cmac

Hey guys. i have a 95 country that has a 5-speed on its way out the door. i was searching the forum and found a bunch of guys wanting to go auto to manual and a few wanting to go the other way, and i was wondering what everyone thinks about the two options. Which is better and why? Thanks!

strikechords

its mostly personal preference, and kinda depends what you want to do with the vehicle. obviously auto is way more common/easier to find. i definitly prefer stick, its a lot more fun, not as boring. some people like auto so they dont have to worry about doing other stuff while they're driving (cell phone, having a cig, radio, whatever...even tho they really shouldnt be haha i still do it tho, oh well!). some people like manual for wheeling. im not sure if its true but ive heard/read its a little harder on the manual tranny if you have a trailer that your towing a lot. also, usually if you compare identical vehicles where one has manual and the other has auto, usually the manual will get slightly better gas mileage becuase your coasting more, because you're taking the load off the engine as your approaching a red light or down hill or something.

just my two cents.

Abovetimberline

I think it is a personal preference,the aw4 is a very reliable trany,the ax-15 is also very reliable. I am putting an ax-15 in mine vs the aw4 because for me I end up in places where it is easy to get stranded,you can loose some gears in the manual and still get to help,I can also push start it if my starter goes out,I carry a spare starter but the ax-15 is just in my opinion a little more reliable.
There is alot of pluses to the aw4 also.

CrawlnCoupe

i went with the aw4, i've had a 5 speed before and its too much work when trying to hill climb and such, plus i tow stuff with this truck and 5 speeds are ment to tow much. my old mj was a 5 speed and i didnt mind it in the mud, but i find the auto to be more fun overall offroad. but like the other guy said, its all personal preference.

4.3L XJ

It is still personal preference. But if you are a skillful driver, the stick will out perform the auto on the trails. People with autos tend to just point and step on the gas. If that is your style then go with the auto. There is an advantage in rocks sometimes where you can slip the torque converter instead of the clutch. That being said, there is also some jerkiness that you will notice in videos where the vehicle goes a couple of feet and then stops. In situations like that with proper gearing, the standard will be smoother. Another area where there is some difference is being able to feel what is happening with the vehicle. It is much easier to tell if your wheels are spinning if you have a stick due to the direct connection to the wheels. An auto masks that sensation with the torque converter.

But that being said, if your XJ is a daily driver and you live in an area with lots of stop and go traffic, the auto is the way to go.

Personally, I have the auto. However I have a thumb switch on the shifter handle to lock the torque converter when I want. Best of both.

Leftytoo

Most ranchers I know prefer an automatic transmission for offroad work. And it is safer: I was driving a pickup on a bad off-camber mountain road. Suddenly the rear end slipped over the edge and I was sliding backward down the mountainside. I was in third gear and stalled the engine. If it had been an automatic I would have floored it and stopped the slide.

superquadguy

Auto for sure if your wheeling! I was all bout sticks then i got my XJ and now there is know going back. It is soooooo much easyer to handle offroad. Now if you want to drag race it then stick all the way but you don't buy a XJ to run light to light, lol. Well ok i do like to dust off the lil rice burners that think there civi it hot stuff cause they put a $30 ebay muffler on it.

muffdiver69

keep the 5 speed better gas mileage i still wish i had my 5 speed

hurley842002

X2 I would much rather have a 5 speed when wheeling, mainly because its what i've driven for the majority of my 9+ years driving, i'm better off road with a stick and its what i'm comfortable with. However I live in a big city with lots of stop and go, and seeings as how my wheeler is my DD, and 95% of my driving is on road, I now own an Auto. Once again as many have stated, its personal preference, and I don't think one is going to give enough of an advantage one way or the other, to justify ruling the other one out.

evmo

I'll take a manual in everything but my daily driver, to many traffic jams around here. Since my jeep is my daily driver that means it's an auto. I've never had a problem wheeling it though, I just put her in 4 low and let crawl where she wants too!

If it's a car (especially one with some *****) manual all the way! To me your not really driving the vehicle unless you can destroy the transmission if you wanted to, I hate computers telling me how to shift.

I also ride a 2006 ZZR600 14500RPMs in 1st is truly a holy experience...

Michigan Jeeper

no need to buy a new clutch on an automatic. :]

also if your crawling on rocks way easier then standard i hear.

ive had auto trans in all of my cars even my trans am boared to a 383. wish i had a stick in that but i traded my 92 cherokee that i had 1000 into for it and sold it a week later for 2500. lucky me

weldon

Does towing have any effect on a manual vs auto?

4.3L XJ

True. But you do get to buy about 20 little ones instead. One thing I forgot to add is that unless you grenade a stick, it will always get you home. When the auto goes, it just cooks itself.