I'm in love :)

[Robby]

[Warren]

An auto is A LOT heavier too, and the torque converters wastes some of the power. Let's just say that manuals are better because they're faster (if you can do it), and funner. The way of the near future is tiptronic, really just a manual, but a computer does the shifting. Audi is the only common car company to make it availible in the US. Acura has it too, but Acura makes the worst transmissions in the industry. Porsche uses them too, the same ones as in Audi. And only the REALLY expensive Mercedes and BMWs have them. The day that an American car gets a real computer in it will be hilarious. Did you know that over half of all American made cars only have ABS as optional! When will they learn! VW has had ABS standard since it was invented. God, I can't take it when those stupid commercials say "comes with power locks, STANDARD!". Doesn't EVERY car have power locks? It's not something to brag about... Look at my car, it's a '96 VW Golf GL, the lowest in options, and it has EVERYTHING except power mirrors and windows. It has ABS, air conditioning, power locks, everything. I just can't take it when an American car company makes a new car with drum brakes, VW has 4 wheel discs standard. AHHH!!

[Village_Ideot]

my friends mom has a beamer that can be switched from automatic to manual, and it is all electronic, no clutch

[James S]

Robby's right, manual will wear out faster. Warren, you keep spewing stuff out and it keeps getting knocked back down.

Not getting power locks and windows saves a LOT of money. My dad bought a brand new truck last year and wouldn't get power locks or windows they're so expensive. He didn't even want cruise control if he could find one without it. And you know what, he saved a LOT of money. But just calm down about everything, Warren. Those commercials are aimed at a different consumer group.

My mom used to know someone that had a clutchless manual, too. That was about 20 years ago, don't know how it worked. My brother also has an Acura 3.2TL with SportShift Automatic, aka manual with no clutch, and it can be switched to pure automatic. I opted for manual all the way just because I liked the idea of shifting. Of course, I found out too late that talking on my cell phone and driving is quite a chore in juggling. I need to get one of those hands free thingamabobbers.

[Warren]

[Robby]

ok semi autos, always a bit of fun. 2 ways i know of:

pre select. the forrunner to automatic gearobxes, you select the gear you want then bang the clutch hard, it drops into the gear.

centrifugal. the clutch works by a centrifuge running off the flywheel, at low rpm is it disengaged, at high rpm it is engaged. used some if not all modern scooters.

as for autos with a manual bit, thats just changing gear, as an auto still has gears, but choosing your own one, and the auto does the clutch for you. most if not all autos in england have at least gear 1,2,3 selectable normally.

[James S]

centrifugal. that's how it worked. The one my mom was talking about.

[Robby]

[Warren]

I drove to Cape Cod this weekend, and I had to go around this rotary, man was it confusing! There were no signs, just one that said "Rotary May Be Ahead". I was like "may be?". Well, there was one, and it was huge, and BUSY! My mom said "see that car, turn there!" Well, there were a million cars, and no signs on the exits, only ones on the roads of the exits 500 feet from the rotary, so you have to pass the exit, and look back down the exit road to see what it was. I went around it twice, and managed to get off. People just don't know how to do it, first of all, there are STOP signs when you go onto the rotary, and people just step on it, and try to merge into the traffic! I had this Mustang almost sideswipe me because he just went right into the traffic without looking or stopping! Man, if only people knew how to use them, and if there were signs! The rotary was 2 lanes, so I got into the inner one to avoid idiots. It's

[BurningSheep]

[James S]

[BurningSheep]

[James S]

Meh, missed that part. But that's a whacky rotary. Why do they have to start confusing people now when they just had it right before? ARGH!

[Warren]

[James S]

I was driving in this tiny rotary in Ohio, the diameter of about 3 lanes of traffic. I was trying to drive this rotary in a Ford truck, and you all know how horrible it's turning radius is. Well I couldn't steer it tight enough and just barely missed knicking a parked car in one of the parallel parking things on the side of the rotary.