The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Iris]

Why would they create a way to manually shift gears in an automatic car?  I don't want the hassle of shifting gears, that's why I want an automatic.

Two reasons: One; to help you lock down to a lower gear when going down steep grades to avoid overusing your brakes. My old car's automatic transmission had "D 3 2 1" to allow you to do that, my new automatic car has the "sports shift" which allows you to manually override.

Two; To allow you to optimise acceleration. Automatics tend to sacrifice some acceleration in order to save wear and tear on the engine. Also it's fun. You know in manuals how when drivers are accelerating you get the "Vrooom, Vroooooom, Vroooooooom, Vroooooooooooooom" feeling as they accelerate and shift up the gears? That one. I don't bother with it myself unless I'm merging onto a freeway in heavy traffic or something like that because the automatic acceleration is fine on my car, but I can see how drivers might miss that feeling.

Also, as MrsJWine pointed out, I know a fair few people who just enjoy driving a manual but don't want to have the hassle all the time. This is a 'best of both worlds' attempt.

[MrsJWine]

Shortly after I learned how to drive a manual, my parents and I drove from Wisconsin to El Paso, TX. We got stuck in traffic at some point along the way, while I was driving. My clutch leg and foot were on fire.

[GreenHall]

Thanks for all the answers on the auto-manual shifting.

As a follow-up since this is in an automatic car, does anyone know how close to the manual experience this would allow?  If someone would prefer a manual, but take advantage of the ease of an automatic at times, would this be the same experience?

(does not matter to me in the least.  I am far too nervous/anxious a driver to add new steps at this point.  I would like to know how to drive manual, but the learning process would be wracking to me, any teacher involved, and probably the enginve of the learning device...)

[amandaelizabeth]

It is not quite the same as you cannot control the clutch.  I had always driven a manual, and loved it, but when i sold my mini cooper (an original not the new one) the car i replaced it with was not available in a manual version.  However it did come with a tiptronic gear box which is the closest thing to  manual box.  In town I. drive it solely automatically, as i cannot be bothered ro keep shifting, but out of town i usually change gear myself.  You cannot feather the clutch or double declutch both oof which would be useful, nor can you drop it into gear and accelerate away crom the lights as i was want to do with the cooper, but you cannot have everything.

[VorFemme]

A loop of ribbon sewn into the shoulder that is long enough to go from where it is sewn over the hanger's middle part is to keep the outfit on the hanger (it will help distribute & support the weight of the garment to keep it from stretching out of shape or even tearing in storage).  .....

The stores where I shop aren't classy enough to sell the shirts with those ribbons.  I keep my shirts on hangers with clip clothespins at the shoulders.  I also use clip clothespins to hold skirts on hangers.   

Cheap narrow ribbon at the craft store, a needle, some thread, and you can make your own hanging loops.  I've also seen some that go into the little hooks on the hangers around the shoulder area (sewn in under the arm) to support weight that way - depends on the garment.

Strapless may have loops sewn into the waistbad, under the arms, and several other places to keep the garment hanging without crushing it at the top in clips.......

[marcel]

Thanks for all the answers on the auto-manual shifting.

As a follow-up since this is in an automatic car, does anyone know how close to the manual experience this would allow?  If someone would prefer a manual, but take advantage of the ease of an automatic at times, would this be the same experience?

(does not matter to me in the least.  I am far too nervous/anxious a driver to add new steps at this point.  I would like to know how to drive manual, but the learning process would be wracking to me, any teacher involved, and probably the enginve of the learning device...)

To me, non of the systems that are offered in automatic cars come close to the feeling of a manual car.


Also, All the automatics I have ever driven had some kind of control over the gears, even if it is only the D, 3, 2, 1. I have noticed though that many people do not use these options, for example when driving in the mountains, and/or with heavy trailers etc.

[Outdoor Girl]

^ or in snowy conditions.

I see so many people struggling to get up a hill (because they don't have snow tires  ) where, if they down shifted, they could probably make it, no problem.

I'm not looking forward to getting my next vehicle.  I'm probably going to have to go automatic for the first time since I learned to drive.  I definitely don't want the sport shift but again, may not have a choice.

I'm thinking I won't be able to get a stick shift on a vehicle with all the bells and whistles I want.

