The ever so famous auto vs manual thread

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Rticul8

New member
I am a longtime jeeper looking into a new Jeep Wrangler 2 door. I was initially only interested in a six speed manual but after reading so many horror stories about the rattle and marble in a can sound Ive become a little spooked. I haven't read any horror stories about the auto.

My question is as followed. The jeep will be my dd. My commute to work is roughly 10 miles one way with no stop n go traffic. The offroading i do nowadays is minimal and nothing too extreme due to very little options in my area.

I have found a jeep with hardtop, auto and 3.73 ..i only plan on going to 33's with a 2 in lift .

I know that jeeps suck on gas ( I've owned 6 none were jk's), but is the auto worse than the manual? What kind of mileage can i expect with the setup I'm looking at? Is acceleration much different aswell?

I can't find any manuals locally so i can't just go test drive them, which sucks.

Any and all help will be GREATLY APPRECIATED. :beer::rock:
 
JKAnimal

JKAnimal

Caught the Bug
I really love my 2012 JKUR manual! Haven't had any trouble out of it yet. It's my dd.

If I wanted acceleration I'd buy a sports car. ;)

I have driven my fathers auto and it is nice not to have to shift, but I still prefer being able to choose my gear while off-roading instead of letting the computer do the thinking (which might actually be safer).

I'd probably have gone with an auto if I did less wheeling.

I get about 13 mpg with my setup. 37s, 5.13s

Good luck with your choice, hope this helps.


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KingCopperhead

KingCopperhead

New member
Just had this dilemma myself. I bought a manual. I've always driven and loved manuals.




Until I owned my JK. Don't get me wrong: I don't hate it, but I don't like it either. The marbles in the can noise is annoying, and it's also intermittent.... Won't ever make the noise when I'm showing it to the dealership either. It's like it *knows* lol.


Love my jeep, but if I could go trade it in on an auto without taking a major hit to the piggy bank, I'd do it without hesitation.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Rticul8 said:
I am a longtime jeeper looking into a new Jeep Wrangler 2 door. I was initially only interested in a six speed manual but after reading so many horror stories about the rattle and marble in a can sound Ive become a little spooked. I haven't read any horror stories about the auto.

My question is as followed. The jeep will be my dd. My commute to work is roughly 10 miles one way with no stop n go traffic. The offroading i do nowadays is minimal and nothing too extreme due to very little options in my area.

I have found a jeep with hardtop, auto and 3.73 ..i only plan on going to 33's with a 2 in lift .

I know that jeeps suck on gas ( I've owned 6 none were jk's), but is the auto worse than the manual? What kind of mileage can i expect with the setup I'm looking at? Is acceleration much different aswell?

I can't find any manuals locally so i can't just go test drive them, which sucks.

Any and all help will be GREATLY APPRECIATED. :beer::rock:
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I've owned both and with both the auto that was offered with the 3.8L and the 3.6L and can tell you that the MPG difference is neglegible. If you found a nice auto, I wouldn't hesitate to just get it. If you're just a diehard manual guy, keep looking and I'm sure you find something sometime.
 
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Rticul8

New member
When you say negligible do you mean like less than 1 mpg? lol Because even a 2mpg difference to me is noteworthy. Hey that's like 40 miles on a tank.
I found a 2014 2 door sport in granite crystal ( hardtop, 3.73, and auto) they came down to 25,120 plus ttl. I can order a manual with the same options for the same price or a little less than that.
 
hinrichs

hinrichs

Caught the Bug
What is this marbles in a can sound? Ive never heard it that I know of.

I went manual and have no regrets, but then most of my vehicles end up being manual. I would have probably gone auto but feel its boring offroad. I do stall quite a bit on large rocks but that's due to 37s and 4.10 gearing still.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Rticul8 said:
When you say negligible do you mean like less than 1 mpg? lol Because even a 2mpg difference to me is noteworthy. Hey that's like 40 miles on a tank.
I found a 2014 2 door sport in granite crystal ( hardtop, 3.73, and auto) they came down to 25,120 plus ttl. I can order a manual with the same options for the same price or a little less than that.
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Agreed, 2 MPG makes a big difference but for me, I don't know if I even saw that. The only thing I have ever seen to make a significant difference in MPG is in the kind of tire tread you run. A set of street tires or a tire with a tread that looks more like one will have a lot less rolling resistance than a mud tire. When I tested out a set of Falken Wildpeak AT's, I literally saw about a 4 MPG gain over the Toyo MT's I was running.
 
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Rticul8

New member
hinrichs said:
What is this marbles in a can sound? Ive never heard it that I know of.

I went manual and have no regrets, but then most of my vehicles end up being manual. I would have probably gone auto but feel its boring offroad. I do stall quite a bit on large rocks but that's due to 37s and 4.10 gearing still.
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Its a term coined by people to describe the noise they hear. Here is a thread I read where I got spooked literally hundreds of people complaining about rattling sounds. http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/2...-transmission-rattling-noise-poll-201153.html. I love manual as well, pops is trying to convince me to get an auto but that's more because he is getting older and hates shifting, although he used to prefer manual even for crawling. I guess in terms of resale, an auto is usually easier to sell.
I just wish the manual had no issues so that I didn't have to question the purchase.
 
