| Author |
Message |
    
CJ SZPILA (Crash05)
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 05:43 am: | 
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Which is a better to identical trucks one is a 5 speed one is automatic? Which is the better one. |
streak
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 06:55 am: |
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We have owned both.
From a practical point of view with kids in the back, cell phones ringing and all of the other distractions auto males life a lot easier. Also many prefer auto for offroad use.
Manual will give you better acceleration and economy.
Our first Disco was a manual beacuse I never believed I would drive an auto. That was until we got an auto Disco and never looked back.
Drive them both and make up your mind.
www.worst4x4.freeservers.com |
John Cinquegrana (Johnc)
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 07:46 am: |
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For offroad use I prefer the auto. For on-road I prefer the manual.
BEST 4x4
Obviously Streak has never owned a Jeep. |
Randall Smith
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 08:39 am: |
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Neither one is better, it is a matter of personal preference. As stated above, you can go faster and get more miles/gallon with a manual.
However off-road the auto trans takes care of a lot of business without the driver having to make the gear shifts. On steep hill decents the manual would have the egde because of lower gear ratios. But this is not so for steep hill climbs, because of the torque converter in an automatic. The torque converter effectively doubles the 1st gear ratio when the vehicle is barely moving.
Randall |
MDH II (Fhg)
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 09:24 am: |
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We drove a manual Discovery series I (V8) for 7 years before we got an automatic Series II (TD5) this year.
Have to say that we didn�t even consider a manual gearbox when we decided to buy our second Discovery because the manual in our old V8 had such a frustrating nature:
· Severe transmission shunt! In traffic you have to be extremely smooth with the clutch and accelerator to avoid causing �whiplash� injuries to all of your passengers (in addition to some curious looks towards the drivers� direction...). This problem could be overcome by advancing change up points to 3000 � 3500rpm (greater rotational momentum in drivetrain components � results in smoother shifts) - and lots of practise!
· A lot of �whine� at highway speeds (120km/h � 74mph; local speed limit) � this problem could be overcome be driving at 130-140km/h (80 � 87mph) [but this is obviously unlawful and therefore not done].
· Difficult to control in extreme rocky off-road conditions (plentiful here in Southern Africa).
· Heavy, clunky, truck-like gear changes.
We found that the automatic in our Series II contributes a lot to the much more enjoyable nature of this car (compared to our old series I): Smooth in stop start traffic, no transmission whine and very convenient (no truck-like heavy shifter to stir around�). Off-roading is much smoother and controllable (at very low speeds) � thus more enjoyable. HDC made impact of less transmission braking less troublesome.
I�ve yet to drive a manual Series II but according to reports from friends and the press it is a great improvement upon the Series I transmission (and therefore abovementioned comments about the manual gearbox may not be relevant to Series II). I have driven a Series I TDI (300), and although it was sluggish, it had many of the advantages I mentioned about our TD5 auto (which is definitely NOT slow!).
Occasionally I have my doubts about long-term reliability of the autobox since we often tow a heavy trailer in severe heat (up many inclines) � scenario that is known to be hard on autoboxes (due to severe heat build-up and resultant oxidation of gearbox oil and impaired reliability). Damage/degradation of this sort however can apparently be prevented by more regular gearbox oil changes and limiting �kick � down� by �manual� gear selection (under trailing or light throttle) in anticipation of an incline or overtaking situation (when towing in hot conditions on inclines). Discoveries (V8i and TD5) however have so much torque that 3rd gear �kickdown� on the Auto box is necessary only rarely (TD5 has max torque from 1900rpm to about 3000 rpm due to the turbo).
Interestingly the TD5 automatic (340nm [or 250lb/ft]) has more torque than the manual (300nm [or 220lb/ft]) (with identical power delivery [100kw or 136bhp]� apparently a different chip!). The torque output (340nm[250lb/ft] on the V8 manual and automatic is identical though (I think�).
For most other cars (mostly sport sedans) I would prefer manual transmission without question, but in a sports utility like the Discovery, I would only hesitantly choose manual � Why not test-drive both? |
muskyman
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 09:52 am: |
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streak why is iy you keep spouting your hatred for LR on your site but you write this
"until we got an auto Disco and never looked back."
so if you hate them so much why did you buy a second one. |
RJ Clayton (Tozovr)
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 09:54 am: |
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Talked to a Land Rover Off Road instructor last week and he told me that the Auto was a much more stout unit.
TMMV,
RJ |
Bill M. (Circekat)
| | Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 10:57 pm: |
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On the initial run of the Discovery, the manual transmission was a weaker unit that was originally used with the v-6 engines, while the automatic was a new design. My 94 had a manual; I miss it terribly as it was difficult to initially master, but once done, it was a blast. My second gear always "clunked" while shifting up and I still don't know why. The automatic is great for the city commute for the reasons stated by others who posted before me. FWIW
Bill M. |
Andy Nix (Andy)
| | Posted on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 02:19 pm: |
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5 speed is funner, and can be learned off-road. I've owned both, and I like my 5 speed more....didn't at first, but now yes. More control, although I'd like an automatic for my commute. It's all about your driving habits.... |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 02:38 pm: |
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FWIW, I have an old Range Rover with an LT-77 5 speed transmission and I love it. It makes driving a 2 ton barge with an underpowered aluminum lump of an engine around town FUN! Oh, an it does ok off road too. Right RJ? If I had a choice between the two transmissions (or more appropriately an R-380 or ZF) in a more modern, fuel injected Rover, I'd jump at the opportunity to excersize my left leg. |
Ron
| | Posted on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 04:35 pm: |
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The R380 is crap.
