I said it.

Yes i have driven smg3, dsg and pdk.

 

If you think it's pointless to own a sports car and not use it like one, you should understand why people give you a hard time about having an auto.

If it doesn't bother you, then why the post about it?

Based on the above, it seems like this thread was pretty pointless, but at least it ups our post counts.

 

People don't give me a hard time about owning an auto. I have had friends that joke around with me about them but I have heard other people say these things about people who drive automatics.

My whole purpose of making this post was to see what everyone else thought about this. Like I said I don't feel insecure about driving a an automatic. I said before that I own a Miata that is stick and the car I traded in for the RX-8 was a Honda Civic Si. If you feel like I'm wasting your time then why bother posting here in the first place?

 

i still dont see the point of this thread but whatever. i dont know how to drive autos. on the very very rare occasion i drive my subie (gfs car) i almost kick a hole through the floor looking for a clutch and i often hit the edge of the huge brake pedal with the inside of my left foot trying to shift. i guess when you only drive/buy standards for 16+yrs its habit. i fail at autos and am proud of that

 

Is that like a million corvette owners, just to drive to the grocery store? hehe

 

You're not wasting my time. I have all day to waste on here. I'm just confused as to what this thread is about. You keep arguing with everyone who gives you a reason why auto's are hated in a sports car

I would think that if you're looking for answers to why, you'd just let people post why they dislike autos or why the think others do vs. defending autos.

 

I personally would never own an auto 8 because I would miss how much more power my manual 8 has one the auto 8. I know the 6 port autos rant that bad but the 8 doesn't have a lot of power to begin with so i couldn't imagine sacrificing more. I also find it a lot more fun it shift myself in between corners... but thats just me. If you like your auto then don't listen to anybody else. You spent the money on the car not them.

 

Your friends don't make fun of you for driving an auto? Weird.

I make fun of all the locals who drive autos except for on who is disabled and cannot drive a stick. Heck we even have three women in our group and they all drive 6 Speed manuals. But it's all in good fun.

 

There seems to be some confusion over the difference between a true automatic, and automatic with paddle shifters, automated manuals and dual clutch transmissions. They are all different.

The RX-8 comes with a true automatic with paddle shifters.. essentially the worst of the bunch. Its still a standard slushbox with the only added addition in that you can "sometimes" tell it when to change up or down. You still have the power sapping, belongs in a mini-van torque converter. Popular names for this include "Tiptronic" and "Manumatic". Guys who drive their sports car like it should be driven know this are almost painful to use... There is almost nothing sporty about it.

An automated manual (or semi-automatic) transmission is really a true manual, however it will uses cables, pneumatics and pumps to actual shift the gears and engage/disengage the clutch. Popular uses are in Ferrari's "F1" transmission that's been available since the F355. BMW's SMG and Lamborgini's e-Gear also uses this technology as well as many others...

A modern variation of the automated manual is the dual-clutch gearbox. This will utilize two clutch-packs, one for even and one for odd gears. VW made this popular with its DSG gearbox.


So, now that that is out of the way.. the title of this thread: "Automatic Trans Sports Cars" = does not compute

 

They are correct, the mt drivers consistently beat my wifes 6 spd auto by 4-6 seconds on the 1.8 mile track we run. Mt or auto, one of the best handling cars we've ever owned.

 

/\
my thoughts exactly.

But I think the OP has the priority of his arguments totally backwards.

With the RX-8, the argument is not which tranny brings more flame or acceptance from people.

The real argument is which tranny brings the best out of the rotary engine. The RENESIS is better matched to a manual tranny.

To me it was a no brainer when i was car shopping - with this car at least. Knowing the 6 speed manual could get me another 20 horses or so at the flywheel, there was no way I was going to buy an auto. Might not be a big deal to many people, but those extra horses were important to me.


End of the argument

 

I'm only arguing with the people who are being biased or ignorant. The reason why I choose an automatic is because I'm willing to sacrifice a few ponies for the luxury of an automatic trannsmission. Sure my car is slower and I can't control it like a manual tranny and is heavier than your RX-8. I still enjoy driving just as much as you guys with a manual. I have nothing against a manual tranny it's just that I like to drive an automatic on a daily basis. In the end I do enjoy driving a manual car..... that's what my Miata is for. I just don't drive it all the time. My Miata is more of a nice day around town kind of car. I like both kinds of tranny's just don't understand why some people gotta be hating on automatics.

 

Gears are also selected in an automatic. In a traditional slushbox they're planetary gearsets selected via bands rather than separate gears selected with dog clutches, but they're still being selected. Paddles give the driver some authority (or illusion of authority) over the action, like Chrysler's push buttons back in the 1950s.

Personally, I'd sooner drive a Dodge Dart than get a sports car with an automatic. But having seen the Chaparrals run back in the 60s, where the auto let the driver transfer attention and invovlement to steering, I find it hard to make too much fun of automatics.

Of course, real race cars (i.e., Sprints and Midgets) don't have transmissions at all, which moves the discussion to a whole different level.

Ken

 

If there is no clutch under your foot and no stick in your right hand (or left for those across the pond) to select the gear then its an automatic. No confusion.....they ALL suck.

 

And people have told you multiple times and you keep arguing with them. No one has been ignorant towards you at all. yet.

