I think he is referring to trail use. I suppose he would just shift into a lower gear on his auto for long stretches downhill. I do that all the time with the auto in my ecodiesel.
What’s your preference, automatic or manual transmission?
- Thread starter Davidtj
- Start date
sgtjdgelinas
TJ Enthusiast
That's how I learned on a bike, clutch cable snapped on my GSXR and I had an hour commute home. Then later when I built a bobber the clutch springs were so damn strong I only used the clutch from a dead stop.
I miss that truck. It was equally awful and wonderful to drive. We kept it far longer than we should have. 
Hayduke
New Member
I'm talking about trail use. Going downhill "steep stuff, like 4wd passes in the mountains" with 3.73 gears in the auto in 1st gear, I have to use the brakes all the time. Going down with 3.55 gears in the manual, I can just ride 1st gear and rarely have to use the brakes.
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After I blew out my right shoulder last summer I couldn't drive the Jeep for about 8 months. I still remember the first time I got back in it. "Hey! Driving is fun again!"
I descend steep hills on occasion and in 4Lo in 1st gear with my auto with my 5.38 gears, they're literally stacking up behind me. I'm going SO slow without use of the brakes that I have to give it gas to help the people behind me avoid using their brakes. A couple with stick shifts have refused to believe it and had to look inside my TJ to verify it was an automatic. True story.
I too believed a Jeep had to be a manual transmission so that's what I bought in 1996. Fast forward to 2003 when I did my toughest trail yet called Sledgehammer in Johnson Valley when I discovered what a truly tough trail was really like. Though I had learned to drive sticks back in 1964 and had owned many stick shift vehicles including lots of sports cars & trucks in the military, I learned the disadvantages of a manual transmission that day on Sledgehammer. In fact, I learned I was the only one in the group that day running a manual transmission... all others who were Johnson Valley regulars were all extremely well built Jeeps, all running automatics. That's when I discovered the herky-jerky forward progress of my stick transmission stuck out like a sore thumb.... getting part-way up a big rock & then having to stab the clutch pedal down to avoid killing the engine to stop momentarily to choose the next turn/line to take. Then trying to hold position while releasing the clutch for the next short distance before having to look at the next line I'd take. Then while watching the smooth progress of everyone else who were all running automatics I finally "got it".
It wasn't long after that and one more trip through Sledgehammer (breaking an axle shaft the first time, a steering box the next time) that mrblaine called me to tell me he had found an automatic with all the parts for me to make the conversion. I made the conversion to a 32RH automatic and haven't looked back. For the trails I enjoy, having an automatic has made it so I can concentrate more on finding the right line to take and less on trying to keep the engine running and in control in the trickier sections. And trust me on that, you do NOT have better control on extreme level trails with a stick... been there, done that. 50+ years of driving sticks, I know how to drive them... but if you're doing really tough trails, there's no comparing how much better the automatic is. Not to mention its 2-3X greater amount of low-end torque the torque converter inside the automatic provides when compared to a manual transmission.
These pics were all taken in 2003 on a traditional "Rookie Run" led by mrblaine for those who had never run Sledgehammer. It was a real eye-opener. The red TJ was mine.
That scepter I'm holding is actually my broken front axle shaft experienced just before the half-way mark on this trail. That's my son Allen, we're at the famous mailbox which is the half-way mark for Sledgehammer.
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dang Jerry, thats freaking scary terrain there! Not sure I'd attempt it in my Jeep, but I'd love to ride shotgun through a run like that!
Hayduke
New Member
Yes, Jerry you have a point there. I guess if I had 5:38 gears, a spare starter, battery booster an external tranny cooler, then I would feel better about the automatic in all situations . I just need to make some more money to buy all that stuff.
. I just need to make some more money to buy all that stuff.
So like Jerry I have had the rare experience it seems of having had both a manual and automatic in the exact same jeep. When I had my 5spd, after the regearing, it was amazing off road in boulderous terrain in comparison to what it was prior to the regearing but in that kind of stuff you have to many drops and climbs to just idle through so I added a hand throttle which gave me so much more confidence in super rough terrain so that I could set the throttle speed and then control movement by clutch position and brake pedal. The two best mods to help a manual in technical off roading like Boulder crawling is regearing and/or lower TC ratio and a hand throttle. They make a world of difference. I haven't had my automatic out on anything semi gnarly yet but I have a feeling it will be fun in new ways. Sure I miss my manual at times but it's still the same amount of fun, just a different type of experience. I'm a bit spoiled though because when I want to drive a manual I just hop in our JKUR and otherwise I'm stuck with my v8 auto TJ
Battery booster? Spare starter? What? In 22 years of wheeling TJs, I've never needed either and neither has anyone else on the trail with me. And for those who just don't know any better, you can push start or roll-start a vehicle with an automatic transmission too... just make sure you have some juice left in the battery as is the same requirement for those with a manual transmission. Neither can be push or roll started if the battery is dead.Yes, Jerry you have a point there. I guess if I had 5:38 gears, a spare starter, battery booster an external tranny cooler, then I would feel better about the automatic in all situations
No matter what transmission you have, it takes $$$ to play in the tough stuff.
While I'll agree that automatics are better for rock-crawling, is it really fair to say you can roll start an automatic? As far as I understand, roll starting an automatic requires so much speed and puts such a strain on the transmission that it really isn't a viable option. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Consider that an old wive's tale. I've done it out of curiosity a couple times.
I have no experience with "modern" cars but back in the '70s we used to do it on service calls often ... not on cars we had previously fixed of course.
Hayduke
New Member
Really, I've never been able to get it to work. Did you do this with a jeep or something else. I tried my 75 Bronco in 1st 2nd and drive up 50 mph and nothing, nada. The battery was good just the starter was out.Consider that an old wive's tale. I've done it out of curiosity a couple times.
Hayduke
New Member
Hayduke
New Member
Well, if you're out with other vehicles, it's probably not a problem, but when your alone and you get stranded a time or two, you wise up and try not to make the same mistakes again, Specially down here in Baja, where it might be a pretty good walk to town or to cell phone coverage
and you really don't know for sure, if anything will be left, when you get back with parts. I'm not trying to sound like a braggart now, but I've been wheeling for close to 40 years and I like think I've learned something in that time. Mainly, that I trust my own experience more, than someone that tells me what I do and don't need, even though I know I've needed it in the past what they say I don't need now. Anytime you're out with vehicles that are 15-20 years old, it's not a matter of if it will happen, but more like when, as far as parts failing goes.
The only reason I can think of where it wouldn't have worked would be if your Bronco's torque converter wasn't full of ATF due to a leaky check valve leaking that is there to keep the torque converter full of ATF.
Would it make any difference if you had a manual or automatic transmission if you were alone when your battery or starter motor died in Baja? Nope.