But it does make it faster.
Its still crap though.
Ron |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 04:49 pm: |
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I really like the Auto - a little sluggish on the road, but off road it is so smooth and simple that you can concentrate on driving better, and on NOT getting stuck. You can also do stuff like left foot braking for a little more poor-mans-traction-control.
It really is up to the driver. However; as Bill Burke says about off-road driving, "...there are times when an automatic transmission is better than a stick--I don�t care who the driver is!"
http://landrover.mrbaileyshistory.net |
Norm
| | Posted on Friday, November 15, 2002 - 11:54 pm: |
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Yeah, but automatics are for sissies...plus the shifter on the 5-speed is A LOT sexier.
What's a matta, you boys ain't man enough to drive a stick????
---Norm |
RJ Clayton (Tozovr)
| | Posted on Saturday, November 16, 2002 - 12:04 pm: |
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heh heh Paul, I NEED that truck!
By the way, are you running swaybars? If so you made a lot of people look silly!!!
RJ |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Saturday, November 16, 2002 - 01:03 pm: |
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Stick? I've got a stick on two of the three cars I own! One of which is a '65 Series IIa! The other is a SAAB 900SE Turbo. Therefore, I get all the acceleration and all the low crawl I need, my Discovery is just right in the middle, and yes, easier off-road.
'72 Volvo Stick
'84 Toyota Pick-up Stick
'87 SAAB 900S Stick
'90 Ford/Holland Diesel Tractor Stick
'94 Jeep Wrangler Stick
'90 Nissan Sentra Stick
'94 Honda Civic Stick
'90 Nissan Pathfinder Stick
I've had 10 in the past 11 years of driving.
Sticks, we don't need no more stinkin' sticks. |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Saturday, November 16, 2002 - 01:16 pm: |
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RJ, my Range Rover was made back in the day when men weren't afraid of a good roll over! No sway bars on my old gal. |
Jon Butler
| | Posted on Monday, November 18, 2002 - 09:43 am: |
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I've got a Toyota Supra and would never consider an auto •••••• for it. However on my 96 Disco, I think the auto is better for off-roading. This is especially true tyring to get going up an incline in sand, mud, or with a load: you can go through clutches real fast. I've been in the Marines, so I've had some off-road experience with "Government Owned Property", which makes experimentation a bit easier on the pocketbook. |
Geargrinder
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 09:41 am: |
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Yes, the R380 is crap. Yes, the auto is easier to use off road. Yes, the auto is easier in heavy traffic. As to the acceleration and mileage advantages of the manual -- shit, if we cared about acceleration or mileage, we wouldn't be driving these pigs anyway, right? So objectively, the auto is better.
BUT -- the manual gives more pleasure driving. The Disco is a truck, not a station wagon. The driver should participate in the choice of ratios. It simply feels better. I wouldn't buy an automatic, personally. |
Jay Bute
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 03:35 pm: |
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Get the 5-speed and always park pointed down hill. You won't need no stinking starter. On level ground, off road, a guy with a 4-wheeler can pull start a Disco. On level pavement your wife or girl friend can push you off. |
Andrew Clarke (Aclarke)
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 05:55 pm: |
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Opinion from somebody who looked far and wide for a 5spd.
Reasons I like the 5spd:
- It can be push-started
- In situations like snow where your wheels are dug in, you can easily rock the vehicle back and forth by using your clutch whereas this manoever is much more difficult in an auto
- I feel that I have more control of what's going on in a manual vs. an auto
- better acceleration and fuel economy
- more fun to drive both on-road and off-road (for me, anyways)
- if you are trying to sip coffe and talk on the cell phone and drive, I'd suggest that the problem isn't that you need an automatic transmission...
- My last SUV was an auto jeep cherokee and I longed for a 5spd. Now I have a 5spd and believe me I never wish I had an automatic.
- IT'S A TRUCK!!! Truck's aren't meant to have automatic transmissions. It just ain't right ;-)
I think having an auto is a lot like having ABS or traction control or something. They're all nice things to have sometimes, especially when you're not really paying attention to what you're doing. My wife's BMW has DSC and I usually leave it on when I'm just tooling around and only turn it off when I'm really DRIVING, on familiar roads and all that. Problem with an automatic is that you're "stuck" with it. No way to turn it off and drive in manual mode. Although those of you with automatics, remember that you CAN still downshift on those steep downhills. I just shake my head in despair when following people on the road and they ride their brakes all the way down hills. |
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