Some of you may be wondering how I intend on making an interesting post out of this, but there are actually some interesting aspects of the great transmission debate, and obviously, I'd just like to point out that an ELECTRIC CAR would be 1,000,000X better than a manual transmission internal combustion engine, but I unfortunately won't be able to afford my Tesla Model S until Steem hits $1,000...

Disclaimer: I actually learned how to drive a motorcycle before I learned how to drive a car. Meaning, I learned how to shift before I learned how to drive automatic. This was a very interesting experience and took place in 8th grade for me... Essentially, I was allowed to drive my motorcycle from my house to the bus stop (1 minute away) and then ride the bus to school. Needless to say, this made me the most badass 8th grader in town by default, and I am grateful for learning how to shift and use a clutch at a young age. Since then, the only cars I've had are MANUAL.

Number 1 reason you should drive Stick: It's more fun, and keeps you more engaged while driving.

How many of you use your phone while driving, or do other stuff while driving (be honest)? Not only are you much more likely to be concentrated on driving but you are also more likely to not get distracted while driving, due to the extra variable of having to be your car's transmission. I personally am very focused while driving and I've only been in 1 fender bender in my whole life. I've been driving since I was 15, and I am now almost 23, so I'm grateful for this good track record :D I know my generation is usually the one making the statistics worse so I'm glad I'm actually boosting them up!

Number 2 reason you should drive Stick: You are more in control of your car.

How many of you bump your automatic car from D into M (drive into manual)? Most likely, none of you do this or even knew you could do this. However, when you make the decision to actively decide what gear you're in, you take control over your car. Automatic cars simply cannot shift as fast and as frequently as manual transmission cars. Let me break down most of my shifting for you:

Usually, I shift at somewhere between 1500 and 2500 RPMs (revolutions per minute of the driveshaft). The average automatic car would be shifting near the end of my spectrum. However, I can shift early and if you do this correctly you can preserve your momentum nicely while reducing the amount of torque your engine needs to output in order to turn that gear.

Another example of what you can do in a manual transmission: If you are in a hurry, you can continue revving and skip a gear. For example, I can stay in 1st gear until I hit 3000 or 4000 RPMs and easily switch into 3rd gear instead of 2nd gear, successfully skipping that gear and saving some time. Essentially, all the time spent shifting is a waste of gas, because during that (seemingly) small period of time, your engine is running, but not engaged with the transmission.

Number 3 Reason you should drive Stick: You will save GAS.

Everybody wants to cut down on their gas consumption, and who wouldn't?? What if I told you that the automatic transmission has more moving parts, which lose energy as heat waste? Unfortunately, the internal combustion engine is already so fucking inefficient, that you really don't want an automatic transmission, which has more moving ( and vibrating) parts... More vibration & friction = more heat which = less energy being kinetic energy, the energy you bought your car for. Not only can you shift at your preferred speed, but you are guaranteed saving gas by simply not having an automatic transmission. I'm sure there are many people that will be infuriated finding this out, but it's a simple fact...

Here is a very brief video about the key differences between auto and manual transmission. If you find this interesting, please feel free to ask questions to me or do further research yourselves!

I hope you found this post educational and insightful! As you can tell, I am a lover of the gears.