Manual Transmission / Stick Drivers

[pa1ntbru5h]

You will have a great combo of cars and congrats on your Model 3 Performance purchase !

Thanks! Although I haven't purchased it yet.. hoping for my SA to call me with a sleeper M3P before year end.

I think what you said in the previous post about learning racing techniques is what sets some of us apart from the general manual transmission category.

Being able to heel-toe downshift and take a turn at the right speeds is what makes it so fun. It's a more engaging drive and feels almost like a game. The satisfaction of a perfect rev-match downshift is hard to explain..

 

[jkoya]

Being able to heel-toe downshift and take a turn at the right speeds is what makes it so fun. It's a more engaging drive and feels almost like a game. The satisfaction of a perfect rev-match downshift is hard to explain..

My thoughts exactly !!! Slightly on the same topic, I can't wait to see "Ford vs Ferrari"....

 

[Needsdecaf]

I don't miss it, as I have a weekend car with the stick.

But for daily driving, I've tried to take that car to work twice. It's horrible. And I learned on a stick and have owned multiple.

The precision of your ability to control speed in the car is not to be believed. You think, it reacts. Boom.

So I don't miss it in daily driving. But I'm glad I have a weekend car.

 

[Altimas]

I had a stick shift for my previous and loved it, but I drive in rush hour every day to and from and that gets old really fast. AP is the best thing ever for rush hour!!!

 

[realvvk]

It IS a stick shift car. It's just that the rev limit is so high, you never change out of first.

This is exactly how I feel. I have also noticed a few bewildered automatic drivers complain about how they had to adjust their driving style to drive their Tesla. No adjustment needed for us stick shift drivers!

 

[jerry33]

I currently own a Honda Civic SI 2008 model and have been driving that bad boy for the past 11 years. Anybody else get rid of their stick shift car for a Tesla? I was planning on getting another stick car (VW Arteon), but seeing how two of my coworkers love their Tesla so much, I jumped on the bandwagon. Do you guys miss driving stick? Or is the Tesla that awesome?

Most of my cars have been standard transmission cars. Actually, the Tesla drives very similar to a standard transmission, only with no shifting, so It's a better experience than either (far better than an automatic). Be sure to turn creep off if it's on.

 

[Mike Hawk]

I thought I was gonna be a manual car guy for life. The DSG in my MK7 Golf R changed that. Had the mid life crisis and was gonna drop the major coin for a new S6. Was waiting for the refresh when the P3D dropped. Ordered it sight and test drive unseen.

Never going back to ICE, never going back to a transmission. Insta-torque single-speed is a life changer.

Biggest thing I miss every now and then is not being able to show the world the size of my penor by going vroom vroom at stop lights. Any ICE that rolls up next to me and revs at me, I got nothing to respond. I guess I could roll down the window and yell out "vroom vroom"?

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

I thought I was gonna be a manual car guy for life. The DSG in my MK7 Golf R changed that. Had the mid life crisis and was gonna drop the major coin for a new S6. Was waiting for the refresh when the P3D dropped. Ordered it sight and test drive unseen.

Never going back to ICE, never going back to a transmission. Insta-torque single-speed is a life changer.

Biggest thing I miss every now and then is not being able to show the world the size of my penor by going vroom vroom at stop lights. Any ICE that rolls up next to me and revs at me, I got nothing to respond. I guess I could roll down the window and yell out "vroom vroom"?

You just mash the go pedal when it turns green and silently leave them in the dust.

 

[anti]

...Biggest thing I miss every now and then is not being able to show the world the size of my penor by going vroom vroom at stop lights. Any ICE that rolls up next to me and revs at me, I got nothing to respond. I guess I could roll down the window and yell out "vroom vroom"?

Maybe for the September and newer cars Tesla can add a "stop light mode" for the pedestrain speaker, so you could tap a button and make vroom noises from it?

 

[N54TT]

I currently own a Evo X and I'll be getting the PM3 as my commuter. I have sentimental attachment to the Evo so I can't give her up.
I'd like to think I'll have the best of both worlds.

you need an sti to have the best of both worlds . One of my part cars was manual wrx wagon..stage 2, jdm sti wgn front and rear lips. Always loved evo’s too though....post up a pic of the evo!!

 

[hocr]

I was a die hard stick driver.. all my cars were stick (S2000, Miata, 350Z, Evo X, BMW M3, etc) and I loved them but the single speed + motor in the Tesla means that you will have smooth/instant power and consistent launches you could never get from stick or DSG. I dont think I can go back unless its just a weekend toy for track but everything feels so slow in comparison.

The handling out of the box could be improved though. Also the car will feel heavier than your Si. Congrats and welcome!

