Manual or Automatic p5

[Captaingnarnia_]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to check out some p5's on tuesday and wonder if I should go with a manual, auto, or tiptronic transmission if I happen to find an 03? I'm somewhat comfortable on a stickshift around the neighborhood or open road but I've never driven in traffic, highways or unusual situations. Is it worth going for it and learning with my p5, should I just try to find something in between and go tiptronic, or should I just stick with an auto?

Thanks

 

[tweety2300]

Depends on the person. Auto is nice everyonce in a while but even with the sport shift I get bored with it within a day or so

 

[Bastian]

With a P5 I'd say you're better off with a manual. It makes the tiny engine feel a bit zippier. You're less likely to notice that the speedo only reads 45 if you're rowing through the gearbox.

 

[Luken10]

These cars really deserve to be driven with a manual. When I was looking for a P5 I made sure to not settle with an auto. It really is one of the highlights of my day when I get to drive my car. It makes a slow car feel decently fast. Not only that, but there is so much more involvement when you go for a nice spirited drive on some back roads. You can learn how to heel toe, and double clutch, for which the P5 has fantastic pedal placement.

Overall the car is just going to be a whole lot more alive to drive. I highly recommend it!

 

[TURBOJ1]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to check out some p5's on tuesday and wonder if I should go with a manual, auto, or tiptronic transmission if I happen to find an 03? I'm somewhat comfortable on a stickshift around the neighborhood or open road but I've never driven in traffic, highways or unusual situations. Is it worth going for it and learning with my p5, should I just try to find something in between and go tiptronic, or should I just stick with an auto?

Thanks

If you're the "driver" type then get a manual. If not get the slosh box (no) I find myself when in an auto, reaching for the non existent clutch LOL!

 

[Maroon]

I can't imagine driving this car with an automatic. It's too underpowered, and with the never ending idle, pinging, and power issues you need to have a clutch to compensate.

 

[lowlevel]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to check out some p5's on tuesday and wonder if I should go with a manual, auto, or tiptronic transmission if I happen to find an 03? I'm somewhat comfortable on a stickshift around the neighborhood or open road but I've never driven in traffic, highways or unusual situations. Is it worth going for it and learning with my p5, should I just try to find something in between and go tiptronic, or should I just stick with an auto?

Thanks

I drive in brutal traffic every day... and it is kind of a pain sometimes when traffic is crawling slower than you can get the car to go without having to keep taking it out of gear... but I still wouldn't consider an automatic. No fun, slower, more likely to have problems, no fun...

 

[katapaltes]

If you're routinely stuck in stop-and-go rush hour traffic, consider the automatic. Otherwise, try to get a manual since you're OK with it. I have never considered my 03 P5 underpowered, and I have a manual.

That said, if you're not into spirited driving and only need to get from point A to B, then it doesn't really matter. The P5 has a lot to offer to non-driving enthusiasts as well.

Luken10, how do you double-clutch on this car with default pedal placement? I tried it on a lark once and almost went through the windscreen. Admittedly, it was the first time in my life I'd tried it.. I'll go thread hunting unless you've got something you'd like to share.

 

[pcb]

,... how do you double-clutch on this car with default pedal placement? I

Double clutching simply means that when shifting from any gear you stop in neutral let the clutch out, put it back in again, and then put it in the gear you're going for.

Letting the clutch out in neutral helps to get the gears spun up so that they lineup and mesh properly without grinding.

 

[tweety2300]

Double clutching is 100% useless in any commuter car as they have synchronizes that do this for you. The only time you should ever need to double clutch is if you drive a dump truck semi etc. or have a bad synchro which happens from abuse or a dog box which is more for rally cars. Unless of course you just feel like doing it

The protege is rediculously underpowered, getting on interstate sucked and I had the mp3 with 140hp rather then the 130 the other protgs had.

 

[katapaltes]

Ugh. I meant heel-toe. Sorry guys, I've embarrased myself and brought shame on my family.

 

[Luken10]

Ugh. I meant heel-toe. Sorry guys, I've embarrased myself and brought shame on my family.

No worries, it can be confusing for a beginner. My main advice is to just keep practicing. It takes a while to learn how to use finesse with your feet. Using shoes with thin soles really helps me. I hate driving in bulky tennis shoes.

