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Manual or Automatic for Offroading

kayakingt

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I'm just curious what everyone prefers for offroading (manual or automatic) and why?
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wibornz

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I have owned many vehicles over the years with a manual transmission. I test drove a JLUR with a manual transmission and hated it. The gear ratios where close together. Meaning you shift a lot.. I think I did about 50 gear changes in 10 miles. Fuck that.

The eight speed automatic transmission in the JL is a work of art. Plus do you understand how hard it would be to drink coffee and shift gears repeatedly??
 
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Torero

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I'm just curious what everyone prefers for offroading (manual or automatic) and why?
That’s almost like asking opinion on colors.
I’ll just say this: what’s better electric windows or manual? They both get the job done. If you are handicapped, obvious. If you are lazy, obviously, if you are capable and want to save, obvious, go on and on lol.
 

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Auto all day every day for wheeling. Safer, easier to climb obstacles, less stress on driveline, less fear of water ruining the trans, more control in technical sections, more relaxing, and overall just works better.
 

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jayteal

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I have a manual in my JLUR and love it however, when wheeling, especially over tough obstacles, I sometimes wish I had the auto. That said, being in 4L and crawling in 2nd gear has gotten me up and down just about anything so far. Winching myself up a hill and messing with the clutch does suck a little but meh, I drive a manual for the 97% of the time I'm not off roading.
 

Shaved Ice

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Overall an auto is safer. A manual is more fun, and you don’t have to regear if you go to bigger tires.
 

rustyshakelford

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We ordered a manual and I wish I had gone for an auto for wheeling. I like shifting but overall am kicking myself right now

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jeepnjam

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I have a manual and I prefer a manual transmission for off road. I don't understand why you guys say its safer for automatics. I feel like I have more control over the Jeep on the road as well as off the road because of the manual transmission. If you know how to crawl the clutch is rarely ever going to come into play anyway. I've also installed the JL Tazer Lite, which gives me the ability to use the buttons on my steering wheel to operate the brakes, which allows you to focus on footwork down below should you need to.

In the end it's really preference, but I love my manual transmission and I wouldn't trade it for anything. That said, I also agree the 8 speed automatic is a work of art!
 

ExitLeft

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I just traded in my manual JKUR and bought a '19 JLUR with the auto due to an increasingly painful left knee with arthritis (yeah, getting old). I've never wheeled an automatic before so we'll see. Previously, when wheeling with a manual I just put it in 4Lo and chose an appropriate gear for the obstacle. The only thing that has me perplexed a bit with the auto is descending a steep hill/incline. I know about the hill descent control feature, but I haven't been offroad in the JLUR yet to try it out. Don't want it to roll away from me. I love the control a manual gives while descending and I'm hoping the auto with hill descent control can mimic it.
 

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Redneck_Jedi

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In my sports car, a Manual.
For commuting in heavy traffic or driving Off-Road, an Automatic.
 

Jeepcity

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Because of the severe lack of low end Torque in the 3.6 ,unfortunately the auto is the way to go .
 

broncoman2000

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The auto for sure. The downhill assist is a work of art in the JL, and is only available in the auto. When you activate the assist, you can select the speed that the system allows you to crawl from a low of 0.6 mph to a max of 5.0 mph. You select the speed and 100% of your attention can be paid to navigating rocks, trees, etc. Unless you have used the JL's assist, you've never seen what the technology Fiat has put in this vehicle can really accomplish.
 

jeepnjam

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The auto for sure. The downhill assist is a work of art in the JL, and is only available in the auto. When you activate the assist, you can select the speed that the system allows you to crawl from a low of 0.6 mph to a max of 5.0 mph. You select the speed and 100% of your attention can be paid to navigating rocks, trees, etc. Unless you have used the JL's assist, you've never seen what the technology Fiat has put in this vehicle can really accomplish.
You don't need down hill assist in a manual, that why it's only available in an automatic. For manuals down hill assist, you just put it in first gear and send it (keeping your foot off the clutch).
 

jeepnjam

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Another perk of manual transmission is that I often get free valet parking...because the valets don't know how to drive a manual. How do they get the job as a valet?
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