I always had manual transmission in my cars, but each time I get a new one or have the clutch adjusted it takes me days to get used to it. During this time I frequently stall the engine and occasionally get into some tight situation. Some people never learn the clutch-gas-speed coordination and solve the problem of by sacrificing the clutch (an elderly lady whom I know since I was born won't even think of releasing the clutch under 8000RPM, she gets a new one about every other oil change).

With all the modern motor electronics it should be easy to overcome this problem. When you are in first gear and the engine gets close to stalling while the clutch is released more fuel is injected to keep things going. It should only happen in first gear to prevent unexpected runaway of the car at high speed.

The sensors and controls for this are already in place. Only the firmware of the control system needs an update so even many older cars can be retrofitted.
-- kbecker, Jul 25 2003

I was so hoping that this was about Robertson STOL kits.
-- bristolz, Jul 25 2003


// to prevent unexpected runaway of the car at high speed //

Are you kidding? That's what makes great TV...
-- DeathNinja, Jul 25 2003


A couple things: (1) unless the car has a cruise control, not all the necessary actuators are in place. Many cars have the computer control the amount of fuel that goes into the engine, but the accelerator pedal controls the amount of air. (2) to minimize wear on the clutch when shifting, the engine speed should be correct for the combination of vehicle speed and new gear selected. If shifting would cause the engine to stall, that means the vehicle speed is too low for the gear selected. Increasing the engine speed may prevent a stall, but would significantly increase wear on the clutch and may cause the vehicle to "lurch".
-- supercat, Jul 26 2003


This is why they make automatic transmissions. Whatever small gain in efficiency you may hope to get with a manual transmission you're losing by slipping the clutch. >edit< Try turning on the AC, it automatically increases engine idle speed.
-- whlanteigne, Oct 02 2005



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