file.newsgroup.cars.102826 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected] (Tommy Reingold)
Subject: Re: Improvements in Automatic Transmissions
[email protected] (Jeff Hagen) writes:
$ The biggest hurdle for automatics (IMHO) is not shifting speed
$ per se, but rather the transmission's reaction speed when you
$ try to force it to shift manually.
$ [...]
I rented an Oldsmobile Achieva (is that a yuppie name or what?) and a
Nissan Stanza. They both had automatics. I'm a manual transmission
bigot but I have to admit that the transmissions on these cars were
better shifters than I am. And yes, they responded very quickly to
kickdown requests. The Nissan had a tachometer so I was able to figure
out which gear I was in. (The Olds may have also, but I don't
remember.) I believe it shifted all the way down to second at about 50
mph when my foot told it, "No I really want to accelerate quickly."
I would still prefer a manual, but I won't delude myself into thinking
that I can out-accelerate a modern automatic. And I'm very smooth at
shifting but certainly not as good as an automatic.
--
Tommy Reingold
AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
[email protected] or att!boole!tommy