears at your ease without having any clutch, so in that way a DSG in manual mode is faster than DSG in auto mode and normal manual?

headers · 15th July 2008, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

and none of them could get the manual to beat the auto's timings; it's 'brain' simply did a better job!

....

Even for cruising: AT and Cruise Control --- the purrrfect combination

I agree, some autos cant be beaten !

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Superb topic, headers!
....
I can tell you its impossible to maintain exactly the same consistency over several runs.

Thanks GTO, Thats why automatics are so popular the world over. it makes the drivers job simpler.

Way back in 96, while on a roadking on the way to work, I actually counted the number of upshifts and downshifts over a distance of 13 kms in chennai and the number was a mind boggling 47 or so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

What are you talking?

The above 2 posts are for your kind reference oh master, need i say more, shall i chat later on gmail chat and get more gyan?

Quote:

Originally Posted by CR-V

DSG is faster than manual as in DSG in auto mode or DSG in manual mode?

If I am not wrong isn't DSG a mixture of a auto and manual? As in you can even change gears at your ease without having any clutch, so in that way a DSG in manual mode is faster than DSG in auto mode and normal manual?

Well, i am a little lost here in this DSG auto and DSG manual. Can you explain please? Thanks

CR-V · 15th July 2008, 19:25

In DSG there is on plain auto
Then there + -, I am refering that to manual DSG.

nitrous · 15th July 2008, 19:28

@headers: With DSG, its basically an automatic GB with manual paddle shifters. You can choose between automatic and manual modes by a button.
The Automatic is presumably for city driving when you dont want to bother about shifting.
And when you switch to manual mode, the gear selection is completely upto you.
So,its the best of both worlds.

View Poll Results: Are automatics faster than manual counterparts
Yes, Automatics are faster	6	9.38%
No way, Its manual transmission all along	31	48.44%
Cant' say, it depends on the vehicle	27	42.19%
Voters: 64. You may not vote on this poll

14th July 2008, 22:07	#17
Path_Finder BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 622 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Are you talking about the time it takes to shift gears or the speed of the vehicle with AT? AT systems are improving and the actual shifting is much faster than in today’s MT cars by any standard. However when it comes to this translating to vehicle speed, it will be a different story. This also will have dependencies on the Vehicle, the AT logic used, driving habits, traffic conditions etc. Generally it will be sacrificing speed and responsiveness for FE which is why ST gives much lesser FE. Anyway waiting to see the poll result as to what others think about this.
	() Thanks

14th July 2008, 22:09	#18
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,461 Thanked: 30,123 Times	So far, the answers seem to ignore the lever! An auto gives the best of both worlds, as one can change down manually just as easily. One can also maximise the acceleration from a standing start by manually selecting lower gears on an auto. Long time back, I used to drive my little 19-seventy-something Civic AT as a clutchless manual. Left to itself, the initial 0-30 (MPH) was dismal, although accceleration thereafter became quite nippy.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 07:05	#20
JRD BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Turin/Ahmedabad Posts: 372 Thanked: 16 Times View My Garage	MT. unless its a f430 or similar
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 11:44	#21
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,461 Thanked: 30,123 Times	I forget which car, maybe a high end Audi, but it was certainly an expensive car --- but the Top Gear team pitted the manual against the auto, and none of them could get the manual to beat the auto's timings; it's 'brain' simply did a better job! For those of us at the lower end of the market though, raw acceleration figures is simply not what it is about. Convenience is what it is about, especially for city driving. Even for cruising: AT and Cruise Control --- the purrrfect combination
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 12:04	#22
vasudeva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 2,221 Thanked: 212 Times	As per some automag, for my Corolla, 0-100 is 9.8 s in manual, and 12 s in AT. I seriously wonder how does that matter in real time conditions. As I have said, having driven both manual and AT, acceleration in moving situation may be better in an AT, and also the ability to quickly take advantage of traffic gaps. Top speeds are roughly the same, and if someone is so punctilious about microseconds or seconds, he should get a job operating the Big Ben or the Delhi Clock Tower.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 12:27	#23
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 513 Times View My Garage	gimme a tiptronic, ideal for any situation
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 12:42	#25
reignofchaos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,558 Thanked: 2,527 Times View My Garage	Twin clutch gearboxes are seemingly faster than stick shifters. Eg: The Evo MR with a twin clutch tranny and paddle shifters is slightly faster on track than the Evo GSR with a 5 speed manual. In 0-60 the GSR is faster than the MR.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 15:35	#27
CR-V BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 183 Thanked: 16 Times View My Garage	DSG is faster than manual as in DSG in auto mode or DSG in manual mode? If I am not wrong isn't DSG a mixture of a auto and manual? As in you can even change gears at your ease without having any clutch, so in that way a DSG in manual mode is faster than DSG in auto mode and normal manual?
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 19:25	#29
CR-V BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 183 Thanked: 16 Times View My Garage	In DSG there is on plain auto Then there + -, I am refering that to manual DSG.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 19:28	#30
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,964 Thanked: 333 Times View My Garage	@headers: With DSG, its basically an automatic GB with manual paddle shifters. You can choose between automatic and manual modes by a button. The Automatic is presumably for city driving when you dont want to bother about shifting. And when you switch to manual mode, the gear selection is completely upto you. So,its the best of both worlds.
	() Thanks