If you're really trying to get answers as to why people dislike automatics in a sports car, stop posting and just read their reasons. Don't get offended, don't get butt hurt, don't argue, just read what is posted and go about your day.


Back on topic:

Here's another reason i don't think automatics belong in sports cars. It makes their owners feel as if they have to defend their decision to purchase an automatic car to the world and argue with everyone that disagrees with their point of view, even if they ask for it.

 

/\


That's one of the best reasons so far!!!!

 

I intended to get a manual, but I got such a good deal on the auto I couldn't pass it up. Of course, the manual is better. The paddles are fun but no good for city traffic.

 

Hey now. Forgot the...

"Automatics are inferior."

 

Then, you aren't doing it right...

 

In my previous SAAB 900-T, the manual transmission was geared higher for highway cruising than the antiquated BW 3-speed automatic, resulting in better fuel mileage and a quieter more relaxing drive. It was also thought to be somewhat more durable than the automatic. So, in that application, I chose the manual transmission for my particular priorities.

In the RX-8, it's the other way around, so I chose the automatic for all the same reasons. I don't need to feed my driver's ego by proving my prowess at shifting a crashbox - it's just so much chest thumping, and after so many years driving manuals I just don't need it. I also didn't buy the car to race it, so the absolute performance-related priorities don't apply. At 25,000 miles per year, the long-distance cruising attributes are the priorities.

An automatic RX-8 may be a bit slower to the finish line on the track, but it's also slower getting back to the gas pump on the road. Reasonable trade-off for me.

 

Normally I don't reply to these "Why do you hate automatics so much, I have one and I love it more than you do" type posts, but this one I will make an exception.

I test drove the automatic RX-8 when I was looking.
It was more to get a feel of the trim package than the automatic, but I still got a chance to work the car a bit.

What I noticed was that the transmission shifted smoothly when you were just casually driving around in normal auto mode. It was always trying to keep the rpms really low, and was obviously tuned for economy, not for driving pleasure. That slightly annoyed me.

With a regular manual, I can choose shift points, and the programming is all in my head. If I want to hold onto a gear because I'm coasting towards a light, the car does just as I ask.

When I switched the automatic to manual mode, and started using the button shifters, they were awkwardly placed, sometimes confusing to use while in the middle of a turn, and there was a long delay as the transmission decided whether or not it wanted to comply with my input of changing up or down a gear.

I will admit it, I'm a control freak when I drive my cars.
I want them to do what I say, right when I say it.

Driving an automatic transmission that is programmed and behaves the way the one in the RX-8 does goes against my very nature, and driving personality.

I don't want a little box in the glove compartment taking my inputs, watering them down, thinking them over, and taking its sweet time in executing my decision.

Its a sports car.
Its supposed to react to my inputs RIGHT NOW.
If it doesn't, its HIGHLY IRRITATING.

The manual mode lever shift CVT in the Nissan Altima 4 door sedan responds WAY QUICKER than the manual mode in the RX-8 does in changing ratios. Its instantaneously fast. As soon as you click the shifter, bang, its in a new gear. Period.

I want that behavior in a sports car with an automatic transmission.
It doesn't happen in the RX-8, so that's why I would never own one.

You like the luxury of not having to shift the transmission in your RX-8.
I like the luxury of being in complete control and not having my actions watered down by a car that was compromised from a cutting edge sports car to a car with less power, no LSD rear end in some models, lower rpm limits, and a cushion you from the driving experience transmission.

That's why I DIDN'T buy an RX-8 with an automatic transmission.

BC.

 

Tell me about it...lol

 

I can understand your guy's reason for going manual. I'm not here to tell you that you have to buy an automatic. If I had bought this car brand new I most likely would have went manual just to save that money. I bought my 07 GT used with 47k miles for 15k and it had an automatic tranny. For the price I paid for this car I can't complain at all. Sure the automatic can be a little sluggish when changing gears in manual mode but I have only noticed that when you shift at a low rpm. Plus at most it takes the car about a half a second to shift that gear. When you take the car to redline and then try to shift a gear it's very good in my opinion.

To Bladecutter when you said the Nissan Altima has a better CVT I agree with you all the way. Nissan has the best CVT trannys out their right now and CVT will only get better in the future.

I don't understand why everyone is giving the CVT in the RX-8 so much crap. I used to own a 04 Chrysler Crossfire with a CVT tranny and that thing was terrible. Sometimes it would take the car about 5 seconds before it would shift to the other gear and it would shift hard into the gear. So compared to the Chrysler the RX-8's CVT is very good to me.

Some things I don't like about the RX-8's CVT is the way it downshifts in manual mode. Say I'm cruising in 4th gear and I come to a stop light. When I apply the brakes and hit a certain speed the car downshifts through all the gears and does a little bit of engine braking. So then I kinda got to adjust the way I'm braking cause then the car is stopping faster than what I want it to. The way they should of done it is if I'm braking it should throw the car into nuetral and if I need to get back on the gas before I come to a complete stop, choose the gear that would be best for the current speed I'm doing and I can take over from their. When the car is in drive you don't have that problem.

 

I almost test drove an auto 8, but right before I went to check it out I had a flash back to owning my auto fc vert, and no no noooo, no auto rotaries for me.

 

i dont think the auto in an rx8 is a cvt trans. it has gears. 4 or 6 speed