Having to shift doesn't bug me, but all that traffic getting in my way sure does. Let me drive free! Driving 20 mph on the 405 is a waste of time!

 

Shrug. I find my right ankle/foot getting tired wayyyy before my left, from modulating the gas. And I am pretty sure the WRX has a stiffer clutch pedal than the 8.

john

 

Deccelerating in 1st gear can be jumpy, but I attribute that to the throttle response and the sensitivity of 1st gear to ANY thottle changes. With some practice, I was able to smooth out my 1st gear parking lot roll.

As for the question, I would not go so far as to say the AT sucks, but I DO prefer my MT over anything automatic. I get into bumper-to-bumper traffic most every morning waiting to get into the base, and the RX-8's MT is a real dream. Sitting in traffic in any car is an exercise in tedium, but with the 8's MT it isn't at all uncomfortable.

Edit: I'm 30, which still makes me young according to your criteria, but no whippersnapper

 

Not me. I don't even think about it when I'm in such heavy traffic. For the lazy ones, keep your heel to the floor and let the bottom tip of the clutch stay on the middle of your sole. That way, you don't have to move your foot so much releasing and stepping on the clutch. Try it! You'll think you're driving an A/T :D

 

I do moderate to heavy Houston traffic every workday afternoon. This is my first MT and it's different. My leg doesn't get tired at all. Instead, my gripe if I have one, is that after awhile it feels as though someone has been beating the ball of my foot with a hammer. I move the foot-to-pedal contact point around as much as I can but lots of time, by the time I get home, I feel like I've been standing on a golf ball. I trail traffic as much as I can, try to stay out of first and off the clutch pedal and all of that helps but there are times when it's a literal pain.

Having said that, I wouldn't (personally) want my 8 to be anything OTHER than MT. I love the control and the "connection" with the car that is afforded by the MT, not to mention the kick-*** feeling of shifting into 4th at 85 to 90 mph. I figure if traffic ever REALLY gets to be annoying, I'll either find a tavern to pull over and hang out at till traffic clears or I'll adjust my time to leave work such that I avoid the heaviest traffic.

And relating to a question posed about 5 posts up, yes the paddle-shifting automatic runs from 1 to 4 but you can't go to neutral in it, so it's effectivly 2,3,4,3,2,1 ... which is better than the AT in a station wagon or something like that but not quite the same as an MT. I test drove both, even made up my mind that I could go with the AT (my wife refuses to consider learing to drive a standard) and then (at her behest) I did what I REALLY wanted to do, and got the MT. I'm glad I did as there is a noticeable difference in "pep" in favor of the MT.

If your dad is 53 years old, you're young enough that an MT isn't going to bother you in the least. If the MT we're talking about was (is) for your dad; it's a personal choice but I'd go with the MT.

 

It never even occurred to me that a MT might be a problem in heavy traffic until someone brought it up here. I would think that a manual would make heavy traffic less tedious and tiring.

 

zyran, it's hard to tell from your post if the car is for you or your dad. I've driven MT for over 35 years in everything from sports cars and bikes, to muscle cars and big trucks. Many of those years in New York City traffic. There were times I might have preferred an automatic, but your actual question was, does a manual tire you out?

No - a manual does not tire you out. If anything, the opposite. A manual forces your attention and keeps you more alert. An added benefit is it keeps you off the cell phone since you need both hands for driving.

I'm not too far from your dad's age and I am a hardcore MTer. If it were up to me all the autos would be banned and if you couldn't drive MT, too bad.

 

How much shift-work you have to do is very much influenced by your driving style. The majority of drivers (around 95% in my experience) are stuck in tailgating mode. If your goal in life is to make sure there's never enough space for a car to merge in front of you then you will be working the clutch and gearbox a lot. If instead you get a feel for driving at the "average speed" of traffic in your vicinity you can get by with a lot less shifting and do a lot of speed control with the throttle alone. You just need to get over any aversions you may have to having some clear space between you and the leading traffic.

That being said, I am finding the 8 to be a bit finicky (bucking) at very slow speeds but member reports indicate that the newer software flashes have better "anti-buck" programming so I look forward to smoother running in heavy traffic.

In response to the OP, the clutch on the 8 is not heavy.

 

My dad says it's HIS money so its really up to him.
I'm gonna tell him to testdrive the manual anyway.
I'm getting lots of positive feedback, but I'm under assumption that most of you are in between 20 - 40 years of age which makes still makes you 'young' in relative terms.

