Both trannies have thier place but I suspect that we will be seeing a lot more autos soon. Part of the reason that I suspect autos will be pushed more in the near future is emissions. With an auto, the computer has more control and emissions are easier to control.

Personally, I would prefer driving a stick but if I had to buy a truck right now, it would be an auto. We do a fair amount of long distance towing and finding a second driver to split the driving with is pretty hard. I spend a lot of time cringing as they try to get used to the truck. With an auto, I would have a lot more options for a second driver and it would be a lot easier for them to drive. For businesses, it makes a lot more sense to run autos since anyone can drive them and they won't be replacing clutches due to poor driving.

The zf6 is a decent transmission but I agree that it is kind of hard to drive with a high revving engine. My roomate used to have a 7.3 ford with a zf6 and I liked it but found that it was hard to keep the engine up in the powerband.

Since the autos have gotten so good, it really comes down to preference as far as I am concerned. I have not driven the new 68rfe or aisin but I have driven the torqueshift and allison and they are good. For control freaks like me, the manual is still the way to go.

 

I plan on keeping my truck so it was a no brainer, as regardless of how convienent they are for some autos aren't designed to be as trouble free or durable as a stick. Autos these days are full of sensors, wiring harnesses, solenoids, lots of little parts and passages, all offering a lot more failure modes than a manual tranny. A friend who has an auto, and still pretty much prefers one, acknowledges that when he's trying to get a heavy load moving, waiting for the tranny to lock up, it seems that a stick makes more sense.

Do people with autos have any problems trying to move a max load, say at altitude, while on a steep grade ? I recall one gentleman with a 2nd gen Dodge commenting that when he delivered a heavier than rated load to someone in a rural area with a new Ford, that the Ford guy couldn't even move the load. This seems to be a sympton of 'torque management' in the new autos, where the engine defuels under a number of conditions.

In other discussions on the evil ABS systems I wondered why people were having so many problems in the winter. Crummy tires are the biggest problem, but downshifting with a stick seems to help overcome the potential problem of not being able to plow thru snow, as people with the autos evidently just keep sliding as they're relying on the brakes.

Other than that I'm pretty open minded about manual vs stupid auto trannys :^)

 

they shouldn't even make autos...........if you cant drive a stick dont drive

 

Uh yeah, that makes a lot of sense, considering that a lot of people don't like to drive a stick even though they can. Some people just don't know how, or have a tough time learning. So what. Besides it would be a slow, slow world of drag racing without automatics.

 

You can have the Allison. Living off it's namesake.

 

A lot of CRAP being posted in this thread.


I don't drive stick because its stupid. You can't shoot rabbits while driving down ranch roads You can't make love in the front of the truck because the ugly long shifter is there. Not to mention it's just annoying having to devote all your limbs just to driving the darn truck. I had a Jeep Wrangler (manual) and a Ford Ranger (Manual) and I'll never go manual again.

It's also a PITA if you have to make sudden changes in your diving speed or habit and then it bogs down and blah blah.

 

Regardless of any other issues the main reason that we'll see fewer manuals being used is that people can't easily talk on their cell phones while driving in city traffic, usually 10 mph slower than others in their lane.

 

Or chow down.

 

What a Bull Crap post.

Wanna break it down. Lets break it down.

Dodge and GM share the Same Transfer Case(I think), Drive Shaft, Rear Axle. 0-0

GM has a better Auto Tranny. +1 GM

GM has a way stronger Frame. My 2500HD FRAME is at 2" bigger than my uncles 3500HD Dodge Mega Cab Dually(BTW, "REAL TRUCKS" as you say dodges are shouldn't have little bitty beds) . Another + 1 GM


That just leaves Dodge with a better motor. And even then I'm not so convinced of that. The Dmax can do anything equally if not better in some sense than the Cummins.

Dodge also has a Solid Front Axle which is really nice but I seriously doubt even more than 3/16 of the members on this Board have seen a GM IFS suspension really fail. Dodge has problems with their SFA just as much as GM has problems with their IFS.


So to say dodges are REAL work TRUCKS is a load of CRAP. They are just as good as GM's offerings and the only reason I'm even considering a Dodge within the next month is because they are cheaper,they look better and they are good trucks. Thats IT. And even then the GM sheet metal is a bit better.

 

Our Chevy 2500HD work truck is a piece of crap. It squeeks and creeks as the frame and body flexes, it's a pig and can't get out of its own way (but it is a gasser), and the dealer had to install a fan that comes on every hour or so to keep mold from growing under the dash. It's a real gem.....

 

I don't think the Allison has anything on a 48RE other than peoples ignorace of the facts.

 

I had a 5-speed Allison in my 2005 Duramax - the truck I had right before my current Ram. There are definitely some plusses to the Allison, but some minuses also.

Plusses:
- Better grade braking
- More gears for better use of engine powerband and fuel efficiency
- Easier to change fluid and filter

Minuses:
- No engine brake compatibility (at least in the model year I had)
- Torque converter cut out over bumps (BIG minus)
- Gears took too long to engage - safety concern

I agree there's nothing magical about the Allison, and the 48RE is a stout transmission that gets the job done.

 

trust me, you can use any and all fluid that meets SAE specs for dex III.

You're telling me that (for example) GM would allow amsoil Dex III, but not Mobil Dex III.......which is not true.

 

and living off its size and strength....

Glad I didnt have to spend an extra 4 grand on billet hard parts when I built my transmission.

 

no offence but....

the allison is a medium duty trans just as the cummins is a medium duty motor.

90% of the failures are from idiots who cant diagnose an NSBU problem. If the engine is left stock they will last 500,000 miles. (I know, here comes the 'my brothers uncles mailmans father had an allison and it was junk, he went thru 4 trannys in 50,000 miles) In most cases they will probably outlive the dmax engine itself.

The slow to engage is the TCM protecting the trans. The huge amount of protection in the TCM is a blessing in disguise. If you beat the crap out of it the trans limps. If you keep beating on it, it keeps limping. If something breaks inside the trans there is a very good possibility the TCM can do something to get you home. Even with a total electrical failure the trans can still move. Unplug the TCM, cut every wire, it will still have third gear and reverse.

You can throw it in reverse on the highway and it locks it out and nothing happends. I know, what kinda idiot would do that? Well I did it accidentically, I thought the shifter was in third because I was doing some test pulls on the highway, well it was actually in drive...I clicked the shifter up to what I thought was drive (reverse) and it popped into neutral....I looked down, saw "R" and thanked allison for designing this trans for medium duty abuse.

Dodge or ford trans's are fine (and will hold more power than a stock allison because they dont hav any protection), then they blow and you are stuck on the side of the road...

TC disengaging over big bumps is more of a suspension thing. The TCM is either detecting a split second ABS event or a quick change in wheel speed. Both of these conditions REQUIRE the TC be unlocked (how well do brakes work if the TC is locked?) The unloaded GM trucks can be kinda bouncy in the rear. Throw some weight in the bed and it fixes the problem.

grade braking is awesome, keeping the converter LOCKED tight without unlocking on every decel is awesome...I go from my truck to other auto's and hate how the rpm drops way down when you let off on the highway...

Im sure the 48re gets it done perfectly fine and they can obviously hold stupid power when modded, but you are still starting out with nothing more than a 30 year old TorqFlite that has some wires and an OD extension hosuing bolted on......to say the allison has no advantages to a 48re is a little silly IMHO. I own a chevy but I definetly still give the cummins all the credit it deserves.

ben