Manual Transmission Withdrawal

65thKJ · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:37 pm

After a couple months with my KJ I am having manual tranny withdrawal. I have had only stick shift vehicles for the past 6 or 7 years and I miss stick shift. I like my KJ a lot because it has moonroof, and tow package but I wish it was stick. Problem is that you can't get stickj w/ Tow package anymore and plus the auto has better tow rating. Well at least my girlfriend can drive it. Anyway... I'm just rambling and having a little bit of regret about my transmission choice.

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

65thKJ wrote:

After a couple months with my KJ I am having manual tranny withdrawal. I have had only stick shift vehicles for the past 6 or 7 years and I miss stick shift. I like my KJ a lot because it has moonroof, and tow package but I wish it was stick. Problem is that you can't get stickj w/ Tow package anymore and plus the auto has better tow rating. Well at least my girlfriend can drive it. Anyway... I'm just rambling and having a little bit of regret about my transmission choice.

I here you, with the CRD, you don't get a manual choice (in the U.S.) either. It is a bummer.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:33 pm

Do you not like the way the tranny shifts or you just miss the Manual all together?

I didnt like the way mine shifted and Ive made use of the O/D off button. I find it helps alot on back country roads where I dont get over 50mph. I guess they were trying to get as much mpg out of it as they could b/c it goes into 4th gear and locks the torque way to early which causes the rpms to fall. Then it unlocks the torque since it locked it to early. :roll:

Using the O/D off button can also keep the tranny cooler on those back roads since it will not need to shift in and out of 4th gear to keep the speeds up.

65thKJ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:45 am

Jeepjeepster wrote:

Do you not like the way the tranny shifts or you just miss the Manual all together?

I didnt like the way mine shifted and Ive made use of the O/D off button. I find it helps alot on back country roads where I dont get over 50mph. I guess they were trying to get as much mpg out of it as they could b/c it goes into 4th gear and locks the torque way to early which causes the rpms to fall. Then it unlocks the torque since it locked it to early. :roll:

Using the O/D off button can also keep the tranny cooler on those back roads since it will not need to shift in and out of 4th gear to keep the speeds up.

A lot of it is just missing the manual transmission itself but I also think it shifts a little early into OD, so maybe I'll try that OD off thing. I think I just need to drive my firebird a little more to get my fix of a manual tranny.

QuestMan · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:00 am

I, too, miss the feel of a stick. Since I tow a camper, I had to make the decision to go auto or stick when I bought the Libby. I didn't relish the idea of having to backup, using the clutch, for fear of severely shortening it's life over time. Therefore, I 'civilized', and went auto, but I STILL miss stick. Guess I'll have to buy a 2nd car, with a manual, to get my 'fix'.

spoonplugger1 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:30 pm

Nothing says you can't manually shift your auto to relieve the addiction sometimes.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:34 pm

From the stand point of off road driving I love the auto
I had a stick and found it to hard to realy crawl over stuff with out banging around even with a thumb throttle
now with the auto I can eat ,drink or talk on the phone when I am out wheelin
just last weekend as a joke I drove over a rather large log while eating a sandwich :lol:

Or maybe I am getting lazy?

65thKJ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:27 pm

Today I felt better about my decision. I went atv racing and towed a trailer. The auto makes it a lot nicer for towing and has a higher rating. Plus a lot easier maneuvering w/ the trailer backwards without burning a clutch. The other nice3 thing was that I was tired coming home and my girlfriend could drive. I then drove my Firebird a little and got my "fix" so I still miss stick for my daily driver but I think I made the right decision

1300ZUK · **Posted:** Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:08 am

even after i year i still shut my liberty off in D every now and then.

Thats my biggest complaint (besides the rear end needing to be rebuilt) is that it shifts itself. doesn't help that it does a pretty poor job of it too :wink:

65thKJ · **Posted:** Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:06 am

1300ZUK wrote:

even after i year i still shut my liberty off in D every now and then.

Thats my biggest complaint (besides the rear end needing to be rebuilt) is that it shifts itself. doesn't help that it does a pretty poor job of it too :wink:

I've been doing that about once a week over the past 2 months that I have had my KJ, it is starting to be less often now.

Why does your rear end need rebuilding?? I thought the 8.25 rear was pretty good.

Donkeykong · **Posted:** Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:14 am

The fact that there is no manual available on the CRD's made me go with the 3.7...

There was one guy on here a month or two ago who thought that his jeep was broke because he wasn't used to how the manual tranny shifted, but I have grown to love it.

I understand your problem, and no offense, but you made me glad that I got the 6-spd

My wife hates the fact that she isn't comfortable driving the manual tranny, but she'll get the hang of it one day.
If I hadn't sold my VW golf to finance the jeep I might have done the same thing you did, but not having access to a manual tranny would have driven me nuts. My mom even has a manual tranny in her X5, and my sister in her volvo v70...
Just need to make the wife a believer.
-Mark

Manual Transmission Withdrawal

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