Manual transmission?

[Ramcharger90]

Feathering clutch, brake and throttle is a skill set, stalling the engine means more practice is needed, lol

No one can shift a manual as fast as an automatic going uphill, on the flats it's a moot point, momentum loss is negligible unless you are "pedal to the metal"

I out ran plenty of auto's.... automatic transmission are still kinda dumb when it comes to knowing when to shift. Nothing like a upshift at the bottom of a hill.....

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Feathering clutch, brake and throttle is a skill set, stalling the engine means more practice is needed, lol

No one can shift a manual as fast as an automatic going uphill, on the flats it's a moot point, momentum loss is negligible unless you are "pedal to the metal"

And if you have to stop going uphill you gotta be ready on the brakes, same for if you have to clutch going downhill.
There was a big hillclimb/decent that was pretty intense at the roundup that had this (carburated) flatlander concerned.

I let the guy in front of me have a good lead and the truck took it in stride although I took like the worst line possible.

And in this modern age when everybody else on the trail has an automatic which can go slower so it is easy to creep up on them even in low first. Going downhill it was nice to have enough torque reserve I could kind of ride the brakes and even pull the engine down if needed without killing it.

My big perks for a manual to me are there is no cooling system to fuss over, no 15+qts of fluid to flush, and it isn't really like rebuilding a rocket ship to rebuild the the trans... at least the one I have anyway.

I only lost momentum when dragging ass up hill loaded 80k-95k damn trubo lag

Plus with hydraulic clutchs and synchronized transmissions is it really a skill?

Crawling up a hill at 2mph if you clutch it to shift you loose a lot of momentum in a big hurry.

Basically you do not touch the friggin clutch on a steep climb.

 

[RonD]

Yes, if you know your gearing then you can stay ahead of an RPM torque curve because you have eyes, to see whats coming, an automatic doesn't have that, lol, although the driver of the automatic does, and can downshift just like in a manual
Maybe in a few more years we will get "terrain sensing" AI that will downshift BEFORE getting to the hill
There is the automatic braking now, but not the same thing

I would always want a manual just because of the reliability, but automatics are better in most situations, on or off-road
The situations where manuals are better are getting less and less, lol, as automatics get better and better

 

[sgtsandman]

Ronny Dahl did a video on this very subject a while back. His final verdict, even though he prefers and drives a manual, is that automatics are usually better in most situations.

Me personally, I would prefer the manual because you are forced to be a better driver.

 

[4x4junkie]

They did for the diesel until last year. IMO very probable limiting it only to the diesel and I think it was a higher trim only option killed it. I am sure very doctor and lawyer that plunks down $50k+ for a loaded diesel ZR2/Bison wants a manual too for their luxury offroader.

I have built many a manual V6 Gladiator on Jeep's website.

I keep forgetting about the Gladiator (I guess 'cause it's still so new... the Ranger, at least in name anyway, has been around for decades.). You've only one body style option with the Gladiator though (crew-cab w/6' (I think) bed), which makes for a very long cumbersome truck, impractical for even moderate offroad trips (which is what I'd use the pickup for... my BII (or if the upcoming Bronco is decent) would be for the much more technical stuff).

Yeah I've no interest in a "luxury offroader" either (and infact Toyota doesn't offer the manual trans in their "Limited" trim). My desire was a basic manual pickup with some amenities (cloth seats, V6 engine, 4WD, A/C, CC, CD stereo with HD & RDS reception, and a (manual) sliding rear window).

Off-road manual trans only has one advantage, downhill slowly

Not true, a manual also allows greater finesse maneuvering through large rocks... But there is a caveat, you MUST be geared for it. Excepting maybe for the Jeep Rubicon, no manual 4x4 comes with deep enough gearing allowing for this from the factory, and so is why aftermarket crawl boxes and t-case doublers are common in manual rigs used in rocks (perhaps the 7-speed manual in the upcoming Bronco will allow it, if it has a decently-low 1st).

Automatic has the advantage of no lost momentum shifting gears going uphill

No argument there. However I think that is less of an issue than in, say, in a mud bog. The loss of momentum from trying to shift a manual in a mud drag is likely to be the death of any chance at a win against an automatic. I've no desire to run in deep mud though, so this one isn't an issue for me.

It takes more skill to use a manual well, but its not really a needed skill any more, lol

True. But I find it a lot more fun too. It provides for a much better connection between man and machine.

Manual also has the edge in reliability, which is a big deal 50miles out in the bush

Has an edge in longevity too (possibly another reason why the automakers are turning away from manuals, they tend to stay on the roads longer, meaning fewer future sales). They tend not to overheat offroad too.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I keep forgetting about the Gladiator (I guess 'cause it's still so new... the Ranger, at least in name anyway, has been around for decades.). You've only one body style option with the Gladiator though (crew-cab w/6' (I think) bed), which makes for a very long cumbersome truck, impractical for even moderate offroad trips (which is what I'd use the pickup for... my BII (or if the upcoming Bronco is decent) would be for the much more technical stuff).

Gladiator has a 5' bed which takes it out of the running for me.

And if I am going to have a F-150 wheel base I might as well have an F-150.

 

[HenryMac]

I out ran plenty of auto's.... automatic transmission are still kinda dumb when it comes to knowing when to shift. Nothing like a upshift at the bottom of a hill.....

You say "still"..... Curious if you have you driven a 2019 or 2020 Ranger? The 10 speed puts a lot of previous truths about auto transmissions in the grave.

I drove manual transmission vehicles as daily drivers since 1985 until we bought our 2019 Ranger last September. We live in central Colorado... lots of hills.... the 10 speed auto will put your previously conceived notions to rest.

 

[Ramcharger90]

You say "still"..... Curious if you have you driven a 2019 or 2020 Ranger? The 10 speed puts a lot of previous truths about auto transmissions in the grave.

I drove manual transmission vehicles as daily drivers since 1985 until we bought our 2019 Ranger last September. We live in central Colorado... lots of hills.... the 10 speed auto will put your previously conceived notions to rest.

Yes I have. I wasn't that impressed. Maybe the truck didn't have enough time to build a shift algorithm. I have also driven the new 12spd auto from Mercedes. I prefer manual what can I say.

 

[HenryMac]

Yes I have. I wasn't that impressed. Maybe the truck didn't have enough time to build a shift algorithm. I have also driven the new 12spd auto from Mercedes. I prefer manual what can I say.

I guess it's something you have to put a few thousand miles on to really get the feel of. I agree... I'd still rather have a manual too.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I guess it's something you have to put a few thousand miles on to really get the feel of. I agree... I'd still rather have a manual too.

And they have to get a feel for you.

They have been reported to be kind of clunky until they figure out how to transmission correctly.

 

[snoranger]

I prefer manual on my toys. My ‘02 Ranger, 94 Cobra, and soon to be Cummins F350 are all manual, but my daily drive f150 has the 10spd and that’s trans is on point.