What's The Difference?

What's The Difference?

So I've just been wondering....whats the difference between Manu-matic paddle shifting and automatic "shifting"?? Like which is more damaging and why?? and what other differences are there??

I don't know the technical difference, but I know the the manumatics are autos that are meant to be shifted manually at times. A regular automatic with the Low, 2 and 3 settings isn't designed to be shifted between those gears heavily. It's designed for mountain usage or some instance when you want a lower gear to be used continuously. All I know is shifting a true auto like a manual tranny is bad.

well see, i test drove the Honda Fit and i tried out the manumatic paddle shifter thing on it and it was more rough and resistant than auto shifting...but because it was resistant, it was torquier than the auto...i dunno if that makes sense...

Actually, that helps alot. The Honda fit uses a conventional automatic transmission (torque converter) - that has the option of shifting automatically or via switches. There is also a "sport" option that I found quite odd - 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 shifts were OK - but the car will end up redlining in third unless you tap the switch (funky shift logic). I didn't notice it holding gears any longer - other than not shifting after 3rd in sport mode. The shift logic on other manumatic automatic transmissions make more sense than the Honda - but they also cost a heck of a lot more. Honda sport system is supposed to make more aggressive gear shifts and prefer higher RPMs to take advantage of the engine's power band.

As for the differences between these different transmission variations - they can be broken down into several main groups:
- A true manual transmission (clutch, gear pairing for selected rato)
- A sequential manual transmission (clutch, can only select next highest or lowest ratio)
- A true automatic transmission (clutch packs, torque converter)
- A semi-automatic transmission (clutch packs, torque converter)
- A continously variable transmission

Most paddle shifted, button shifted, lever shifted "manumatics" have more similarity with a true automatic than a true manual (they use a torque converter instead of a dry clutch). They generally have different shift logic (hold gears longer, shifts closer to redline, rev match downshift for braking, etc.) and you can select what gear you want. The amount of manual control depends on the programming - some refuse to shift into a gear unless it is safe to do so, and shift more or less like an automatic - others take you commands immediately and will shift into any gear you desire.

Where as automatically shifted manual transmissions have electronically operated clutch - otherwise similar to a true manual, but you are looking at much higher price range than what a Honda Fit competes at (ie. BMW's SMG and Audi's DSG are manual gearboxes that have a computer controlled clutch, and of course your Ferrari F1 shift and other exotics).

^^Very good info man...so what do you think is worse for a car, shifting with a manumatic or auto shifting??...i mean on the Honda Fit's brochure, it said the paddle shifters were for "spirited drivers"...so would continuous use of a manumatic have the same detrimental effects as continuous auto shifting??

I don't think continuous use of a manumatic would have a detrimental effect, as the transmission was designed for that type of activity. I remember I had a Dodge Stratus one time that had a conventional auto. I decided to get a little adventurous so I revved it up in neutral, then slammed it into D, 2 and 3 doing a burnout. lol <- That's the kind of stuff you're not supposed to do to a transmission when it's not designed for that kind of activity.

very nice info, thast the type of stuff that gets u on member of the month lol

Newer automatic transmissions really dont care about whether or not you shift them manually, as evidenced by the change in the way automatic transmission shifters are now gated. Also, there are quite a few cars out there that are automatics but use a clutch, though most of them are high end cars with high ( really high ) horsepower; the big exception being the GTi with its dsg transmission