The clutch gang!

[johnnymiz]

I picked up my rubicon 2 weeks ago, so a short review of the manual trans.
ive driven a LOT of different manuals... from pretty big trucks to some fairly exotic sports cars...so I hope my thoughts have some value.
first, my gosh that clutch is light! about 1/2 the leg pressure of my Porsche, and even less than my 70s fj40.
second, take up is VERY quick.. almost right off the floor. my other vehicles start moving at about half way up.
first gear is very similar to the 68 IH scout I had.. granny low ... 10mph and then you shift. being smooth took a little practice
shifts are nice and easy. .it's a great tranny.
ive driven nyc rush hour stop and go and I loved it.
6th gear in nyc is pretty useless but I'm sure it is great on the open road.
I'm at about 18mpg
in all, I'm very happy with my choice
(got back into my Porsche last night for the first time in 2 weeks.. and didn't like the Porsche clutch!...which, up until 2 weeks ago, I loved)

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[Blu bi Kong]

Got my license in 1978. Have had two automatics. '89 Ford F350 dually. Blew up tranny at 9000 miles. '94 Pathfinder, tranny grenaded at 62,000 miles to the tune of $4900 bucks. Countless manuals. Have never had anything but fun. Mustangs, Z28's, trucks and forerunners. I still drive with MT like I was taught, using trans more and brake very little. Not uncommon for my brakes to go 75,000 or even more miles. One Toyota went 98,000 on front pads! Love having the powerband where I want it at any time.
Just my opinion, but the manual trans rules!

 

[johnnymiz]

Exactly....kinda hate the whole pushbutton start craze.
I turn off the ASS function as soon as i start the jeep

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Alright clutch gang! I have a question only you can answer. If you stall in your MT JL, does the ESS kick in when you depress the clutch, effectively managing the stall without you having to turn the engine back on yourself?

No

 

[JeepU4IA]

I've been driving a variety of manuals for about 30 years but my base Sport is my first Jeep. If manual transmission wasn't offered I'd buy something else!

 

[Torero]

I've been driving a variety of manuals for about 30 years but my base Sport is my first Jeep. If manual transmission wasn't offered I'd buy something else!

I tried to buy something else. Only other thing with manual transmission and real 4x4 was a kubota tractor.

 

[JeepU4IA]

I tried to buy something else. Only other thing with manual transmission and real 4x4 was a kubota tractor.

I know it's blasphemy on this forum but 4x4 capability wasn't a prerequisite for my decision. I wanted a fun convertible that was fun to drive and a manual transmission was non negotiable.

 

[Kenny]

I know it's blasphemy on this forum but 4x4 capability wasn't a prerequisite for my decision. I wanted a fun convertible that was fun to drive and a manual transmission was non negotiable.

Ditto

 

[1995YJ]

Manual transmission all the way. Every car, truck or jeep I've purchased or leased has been manual. Same goes for my wife. In a day where everyone does everything but drive, I feel like a manual transmission keeps you engaged while driving.

 

[V1k1ng]

The lot where I got my jeep had about 60 different ones sitting there. Only two were manual.... And I bought one of them.

 

[drewloving]

My dealer had 2 JLU Sports in manual - I snapped up the Ocean Blue instead of White - absolutely love the transmission. I actually drove a 2017 JK demo with 5K miles on it - manual - before I drove the JL. Incredible update to the transmission between the models - the JK was very 'trucklike' - I didn't love it. I didn't even consider the automatic, but all the reviews indicate that it is really great if that is your flavor.

My 15 year old with his learners permit bitched and moaned about learning to drive manual on my 2011 Mini Cooper S Convertible. He BEGGED me to find a cheap used car in an automatic....was not going to happen (mean Dad...). After about 3 weeks of driving to school every morning, he admitted that the manual is actually pretty fun, and he is one of three kids in his grade that can drive a stick! He isn't crazy about the Jeep yet - in his defense, the Mini is a blast to drive. I keep explaining that the Jeep is a totally different type of vehicle so he needs to adjust his expectations accordingly. I've also told him that he'll be asking to take the Jeep out with friends (or a girl...) within 60 days of getting his license in October. Both cars have a very high 'cool factor', but only one can seat more than 2 people comfortably!

On another thread there was a discussion on how tall the gearing is - that is totally accurate, but like any manual you just have to learn the capabilities of the car! I'm always in a lower gear than the Mini, and have only used 6th gear on the interstate. No big deal!

Finally, leaving either car with a valet makes me cringe! At a birthday party a couple of years ago, the family hired a valet to park cars around their home on the street. The Mini was within sight of the house, so I got to watch the valet kill it twice when he was bringing the car back at the end of the party...geeze. I chatted up a valet at a nearby hotel/restaurant last week, and he said they would only send a valet who knows how to drive a manual. He said that driving a manual is not a requirement of the job (which kind of makes sense). When the guy brought it around, he commented that he loved the Jeep and had never seen one in a manual!

 

[Brew211]

I'm new here and was very excited to see there was a thread for the manual breed. I have not owned a manual since my old TJ (about 15 years ago) and I was a little nervous about ordering the manual because this won't be my daily driver and I plan on using it off road in the Arizona rock country. Everyone I talked to said to go with the 8-speed auto, literally not one person said anything positive about the manual, but I went with my gut and ordered anyways. I just remembered the fun I had working the gears with the top down, no extra hands to worry about answering the phone or reading a text, just the sound of wind and occupied hands. While I sit in wait in the "JB Freeze" as some call it, I'm not going to lie I am a little nervous hoping that I didn't make a mistake. I'm nervous about the steep rock crawling while working the pedals. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers!

 

[Torero]

I'm new here and was very excited to see there was a thread for the manual breed. I have not owned a manual since my old TJ (about 15 years ago) and I was a little nervous about ordering the manual because this won't be my daily driver and I plan on using it off road in the Arizona rock country. Everyone I talked to said to go with the 8-speed auto, literally not one person said anything positive about the manual, but I went with my gut and ordered anyways. I just remembered the fun I had working the gears with the top down, no extra hands to worry about answering the phone or reading a text, just the sound of wind and occupied hands. While I sit in wait in the "JB Freeze" as some call it, I'm not going to lie I am a little nervous hoping that I didn't make a mistake. I'm nervous about the steep rock crawling while working the pedals. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers!

Welcome to the gang. You won’t regret it. My advice for off-road with a Manual Transmission is simple: shift when you can, don’t wait until you have to”.
Look ahead and decide what is the most appropriate gear for the task and go for it. If in doubt, go lower gear. Then if that was too slow, back up and try with higher gear. Too slow means at some point you didn’t have the momentum needed for a particular section.
Enjoy.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I've also told him that he'll be asking to take the Jeep out with friends (or a girl...) within 60 days of getting his license in October. Both cars have a very high 'cool factor', but only one can seat more than 2 people comfortably!

My oldest is 16 and he has his permit, too. License test is in November. Here in CT they overhauled the teen driving laws such that he can't (legally) take his girl in the car until he's been licensed for TWO YEARS. I get it - we want our kids to be safe and there are more distractions now than ever. Even so, our new laws effectively prevent high schoolers from driving themselves on dates. My, how times have changed! (My dad let me take the car right from my DMV test. I dropped him at work and then loaded the car with my friends for a celebratory day of driving around town.)

I guess the upside is that no grandchildren will be conceived in my new Jeep. (Better not be conceived, PERIOD!)

So far he's only driven our automatic (a 2004 minivan), but he can't wait to learn to drive the Jeep. Like you, I think teaching kids how to drive a manual is important and cool.

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