Stick shifts and computerization–discussion?

[Zane Kaminski]

It’s often said that a manual transmission gives you a certain control over your car that you don’t have with an automatic. Certainly this is true. It’s some combination of the necessity of selecting the gear, working the clutch, the fact that when engaged, the clutch doesn’t slip (unlike torque converter), the feeling of the synchros when you put the car into gear, etc. It’s certainly very enjoyable to drive a good car with a good stick shift.

At the same time, with a modern car, we couldn’t manually control all of the systems. That would be too much to do. So when is this control good, and when is it bad?

I am a computer programmer by trade. It occurred to me that the control programs for automatic transmissions must be so difficult to get right. There are countless considerations that must be made when programming a computer to shift the car, otherwise the transmission would suck, maybe even be dangerous. For example, the computer has got to have an accelerometer or something, so that it can delay an upshift during hard cornering. Stuff like that. I couldn’t list all of the considerations of that type. Too hard. Some cars with automatics do rev-match downshifts. That’s fine and all, but rev-matching is simple math. Takes practice to get right, but it’s trivially easy compared to writing out the entire decision logic of when to shift gears. So it’s a lot easier to drive stick than to program an automatic to select gears.

Anyway, computers have made possible the dual-clutch transmission. If I recall right, it was Cadillac who invented the automatic. Back then, computer was a job, not a type of machine, and so certainly a computer couldn’t control a clutch. So they had to invent the torque converter. I don’t know how they got it to select the right gear at the right time. Once computers (and their programmers) could control clutches, we got dual-clutch units. Imagine a non-computerized dual-clutch transmission. There would be two whole shifters and two whole clutch pedals (better not release both at once hahah). Certainly that would not make shifting any faster. Maybe if you really practiced and had some way to lock one clutch pedal in the “down” position.

Modern cars have a lot of other systems under computer control, not just automatic transmissions. There’s fuel injection, but that seems relatively straightforward. A more interesting example is variable valve timing. If you’re perceptive and know what to feel for, it’s really noticeable how modern cars rotate the cams as they move through the rev range. Many cars have variable lift, as well. Not just Hondas anymore, now Nissans, Toyotas, etc. have it, and not just two stages of lift; these systems are often continuously variable. Even GM has introduced a two-stage “VTEC”-type system on their 2.5L engine. Certainly we all agree that we wouldn’t benefit from having to control the valve timing manually, as we are driving the car.

Another good example is brake vectoring. I think McLaren was the first to debut such a system, and it was in their F1 cars. When cornering while on the brake (yeah, bad practice lol), cars with this feature apply braking to the inside wheels more strongly, thereby generating a yaw moment and helping the car get through the turn. Another thing that would probably be too hard to control completely manually. What would it be, like 4 brake pedals, one for each wheel? And you sort of do a heel-and-toe type thing to press the ones you want in the amount that’s right?

Anyway, I could think of a lot of computerized systems like this. My question is simple. A lot of people say that driving stick gives you a more complete control over the car. This is good; I like it. But how much control is too far? When is computerization good? When is it bad? Is the manual transmission coveted because shifting gears is the most important part of driving? Imagine if, instead of stick shifts being popular among enthusiasts, manual variable valve timing was–“shifting the cams.” I don’t mean like a cam timing wheel you set once and then drive, like actually doing it while you’re driving. Hell, even the cams themselves are like a computer program. They are these pre-programmed (i.e. lobed) sticks that tell the engine when to open the valves. Certainly it would be impossible for a human to instruct the engine exactly when to open the valves–too fast.

So yeah, when is computer control good, and when is it bad? It’s certainly very pleasant to shift gears, but at the same time, we certainly can’t write off computerization completely–computerized variable valve timing has enhanced our torque! Our good ol’ torque! Hahah okay yes please respond. I would like to hear some good opinions.

Topic

[Mike]

I’ve said for years that the only thing I like a car to automatically do is measure the amount of air coming into the engine and make sure the right amount of fuel gets mixed in with it. I hate automated transmissions, climate controls, lighting, seats, just about everything. Most people don’t understand my opinions on this, but I’ll give you an example of how a modern car can disgust me.

I had to drive a Cadillac home recently and it put the high beam on automatically at one point. I tried to pretend I was it’s happy new owner and wonder how I could possibly see this as a positive thing. I thought to myself “hum-de-dum, oh it just put the high beams on for me, I wonder why? I wonder when it’s going to shut them back off? I was so smart to buy this car that’s smarter than I am. I wonder what it will do next.” Maybe that’s what I happy driver thinks, I don’t know. I just don’t understand why it’s desirable.

I go to pull the door handle, but it’s not connected to anything. It’s a sensor. I can feel a delay between pulling the handle and the latch releasing electronically, so it feels like the door is locked before it pops open right before you pull your hand away from it. FU

I get in and the seats and steering wheel and pedal all start moving to “greet” me when I shut the door. FU

I start it, and it seems fine until the HVAC starts blowing air furiously trying to satisfy the automated climate control setting. FU
It even had a “A/C off” button instead of “A/C on”

I pull it out of park, and all the doors lock automatically. FU

At this point, the automatic transmission is the least of my dis-sastisfaction.

I’m driving and the high beams come on automatically. FU again

I stop and shut the car off and all my lights on the car come on including my reverse lights. People driving in the parking lot behind me think I’m going to back up and when I sit there stopped with my reverse lights on, they wonder “what the hell is that moron doing?”. Every GM does this. They claim it’s a safety feature, but it really makes sure that some other driver think you are a moron that can’t drive in a parking lot at least once a day. FU

I get out of the car, leaving the key inside, close the door and the horn chirps 3 times. Maybe I don’t want to attract attention like I’m the center of the world. FU

I pop the trunk and my headlights come on. FU

That was my experience using that car for one drive home and one drive back to work. Not only do I find these things beyond absurd, but I don’t understand why they are desirable features to have in a car. I’m always happy to get back into one of my 20 or 25 year old cars.

[Mike]

After a nasty coronal mass ejection, the guy with the ’74 Dodge Dart will be driving to the grocery store to raid it. Everyone else will be walking.

[zero]

They recently released the training module for the redesigned Honda Pilot. I was bored at work, So I logged on in my never ending attempt to finish the 140 remaining courses. And holy crap, I seriously doubt any customers will be able to properly utilize all of the technological bullshit “driving aids” they put on this thing. Also the new HRV has a feature called brake hold which keeps the brakes applied when you’re sitting in traffic. To quote a co-worker “If you can’t hold the brake pedal sitting in traffic, fuck you, just go and die already”.

The automatic seats are especially terrible when the person who owns the car is short, so you get in and first thing that you have to do is stop the damn thing before your knees go through the dash. I see that and add the stupid passenger side mirrors that adjust down when you reverse.

I don’t mind the automatic locks as much as when they don’t, or rather aren’t, set to open when you shut the car off or open a door. My car locks automatically, but once you open a door they all unlock. Isn’t that why rear doors have child locks, so adults in the front can get out without having to unlock the doors each time?

[Author]

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