Are there advantages of auto or manual tranny for rocks

[Hubnut]

Okay. Probably been asked and answered, but. I have just started wheelin and love it! Yeah, I'm a late bloomer, so what. We have limited access to rocks here in Florida, but that is my favorite surface to test my abilities. I like to go real slow and hear that metal grind on rocks. Anyway, My truck is fairly capable, but it's automatic. Are there advantages to auto versus manual transmissions? I'm assuming for mud and sand that an auto would help you keep your momentum. Also, an auto eliminates the need to replace a clutch. But, seems like you can go slower (crawl) with a manual tranny. Please school me. Some pics of last weekend!

 

[MNorby]

some like manuals because of the lower gearing and strength
I like auto because I can hit reverse instantly and has a little cusion to it to prevent grenading even more parts.

 

[YZEATER]

manual. instant lower gearing, strength, can be pull started if needed.

 

[tRustyK5]

Can of worms = open

I prefer manual, if it's geared well enough I find you have much more precise control.

Rene

 

[colbystephens]

Can of worms = open

I prefer manual, if it's geared well enough I find you have much more precise control.

Rene

Agreed. I think it is the only way to go for rocks/trails/snow. not having to get your rpm's up high before your torque converter locks up is really beneficial for finessing your way through obstacles. I think this is particularly true for the snow. Letting the clutch out slowly allows the tires to begin moving at crazy slow speeds, preventing you from losing traction instantly. ofcourse, in FL, perhaps it's not that big of a deal for ya!

I think that an auto trans is necessary for mud-boggers and sand riding, though.

 

[BlazerBoyK5]

Just my opinion but i like having a standard in the mud. You pick a gear and it stays there.

I had an auto when i first bought the truck but never got a good chance to test it out before it blew up. I did take it in the mud once and when i would get to rocking it was really east to miss reverse and throw it into park.

 

[Chaddy]

Can of worms = open

Rene

yep

Sticks and carbs are for race cars.

Autos and fuel injection is for rock crawling.

I have never seen a comp crawler with a manual......
The first to reverse is a must with hardcore crawling, and the 3 foot boogy is annoying.

 

[Chevy305]

having a manual, I can say that I will never run an auto. So much more percise control and instant power when you need it, not to mention engine braking. I really enjoy not having to use my brakes to slow down on a slippery hill.

As far replacing clutches, once you put in a good one you wont have to touch it for a very long time. Where as with auto trans I constantly hear of them burning up. If the clutch does **** the bed, you can still make it back home by rpm matching your shifts.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Sticks and carbs are for race cars.

I could argue that one with ya, and you've been wheeling with me several times

 

[Fabrimacator21]

having a manual, I can say that I will never run an auto. So much more percise control and instant power when you need it, not to mention engine braking. I really enjoy not having to use my brakes to slow down on a slippery hill.

As far replacing clutches, once you put in a good one you wont have to touch it for a very long time. Where as with auto trans I constantly hear of them burning up. If the clutch does **** the bed, you can still make it back home by rpm matching your shifts.

Unless you have three feet you just don't get the same control out of a manual as you do with an auto.... one foot on the brake and one on the gas. You can literally inch your way over obstacles where it's critical to not be going back and forth while your letting the clutch out. Sure you can hit the e brake while letting the clutch out but that's only the back tires. I know I've been in a few situations where a manual would have been bad. For example, straddling rut's in mud requires a very soft touch otherwise you slip in... Just having an auto has saved me alot of body damage and calls to buddies asking them to pull me out. I don't do too much rocks but I'd imagine control is very important....... I love manuals, but IMHO you just don't get the control of an auto with them. When your on a hill straddling a rut and you slip back 1" while you let the clutch out your in that rut. With an auto it doesn't go anywhere but forward.

 

[K5dreamer]

for maximum pulling at slow speed, auto is king. the torque converter can multiply torque by up to 2.5x flywheel torque. when pulling a large boat or trailer, that extra torque at rollout is a very handy thing indeed. modern lockup converters keep manual like fuel economy on the highway, and of course, its handy for the lazy among us.

Me, i just simply forgot how much i missed driving a stick until i bought my jetta. I decided to go with the NV4500 for the truck because i wanted something i would NEVER break, and would make the most of my "underpowered" 6.2L. Which is also a consideration. same reason i got my TDI jetta with a stick, there was no way i was suffering though a 90hp car with an automatic transmission. and everything ive read about swapping a manual behind the 6.2 has been overwhelmingly positive. the other factor is of course gearing. my th400 has a 2.48:1 first gear, the NV4500 will have the 5.xx:1 first gear, which will give way more benifit to crawling than being able to power brake an automatic.

 

[blazinzuk]

ha ha can of worms is right!

Okay here is my take, wheeling a manual is easy IF you rig up a hand throttle, it gives you plenty of control if your motor runs well. If your rig can't idle a manual will not work for you. A hand throttle makes it way easier and is very easy to rig up. Another advantage of a manual is cost. A 465 and a 205 has pretty good gearing. Lower axle gears with large tires helps but a doubler is not necessary.

Now wheeling with an auto, tons of control I would say more than a manual. But I believe to retain that control if you run big tires you need a doubler. I think an auto costs more to make work well. You need a cooler you need a trans temp guage you may need a deep pan.