[Slartibartfast]

Okay, stupid question time: I'm one of those people who rarely or never shift (and never learned how to drive a manual transmission).  I also don't live somewhere I'm driving in a lot of mountains.

But still: which direction is which?  Do I shift to a smaller number going up a hill, or down?  How do I know when I should shift it?  Where does the normal "D" fit in?

[Shoo]

Okay, stupid question time: I'm one of those people who rarely or never shift (and never learned how to drive a manual transmission).  I also don't live somewhere I'm driving in a lot of mountains.

But still: which direction is which?  Do I shift to a smaller number going up a hill, or down?  How do I know when I should shift it?  Where does the normal "D" fit in?

We own Jeeps, and the only time we ever downshift is when we're passing through a school zone and want to make sure we don't speed!  Actually, I do downshift on the downward slopes in my hilly little town to make sure I don't speed there too (speed traps).  It keeps me from having to ride my brakes.

Driving in the mountains, even towing our trailer, we have never found the need to downshift.  Our automatic transmissions are very good at regulating themselves. They change gears as necessary. 

[mmswm]

Oversimplification warning!!!

The lower the gear, the more power to the drive shaft. When you're hauling up a steep grade you want more power in your wheels, hence a lower gear.  When you're driving in snow, you want power to the wheels, but not too much, as too much power will cause them to spin.  In any event, you lose power to the drive shaft entirely during the time it takes to switch gears which could cause problems (note my story in a previous post).

ETA: And by "power", I mean torque.

[Barney girl]

I've only occasionally driven an automatic and usually find they change gear at different time from when I would, so I dislike the feeling of the decision being taken away from me.
Similarly my current car has headlights which can be set to come on automatically if light conditions justify it, but the car and I have different views on when that should be.

[Outdoor Girl]

An automatic will start in 1st gear and move it's way up through the gears as you speed up.  In icy/snowy conditions, in my manual car, I skip 1st gear all together and start in 2nd or 3rd, depending on how slippery it is.  It forces you to ease onto the gas more slowly and keeps you from sliding all over the place.

I do the same in an automatic - I'll switch it into normal drive (D) once I get going.

What I also do in my stick shift in ice conditions is downshift to a lower gear in order to avoid having to put on the brakes, either going down a hill or coming to a stop.  I don't usually go any lower than 2nd gear.  I haven't tried this in an automatic.

ETA a phrase so what I posted makes sense!

[marcel]

Okay, stupid question time: I'm one of those people who rarely or never shift (and never learned how to drive a manual transmission).  I also don't live somewhere I'm driving in a lot of mountains.

But still: which direction is which?  Do I shift to a smaller number going up a hill, or down?  How do I know when I should shift it?  Where does the normal "D" fit in?

You actualy shift down both when going up and when going down a hill. If you are going downhill and continuously using your brake, it is probably better to downshift, and let the engine slow you down instead.

[Mental Magpie]

First gear has a lot of "power"; it is quite like doing a squat in weight lifting an is the initial push off you need to get momentum. Then you shift to second to keep going; once you get the car going it doesn't take as much to keep it going. You shift to third and that's where it becomes more like jogging than doing a squat, so on an so forth. For hills, think of down shifting going up a hill as needing to dig in to get up the hill. For going down hill, thinking of down shifting as deliberately slowing yourself without full on digging in your heals to keep yourself from gaining so much speed you any stop yourself, trip, and fall.

[Onyx_TKD]

Stupid question: Why does "Dear Prudence" make every fourth post a video? The few videos I watched seemed to follow a consistent formula. 1) The letter to Prudence was read as a voice-over over an artist's interpretation of the situation. 2) Prudence sat at her desk looking straight into the camera and (slowly and clearly) read out her reply.

Is there supposed to be some benefit to the video format over text? Is Prudie trying to draw in the youngsters who are too "hip" to read text-based advice columns? Is she trying to fulfill a dream of being a TV star? Is it a clever ploy to keep people from noticing that every fourth post answers only one letter, instead of multiple letters in the text columns? Is she trying to make us better appreciate the text-based form of her witty remarks by demonstrating how painfully stilted and scripted they sound in video? 

I just can't figure out what the appeal of turning a text-based advice column into a video is supposed to be.