LJ 4 speed auto vs 6 speed manual

[Sparkey1821]

This is my first time ever to post in a forum so if this is in the wrong spot please help me by telling where to put or how to move it thanks in advance. I’m looking into getting an 05/06 Jeep LJ/TJ Unlimited I’ve got a question for you guys and your opinions maybe you can call it a poll. The question is I’m torn between an automatic and a standard I can find better deals on an automatic all day long I know most guys who crawl prefer the automatics. I’ve driven a lot of standard vehicles I enjoy shifting the gears and being one with the vehicle lol I know the longevity of a standard is better and if you do need to repair them they are cheaper to repair than the automatics and manual is less likely to leave you stranded, I’ve made a 4 hour drive before after my clutch went out I know you can’t do that in an auto. I know typically a manual will get better mileage if you know how to shift it than an auto. I’ll be using as a daily driver and occasional off-roader. With that being said what’s your guys opinion on what’s better between the two as far as reliability and fuel efficiency. Are there any better automatic or manual aftermarket options etc.? I’ll be moving to areas surrounding the San Antonio area soon and I don’t know exactly where I’ll be working yet. I’m a lineman and don’t know what kind of commute I’ll have. I’ve driven a manual in stop and go before but not on a regular basis. Thanks for the help in advance in helping with this decision. Not sure if it matters or not but I have no intentions of getting rid of this jeep once I get it I like to buy things that tend to last forever with limited headaches.

 

[Steel City 06]

I would say it depends on what you intend to do with it. Hardcore rock crawling? Auto.
Putting around town with the top and doors off and hitting the occasional dirt road? Manual.

The auto has the benefit of the torque converter. Allows you to crawl as slow as you want.

The manual you can start or stop in gear without ever touching the clutch. True zero-rollback starting.

With the auto you can run a doubler.

With the manual you can rev it up and use the rotational inertia of the engine and drivetrain to blast through rough terrain.

With the manual you can run a hand throttle. One hand on the wheel, the other on the shifter/throttle. One foot on the brake, the other on the clutch. Total control.

I would think it would be easier to break a driveshaft or axle shaft with a manual (abusing the clutch and throttle) than an auto.

It’s 100% preference.

I personally hunted for a manual. Starting all over again, I would just choose whichever vehicle was in better condition overall.

 

[bobthetj03]

I'm a manual guy myself. Will others be driving your LJ, like wife, kids, etc? Do you plan on bigger tires? The 42rle auto has a horrible .69 OD ratio, so there are complaints about having to constantly turn off the OD. The manual could become tiresome if you have to commute in heavy traffic.

 

[RangerRick]

I vote Automagic for the following reasons:

If hard core or steep and challenging wheeling is in your future; Automatic unless you can grow a 3rd leg or arm or want to install hand/cutting brakes etc.

If the big city or suburban stop & go traffic is in your future; Don't waste your time on rowing the gears unless you live in the rural areas and want that sports car type of action. Yes it's fun but only to a point in bumper-to-bumper or stoplight traffic, it gets old quick. Especially if it's a daily-driver.

Automatics may not last as long as a stick but they sure are easier on the driving if you do a lot of the above.

Also, properly selected deep enough gears or transfer case low range can offset the .69 O.D. in them.

And yes, the automatic transmission is much easier on driveline components such as U joints and axle shafts.


Otherwise a manual for the fun of it.

My Oppinion, YMMV.

 

[Chris]

I would say it depends on what you intend to do with it. Hardcore rock crawling? Auto.
Putting around town with the top and doors off and hitting the occasional dirt road? Manual.

X2 to this.

I'll also add that if you drive in traffic or lots of stop-and-go city driving, the automatic really shines in that sort of stuff.

 

[TJDaveX]

If it is an 03-04 I would choose auto for the added benefits off road, and separate transmission control module.

For an 05-06 I would much rather have a manual as the TCM is integrated inside the main computer PCM. Much more expensive should something go wrong.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

If it is an 03-04 I would choose auto for the added benefits off road, and separate transmission control module.

For an 05-06 I would much rather have a manual as the TCM is integrated inside the main computer PCM. Much more expensive should something go wrong.

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn't touch an 05/06 with an automatic but I'd only go with an automatic if it was a 2004 or older.

 

[MutantNinjaTJ]

Automatic going up-hill, so you don't have to shift.
Manual going down hill, so you can use engine braking instead of riding your disc brakes.
Did that answer your question?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

... Manual going down hill, so you can use engine braking instead of riding your disc brakes.

Contrary to rumor, you get engine braking with automatic transmissions too. My TJ with its automatic goes down STEEP offroad trails in 4LO and 1st gear so slow without me using my brakes that those behind me stack up. I have to give it gas when they get too close to my bumper.

 

[billiebob]

I'm a manual fan. For all the reasons you mention. I've had a few automatics and almost every one has left me stranded. And bumper to bumper stop & go traffic is not an issue since I drove semis for years with 18 gears to pick from in rush hour city driving.

But the TJ 4 speed automatic is an anomolly. The massive jump to a 0.69 overdrive means gearing, bigger tires are a huge compromise. I honestly like TJs with the old 3 speed automatic, no overdrive and it is pretty much bullet proof.

If the choice were clutch vs 3 speed automatic, I'd say pretty much personal preference. But for me, I'd never want the 4 speed automatic.

 

[Alex01]

I drove a manual as my daily driver / commuter in San Fransico bay area traffic for 4 years and if I didn't need a truck I would gladly buy another one. I found if you stick to the first 2 lanes the truckers also don't want to shift often so if you get behind one typically you'll be able to keep it in first most the time. If your not heavy into rock crawling then in my opinion a manual is way more fun. I've been doing bigger and bigger obstacles lately and I haven't got to the point where I wish I had an auto yet but I can honestly say that an auto would make life easier. Especially if you factor in you can add a rubicrawler to the 42lre.

