Ok, so as not to threadjack the Show and Tell thread, let's discuss here.

Which do you prefer offroad... auto or manual? Why?

Please give your background as far as what vehicles you've wheeled either manual or auto and tell us why you like the one you like.

For me, my current '03 Ranger is a stick and the vehicle that I've wheeled more than any other. I like the manual 'cause I like to be in control. I like knowing what gear I'm in at any given time. Maybe 'cause I'm a control freak.

My '02 Liberty is an auto and I've done very little wheeling in it. I think it's been offroad 2 (maybe 3) times and even those times it was never even wet and the wifey was along so I didn't do too much difficult stuff. I have to say it was alright not having to shift in between obstacles, but I still think the manual is the way I like it best.

Ok, now. Thoughts? Opinions?

 

I have off roaded in a Nissan P/U (auto), a 79 CJ5 (stick), a 95 Defender 90 (stick), a 98 Tahoe (auto) and my JK Rubicon (auto.)

I have enjoyed driving in the dirt with both, but I have to go with auto. As long as my 4x4 is my DD, it will be an auto. Due to back and neck issues, driving a stick is not possible for long periods of time. This would also not work too well for me on the trail when having to do a lot of shifting. I would probably still strongly consider a manual if it were a trail only rig, since I still like driving a stick.

 

I like the auto, but mainly because it's a DD.

 

I like the auto for two main reasons (among others):
1) Convenience. It's my daily driver.
2) Feel - I've driven cars with stick and enjoyed them, but in my experience, trucks' transmissions are vague and clutching isn't very enjoyable.

Off-road, I've been very happy with my auto. The torque converter does a great job down low, and now that I've added Hypertech programming, the trans doesn't seem to hunt around for the right gear anymore, which was my only real gripe before.

Having said all that, I'll admit that there are still some times when I wish I had gotten a manual, but overall I'm quite happy with my automatic. If they offered a solid, well-executed manumatic, I would've chosen that!

 

If you follow the entire offroad segment you will find the auto is much more common in the rocks, while a standard is more common in most other types of wheeling.

 

Auto is a must... especially if you do a lot of wheeling in the mud.

one press on the clutch while the trannys underwater and be prepared to get towed out.

my .02

 

Manual for me. Don't care to drive an automatic anything.

 

I'm sorry, but that BS. I have a manual, and the only time i had a problem with it, is when i was stuck in mud/water for 30+ minutes. That whole time i was trying to "rock" the jeep out, and got sand packed inside throwout bearing. I'm pretty sure auto would die too, and it would cost much more to fix auto then manual.

That was the only time i had a problem with it, other than that, NEVER.

 

Actually, it's not BS at all. There have been several members of this forum that have clutched while in deep mud, and ended up sucking the muck into their tranny... which in all but one or two cases was not covered under warranty.

This isn't to say that ALL manuals will instantly roll over and die in mud, but it IS a known engineering issue/defect.

I haven't seen any reports of similar with automatic transmissions. But don't feel bad: we auto owners get to watch out for the possibility that our trans fluid will overflow into the engine compartment and cause a fire that'll burn the JK to the ground.

 

there are probably more than 6 or 7 manual trans JK's on this site that have had that problem.

I first hand watched it happen to Will, but thats not a very good example because he's Will.

I have never heard of someone having an issue with an auto trans and water crossings, they usually hydrolock the motor first.

EDIT: MJS Jeep 888 beat me to it