GM Manual Transmissions - Who would have thought?

[braumeister]

I don't think I've ever read a story about Saabs that didn't include the word "quirky".

A long time ago I used to commute with a neighbor who sometimes drove his father's Saab. I was always amazed at how the ignition key was inserted into the floor between the seats instead of the dashboard.

But the company is still around, making aircraft as they have since the 1930s.

 

[Walt34]

Weirdest manual I ever drove was a Saab 93. It had a 4-speed on the tree - with overdrive/freewheeling. Of course, the really strange thing was the 3-cylinder 2cycle engine. The owner (a friend of mine) burned out his engine, trying to start it when it ran out of gas (no gas = no cylinder oil.)

I remember those from where I worked in a gas station in high school. A few of the regular customers had them, and they'd come in, hand you a can of oil of about a third of a quart to pour into the gas tank, and then order some oddball, but very specific, number of gallons of gasoline. The number "eight gallons" comes to mind but I could be mistaken about that. Then of course was the unique "two-stroke sound" which at the time was mostly associated with motorcycles.

 

[skyking1]

I drove a manual Diahatsu while on vacation in the Cayman Islands. It was RHD. Grand Cayman roads are drive-on-the-left. My two main problems were pulling out of side streets or parking lots into the right lane instead of the left. That was the scariest thing to get used to. The other problem was shifting with my left hand. That wasn't the problem, but having my right hand on the wheel and needing to signal. Whenever I tried to use my right hand to activate the turn signal, I ended up turning on the darn wipers!
You needed to take your hand off the shifter, use the left stalk to signal, and then use your left hand to shift again. They should have swapped the signal and wiper stalks on the RHD cars.

That was when it got me too!
It was the worst when you pulled out onto a quiet street with no other traffic and then you get started off on the wrong side of the road.

 

[braumeister]

That was when it got me too!
It was the worst when you pulled out onto a quiet street with no other traffic and then you get started off on the wrong side of the road.

Some days are just like that.

 

[Koolau]

Yes, and many previous Saab owners are still saabing over their previous ownership. Especially the Saab 93 owners that had to have the digital instrument cluster removed and replaced outside of warranty. Those costs were saabering.

Owning a Saab was typically a real saab story.

Many years later, ca 1983, I rode in a Saab (4 cycle) when a new acquaintance took us to the airport. His car was immaculate, inside and out and I thought it was new. The driver told us that "It's just been broken in. It has 165,000 miles on it." Not bad though YMMV.

 

[GaryInCO]

Yeah I drove Saabs (all 4-cycle) for over 35 years. They really lasted, especially the later but pre-GM models. My last Saab was a 2002 9-5 Aero, with just under 200k miles on it. It still looked and drove like new. Loved that car! Sometimes I regret replacing it with a Tesla.

Yes, RHD cars use the same pedal configuration as LHD cars: Throttle on right, brake center, and clutch on left. Shifting you will need to use your left hand in RHD cars.

I was driving a manual in the UK once. Mostly I did OK, but there was one moment when I had to do a panic downshift and I tried to open the window.

 

[stephenson]

VW GTI .... 2024 is it ...

from Car and Driver ... "2024 will mark the final year for the manual-transmission Volkswagen Golf GTI. The German automaker revealed a special edition of the hot hatch today called the Golf GTI 380, announcing that this package will be fitted to every 2024 stick-shift GTI as a send-off to the do-it-yourself gearbox."

But, let's be clear - today's automatics, are generally faster, safer to drive, get better mileage, and last as long as the previous manuals did - but, require no clutch/pressure plate/clutch master or slave cylinder, etc.

It's sad, but the ICE is going, too ... for most cars. So, add that to the "Old Man Disease" list.

 

[Cotty]

I keep an old Jetta in Ohio to go back and forth to NC (between y two kid's houses) with a manual transmission and a 2.5 ltr 5cyl. Get close to 40 mpg and side effect is that no one can drive it at the house in Ohio except my daughter, so it's never "borrowed" by any of the grandchildren. Son-in-law was USMC, but since he was an MP, only drive Ford cars his entire enlistment and never learned the clutch.

 

[1242Vintage]

I learned how to drive manual when I was 15 and drove a very old Ford step side truck at a camp I was working at. Gearing was so low that you could pop the clutch in first gear without giving much gas and wouldn’t stall. It would just creep along at a few miles an hour.

And I still have my high school car, a ‘55 oval window VW bug. Converted it to 12v system and put a 1835 cc motor in her. Fun to drive around town with the loud exhaust system and four speed tranny. Of course in high school coming home after midnight was a challenge. Always woke up Mom when I pulled into the driveway.

 

[Koolau]

VW GTI .... 2024 is it ...

from Car and Driver ... "2024 will mark the final year for the manual-transmission Volkswagen Golf GTI. The German automaker revealed a special edition of the hot hatch today called the Golf GTI 380, announcing that this package will be fitted to every 2024 stick-shift GTI as a send-off to the do-it-yourself gearbox."

But, let's be clear - today's automatics, are generally faster, safer to drive, get better mileage, and last as long as the previous manuals did - but, require no clutch/pressure plate/clutch master or slave cylinder, etc.

It's sad, but the ICE is going, too ... for most cars. So, add that to the "Old Man Disease" list.

I would disagree about the ICE going any time soon. I'll be long gone before they will be - but YMMV. Since most EVs can operate without an actual transmission (as we think of them) the auto-trans will likely also be gone when the ICE is gone, but now we're really speculating.

 

[m3bs]

Had to take the Porsche out for a drive to make sure I remembered how to drive a manual and listen to the music that a EV will never provide. I even turned off the (excellent) rev matching to step up the challenge.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Had to take the Porsche out for a drive to make sure I remembered how to drive a manual and listen to the music that a EV will never provide. I even turned off the (excellent) rev matching to step up the challenge.

+1

Nothing more enjoyable for me than taking out the Miata on a sunny day, dropping the top, and listening to the engine and tranny sing as I snick through the gears on a curvy road.

Sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination.

 

[Koolau]

Had to take the Porsche out for a drive to make sure I remembered how to drive a manual and listen to the music that a EV will never provide. I even turned off the (excellent) rev matching to step up the challenge.

Do you really need rev matching with a synchronized tranny? I'm sure you can shift down a bit quicker with rev matching but by how much? Besides, isn't it more fun blipping the throttle and matching it yourself?

 

[ERD50]

Originally Posted by m3bs View Post
Had to take the Porsche out for a drive to make sure I remembered how to drive a manual and listen to the music that a EV will never provide. I even turned off the (excellent) rev matching to step up the challenge.

Do you really need rev matching with a synchronized tranny? I'm sure you can shift down a bit quicker with rev matching but by how much? Besides, isn't it more fun blipping the throttle and matching it yourself?

I was not aware of automatic rev matching (TIL?) - but I'd assume it reduces wear and stress on the clutch and trans.

And it does sound like m3bs turns it off when he wants the full gear shifting experience.

-ERD50

 

[m3bs]

Proper rev matching also avoids unsettling the car when braking for a tight turn from 150. I use the auto matching on the track because it has been flawless. My technique, while pretty good, can’t compare, and the auto system lets me focus on braking. Braking is good…..

 

[skyking1]

Focus is good!