how to propertly offroad with a standard?

[Todd]

Ah the tranny debate.

For me its manual all the way. With the right axle gears and a doubler its just too damn nice.

Now I have said this before, what would be really cool would be a manual valve body gear box between a manual trans and the t-case.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

lol, it became modern shuttle shift and powershift technology, eg, in our Kabota.

A powershift is pretty much like an automatic car transmission (with planetaries and clutches) where you control the shift points.

You can unbolt the COM transmission and bolt it into a dual range (clutch) tractor, there was nothing special about them aside from the clutch/torque converter.

 

[Ozwynn]

lets get back to what this is supposed to be. advise on how to use a clutch off road. And everybody does it differently, its like asking how to properly use your man tool

 

[GBranger04]

one nice thing about the manual off roading or in general is that in the mud and snow a manual is a lot easier to rock out of a rut or rock enough to get over an obstacle when you can't just drive over it. Mudding - that might be something you want to try before you get into the situation where you need it.

 

[Will]

Enjoy your 10-15% more parisitic power loss too

This isn't true. That is the kind of power loss you might see if the automatic tranny was a hydraulic pump driving a hydraulic motor. It's not, of course. Just like with a manual tranny in direct, all the gears inside are locked together and it's a straight shot in the front and out the back. A small amount of power is used to pressurize the forward and high clutches to lock the plantes together--but we're talking 100psi here. The converter is the thing that in the past sucked up power--but maybe a 3% slip cruising. It's slipping is what increases torque but that only happens when it is loaded. But since the 80s torque converters don't slip past about 35mph because they are also clutched now when not needed. These days, there's not much difference in manuals and autos mileage wise. In some cases, autos can post better mileage even.

I don't know why people think manuals are old school and autos are modern. Autos have been around since about 1940 in cars. I mean, after 70 years of being able to drop the stick in D and press on the gas we should be getting ready for the next thing--like CVT.

Incidentally, after flipping through the Serivce Manuals on my wife's Honda Pilot I saw what I thought was a manual transmission blow-up. Turns out, the Honda auto uses the same type of gear arrangement as a manual-shift tranny and not planetaries.

 

[reginald fairfield]

This isn't true. That is the kind of power loss you might see if the automatic tranny was a hydraulic pump driving a hydraulic motor. It's not, of course. Just like with a manual tranny in direct, all the gears inside are locked together and it's a straight shot in the front and out the back. A small amount of power is used to pressurize the forward and high clutches to lock the plantes together--but we're talking 100psi here. The converter is the thing that in the past sucked up power--but maybe a 3% slip cruising. It's slipping is what increases torque but that only happens when it is loaded. But since the 80s torque converters don't slip past about 35mph because they are also clutched now when not needed. These days, there's not much difference in manuals and autos mileage wise. In some cases, autos can post better mileage even.

I don't know why people think manuals are old school and autos are modern. Autos have been around since about 1940 in cars. I mean, after 70 years of being able to drop the stick in D and press on the gas we should be getting ready for the next thing--like CVT.

Incidentally, after flipping through the Serivce Manuals on my wife's Honda Pilot I saw what I thought was a manual transmission blow-up. Turns out, the Honda auto uses the same type of gear arrangement as a manual-shift tranny and not planetaries.

Yes, I can see that, but the reason many automatics feel "slow" I believe is the shift point and patterns. That is why I previously stated that autos are improving- with all the electronics they are making them shift when they should. The old 3-speed autos are in my experience the worst- at a dead stop they work ok, but if you are already going, say 50, try to gun it a lot of times it won't hardly move because it won't downshift, or if it does it will only one gear. Sometimes you need to skip down a couple. My friend got beat in his 1979 chevy pickup with a crate 350 by a 1995 toyota with a 3.something v6. The chevy had an old 3-speed. The toyota had a manual. The funny thing is both were lifted about the same and had similar tires (within one inch of each other's).

I don't know, I just like manuals. They are generally speaking tougher, etc etc. I won't bore you with the old arguments. (That are true, mostly it just depends on where you drive. I drive 80% in the country on highways, so I don't mind it. If I lived in the city I might reconsider)

Another incentive I have to like them is the 3.0 vulcan in my ranger. It is no nascar with the manual trans, but I would hate to see it with an automatic. At least now I can keep 'er wound up like I need to.

 

[MUDDING B-3000]

ya i dont think ill go to an auto i just like to beable to run a car or truck through the gears on an open road. the only time i would want a auto is say if i drove in a busy city with stop an go cuz personally stop an go in a standard truck SUCKS! but i live just outside a city which isnt busy at all so i love my standard an most of my driving is country highways an side roads.

i went out yesterday to test out everyone suggestions an they helped alot i just have to get used to keeping the rpms down realy low when im trying to crawl a hill or rocks, its just insinct like if your stoped on a hill an your tring to crawl up it. your instincts tell you to skip over from the brake to the gas an give it alot of gas while riding out the clutch. thats what i get from my instincts but i dont do that i just use the clutch to hold me there without brakes an then just give a little gas an crawl at like 1100 rpm type thing.

but thanks everyone you have helped me out alot with these suggestions have prob saved me from doin a shit load of clutch changes lol thanks again

 

[Will]

I only have a new Honda so I can't speak for everything else. But the auto in our Pilot is very intelligent. It's obviously computer controlled. It knows the power curve of the engine and you are never disappointed when you stomp the gas. It never hunts on hills. When you stomp it, it does whatever it needs to do to get you the most torque. You can't drive as well as this shifts because it is programmed to always give you the most torque when you stomp the pedal. It's so much better of a tranny than any Ford auto or any manual at all that I've driven. With the variable intake geometry and the variable valve timing and the perfect tranny logic it's by far the best vehicle I've driven. Hard for you to understand what I mean unless you've owned one.