Favorite transmission you’ve driven?

More votes for 99 Miata. About perfect after a bushing rebuild. 

We also had a 97 GSR and it was really good

With the motorcycle option, I'm going with a unique layout.  The Kawasaki H1, H2 triples had a 5 speed transmission with neutral all the way down.  I always hated hunting for neutral somewhere between first and second.  I loved being able to find neutral at a light and let go the clutch lever.  Never missed a shift going 1-5 at full throttle or as close as I dared.

Auto? My first car's TH350, rebuilt (with a shift kit for free just because he liked me) for $200. 150k and never missed a shift. 

Manual? Umm, my '95 Miata with a short shifter. I think it's better than my C7.

Now, let me tell you about the dual-range 4 speed Ford 5000 I had. Whoo!

Edit: Anyone driven a 3751 GM bus before? I Have!

maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:

With the motorcycle option, I'm going with a unique layout.  The Kawasaki H1, H2 triples had a 5 speed transmission with neutral all the way down.  I always hated hunting for neutral somewhere between first and second.  I loved being able to find neutral at a light and let go the clutch lever.  Never missed a shift going 1-5 at full throttle or as close as I dared.

 

A lot of the Kawasakis up to then had neutral at the bottom. It was a good layout until you changed down too many times into a slow corner and found yourself on a coaster ...

Most Euros of the era were right hand shift and there were lots of manufacturer variations - my AJS was 1 up, 3 down which was very confusing when I hopped off my Yamaha DT and went to use th back brake in a hurry 

I can't remember the exact year but you  'Mericans legislated 1 down x up and on the left hand side sometime in the 70's

MadScientistMatt said:

Favorite manual I have driven was the ZF 5 speed in my E36. Shiften with the expected German precision.

I have my ZF320 with a short shifter and a tall knob. It's one of the goats for sure.

Outside most of the boxes here, I nominate a dogbox Muncie with a Mr. Gasket vertical gate shifter, way fun behind a little Chevy 292 destroker..........many happy RPMs !

GIRTHQUAKE said:

The only manual I've driven is the C52 in my AW11 :D Cable-operated babey!

In reply to wspohn :

Mitsubishi I think too.

If Mitsu did, then it is only some of them.  3000GT VR4s had Getrag transmissions.

I really liked my Rabbit GTI 020 box, not for the wonky shift mechanism (works, though) but for the ratios. They made a genuine close ratio box, in that comparing the GTI 5 speed to the 4 speed, 1st was the same in both, and top (5 or 4, depending) was the same. Top speed was at the peak of the power curve in top gear, so no economy gear. It was always easy to pick a narrow RPM band (however far up the RPM range you wanted) and keep it there. The car just always had the right gear.

I honestly have the most fun driving my 01 Teggy GSR the most of all. I've had a ton of good ones like the miata and a good T5 WC. But man, with fresh fluid in it I just love rowing those gears. 

'95 Civic hatch DX. I would slap the shifter into gear, literally slap it and it would change. A trans than only needs to deal with 102hp can be super light

I enjoyed the chunky feel of the M5R2 5-speed in the Supercoupe. It wasn't smooth, but you never wondered what gear it was in. 

The CD008 6-speed in the G35 was very good. There were a lot of internet complaints but I never had an issue with mine after I changed the oil to the OEM Nissan oil. 

The Asin 8-speed auto in the Touareg is pretty impressive. It's almost always in the right gear and it shifts very quickly. The 5-speed auto in the Ridgeline was almost as good. 

If I had to choose one and only one, I'll take the Touareg 8-speed.

I have never met an Italian gated manual that I did not like. 

triumph7 said:

The 5 speed in my 1980 TR7 was awesome, much better than either of my Miatae.

That's interesting... I have a TR8 with a 5 spd and although I don't know if the transmission is the same or similar to the TR7 box, I wouldn't compare it to a Miata trans. And mine has an aftermarket shifter from the Wedge Shop (by the previous own who practically threw the TWS catalog at the car). 

Of cars I've driven: Miata.

Cars I've owned: probably my R53 MINI. This may change after I finally install a T9 into my GT6, which I understand is a nice shifting transmission.

Dishonorable mention: any BMW RWD trans. Vague, sloppy mess of a shifter... 

I have had two Miata's and was disappointed with the shifting on both.  And I put new bushings into both.   Maybe it was the synchronizers?

I was equally disappointed with the shifter in my two WRX's, and I installed the better bushings into both.  

So my favorite shifting shifter/transmission of all time was my 1986 Honda CRX Si. Unbelievably smooth. Telepathic really.

    Honorable mention to my 65 Mustang with 4 speed Toploader and Hurst shifter.

S2000 is undefeated, followed closely by the NA miata

Really digging the shifter on my recently acquired 2000 MR2 Spyder. 

Any Honda manual.  It's telepathy.  ESPECIALLY compared to everything else all they way up through the 90s.

I don't think I have experienced enough to have a valid answer, but ND and NC Miata 6-speeds (and by extension, Fiat 124) are pretty great.

I am curious about the Toyota E153, since I am swapping one right now. Anyone have an experience to share?

Manual Trans:  1990 miata

Automatic Trans: whatever was in my 1998 740iL.

Sidebar:  Favorite shifter was the OE shifter on the Muncie M20 in Dad's big-block 1966 Caprice.  The reverse lockout T was so cool. Dad's had the in-dash tach and console gauge package as seen below. 

Oops

The Bolt is amazing. I've never even felt a shift, and it's always in the exact correct gear.

T56 and all of its evolutions

maschinenbau said:

I don't think I have experienced enough to have a valid answer, but ND and NC Miata 6-speeds (and by extension, Fiat 124) are pretty great.

I am curious about the Toyota E153, since I am swapping one right now. Anyone have an experience to share?

Lots of experience...they're way overbuilt, especially later ones.  91-92 tend to have more issues with 2nd gear syncros on high mileage boxes. They shift fine, but not snick, snick, snick like a Honda.  But Honda boxes won't eat up 400+ hp without breaking a sweat, either.

I like some feedback from manual shifters. Fast, easy throws are great for efficiency, but I like to feel the parts in the trans move. Only the parts in the trans though, not the shifter. The Getrag in my E30 has been tweaked to my liking. Short-ish fore/aft throws with very tactile detents, with generously spaced gates. No rubber, all solid parts, no flex. I can grab a 3-4 shift accelerating mid-corner with a 2 finger tug.

Ripping an M21 with the factory Hurst shifter in a buddy's C3 Vette with a RPM-happy solid roller 350 was pretty fun.

I dislike the TKO. It demands to be shifted angry, all the time. Ratios are nice though. I'm looking forward to trying the TKX. A buddy bought a new dog-ring converted TKO for a 66 LeMans that has not been installed yet. I am looking forward to that even more and expect it may make its way to the top of my list.

I have driven several C5s with T56 that have very short shifters. I hate them all.

I've done a bunch of auto trans builds too. One particular TH400 got enough time tweaking governor, shift valves, accumulators, etc. that it was the closest thing to a telepathic auto I've experienced. Shifts always on time, and just right.

I agree with the preference for non-electronic autos. The 4L80E in my Suburban is good and does what I want, but always seems slow. It just takes more time to relay the message thru many more messengers.