Question for my more advanced off roaders

[Smileyshaun]

Though, in this case it seems pretty much everyone agreed on pepperoni!

Well he did say more advanced off off-roaders and I haven't seen one person really mention anything about dual transfer cases. With dual cases it's pretty freaking hard to stall a manual transmission. Each one has their pluses and minuses it's going to be very a lot by what kind of terrain they normally encounter. Personally I hate automatics and so does my fiance we actually had to special-order her Forester to get one in a stick, it's still rather amazing how many odd looks we got when we kept saying yes she wants a manual transmission.

 

[4wheelspulling]

Always have to have one of those guys, that go against the flow of things. Manual transmission all the way for me. The new auto trans. are better. But, I do not like having the computer doing the work for me. Yes, as stated above replacing a clutch can cost, $1000 - $2000, but try $5000+ for some of the new automatics. I might feel different living and commuting in a large city? But I do enjoy the connection I feel to my vehicle with a manual. Benz.

 

[Lee Mims]

Well he did say more advanced off off-roaders and I haven't seen one person really mention anything about dual transfer cases. With dual cases it's pretty freaking hard to stall a manual transmission. Each one has their pluses and minuses it's going to be very a lot by what kind of terrain they normally encounter. Personally I hate automatics and so does my fiance we actually had to special-order her Forester to get one in a stick, it's still rather amazing how many odd looks we got when we kept saying yes she wants a manual transmission.

Fair enough but if he isn't sure if he wants an auto or manual and he's not really done a lot of offroading, I think we both know he's a few vehicles from twin sticks and twin cases :)

*Side Note* One of our group just ordered a crawl box from Marlin. It's gonna be fun :)!!

 

[slomatt]

It comes down to personal preference. If you are just driving on fireroads then a manual can make it arguably more fun, and in the rocks a manual transmission (assuming stock transfer case gearing) is definitely more challenging than an automatic. That said, with a low enough crawl ratio a manual can be awesome when rockcrawling.

When I first started offroading it was in a manual transmission which I drove through the Rubicon. After that I had an automatic Jeep, and I currently have a 4Runner with a manual. I'm definitely ready to move back to an automatic for my next offroad truck.

 

[jhewitt03]

Though, in this case it seems pretty much everyone agreed on pepperoni!

Yes it looks like mostly everyone prefers to off road an auto lololol


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[JeepOnRock]

Used to drive a 92 YJ with an NV4500 granny gear 5 speed. Now I drive a JK wtih a 5 speed auto.

The YJ was great in the rocks. With the low gearing and lockers, rocks were what it was built for. Because of the low gearing I could crawl rocks very smoothly. Drop it in first... start in gear and it would creep right through. Same with going down hill. The low gearing allowed skipping the brakes. It wasn't without drawbacks, though. To start with, on hillclimbs, the gear you start with will likely be the gear you end with. In a shift, you have to come all of the way off the power.

My JK trans is pretty awesome. It lets me crawl down hills and I can two-foot in the rocks to be smoother.

I still refer a stick for heavy towing (my F-350 was a stick... no overheating transmissions).

 

[Googledave]

If you haven’t driven a manual rock krawling, try it... it gives a whole new meaning “pucker factor”.

 

[TreXTerra]

< See my avatar pic? Imagine stalling in that situation and trying to restart your vehicle.... Pushing the clutch in with your left foot, right foot on the gas, right hand holding up the e brake.... how do you turn the key? You need to steer with your left hand,
correct? How often have you seen an automatic stall? Rarely if ever....

As previously stated, if you are going to wheel tough, steep, rocky terrain get an automatic. If you NEVER rock crawl and exclusively blast through the desert or on fire roads then get a manual if that is what you prefer. Just don't try to follow me on a trail run!

Many manual 4x4 vehicles now come with a clutch-start override switch allowing you to start in gear. When in low range, it is enough to restart the vehicle and immediately move forward without depressing the clutch. My 2006 Xterra has this feature and I've used it a couple times.

 

[TreXTerra]

I drive in traffic everyday with one of these...View attachment 58312 my JKUR is an auto because I don’t want to have to shift all the way home too.

I have no idea what is going on in that diagram.

 

[Smileyshaun]

< See my avatar pic? Imagine stalling in that situation and trying to restart your vehicle.... Pushing the clutch in with your left foot, right foot on the gas, right hand holding up the e brake.... how do you turn the key? You need to steer with your left hand,
correct? How often have you seen an automatic stall? Rarely if ever....

As previously stated, if you are going to wheel tough, steep, rocky terrain get an automatic. If you NEVER rock crawl and exclusively blast through the desert or on fire roads then get a manual if that is what you prefer. Just don't try to follow me on a trail run!

just for the sake of discussion, why use the e brake ?why do you need your foot on the gas to start it , does it have a carb ? why not step on the brakes and start it then pull the e brake if needed to keep from rolling backwords? Toyota has had the clutch override switch since mid 80s or maybe even sooner so you actually want and need your foot to push down the clutch to start it. Just a little food for thought

 

[Boort]

Many manual 4x4 vehicles now come with a clutch-start override switch allowing you to start in gear. When in low range, it is enough to restart the vehicle and immediately move forward without depressing the clutch. My 2006 Xterra has this feature and I've used it a couple times.

just for the sake of discussion, why use the e brake ?why do you need your foot on the gas to start it , does it have a carb ? why not step on the brakes and start it then pull the e brake if needed to keep from rolling backwords? Toyota has had the clutch override switch since mid 80s or maybe even sooner so you actually want and need your foot to push down the clutch to start it. Just a little food for thought

Ditto for my '97 Tacoma. I think the 86 Toyota truck I drove in the mid 90's had the clutch-start override switch as well. Used it a few times in the snow to start rolling ASAP. Used it a lot more for testing this and that with the truck up on blocks and trans in Neutral to avoid getting in to the truck to hit the clutch and turn her over.

Boort

 

[TreXTerra]

just for the sake of discussion, why use the e brake ?why do you need your foot on the gas to start it , does it have a carb ? why not step on the brakes and start it then pull the e brake if needed to keep from rolling backwords? Toyota has had the clutch override switch since mid 80s or maybe even sooner so you actually want and need your foot to push down the clutch to start it. Just a little food for thought

You can start with your foot on the brake, but it is easier to hold up the e-brake to keep from rolling back for the moment it takes to get on the gas and into the friction zone of the clutch. It just helps prevent the vehicle from rolling back on a steep hill and adding more wear to the clutch as you both have to stop the backward movement and start climbing again. It's just a more controlled way of starting out than trying to rally-driver heel-toe the brake and gas.

 

[Cummins_Powered]

Every vehicle I have owner prior to my wrangler has been a manual. Other jeeps which I wheeled, mustangs, Cummins truck all were manual and I loved them all. But there is no comparison to driving an auto when in the rocks, hands down it’s my preference for wheeling. I missed driving a manual and picked up a cheap Mazda 3 that I can still row through the gears. Great little DD. But Offroad...auto.


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[4wheelspulling]

I will admit that someone new to off-roading, will have an easier time with an auto. It’s hard to even buy an manual in most model vehicles. But after 40+ years of driving off -road with a manual, I don’t even have to think about it anymore, muscle memory I guess. This is not a new discussion, auto vs manual is an long time argument. Here on Overland Bound, it like asking what is better, Jeep or Toyota! Chevy or Ford! Nice thing about manual trans. Most of the Younger Generation would steal an auto over a manual, because they can’t drive one! Benz.