5 speeders...

[Firesong]

All the responses got me thinking too.
I like the offroad feel off the 5-speed. Rocking, getting unstuck,
gearing down to power through the (insert - water, ice, snow, mud)
Doing things 'under the hood' on my own, it certainly sounds like
I have it lucky with a 5-speed. A lot more room under there
to get my hands in and around compared to the auto.

Clutch costs: I did my flywheel and decided to do the clutch at the
same time. The parts were $220 for the clutch. Used the same
as the older ranger/bronco diesel (however the release bearing is diff)
And labor. Not too bad.

I do alot of highway at times heading from SK to AB and find the
gearing ratio's a pia. It's those times I wish I had an auto. Fuel mileage
is pretty decent (although I haven't owned an auto to compare it to)
Maybe my next set of tires will be 31's and see if that will help. Just
wish I had someone with experience to help me mod the fenders etc
to do it.

OKOK I change my vote to 5-speed, unless it's going to be highway
most of the time.

FS

[thedjjack]

Fuel tank is smaller on the 5 speed.

Still love my 5 speed though.

[fexlboi]

Owned an auto l300 for two years and switched to a manual l300 a few months ago.
- with the 32" the rev at highway speed is the same as the auto
- fuel range is less due the smaller tank
- same fuel mileage (probably better if you don't have lift/bigger tires)
- feels way more powerful and quicker (even with big tires)
- less "convenient" for city driving (I don't do a lot)
- way better gear down on red lights etc. to save brakes (which is not very popular in NA anyway
- vehicle is lighter (but has the same gross weight)

I would choose the manual again over auto if I had the choice

[thedjjack]

- way better gear down on red lights etc. to save brakes (which is not very popular in NA anyway

Nothing against gearing down...but as my wife tells me "brake pads are way cheaper then transmissions!"

Things that get wear when you stop:

Brake to stop: Pads and disks

Gear down: Syncros (soft brass things that speed up gears so they match work overtime when gearing down unless you double clutch), transmission bearings, crankshaft, clutch, Gears, U-joints etc...

I stopped gearing down a long time ago

my exception is holding back on hills

[Green1]

Rocking, getting unstuck,
gearing down to power through the (insert - water, ice, snow, mud)

just a note... it's just as easy (or maybe even easier) to gear down in the auto as in the manual.
It's also simple to "rock" the vehicle to get it unstuck.
Anyone who thinks an auto can't do these things has never tried.

[fexlboi]

it's just as easy (or maybe even easier) to gear down in the auto as in the manual.

Would you shift down with your auto while doing over 70 without using the brake? Probably not. Shifting down with a manual is smoother and more efficient. If you look ahead you almost don't need to use the brake and the rev doesn't go over 2.500. The brake in general has for sure I higher usage on auto vehicles vs. manual.

[konadog]

I hardly ever use the brake in my auto... The overdrive on and off and then gearing down. A stick is smoother I suppose, but it works well with the auto.

[thedjjack]

automatic or standard, lot less wear to just use the brakes.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Nothing against gearing down...but as my wife tells me "brake pads are way cheaper then transmissions!"

Things that get wear when you stop:

Brake to stop: Pads and disks

What?!
Apart from standard driving lessons teaching you to gear down, even the Delica owners manual recommends engine braking to avoid boiling the brake fluid and getting air into your brake system. What does extended brake use with air in the system do, apart from poor braking?

In automatic trannies there is a gap between gears that permits you to bring your revs up to the new gear. Why else would you think they would put all the gear options on the shifter? When you don't use something it gets stiff. More likely to brake (IMO).

I gear down from overdrive around 80-90KPH; from D to 2 at around 60KPH; Into L at around 30KPH. The manual recommends not exceeding 80KPH in 2nd gear in either 2H or 4H (40kph in 4L); or exceeding 40KPH in Low gear in either 2H or 4H (20kph in 4L)

Falco.

[Green1]

it's just as easy (or maybe even easier) to gear down in the auto as in the manual.

Would you shift down with your auto while doing over 70 without using the brake? Probably not.

why would you brake??? I only use the brakes the same way you would in a manual, to get you down to the right rev range to downshift (eg on a steep downhill you don't want to downshift yourself to 6000rpm...)

Shifting down with a manual is smoother and more efficient.

Possibly smoother, I doubt efficiency even comes in to it.

If you look ahead you almost don't need to use the brake and the rev doesn't go over 2.500.

see my first point, the same holds true on the auto as the manual, if you look ahead, and you're not on a steep downhill grade, you never need to brake to shift down in the auto either.

