mikemike Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 is it much harder than an auto?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLouisGod Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Nope, its way better, and this coming from a man with an AT. Surprise, surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 The 5spd allows more gear selection for different terrains. You do have to like driving it though. I love it in mine. On tougher hill climbs and mud, I stick it in 4WL and use 2nd gear. I go where I want. Plus, its fun to actually drive you truck(at least in my opinion!!). Good times.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 It depends on the terrain you're driving on. With the stock low-range gears, it's super hard to finesse the clutch on very technical, rocky terrain. For rock-crawling with stock gears, an AT is best. If you replace the low-range gears with some of AC's or Calmini's crawler gears, then the 5-speed is much more pleasant to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 it's awesome except for the rock crawling part. that takes some getting used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 What about installing a hand throttle? It would take some getting used to, but I think it would help on some of the tricky stuff. If your Pathy has the throttle cam for cruise control, I'd think you could hook something up pretty easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemike Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 naw, nothing to technical here. jsut mud and snow the only thing is i dont think i will like doing the old first to reverse to gain up momentum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 i wheel a/t and 5 spd pathys i love my 5 speed for the fire roads and mud, but for slow sloooooow stuff ike rocks/tight/technical stuff i actually prefer the auto sometimes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 For the stuff I do, mostly rockcrawling, the auto rocks, I've owned manual 4x4's and I can say they are more fun in everything else. But since there's no mud in New Mexico I got an auto. And this is coming from a guy that hates autos, Ive had about 10 cars and the pathy is my second automatic, the other was a '02 Audi A6 2.7T but it had a manumatic, so it was ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Manual is great for most everything except maybe the most technical creeping stuff, like has been said. All in all, I'd much rather have my 5sp. Its much more confidence-inspiring to me when you thunk solidly into a gear and have a direct control and feel of what is going on in the drivetrail. When you're on nasty hills and stuff, there's nothing like the solid feeling of dropping down to 4-low and creeping down under control in 1st gear. This is real nice on ice and snow, where you see of lot of other vehicles braking and sliding off and down. 2nd gear in 4-low will take you just about anywhere you could want to go really, with 1st for rare circumstances mostly unless you're into crawling. Of course a manual takes a little bit more finesse (not much though), but that just makes for a better driver, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemike Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 if this dip**** would get back to me about his pathfinder i may be gettin my first 5 speed at least i wont be burning out my own clutch cause i already know how to drive one.. im justt not very smooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 if this dip**** would get back to me about his pathfinder i may be gettin my first 5 speedat least i wont be burning out my own clutch cause i already know how to drive one.. im justt not very smooth To which dipsh!t are you referring? ^^Agreed with all that's said above about 5spd. vs. autos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailChaser Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I just did the swap from auto to manual tranny less than a month ago and have been wheeling once since I did the swap.(check the pics and video section for pics) I thought I wouldn't like the 5speed but was totally wrong. I LOVE this new tranny. It's worlds better than my auto. The main 2 things that you'll want to do if you get a 5speed for wheeling is: Install a hand trottle, and install a clutch safety switch bypass. The hand throttle is great, I set mine at about 2000rpms and control my speed by being in the right gear. You can have it set like that and still be able to give it gas with the foot pedal w/out affecting the throttle setting. It'll keep stalls to a minimum and also really comes in handy when you need to restart a hill climb after being stopped halfway up. That brings me to the second item. The bypass switch just allows you to start you truck while it's in gear w/out pushing the clutch. Trust me it WILL start if you are in 1st gear in 4wl. I've never heard of anyone saying it's bad for the starter. I tried it out on a steep hill just to see how well it would work. The starter turned the engine over while powering the truck up the hill with no problems at all. David PS. That forward to reverse real fast while stuck is about the single worst thing you can do to an automatic tranny. Install a tranny temp guage then go do that. You'll be amazed how fast it'll heat up, and how hot it can/will get. Doing that is the only time I've ever seen a A/T Temp idiot light come on in a pathy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 The biggest thing I miss about a Manual Transmission is: Down Hill Decent control with out touching the brakes.... Even in 4 low and 1st gear you may have to ride the breaks a bit.... With a manual just leave it in 1st gear 2wd and the engine will do 90+% of the breaking... During this past hunting season 90% of the time I was in 4wd was to go down hill... Hmmm... do I need a 4th Pathfinder???? :idea: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 The only thing I miss about automatics is the constant failures... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88_Pathy Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Well without some sort of crawler gears I would never take a manual over an auto. I have an auto and my buddy has a manual and with a 2.0 to 1 T-case I have no idea how one is supposed to crawl. It is hell on the clutch too. The auto makes it nice and if you add a crawler gear to an auto I would say it would be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yozsi Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) Well without some sort of crawler gears I would never take a manual over an auto. I have an auto and my buddy has a manual and with a 2.0 to 1 T-case I have no idea how one is supposed to crawl. It is hell on the clutch too. The auto makes it nice and if you add a crawler gear to an auto I would say it would be perfect. i'd rather r&r the clutch than rebuild an elecro-hydraulic tranny. Edited December 13, 2006 by yozsi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93PathfinderWA Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I think that if you are used to driving a 5 spd then taking it off-road is no problem. I hate when i have to drive my parents cars becuase i have nothing to do with my other hand. Doing hill climbs i just keep it in first so if i have to slow down i dont have to down shift. I have never done rockcrawling, but coming down hills watching my friend ride his brakes and slide for an extra 15 ft. trying to stop makes me glad i have the 5 spd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 That brings me to the second item. The bypass switch just allows you to start you truck while it's in gear w/out pushing the clutch. Trust me it WILL start if you are in 1st gear in 4wl. I've never heard of anyone saying it's bad for the starter. I tried it out on a steep hill just to see how well it would work. The starter turned the engine over while powering the truck up the hill with no problems at all. And ain't it great that Nissan is one of the few to provide it from the factory! I love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 The auto SUCKS in sand. It's good on rocks and for slow climbs, though,. You can ride the brake and the gas at the same time for that 'delicate feel' we all need at times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdpathy Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I have been in places where it would be a dance with your feet with a manual, but i guess if you install the hand throttle then you don't have that problem, personally I am not proficient yet with a 5 speed, so I am content with the automatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Well without some sort of crawler gears I would never take a manual over an auto. I have an auto and my buddy has a manual and with a 2.0 to 1 T-case I have no idea how one is supposed to crawl. It is hell on the clutch too. The auto makes it nice and if you add a crawler gear to an auto I would say it would be perfect. Um... I just rode a sheet of ice down a local hill in the ice a couple weeks ago, crawling at maybe 1 or 2 mph if that in 1st gear and 4low completely on engine compression. The second I touched the brakes I went sideways and kissed the curb almost instantly. If you need lower gearing than that on anything close to stock tire diameter, you either have the to work on your driving or you have a deep wallet for new gears. Alternately, maybe you have a weak engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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