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Rticul8

New member
wayoflife said:
Agreed, 2 MPG makes a big difference but for me, I don't know if I even saw that. The only thing I have ever seen to make a significant difference in MPG is in the kind of tire tread you run. A set of street tires or a tire with a tread that looks more like one will have a lot less rolling resistance than a mud tire. When I tested out a set of Falken Wildpeak AT's, I literally saw about a 4 MPG gain over the Toyo MT's I was running.
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Yessir. Makes total sense. I plan on keeping the "cute" stock 16in rims and 29's and running them for long highway trips. although with 3.73 it may be overkill.
 
MI jeepskate

MI jeepskate

New member
ive got a 10 auto and my only issue is lugging on hills with the auto. i wanted a manual, but settled for an auto and ive really got no complaints other than not being able to control shifts. i have 33's with 4.88s and i went from 17 average mpg to 19 and about 23 highway
 
M_Savage

M_Savage

Caught the Bug
I'm on my second JK (traded my 2007 2 door sport in for a 2009 4 door Rubicon). Both have been manuals and I haven't had any issue or heard the marble in a can sound at all.
Before I made the trade I was looking at a 2011 Oscar Mike Edition which was Auto. I really like everything about it other than 1. it was an auto, and 2. it wasn't a Rubicon. I ended up finding my current Jeep about a month later and am really glade I didn't just settle. No regrets with the manual purchase. Just got to learn how to go over rock better!
My suggestion is, unless you really like the auto that you have test driven; i wouldn't settle for it just because its available.
 
tastethebeast

tastethebeast

Member
I have had both a 2 door auto and manual. The manual is so much better IMO. I just prefer the ability to control what gear I am in especially on the highway. I have had no rattle issues so far. Plus it feels like a real Jeep! I have heard some horror stories about the transmission lines on autos starting fires. I would personally deal with a little rattle as opposed to the Jeep going up in smoke!
 
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Rticul8

New member
M_Savage said:
I'm on my second JK (traded my 2007 2 door sport in for a 2009 4 door Rubicon). Both have been manuals and I haven't had any issue or heard the marble in a can sound at all.
Before I made the trade I was looking at a 2011 Oscar Mike Edition which was Auto. I really like everything about it other than 1. it was an auto, and 2. it wasn't a Rubicon. I ended up finding my current Jeep about a month later and am really glade I didn't just settle. No regrets with the manual purchase. Just got to learn how to go over rock better!
My suggestion is, unless you really like the auto that you have test driven; i wouldn't settle for it just because its available.
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Thanks for the input. The last two posts are really making reconsider settling and just consider ordering the jeep to my specifications. I was just worried that after ordering the jeep and waiting months to receive it, i would have issues with the tranny and make the whole experience sour.

Anybody else want to chime in? Who has driven both. 5 speed auto and 6 speed manual in the 3.6l??
 
Patrick

Patrick

Member
I've had jeeps since '88 when I had an Islander. Since then a YJ and a TJ. I did a lot of off roading, with thousands of miles of highway too. I've been a "purist" believing that with manual I'd get much more control ... Especially on those nasty black and double black runs.
Last year I swapped my 10 year old Rubicon for a new JK Rubicon, and for the first time ever, went with an auto box. It's FABULOUS !
Despite wifey having a BMW M-Sport, the JK is our preferred daily ride. I'm also an ambulance First Responder. And the JK surpasses my expectations.
I've now also done two week long off road events in France ( I'm UK based) -so long motorway trips to the off road site. Performance off road couldn't be better. In fact a good friend has my TJ Rubicon. Both vehicles are well modified, but the same mods, and while I know the TJs limits exactly, I was impressed that the JK met and passed every obstacle the TJ did.
Back to manual shift. NO. The '13 JKs auto box is superb.
 
hogtyed

hogtyed

Member
I like my manual 6 speed in my JK and have not had any problems with a marble in a can sound. If I do I can't hear it over the humming of the wheels & the stereo. :idontknow:
 
K

kingg5

New member
hinrichs said:
What is this marbles in a can sound? Ive never heard it that I know of.

I went manual and have no regrets, but then most of my vehicles end up being manual. I would have probably gone auto but feel its boring offroad. I do stall quite a bit on large rocks but that's due to 37s and 4.10 gearing still.
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its the noise the throwout bearing makes in some of the 6 speed wranglers. ive had the throwout bearing replaced twice now...and nope..i dont ride with my foot on the clutch, never owned an automatic in my life.
 
jnabird333

jnabird333

-
kingg5 said:
its the noise the throwout bearing makes in some of the 6 speed wranglers. ive had the throwout bearing replaced twice now...and nope..i dont ride with my foot on the clutch, never owned an automatic in my life.
Click to expand...

I have this.... Unfortunately, I have a bunch of issue with my transmission and have from day one. But I still prefer it over an Auto. The only automatic transmissions I drive are company owned.

Actually my Jeep is headed into the stealership today :crazyeyes::grayno: At least they are still covering it under warranty which is the only reason I am letting them touch it.
 
R

Rticul8

New member
kingg5 said:
its the noise the throwout bearing makes in some of the 6 speed wranglers. ive had the throwout bearing replaced twice now...and nope..i dont ride with my foot on the clutch, never owned an automatic in my life.
Click to expand...

Is the noise particular to a certain year of jeep 6 speed manuals? Or is it luck of the draw type thing
?
 
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