sliek0722

I was going to post this as a reply in another thread but I think this is a topic that is worthy of discussion because its always been a burning question to me:

Why is there a stigma that manuals suck in traffic or people hestitate to buy a manual because of city driving? I've been driving a manual for almost ten years and I can honestly say that driving in the city doesn't affect me whatsoever.

I don't even think when I'm driving my car. I do it on autopilot. When I shift from 2nd to 3rd I don't think, "I'm revving at 2500, time to shift" I'm thinking "Boy I would love some mashed potatos with gravy while watching Family Guy tonight" while my body shifts the car for me. I don't worry about stalling out at green lights because I stall out maybe once every six months. I don't have any problems moving the car in first gear and I don't burn the clutch the slightest bit. City driving and traffic do not affect me whatsoever (ok traffic makes me mad but not because I have to shift lol).

And the advantages? I control the car when I want! I can rev high, rev low, slow down easier and have more fun.

oh6vee6

+10000

owero01

I totally agree. Shifting has become instinctive for me and it doesn't bother me at all. I live in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and rush hour is a blip.

Nuke

I think the GT's stock clutchis cumbersome in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. Just my 2 cents...

Gene K

In stop and go traffic I mostly just idle in 1st. After all Im in no big hurry to catch the guy in front of my who just "punched" it to go 60' and "Slam" on the brakes again.

Another thing I get a kick out of is the fuss about a "stiff" 760 lb-ft high performance clutch.
The clutchs in some HD trucks are 2350 lb-ftwith no hydraulic assist.
They are way stiffer than anything Ive ever felt in a Mustang.
Women under 100 lb handle them just fine.

cavediver

+1000

I've been driving standard transmission cars and trucks for many years in both city and rural conditions. I prefer driving a manual no matter what the weather or traffic is like and being in heavy "stop and go" traffic doesn't bother me one bit.

I always believed that you "steer" a car with an automatic transmission while you "drive" a car with a manual transmission.

Sprzout

Well, I've driven a manual for almost 15 years now, and it CAN suck when you're in traffic. I've never stalled it in traffic, but with a heavy clutch, you're having to constantly work the clutch in and out.

Here in Southern California, you have to play the "nuts-to-butts" game on the freeway - don't leave more than half a car length in front of you or else somebody will cut you off. No flashing turn signal, no hand signal other than the typical 1 finger salute most of the time...

And it's always that slow, creeping traffic that moves anywhere from 5-25 mph, never where it's stopped completely, and it's where you're constantly having to either be in first or second. It's not too bad in my GT, but there are other manuals which I've driven which have a heavier clutch than this car, and I HATE it. I get out of the car when I'm done and my leg is sore. I think THAT is why I don't like the manual in traffic. It's not that I don't automatically adjust to driving in traffic, but it's the constant workout of the left leg.

The only other time I hated driving a manual in traffic was on a Saturday, in San Francisco. Go up a ways, BOOM, stop sign on the side of one of the steepest hills I've ever been on in my life, with a bunch of cars behind me, and a busy intersection in front of me. THAT was when I began to think, "You know, maybe those 'manumatic' shifters aren't such a bad idea..."

dieselboy28

ha my car a peach to drive in traffic. i grew up driving a 61 studebaker daily that had clutch and tranny out of two and half ton grain truck with no assist, no power steering, and no power brakes. thats why i always laugh at people that are like "this clutch is just to much in traffic." a full grown man that is in fit shape can barely hold my clutch down for the length of a stop light in my old truck. panzies, hills do suck though

ThumperMX113

I've driven a manual car since I was 16 just for fun and racing but owned automatics. My 2008 is manual though and I had to sit in two hours of bumper to bumper traffic on the way home and it didn't bother me at all. I also have a broken back and right foot that every bone was blown up. I've got tons of metal in both my back and foot and I find the Mustang GREAT to drive.

07RedfireGT

I love driving with a manual transmission lots more fun to drive. Now that the weather is getting bad here i drive my s10 and it is an auto and i long for the shifting.