The brake in general has for sure I higher usage on auto vehicles vs. manual.

There are many people out there who don't know how to drive, these are the people who only ever use "D", never the lower gears, never touch the overdrive, etc. these are the same people who think when the wheels are spinning on ice that they should press harder on the accelerator because they aren't moving, or when they're sliding to a stop they press harder on the brake pedal to try to stop faster. These are the people that caused ABS to be invented... and DRL... third brake lights... etc...
Just because you need to know a bit more to drive a standard doesn't mean that people who do know don't also drive automatics.
If you know how to drive you can do so in either an auto or a standard.

As for brakes vs transmission... for routine stops and such I'll tend to simply brake (and let the automatic transmission gear down automatically as appropriate), but for long downhills I'll gear down to prevent "runaway" or brake fade (especially on really long hills like mountain passes) I find this to be a good balance between wearing out the brakes, vs any possible transmission damage.

[thedjjack]

If you are coming to a complete stop in traffic? Why would I go through 4 gears to do it?

That much gearing down all the time will kill the syncros (unless you double clutch to do it) in a standard transmission.

I have rebuilt standards, automatics and brakes. Brakes are easy and cheap.

If I was slowing on long grades, yep gear down let the engine hold it back. But downshifting through the gear box in traffic is silly.

Stop and go traffic will not boil the fluid. Coming down a mountain riding the brakes will.

On the highway I gear down on grades (I drive a delica so I gear down to go up grades ) in city traffic I use the brakes (pads and disks maybe $200.00). (last time I bought sycros they where cheap, but taking apart the transmission to install them was a little bit of work!)

Also, if you want not to warp disk, after hard stops let off the brakes and roll a little. It is the cooling of the hot disk unevenly due to the pads that causes the disk to warp.

[paddyb]

I see some complaints about the L300 5-speed's top end on here and I assume you are talking about the diesel engined Delicas.

Here in Taiwan I have the choice between diesel (2000 and earlier models) or petrol (2000-2005 models) and can go with either manual or automatic transmission.

Does the 5-speed with the petrol engine have better highway speed? I prefer the experience of a manual transmission and care more about acceleration than speed. However, I'd like to be able to drive in the 90-110km/h range without feeling like the engine is about to eject me from the cab.

[flyaway]

wow, i'm glad i did not read too much about 5sp vs auto before buying my delica. i loved the few automatics i test drove, i agree that they feel like spaceships, more so than the 5sp i finally bought. i wanted a 5sp because i wanted to learn stick driving. learnt it, and it's fun. the van's been surprisingly amazing when 4x4 driving (i never believed that russian offroad youtube video was true... now i do), and i like the 5sp for staying awake in city traffic. fortunately i don't have to do much city driving.

just finished a very long trip into the divided states (ie a LOT of highway driving), and even though i prefer the more economical fuel consumption at around 95kmh, i sometimes actually started wishing the van went faster than 95 to 105kmh (my fastest ever was 125kmh, downhill . it feels really unstable at that speed, especially with the roofbox on. my boyfriend claims he did more than that, but i don't believe him). everybody on the forum seems to agree that the auto is faster, so that might be worth a consideration.
i am happy with fuel mileage (around 10l/100km, for a really fully loaded van: 2 pp with very much gear, plus sometimes up to 80l of water), but again, can't compare to auto's.

maybe i'll regret having bought a 5sp once the transmission needs to be replaced (i'm not rich, and not mechanically literate). so far no problems, though, and now i'll stop reading all these horror stories about problems with 5sp, otherwise i'll get paranoid!

the only thing i regret about the van: not having bought the high roof version.

[jessef]

Auto or 5spd transmission repairs are both costly.

Having one or the other doesn't make it any cheaper or more expensive.

I got better fuel economy on my 5spd compared to my auto.

[marsgal42]

At one time I would have rejected a vehicle with an automatic transmission, but now I don't care. Gumdrop is just fine as she is.

I routinely use engine braking on long hills - disable overdrive coming down Gaglardi Way, for example, or gear down to 2 for the switchbacks on the Duffey Lake Road, or coming down Mount Seymour after a night of astronomy. I will sometimes disable the overdrive going up long hills to keep the revs up and engine temperature down. If you're only going 65 or 70 anyway, there is little point in lugging the engine to an early grave.

Freeway on ramps are interesting. If you keep your foot to the floor the engine will rev right up to the redline before shifting up, but I get better acceleration if I lift my foot and encourage the transmission to shift up.

At least Gumdrop has a reverse gear. Not all the vehicles I'm playing with at the moment do.

...laura