 

[67King]

I haven't sold my BMW, yet. Current stable of stickshift cars:
2010 BMW 535i M-Sport
2007 Dodge Ram 2500 (Cummins)
1989 Porsche 944 Turbo S
Porsche 944 SP3 race car w/ 944S powertrain
1967 GTO (okay, so it is a build being converted to a stick)
1966 Bronco Roadster (is a column shift still a "stick"?)

Do not miss daily driving a stick at all. I hated driving autos, but this is just totally different. Now, as much as I love the car, I can't imagine enjoying tracking it as much as the various track cars I have owned/driven.

 

[jerry33]

Do not miss daily driving a stick at all. I hated driving autos, but this is just totally different. Now, as much as I love the car, I can't imagine enjoying tracking it as much as the various track cars I have owned/driven.

Just think of it as a stick with only one gear.

 

[afty]

Before my Model 3, I had only owned manuals. My previous car was an Infiniti G35 6MT. I have to say, I don't really miss the stick shift. What I really liked most about the manuals was not the shifting, but the instant, linear throttle response that you get without a torque converter in the way. The Model 3 has even better throttle response than any ICE, which more than makes up for the lack of gears.

 

[67King]

Just think of it as a stick with only one gear.

Someone earlier alluded to how rewarding it is, and how it makes one feel connected to a car, to go through the gears, and when properly performing hell-toe rev matching on downshifts. Certainly the Tesla isn't like an auto in any manner, and yeah, coming from apex to track out would be great. But there is a rewarding feel to shifting.

 

[gavine]

If all cars have always been electric from the beginning and someone came-out with a combustion car right now, do you think shifting gears (and engine noise) would be rewarding or is that just a conditioned response based on years of nostalgia?

I feel like engine noise and gears are part of a heritage and would never be adopted if it were a new thing coming-out.

Not to mention, try selling people on an ICE when electric has been the standard (smelly exhaust, expensive fuel, many moving parts and maintenance, etc. etc.)

 

[jerry33]

Someone earlier alluded to how rewarding it is, and how it makes one feel connected to a car, to go through the gears, and when properly performing hell-toe rev matching on downshifts. Certainly the Tesla isn't like an auto in any manner, and yeah, coming from apex to track out would be great. But there is a rewarding feel to shifting.

But you are not as closely connected to the car as you are with a Tesla. It's really more an extension of your arms and legs than it is a car.

 

[jmaddr]

It's interesting seeing everyone talk about the benefits of a single gear so I'm gonna jump off topic here. Maybe this deserves a different thread.

Single speed vs multiple speeds in EVs

The downside of a single speed is a serious torque and power drop-off at high engine rpms which int the dual motor (and possible single) TM3s is ~60mph. In everyday driving this is not a concern.

This IS a concern with track and spirited driving. Remember when the Roadster first came out, Tesla saw this and had a 2 speed transmission but had to drop back to a single speed due to the massive torque? I see the single speed electric drive technology evolution as like ICE cars in the early days. In early ICE days, vehicles had 2 speed transmissions, then they upped to 3, eventually to the crazy 9 and 10 speeds they have today). I think there is a good chance EV will be the same. Today most EV's are single speed but I think for performance oriented cars, you will see multiple speeds as the technology moves forward as there is a distinct advantage. The Porsche Taycan has a 2 speed for this exact reason. Heck, even Formula E has 3 and 4 speed transmissions.

My best case scenario is where the electric motor advances enough that high RPM operation does not mean such a drop off in power. Then we can ditch the complexity of multiple speed transmissions but I don't know enough about EV motor development to know if that is a possibility or not.

Below is a recent article MPP did for power at SOC. For this conversation, the power at SOC is not what's relevant (but also a performance concern which I'm hoping can be solved with battery tech). What's relevant is that at *ANY* SOC the power drop off with motor RPM. Notice that around 80 kmph (40 mph) the TM3 has close to 325 hp. At 147 kmph (90mph) it has dropped to ~260hp. That's a CRAZY 65 hp drop! The torque drops from ~320 to ~120. That's a even more bonkers 200 ft/lb torque drop!

I hope I'm missing something like the drop off is more due to battery design and not electric motor, but that's nuts when it comes to track driving! Quite a bit of track driving, and even street driving is between 40 and 90.

Tesla Model 3 LR RWD Dyno Testing At Various SOC

 

[jerry33]

I hope I'm missing something, but that's nuts when it comes to track driving! Quite a bit of track driving, and even street driving is between 40 and 90.

Read up on Plaid and the times at Nuremberg.

 

[AdamVIP]

I got rid of a manual transmission Chevy SS Sedan for my 3 Performance. I miss the shifting as it was a more engaging drive but I also still have a manual transmission car in the garage for the weekends so I can can do both. As a commuting machine the Model 3 is great.