 

[mots]

Well, you might just have to get both an 04 Auto and a 05-06 Manual, just to have your bases covered! The wife won't mind, right?

I was lucky when I bought my 05 Manual. I knew about the 05/06 OPDA potential issues, but I knew nothing about the automatic trans PCM issue on these later models. I like my 6 speed TJ just fine, but if it was to be my DD or used offroad a lot, I'd probably want an automatic.

Good luck with your search!

 

[Sparkey1821]

I would say it depends on what you intend to do with it. Hardcore rock crawling? Auto.
Putting around town with the top and doors off and hitting the occasional dirt road? Manual.

The auto has the benefit of the torque converter. Allows you to crawl as slow as you want.

The manual you can start or stop in gear without ever touching the clutch. True zero-rollback starting.

With the auto you can run a doubler.

With the manual you can rev it up and use the rotational inertia of the engine and drivetrain to blast through rough terrain.

With the manual you can run a hand throttle. One hand on the wheel, the other on the shifter/throttle. One foot on the brake, the other on the clutch. Total control.

I would think it would be easier to break a driveshaft or axle shaft with a manual (abusing the clutch and throttle) than an auto.

It’s 100% preference.

I personally hunted for a manual. Starting all over again, I would just choose whichever vehicle was in better condition overall.

What is a doubler?

 

[Sparkey1821]

I'm a manual guy myself. Will others be driving your LJ, like wife, kids, etc? Do you plan on bigger tires? The 42rle auto has a horrible .69 OD ratio, so there are complaints about having to constantly turn off the OD. The manual could become tiresome if you have to commute in heavy traffic.

My wife may drive it from time to time but she knows how to drive a standard. She currently drives my old 5 spd pick up. As far as tires I was thinking 33’s for DD and an extra set or 35’s for trailing and overlanding. I use to drive an 18 wheeler I know all about that stop and go traffic. I don’t know what kind of commute or traffic I’ll be dealing with when we move though.

 

[Steel City 06]

What is a doubler?

A second transfer case that gives you an additional 2:1 low range. So you can operate in 2hi and high range for a 1:1 drive ratio, a 2:1 ratio, a 2.72:1 ratio, or a 5.44:1 net reduction ratio. For whatever reason the manufacturer only makes it for the auto.

On either transmission you can get an Altas 4 speed transfer case that will do the same thing but can get you as low as ~11:1 reduction ratio

 

[Sparkey1821]

I

I vote Automagic for the following reasons:

If hard core or steep and challenging wheeling is in your future; Automatic unless you can grow a 3rd leg or arm or want to install hand/cutting brakes etc.

If the big city or suburban stop & go traffic is in your future; Don't waste your time on rowing the gears unless you live in the rural areas and want that sports car type of action. Yes it's fun but only to a point in bumper-to-bumper or stoplight traffic, it gets old quick. Especially if it's a daily-driver.

Automatics may not last as long as a stick but they sure are easier on the driving if you do a lot of the above.

Also, properly selected deep enough gears or transfer case low range can offset the .69 O.D. in them.

And yes, the automatic transmission is much easier on driveline components such as U joints and axle shafts.


Otherwise a manual for the fun of it.

My Oppinion, YMMV.

I don’t see heavy crawling in my near future I don’t know many places in the middle of Texas that, that’s available. Probably mostly off road parks, trails, and daily driving. Out of all the vehicles I’ve ever had they have all been manual except for my first car and I was a young punk then so I honestly don’t know hardly anything about automatics which is partially why I’m here. LOL

 

[Sparkey1821]

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn't touch an 05/06 with an automatic but I'd only go with an automatic if it was a 2004 or older.

I was really hoping that you and @mrblaine would chime in on this thank you for your input. I probably won’t be doing any heavy crawling in the near future I’ve read a lot of what y’all have said in regards to the autos and that’s what got me thinking and led me here.

 

[Steel City 06]

My wife may drive it from time to time but she knows how to drive a standard. She currently drives my old 5 spd pick up. As far as tires I was thinking 33’s for DD and an extra set or 35’s for trailing and overlanding. I use to drive an 18 wheeler I know all about that stop and go traffic. I don’t know what kind of commute or traffic I’ll be dealing with when we move though.

I would run the same size and type of tire for road and off road. The gearing works to your disadvantage if you use smaller tires in the road. There are a lot of good 33" and 35" All Terrain tires that will get you where you want to go and not suck on the road. Some of the new mud terrains aren't even all that bad on road. If you do pick up 2 sets, buy them in the same size

 

[Sparkey1821]

Ca

Well, you might just have to get both an 04 Auto and a 05-06 Manual, just to have your bases covered! The wife won't mind, right?

I was lucky when I bought my 05 Manual. I knew about the 05/06 OPDA potential issues, but I knew nothing about the automatic trans PCM issue on these later models. I like my 6 speed TJ just fine, but if it was to be my DD or used offroad a lot, I'd probably want an automatic.

Good luck with your search!

Care to explain the issues you’ve mentioned above?

 

[Sparkey1821]

I would run the same size and type of tire for road and off road. The gearing works to your disadvantage if you use smaller tires in the road. There are a lot of good 33" and 35" All Terrain tires that will get you where you want to go and not suck on the road. Some of the new mud terrains aren't even all that bad on road. If you do pick up 2 sets, buy them in the same size

Ok I didn’t know this I was only thinking in that mid set in regards to economy/fuel mileage as the added weight of the 35’s.