Maybe just go to an empty parking lot somewhere and go practice if you think it may be a little overzealous with the brake. Try keeping the car stationary, but pressing the brake half way and then blipping the throttle. That could help improve your muscle memory, especially knowing how much throttle to give, and the position of your foot on the brake and throttle. Good luck!

Double clutching is 100% useless in any commuter car as they have synchronizes that do this for you. The only time you should ever need to double clutch is if you drive a dump truck semi etc. or have a bad synchro which happens from abuse or a dog box which is more for rally cars. Unless of course you just feel like doing it

The protege is rediculously underpowered, getting on interstate sucked and I had the mp3 with 140hp rather then the 130 the other protgs had.

On my P5 it is necessary to double clutch in order to get into first while moving at anything above about 3 MPH. I also drive a Saab 9-2x which requires the same technique. Both have some miles on them, so I can't say for certain each transmission functions like new. I did some research on these forums and many people were not able to shift into first unless they slowed to a crawl. I figured it was a characteristic of most manual cars. Double clutching solves the problem on any car I have driven.

Tweety, you seem to always make the comment that proteges are dangerously slow. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am just curious what your driving style is. When you talk about merging on to an interstate, are you giving the car all it has up to redline or being modest and keeping it around 4000? The reason I ask is I have a freeway entrance that is quite short, and starts from one of those "one car per green" lights. This means I have to go from 0 to 70 in a very short distance. I am generally just fine if I give the car about 85%. If I drove my car like most normal people do I can definitely see myself getting into trouble.

 

[Captaingnarnia_]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the replies, I'm still pretty torn on what to do haha. I rarely have to drive on the highway as I'm 19 and my job/school is easily 10-15 minutes away from me. But the main thing I'm worried about is just driving with other cars around me and just the health of my car. What if I burn to much clutch or just grind out till complete failure(unlikely?) would it be worth taking the risk?

Some of my main problems is coming to a sudden stop, driving from a stop (I can oddly reverse very well), and just trying to take turns when I'm let's say in 3rd gear (do I downshift or just go to neutral), and lastly just being worried about my surroundings/stalling out at a light/messing up the clutch. Any tips are appreciated.

 

[tweety2300]

No worries, it can be confusing for a beginner. My main advice is to just keep practicing. It takes a while to learn how to use finesse with your feet. Using shoes with thin soles really helps me. I hate driving in bulky tennis shoes.

Maybe just go to an empty parking lot somewhere and go practice if you think it may be a little overzealous with the brake. Try keeping the car stationary, but pressing the brake half way and then blipping the throttle. That could help improve your muscle memory, especially knowing how much throttle to give, and the position of your foot on the brake and throttle. Good luck!



On my P5 it is necessary to double clutch in order to get into first while moving at anything above about 3 MPH. I also drive a Saab 9-2x which requires the same technique. Both have some miles on them, so I can't say for certain each transmission functions like new. I did some research on these forums and many people were not able to shift into first unless they slowed to a crawl. I figured it was a characteristic of most manual cars. Double clutching solves the problem on any car I have driven.

Tweety, you seem to always make the comment that proteges are dangerously slow. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am just curious what your driving style is. When you talk about merging on to an interstate, are you giving the car all it has up to redline or being modest and keeping it around 4000? The reason I ask is I have a freeway entrance that is quite short, and starts from one of those "one car per green" lights. This means I have to go from 0 to 70 in a very short distance. I am generally just fine if I give the car about 85%. If I drove my car like most normal people do I can definitely see myself getting into trouble.

It's a lockout for first, double clutch or rev match will let it go in.

Drive another car that makes 130 hp and you will see why I say they are so slow. My protege barely outran my moms awd Pontiac vibe which has 120 hp and more drivetrain loss. Most entrance ramps in my area have a 25mph suggested speed limit so going 35-40 mph to 70 in a short distance can be dangerous when the interstate is heavy with traffic. 0-100 with my protege was 28-30 seconds

 

[katapaltes]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the replies, I'm still pretty torn on what to do haha. I rarely have to drive on the highway as I'm 19 and my job/school is easily 10-15 minutes away from me. But the main thing I'm worried about is just driving with other cars around me and just the health of my car. What if I burn to much clutch or just grind out till complete failure(unlikely?) would it be worth taking the risk?

