I do not see my self ever buying an automatic. Maybe if I got an SUV or something. Manual is just so much more fun to me.

Manuals are disappearing left and right.

And in DC or Atlanta traffic...no. Just no.

I prefer to have one less thing to think about while driving over "fun".

One might surmise that it was my intention to train myself to properly time shifts with SelectShift for an eventual attempt at a manual vehicle. However, at this rate, that may be impossible. After all, manuals can't drive themselves.

You have a lot more control over the car and by thinking about it while you are driving I would think you would pay more attention but who knows? I am sure there is se lind of study showing it as either safer or more dangerous but I do not really care enough to look lol. Anywho sorry for going so off topic!

Edit: the control issue mostly involves times when the roads may be wet or snowy or something to that effect where you know better than the car what gear is better. You can also push a manual to jumpstart it without cables! But in all reality it comes down to nothing more than preference when choosing between the two. There really is no wromg answer.

You have less control in the sense that, instead of focusing entirely on steering and gas/brake to get away from a potentially dangerous situation, you also have to ensure that you are in a gear that won't tear apart your transmission. Just another way of looking at it..

And stability control can't function as well when the driver retains shifting input. See also X-Mode.

The older I get, the less I want to be pushing on a clutch pedal.

You have less control in the sense that, instead of focusing entirely on steering and gas/brake to get away from a potentially dangerous situation, you also have to ensure that you are in a gear that won't tear apart your transmission. Just another way of looking at it..

Ehhhh automatics have a tendency to shift to a gear with less revs no matter the situation. On ice up a hill you may not want low revs.

Most all Automatics these days have the option of being shifted manually.

In the old days they had D,2 and L for this purpose.

Control over the transmission, yes. Control over the car, that's where I brought up this point. It could go either way.

Ahh..my biggest point of driving shame was shifting someone's car into second gear without engaging the clutch. That ended my lesson quite quickly.

I can see why folks opt for automatic. Yes, the driver has greater control over the vehicle. But there are deteriants for some. As much as he loved manual transmissions, he was looking to buy an automatic for his next car. Certain medical treatments ravaged muscles that made it painful at times to drive in the city.

FOUR DAYS

FOUR DAYS UNTIL PREVIEW NIGHT.

Does anyone know when the fireworks begin at night? I have heard after 10 if the park is open till then. Just making sure.

For a daily driver car, it really depends on where you live. More importantly, it's a TOTAL personal choice and how you view driving.

In a city with 'real' traffic (like my commute in Houston) give me an automatic every day of the week. But even then, it was worth having the manual in that traffic for the non-commute drives when I could hit the back roads to get to where I was going.

Now that I live in a city with more tame traffic. I do miss my manual (from the ages of 16 to 35, I never owned an auto). I enjoy driving, I like to take drives on the back roads. For this, a manual is almost a necessity for me.

As for automatics giving he capability of 'manual' shifting - it's just not the same. The lag is too much to deal with, you can't skip a gear etc. Downshifting from 5 to 3 while adding revs to smoothly enter a corner and have the torque to accelerate out...just can't happen in an auto.

Alright ladies and gentlemen. It's officially Opening Week. April 18th is THIS SATURDAY!!! It's almost here! Just 5 more days to go until Opening Day at Kings Island. But I don't wanna wait 5 more days. Just like it says below. AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!! (I kid, I kid lol. Just thought it would be funny.)

Dont forget the idea of pushing in the clutch to let the car "coast" through a corner or down a hill. The only way to do that is to throw it in neutral which I wouldnt highly recommend to anyone.

I drove in Chicago traffic with a manual. It was horrible. But living in Cincy, and the occasional drive to other cities, I love the manual transmission.

From Kings Island to car discussions, I guess this means we need the Antique Cars in 2016?

^ Indeed we do.

As for automatics giving he capability of 'manual' shifting - it's just not the same. The lag is too much to deal with, you can't skip a gear etc. Downshifting from 5 to 3 while adding revs to smoothly enter a corner and have the torque to accelerate out...just can't happen in an auto.

Indeed, it is hardly the same. The transmission only shifts when it wants to, and even if you hit the button twice in rapid-fire fashion, it still has to shift individual gears. Then again, it's dual-clutch so it just switches back and forth. If you floor it in S-6, it's still liable to drop down a couple gears because that's what it thinks you want.

Dont forget the idea of pushing in the clutch to let the car "coast" through a corner or down a hill. The only way to do that is to throw it in neutral which I wouldnt highly recommend to anyone.

I drove in Chicago traffic with a manual. It was horrible. But living in Cincy, and the occasional drive to other cities, I love the manual transmission.

The way mine works is that, when coasting (i.e. foot off gas), and under a few conditions, it will indeed shift itself into neutral. It also has what's called (Aggressive) Deceleration Fuel Shut-Off (ADFSO), meaning that while coasting, it uses no fuel. The car keeps rolling based on the momentum of the vehicle, to put it simply. Bottom line? Take your foot off the gas and truly coast, in neutral, burning no gas. Really fun when driving down a mountain.

See also: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27681-aggressive-deceleration-fuel-shut-off/

I like your thinking BB1

Does anyone know when the fireworks begin at night? I have heard after 10 if the park is open till then. Just making sure.

Fireworks start at 10pm any night the park is open till 10pm or later through Labor day.

Does anyone know when the fireworks begin at night? I have heard after 10 if the park is open till then. Just making sure.

Fireworks start at 10pm any night the park is open till 10pm or later through Labor day.

Thanks for the info.

From Kings Island to car discussions, I guess this means we need the Antique Cars in 2016?

First we receive a new set of Flying Scooters.....

....Next we get a "new" set of Antique Cars......

Hey! Not a bad idea BB1 !

.....On a related note.....

I couldn't necessarily say that it would hurt my feelings to see BLSC removed to make way for a set of Antique Cars.......Yes, I'm serious......

Send it to Carowinds along with the new Flying Scooters--they can send back Flying Eagles.

Actually, I've been thinking of what coaster Kings Island would remove first, and my thoughts immediately dwelled on Backlot. I think that whole area behind the Eiffel Tower has tons of potential without it, perhaps potential for an entire new area.

I dont really see them getting rid of BLSC but I wish they would restore the splashdown

I honestly can't think of a coaster that I can 'see' them removing...but I'm sure many said the same thing at carious points throughout the park's history, so...

backlot (its location is pretty prime)

Adventure Express (they already seem disinterested in maintenance on it)

bat (I truly wonder what its ridership is given how far removed it is)

I'm sure there are flat rides that are candidates, but for me they're the rides I ride when the lines for the coasters seem too long, so not sure I can come up with any candidates...

Can't believe there's 3 days until the preview night.

Can't believe there's 3 days until the preview night.

I wish I could go. Not only am I not eligible, I couldn't make it anyway...

We went on Sunday to pick up our season passes. It's the first time I have ever been at the park when it was 'empty'. It was both cool and creepy at the same time. We looked in the main gate which was partially blocked with boxes (hey, 90min in the car sometimes requires a pitstop when you get to where you're going). In a way, the park looked smaller with no people in it. Maybe it was the angle, maybe the limited 'aperture' we had to see, but the fountain area just seemed small. Doesn't matter, really, just an observation.

They were running Banshee test runs, we weren't able to see any others that were running. Seeing the train start the drop and go over the loop etc and not hear any screams was kinda eerie.