 

zyran,
it's all in yours or his preferance. my mt is a breeze in traffic however I wouldn't be caught dead driving an auto. that's just me, my wife on the other hand wouldn't drive a manual if her life depended on it. ultimately your odl man is gonna do what's he thinks is best for you or him.

 

YES, EXTREMELY.

If you don't like stop and go traffic, you'll abhor it in an MT car.

 

Most people who really enjoy driving MT do not have a problem in traffic. For the average commuter this probably is not the case. As many people have said, it's your dad's preference and how much he enjoys MT. Definitely take him for a test drive.

 

I'm pretty close to your dad's age, and I'm with rx8miami - I'd never drive an automatic. Well, that's not quite true - when I was first married, our only car was some sort of Oldsmobuick with an automatic transmission, and I cordially hated the thing. As soon as we got on our feet financially, I got back into a manual.

It's true, of course - it's your dad's money. You'll have a lot of fun in an 8 whichever transmission you wind up with.

 

I have an MT (actually 3 MT vehicles), and it is absolutely NO problem driving in rush hour, stop'n'go traffic. Once you're used to it, it's almost reflexive, and requires no distinct thought or concentration. As long as you don't have a heavy clutch that tires out your leg (and none of the RX-8, Miata, or Audi have a heavy clutch), then it really is no big deal at all. Holding the clutch or pressing it occasionally is really no different than having to hold the brake constantly in traffic in an auto trans car.

My wife refuses to drive an automatic trans car, and she also drives in rush hour traffic, no problems.

[Edit] Oh yeah, age - I'm 45 this year, my wife is a few years younger. The only automatic trans car I ever owned was 20 years ago, but I've driven them often enough (rentals in North America) to be constantly reminded that I hate them and how much I prefer a manual transmission!

Regards,
Gordon

 

I edited my post to indicate my age: 30.

 

I drive an MTX in city traffic most days and don't fing it much of an onus. Sure, an ATX would obviously be that much easier, but a good MTX can certainly be more than acceptible in that regard and yet give all the added pleasures an MTX offers when the traffic clears and the road opens up -- plus, in the RX-8s case, a bit more HP in the engine bay.

A lot of that, though, has to do with the MTX and particularly, the clutch. Fortunately, the RX-8 has beautifully weighted and balanced controls, including the clutch, that make even driving in traffic, if not wholly enjoyable, at least readily tolerable.

My suggestion would be to have the ol' man actually take an MTX RX-8 out for a spin in a bit of traffic and find out for himself rather than just surmising that it would be a PITA.

 

Your dad is absolutely correct about F1 automatics.

Unfortunately the Rx8 comes w/ a parts bin run of the mill auto and a detuned rotary and you have to spend even MORE to get the brakes/wheels that are standard w/ the 6 spd making the AT in this case disappointing. What it DESERVES is a modern manumatic and the same non de tuned rotary.

While the clutch IS light - I'm tired of driving manuals in traffic w/ 50 foot creeps feathering the clutch and I'm tired of doing clutch jobs in my shop. The future is more sophisticated automatics and manu-matics (like M3 and optional on 3 series).

I'm stepping back from teh Rx8 for now and watching to see if they offer a decent AT soon. Sure hope so!

 

Other than the fact that I LOVE driving MT cars and have learned to drive on one (being from Europe where AT was a rarity) - I think it all depends what you want.

AT makes me feel that the car drives me.

MT makes me feel that I drive the car.

I like driving the car :D

I had this discussion with a friend the other day:

Him: I'd never buy a MT... I don't want to shift gears in traffic.

Me: Why not? Are you doing something else instead?

Him: Uhm... well, no...

 

My wife refuses to drive automatic as well, even in traffic.

In fact, when I *do* get stuck in an auto in traffic, I frequently find myself with leg and ankle problems the following day, due to all of the modulation that must be done with the gas pedal. Let off the gas and they never lose speed!

If manumatics are the future then my wife and I will drive the last REAL manual until it corrodes out from underneath of us.

 

Let's say you spend 3 hours a day in traffic, don’t forget about the other 21 hours in the day when you might have the opportunity to enjoy the rx8's excellent manual. In fact, in my opinion this is one of the best I have driven and it would be a shame to pass up.