Auto V Manual

[Johnny Yen]

Im looking at getting my first offroader and im thinking an automatic might be the way to go. Im thinking it will be cheaper because I wont be burning out clutches and it will be easier offroading as my clutch control isnt the best despite years of driving.

On the flip side, I can swap out the clutch myself for a heavy duty one and get better with the clutch because ill be doing a lot more low speed stuff offroad?

Thoughts please, im an a tight budget too.

[SteveGoodz]

You don't say what vehicle you're thinking of buying so my answer will have to be non-marque specific. Not having great clutch control really shouldn't be a problem as almost everything you do off-tarmac should be done with the clutch fully engaged. Slipping the clutch does very little for you either in the traction stakes or car control.

As to which is better - auto vs manual - I'd go with the manual. There are occassions when an auto has advantages but on the whole a manual gives you more options and better control UNLESS you have an autobox that lets you lock it into whichever gear you want at the time. Most older autoboxes don't do this (except for 1st gear) but the "tiptronic" type generally do.

I speak from the experience of having owned and driven both manual and automatic Discovery 1's off-tarmac. Other peoples' experiences/preferences will vary :-)

Have fun  :dance:

[Johnny Yen]

Really unsure what marque I want at the moment so it was a general question really :)

The more I think about it the more im wanting a manual anyway, ive never got on well with automatics so will if there are no real benefits offroad ill give them a wide birth.

[dxmedia]

And from the other side of the fence, having driven plenty of manual's off road, I'd say auto (which is what I've got at the moment), you've full torque from start, far smother than manual, and if your talking auto, your also talking large engine, so auto's are fine tow wagons as well.

I've a jeep grand cherokee fyi.

[SteveGoodz]

And from the other side of the fence, having driven plenty of manual's off road, I'd say auto (which is what I've got at the moment), you've full torque from start, far smother than manual, and if your talking auto, your also talking large engine, so auto's are fine tow wagons as well.

I've a jeep grand cherokee fyi.

Not wanting to get into some big arguement here but it is the torque issue that leans me towards the manual box. In really slippery situations the ability to start off in a higher gear (say 3rd) often overcomes the tendency to spin the wheels you would get in 1st and (unless you can manually lock your autobox into 3rd) from an auto.

Having said that my current vehicle (and the previous one) is an auto Discovery and I love it to death  :doh:

[DoubleTop]

I started out with a auto v8 disco, and now I've a manual freelander.  I feel that the auto gave me the chance to 'learn the best route' as there was less to think about and now adding in the manual adds a new challenge.  I would recommend auto for a starting off-roading for sure, route picking is an important part for challenging scenarios.  Now however, with the abilty to spot a 'line' and the additional control of power with a manual it makes it possible to get to more interesting places and places that is the v8 disco I would have struggled to get to.

DT.

[akabigm]

I'm new to this but driven lots of cars, also recently did a training course, using my Jeep Grand Cherokee Auto and a Manual Disco, couldn't wait to get back into mine !

As posted it may be that after you are feeling more confident then manual control has some attractions but with an auto you can use gentle touch on brakes down hill, it doesn't stall and when wanting to reverse back down and try again, its so easy.

I'm sure its a matter of preference but I wouldn't ever buy a manual car again for any reason

[Disco Matt]

I drive a manual, a mate drives an auto. So I've seen both ends, as we have similar driving styles.

The auto does help with hill ascents, as it can change up rather than having to pick a gear and stick with it as you do with the manual. You don't therefore have the "low 2nd or 3rd?" conundrum. That said, the manual will always win on descents. I can just put mine in low 1st and have it walk down hills - often I end up using a bit of right foot to stop it being annoyingly slow! But I know that if the trail becomes worse I can just take my feet off and the car will slow to a crawl again without any fuss. Autos do seem to get through more brake pads due to needing to left foot brake on hill descents.

I have heard that the auto will get moving more easily on slippy mud, as you can just put it in drive and use a tickle of right foot to get moving rather than relying on your clutch and accelerator control. But aside from deep ruts I don't seem to have much trouble there. A bit of mud shift but I get moving.

[Tel]

mines a v8 auto and my mates is a 200tdi manual i much prefer going down a hill in my mates as the engine braking is so good but i can generally concentrate on my root offfoad more than he can as hes always got to remember what gear to be in etc another mate has just bought a rangie and he went for auto he hates manual offroad, its all personal choice i actually quite like a manual as you feel more involved

[Range Rover Blues]

I'm stillplanning to take the manual out of Blue and fit an auto, despite my donor being stolen last year.  Autos have come on a long way and modern (even 90's ones) auto boxs are nice things with smooth delivery.

[clbarclay]

And from the other side of the fence, having driven plenty of manual's off road, I'd say auto (which is what I've got at the moment), you've full torque from start, far smother than manual, and if your talking auto, your also talking large engine, so auto's are fine tow wagons as well.

I've a jeep grand cherokee fyi.

Not wanting to get into some big arguement here but it is the torque issue that leans me towards the manual box. In really slippery situations the ability to start off in a higher gear (say 3rd) often overcomes the tendency to spin the wheels you would get in 1st and (unless you can manually lock your autobox into 3rd) from an auto.

Having said that my current vehicle (and the previous one) is an auto Discovery and I love it to death  :doh:

Not arguing here, just discussing.

Wanting to starting off in a higher gear has not been a problem for me with an auto like it was with a manual. instead of clutch control you use throttle control to carefully feed in and control torque delivery to the wheels. The other day I drove my friends bobtail for a short distance and it was a little unneving, to prevent stalling of clutch slipping it had to be driven faster than I would have driven with my auto. that was with 32" tyres and standard gearing for 205r16 tyres.

My brakes get a hard time because of the auto, I tend to do a lot of cadence braking to control the speed slower than a manual in first down slopes. So far the discs and pads are still holding up well, though they can glaze over.

IMHO auto v manual depends a lot on the drivers preferances and styles, both are suitable types of gearbox for driving offroad.

[Bush Tucker Man]

The other factor with an automatic is when wading.

If a manual gearbox vehicle strikes an object, it'll stall, if it can't get over it.

An auto will simply sit there with the engine running


This is a large advantage if the water is deep enough to cover the exhaust..........












On the other hand, I still wish our XKR had a manual box

[Range Rover Blues]

Here's a thought, how do you cope with a stalled hill climb in an auto, or do they not stall?

You know, the thing where you put it in reverse then crank the engine :-k

[clbarclay]

You still put them in reverse, though you can't start an auto in gear so you can put it in reverse and then start.

I treat it the same as normal hill decents, careful use of the brakes controls the speed and sticking it in reverse reduces the chances of the brakes locking up the wheels.


Like winching sideways for example, brakeing down hills is not recomended practice (particuarly when teaching driving techniques) due to the higher risk of something going wrong, but like winching sideways it can also prove very effective.

[dxmedia]

Here's a thought, how do you cope with a stalled hill climb in an auto, or do they not stall?

You know, the thing where you put it in reverse then crank the engine :-k

Auto's dont stall. Well not unless you take a pair of side cutters to the wiring loom and hack an override switch into the torque convertor, and also over ride the inhibitor for starting in gear, and in which case, yeah, cranking on the starter motor is possible ;)  oh and stalling  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

Fair enough, do you get decent engine braking in reverse like you do in "1"?