I think the manual is a more reliable. As far as mud goes either one I don't have enough motor to shift if I had a manual and my auto stays in whatever gear I put it in.

Sand I would take a manual for the mere fact that an auto heats up ALOT. Now our dunes up here are not easy to wheel on they are steep and tall and so they may be harder than more rolling dunes. Once again I don't have enough motor to shift with a manual or an auto and when I do shift I have plenty of time to clutch

I wheel an auto mainly cause my wife likes it and now I have a doubler and I love it. My next blazer (milder truck but still very capable will be a 465

 

[colbystephens]

Unless you have three feet you just don't get the same control out of a manual as you do with an auto.

well, i may not have 3 feet, but I've definitely got what looks like a third leg... so i do have a designated clutch pedal-pusher!

in seriousness, though, I disagree with you. it comes down to gearing. i can put my truck in granny gear, keep my foot on the brake and slowly let out the clutch and feather it to walk right over the obstacle - never rolling backwards and inching forward at VERY slow and controllable speeds.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

A lot of you who are claiming that "the truck will roll back when you need to stop moving forward and push in the clutch" are forgetting one major thing that I do all the time:

Shut off the truck in gear and then just hit the starter when you're ready to go again. No clutch pedal necessary


This topic has been covered a ton. Until you really get serious about really extreme stuff, its personal preference. I actually feel the manual has the advantage due to lower gearing and reliability (I've seen double-digit auto trans failures on the trail, I've never seen a manual fail on the trail).

Plus, an auto can be jumpy (especially without an auxiliary gearbox like a doubler); i.e. you hit the gas and nothing happens, hit it some more and nothing happens, hit it some more and suddenly the tires spin quickly and the truck slides off line.

With a manual, you can always slip the clutch a little. Of course, that isn't great for it, but clutches are cheap and are tough to burn up unless you're really hard on them.

Of course, putting power into an automatic transmission when it isn't moving the truck anywhere isn't good for it either (at that point, 100% of the power from the motor is going into wearing out clutches in the trans and heating up the trans fluid).

It takes a bit more driver effort/skill to drive a manual. The auto is easier to control, really without question.

In the competitive world, its all autos. Stop/go, forward/back. Keep it as simple as possible and keep the driver's focus on what's ahead

 

[pauly383]

700r4 = automatically crappy
quadrajet = automatically crappy

etc
etc
etc

Welcome to bench racing

 

[82355]

Unless you have three feet you just don't get the same control out of a manual as you do with an auto.....

WHAT???

Martin

 

[Chevy305]

Unless you have three feet you just don't get the same control out of a manual as you do with an auto.... one foot on the brake and one on the gas. You can literally inch your way over obstacles where it's critical to not be going back and forth while your letting the clutch out. Sure you can hit the e brake while letting the clutch out but that's only the back tires. I know I've been in a few situations where a manual would have been bad. For example, straddling rut's in mud requires a very soft touch otherwise you slip in... Just having an auto has saved me alot of body damage and calls to buddies asking them to pull me out. I don't do too much rocks but I'd imagine control is very important....... I love manuals, but IMHO you just don't get the control of an auto with them. When your on a hill straddling a rut and you slip back 1" while you let the clutch out your in that rut. With an auto it doesn't go anywhere but forward.

very true... it all comes down to where you wheel. Where I wheel, everyone with a stick makes it further than the auto trans guys.

take this video for example:

See the blue k20? It has more power than I do but has an auto. keep in mind we hit the hill at the same speed.

From what I've seen autos don't allow the engine to get into the higher rpm range which is needed to keep the wheels turning at a good speed. Autos keep shifting up and blog down the engine till you lose all momentum then it shifts down and all you do is spin. With a stick you select a good gear and you have constant power and speed to the wheels.

 

[blazinzuk]

a simple 30 dollar shift kit from trans go will solve the won't stay in gear problem with an auto.

I have never had a stock th350 or 400 that would not stay in the gear I wanted

 

[tRustyK5]

Unless you have three feet you just don't get the same control out of a manual as you do with an auto.... one foot on the brake and one on the gas. You can literally inch your way over obstacles where it's critical to not be going back and forth while your letting the clutch out. Sure you can hit the e brake while letting the clutch out but that's only the back tires. I know I've been in a few situations where a manual would have been bad. For example, straddling rut's in mud requires a very soft touch otherwise you slip in... Just having an auto has saved me alot of body damage and calls to buddies asking them to pull me out. I don't do too much rocks but I'd imagine control is very important....... I love manuals, but IMHO you just don't get the control of an auto with them. When your on a hill straddling a rut and you slip back 1" while you let the clutch out your in that rut. With an auto it doesn't go anywhere but forward.

NV4500 plus doubler means I don't need a clutch at all in the rocks...ever. Even with my 465/205 I rarely used the clutch when wheeling. Shut it off in gear if I need to stop in a tricky spot...then blip the key with it still in gear and off we go again. If you have to worry about adding some R's and slipping the clutch to get going without stalling or rolling back you simply don't have enough gear IMO. Correctly geared, in low gear and low range it's very hard to stall at idle.

Then again this debate has come up at least a half dozen times over the years...so none of this is new.

Rene

 

[miniwally]

Just to jump in

Autos rule

Clutches Drool