Some of my main problems is coming to a sudden stop, driving from a stop (I can oddly reverse very well), and just trying to take turns when I'm let's say in 3rd gear (do I downshift or just go to neutral), and lastly just being worried about my surroundings/stalling out at a light/messing up the clutch. Any tips are appreciated.

A few more things to think about...
1. *All* new manual drivers worry about stalling, so that's not unusual. (I usually downshift going around corners, per your question.)
2. You might ask yourself if you really enjoy driving a manual. Most folks end up doing well at things they like doing.
3. Practice a lot on someone else's manual and see if your skills improve day-to-day or just stay the same. If they get better from one day to the next, they may well keep getting better and better as time goes on. Keep in mind that people forget how to drive a manual if they've been driving an auto, so if you haven't driven in a while it will take some time to come back up to speed, so to speak.

Tweety, Luken,
Thanks for that info on first gear shifts. I'll have to try both those out.

Also, I have exactly one on-ramp in my area at which I wish my car had more power. But that's the only place in Dallas that I've missed having more HP. Everywhere else, downshifting and punching it is sufficient.

 

[00bluees]

I know a couple people that have bought proteges, even an msp and taught themselves to drive manual. Honestly, its intimidating at first, but after a week you'll be wondering what you thought was so hard. The car is so much more fun to drive with manual. The tiptronic auto is just infuriating because its so far from an instant shift its not even worth using the manual gate.

The ONLY reason I would personally consider an automatic car would be having to commute in stop and go traffic regularly. I've done it plenty of times with my manual p5, and its tolerable to a point. But if I had to do it any more than once a week I'd get an auto.

 

[gino]

I can't imagine driving this car with an automatic. It's too underpowered, and with the never ending idle, pinging, and power issues you need to have a clutch to compensate.

Have a manual and never had idle, pinging or power issues, even at a mile high (Denver). But then, a few mods have brought the dynoed WHP up to 118 (95 stock), torque 128 (108), both of which would be greater at sea level.

BTW, factory HP and torque ratings are highly optimistic in sales literature, as the engines are run under ideal conditions, i.e., temp, humidity and no accessories such as alternators, full exhaust systems, etc. Even then, numbers are rounded to the next 5 HP. Got this from engineer bud of mine.

 

[tweety2300]

Have a manual and never had idle, pinging or power issues, even at a mile high (Denver). But then, a few mods have brought the dynoed WHP up to 118 (95 stock), torque 128 (108), both of which would be greater at sea level.

BTW, factory HP and torque ratings are highly optimistic in sales literature, as the engines are run under ideal conditions, i.e., temp, humidity and no accessories such as alternators, full exhaust systems, etc. Even then, numbers are rounded to the next 5 HP. Got this from engineer bud of mine.

You're talking 23 hp difference which is huge when you talking about coming up from 95

That was the old way bhp is tested with all accessories and full exhaust

 

[sonick]

Double clutching is 100% useless in any commuter car as they have synchronizes that do this for you. The only time you should ever need to double clutch is if you drive a dump truck semi etc. or have a bad synchro which happens from abuse or a dog box which is more for rally cars. Unless of course you just feel like doing it

I find double clutching when downshifting makes for a smoother downshift when slotting into gear

 

[Luken10]

It's a lockout for first, double clutch or rev match will let it go in.

Drive another car that makes 130 hp and you will see why I say they are so slow. My protege barely outran my moms awd Pontiac vibe which has 120 hp and more drivetrain loss. Most entrance ramps in my area have a 25mph suggested speed limit so going 35-40 mph to 70 in a short distance can be dangerous when the interstate is heavy with traffic. 0-100 with my protege was 28-30 seconds

I could never get it to work by only rev matching, only by double clutching.

I can understand how 35-70 could be dangerous. My P5 only "feels fast" to about 40. It has also been quicker than most 4 cylinder cars. I am at sea level, so that does help my case.

I find double clutching when downshifting makes for a smoother downshift when slotting into gear

I've noticed this too. Sometimes I can't tell if it is a placebo effect or not.