I would occasionally get tired of the manual while commuting in and out of NYC. Most of the time, though, I would think of shifting as something to break the monotony while sitting in traffic. Thankfully, the clutch is so ridiculously light on the GTI; if I had the commute in an evo or something, I think I would have ended up getting out and pushing at some point. I was more worried about wear on the clutch, since a lot of the time you can't even get it into first before having to put the clutch back in. I never had to drive as far as you, though. For you, maybe your drive is too much for a stick. Just think of it as a temporary thing, enjoy the manual for what it is, and the next commuter should be a dual-clutch auto. The best solution, though, is obviously to keep the GTI and get a different commute.
6
Manual GTI - maybe a mistake for my driving...
- Thread starter rondocap
- Start date
McQueen77
Banned
I hear you; but it doesn't really bother me to be honest. I have bad knees from prior Airborne serivice, and I put even more mileage on mine than you do, 125 mile round trip every day for work plus drives all over the area 2-3 days a week for soccer... I am currently averaging ~3300 +/- miles per month on my TDI; or 51,500 miles in 15 months
I hit heavy traffic daily going into and through DC. When I do, I just use the highest gear I can and let it idle along. Yeah, I get cut off a little more often, but it still decreases my clutch use and allows me to get through traffic without any cramps, leg or knee pain, etc.
I've also found it more comfortable for my left leg if I adjust the seat further forward and tilt the seat bottom down more; IE more "race" style seat than flat commuter seat. It gives better support for my legs and removes some of the knee pain. Might be helpful for you :thumbsup:
All this is right on. I have mastered shifting as little as possible, due in part to all the available torque and gearing where i can putter along in 3rd or even 4th depending, skipping gears, starting on a slight decline in 2nd etc, and coming almost to a stop at stop signs and creeping through staying in 2nd. Its the only way in the city
Deepflip
Ready to race!
Same here! Love driving MT keeps me from being bored.
This. I've never understood the issue of a manual in traffic if you know how to drive it.
Yeah, it must not be as bad where you are. Manhattan in rush hour, you are stopped more than you are moving, so staying in gear is not an option. And there is no next exit. Just more of the same...
McQueen77
Banned
^^
With traffic like that every day, I'd have to have an auto or just take the subway. I rarely sit in traffic like that. In LA if you commute on the 405 during rush hour or the 10 fwy and have a manual it is brutal, but lucky for me I never go near those freeways if I can help it. Regardless, the next car will have two clutches and two pedals for me. Done my time son
With traffic like that every day, I'd have to have an auto or just take the subway. I rarely sit in traffic like that. In LA if you commute on the 405 during rush hour or the 10 fwy and have a manual it is brutal, but lucky for me I never go near those freeways if I can help it. Regardless, the next car will have two clutches and two pedals for me. Done my time son
Rockchops
Go Kart Champion
Its not that people can't drive a manual in traffic, a lot of it is dropping 20-30k on a car that is not necessarily comfortable to do so. I just dropped half my yearly salary on a car, I'll be damned if its a pain during 3/4 of my commute. That's a big investment -- I'm going to pay for the luxury of not having to work the pedal all day everyday.
D Griff
Go Kart Champion
Six months in you'll be longing for another manual. Just wait for it.
85RedGolf2.5
Go Kart Champion
I will be getting a manual on my next ride if my wife can get her knees fixed (dislocating kneecaps) 
No amount of traffic, snow, mud, rain, rough road, incline, or decline will keep me from driving. And like I said before, if you are that much of a pussy to use that third pedal, then only use it for 1st and Rev... These transmissions are so smooth and well engineered that if driven right you can shift it like the big rig drivers do. Heck even NASCAR drivers don't shift on Pocono's race but for 1st and Rev.
No amount of traffic, snow, mud, rain, rough road, incline, or decline will keep me from driving. And like I said before, if you are that much of a pussy to use that third pedal, then only use it for 1st and Rev... These transmissions are so smooth and well engineered that if driven right you can shift it like the big rig drivers do. Heck even NASCAR drivers don't shift on Pocono's race but for 1st and Rev.
KO7
Ready to race!
Yup, I took two summer trips to Seattle (where you are) with my GTI. Would not have been happy during rush hour if I had gotten a 6MT.
Baldeagle
Ready to race!
I will be getting a manual on my next ride if my wife can get her knees fixed (dislocating kneecaps)
No amount of traffic, snow, mud, rain, rough road, incline, or decline will keep me from driving. And like I said before, if you are that much of a pussy to use that third pedal, then only use it for 1st and Rev... These transmissions are so smooth and well engineered that if driven right you can shift it like the big rig drivers do. Heck even NASCAR drivers don't shift on Pocono's race but for 1st and Rev.
I didn’t mention this before, but because you mentioned it again I will. NASCAR and Big Rig transmissions are very different from a GTI’s or any other road car’s manual transmission. Here is short article on the subject:
http://www.circletrack.com/techarticles/road_racing_transmission_tech/
Here is a brief excerpt:
The major difference between a dedicated racing transmission and a stocker is the engagement mechanism, commonly referred to as "dogs." Dogs are basically no more than cogs on a slider. The shifter pushes them into a receiver ring which engages the gear it is attached to. There is a separate dog and receiver for each gear in the transmission. On a racing transmission, there is a lot of "slop" (the gaps in the receiver are a lot larger than the teeth on the dog), which makes it easier to move into and out of the gears at higher rpms without fully engaging the clutch. Just like a full-blown race car, a racing transmission would be a nightmare around town but is a dream come true on the track.
"The dog-ring stuff is much faster and easier to shift at higher rpms," Hemmingson explains. "You can't shift the normal stock transmission without using the clutch. The dog mechanism that shifts a racing transmission is just a face-tooth engagement, while a stock transmission has splines that engage each other on the internal part of the slider. If you miss a gear, it burrs up that spline, then the slider won't slide on the hub, and it locks it up so that you are really stuck. On a face-tooth system, if you miss a gear for whatever reason--maybe you fell asleep or something--it doesn't affect the thing from continuing to shift because it doesn't affect the spline it slides on."
While you are absolutely right that NASCAR drivers do not need to clutch, that does not apply to GTIs. We pretty much need to clutch. I’m sure you could attempt to shift without a clutch by matching revs perfectly, but there would be some grinding and the splines would get damaged. Without using the clutch, overtime even the best drivers would destroy their synchros.
Rockchops
Go Kart Champion
no no no, stop being such a pussy. Have a blessed day!
intellistar
Ready to race!
On rev-matching: Double-clutch rev-matching is what you do when your synchros are gone. Ask anyone that drives an Alfa.
On MT only fun on open highways: I don't get this at all. If the highways were always wide open, I might as well drive an automatic. You're in 6th and then what? No need to shift if there's no change in speed.
On traffic: I drive the 110 and 10 through Downtown LA everyday, but there has never been an instance where I regretted the MT. I did regret having FWD recently, when my front wheels kept spinning trying to go up a steep incline from a stop recently...
To the OP: Just shave your beard, and buy an automatic.
On MT only fun on open highways: I don't get this at all. If the highways were always wide open, I might as well drive an automatic. You're in 6th and then what? No need to shift if there's no change in speed.
On traffic: I drive the 110 and 10 through Downtown LA everyday, but there has never been an instance where I regretted the MT. I did regret having FWD recently, when my front wheels kept spinning trying to go up a steep incline from a stop recently...
To the OP: Just shave your beard, and buy an automatic.