In a day and age in which transmissions can range from quick-shifting dual-clutch gearboxes to units with a virtually infinite number of ratios, what is your favorite that you’ve driven?
Do you prefer the slick-shifting six-speed of a Honda S2000 or a fast-on-its-feet PDK in a Porsche 911? Or, perhaps, you enjoy something else entirely like the direct drive found …
The 6 speed in my NSX is pretty fantastic. You can feel everything so clearly through the shifter, the ratios are all spot on, no weird noises, easy maintenance.
In reply to Velement :
Thanks canoe.
I've owned a few manual Hondas and a Miata, which are all known for great shifters, but honestly, my favorite was the old-fashioned T5 in my 1989 Fox body Mustang with a Pro 5.0 shifter. So solid and direct, it felt like a rifle bolt.
1999 Miata. Bought with low miles (30k or so) and enjoyed the heck out of that slick shifting manual transmission every time I drove it.
My favorite manual was the one in the 67 Lotus Super Seven that belonged to a friend of my Dad, my 64 Spitfire comes in second. As for automatics, the 7 speed auto in our 06 R class is by far the best one I have used. Even at 180K miles it shifts so smooth.
The PDK in my Cayman was a marvel of modern engineering. The 6 speed in my ND Miata is the best manual I've ever felt. I took my buddy's 911 GT3 manual for a spin and I strongly prefer the Miata transmission to the Porsche manual.
In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :
Cadillac LaSall
It's a 3 on the tree and it's positively sexual how smooth it is. Finger tip shifting with gravity assist into 2nd gear.
The last ones were put into a few hearse's back in 1953.
I really pity those who haven't used one
I also like Duesenburg 3 on the floor. The one I drove had 47,000 miles on it and was 32 years old. But it was snick snick snick into all three gears and even reverse just dropped in without grinding. Long lever but smooth. Not at all not at all notchy.
I have 2. The one that is in any Miata, and the PDK in the GT3 that I got to spend 10 minutes of quality time with.
My first manual trans car - a 1968 Chev with a three on the tree and a very worn clutch was a bunch of fun. But if I had to pick a really nice transmission that I've driven I'd have to say the S2000. Very precise & tight, good feedback.
Integra GS-R/S2000 (GS-R: smoothest feel, zero notchiness but still direct feeling)
1991 BMW 318is (also very smooth, light action)
Shelby GT350 (more direct feeling than the above, but higher effort)
FD RX-7 (tied with Shelby; very tight and direct, some grittiness if pedal work not perfect, takes a while to warm up)
2006 Viper
FRS
Z32 300ZX/R32 GT-R (tight and direct, but feedback when going into gear not great)
2010 Shelby GT500
(tier 2)
Porsche 968 (heavy large stock shift knob balanced on top of spindly feeling linkage; hard to miss a shift, feels purpose built, would probably be good when shifting quickly on a track)
987 Boxster (very light, but linkage feels flexible. Feels like you will break the shifter)
1983 Porsche 911SC
Any American auto with a ratchet shifter and reverse manual valve body. Drive one and be forever annoyed with how slow manual transmissions are.
Has to be a hydraulic trans, too. Electronic transmissions are painfully slow in comparison, even DSGs.
Honda S2K. Crisp, short throws, and nicely geared to keep revs in their happy place.
The NA/NB is awful hard to beat, IMO. So direct, short throws, firm motions...but not too hard. Honorable mention will go to nearly any manual Honda product, as well as my 128i.
TunaDad rebuilt a TH350 for me and my buddy for the Camaro we built in high school. It had all manner of tricks and things thrown in it, far more than the 400 deserved.
Putting it in Drive netted a half spin of each tire. Every time.
The 1-2 shift on the floor would always put you very sideways, and it was firmer than any speedshift.
The 2-3 shift on the floor happened over 90 and also put you sideways.
Maybe we needed better tires. Either way it was a hoot.
Miata boxes are damn good.
Hewland boxes in most single seaters are great also
With that said automotive H-pattern gearboxes are abominations.
Motorcycle gearboxes are better in every way; you can go up and down the box without the clutch, the shifter level only needs to move half an inch and they come with proper ratios from the factory. Some of then even have no lift shifting.
As for CVTs I thought I would dislike the CVT in my F500 but turns out they are damn good.
My 1969 Ford Cortina GT with the single rail trans with a Quaif short shifter.
My 90 miata, after they rebuilt it at 10k miles because it stunk in the cold. Stayed good for another 175k miles.
Porsche 993 with an FD-clone RS shift rod and an aluminum ball knob. Not as direct and pure as the miata, but you can shift it with 2 fingers.
Elegance aside, the pistol-grip A-833 4 speed in my 'cuda was always a hoot if you drove it like you hated it and just lifted a little off the gas and waved your foot over the clutch pedal to shift.
Pete, in what car could I sample such a transmission? I know nothing of what you speak and feel intrigued.
Best manual for me is pretty much any Miata. The NSX I drove 20 years ago was great too. I was a BMW guy for a long time and so I mostly know the cartilage feel of those and the long throws. Not my favorite.
For autos, the best I've personally driven is the one in the 3rd gen Mazda 3. Wet clutch, no hesitation like the DCTs I've driven. But I haven't driven the PDKs or the ZF auto that everyone loves.
For automatics, that ZF 8 speed is pretty solid in BMW-tuned form. The Chrysler version I had a hard time believing was the same trans.
Now that I've spent some time in EFILive fixing the calibration, I actually don't mind the 4L85E in the suburban either, but I think the key there is that automatics can work well with a big engine and a flat, predictable torque curve.
Favorite for me are old BMW manuals when all the bits are new, probably because that's what I grew up with. E30/E34 era.
The worst manual goes to my buddy's Hawkeye STi with some kind of ultra short throw shifter. Absolutely zero confidence what gear you're going to end up in, and the notchiest shifter I've ever had the displeasure of using.
Motorcycle transmissions win, though. I love the transmission on my FX450, perfect spacing and just so slick to use, clutch or not. Second best is the 990 Adventure with a stiffer shift spring in it, for all the same reasons plus the beautiful noise that goes with it.
The 4-speed manual in my dads '79 Datsun 210.
Hot knife thru butter. Yes, I'm that lame.
It's a toss up between my '64 Dodge Dart GT with a Hurst shifter - direct, solid, and precise - and the 4 on the tree that a friend's mid-60 Ford van had - because it was weird.
For cars I've owned I like the 5-speed in my E46. But as for ones I driven the Porsche PDK was brilliant on the track.
Favorite transmission? I'm not sure what would make a favorite.
The one that impressed me the most is the 458 italia DCT. Not only are the shifts lightning fast the calibration is spectacular, at least on track. I've never driven one on the street. On the track it shifts just about where I would almost all the time. Both up and down. Really impressive.
NA Miata transmissions are good but it's too easy to get the wrong gear for them to be my favorite. I'm sure it's never an issue on the street but if you're trying to make a shift while hopping a curb and/or sliding the car around a corner it's easy to get the wrong gear. Second to fifth is just annoying but fourth to first instead of third is dangerous and potentially expensive.
I do like a properly setup Hewland 4 speed box in an open wheel car. Quick, positive shifts. A quick lift of the throttle on upshifts or a quick blip on downshifts and they'll snick right into the desired gear in what seems like a fraction of a second.
ALFA. any 105 bodied 5 speed.
the best
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