Auto or 5 Speed

[TANDREW]

What does every one prefer the auto or 5 speed trans?
Why?

[K9sH3]

Auto... if you deal with traffic and hills.

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

When I got my truck I thought a stick would be cool,

BUT

no sticks available in YELLOW with LUX PKG,

SO

I got the auto

AND

now that I turned 60

I'm glad.........

[NEOCON1]

auto , damn peddels are close enough already couldant imagine a clutch down there too

[HBH3]

I have the 5 speed and love it; however I have always driven manual. If you are used to auto just get auto. By the way the pedal issue was improved in the 2007s

[Wisha Haddan H3]

I love my 5spd, and that was a big selling point for me. I couldn't find one with both the Adv pkg and sunroof, so I special ordered one.

I never had a problem with the pedal spacing. Here's a pic I took last summer for an old thread ...

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Originally Posted by K9sH3

Auto... if you deal with traffic and hills.

You're right about traffic in a manual ... rush hour sucks big time. But I gotta disagree with you on the hills.

I test drove both auto and manual H3s up I-70 on 6% grades, and the manual did a much better job. The auto couldn't decide what gear it wanted and it felt like I was lagging behind the traffic. But in the 5-speed I just stick in 4th and hit 3rd on the steeper grades and when passing (yes passing) other vehicles. Engine braking is easier on the way back down, too.

My only pet peeve with the 5-speed is 1st gear at a dead stop. Trying to engage 1st gear from neutral (with clutch to the floor), there's some resistance at idle (about 600 RPMs). But if I rev the engine a little (to 1000 RPMs or so), it slides in nice.

Anyone else notice this?

[ChiHummer3]

My 3 is an automatic. It's the first automatic I've ever owned. When I was looking to purchase my Hummer I searched locally for a manual 3 and nobody had one....so I just went with the auto.

Driving isn't quite as "fun" with an auto tranny - but I guess that's just a personal preferance. With the manual you get the response you want when you want it. I absolutely agree with the statement that with the auto H3, it seems like the tranny can't figure out what gear it needs to be in sometimes.

I guess auto has been a good change for me though. I'm getting older, and I don't feel the need to race with my car anymore - and with the H3, you couldn't do that anyway.

FYI - My last vehicle was an SUV and, like I said, was manual transmission - and I had a hard time selling it. It was in great shape, and I had a lot of lookers on it, but people seemed to run when they heard it was manual. That may just be a local thing though.

[HummerHippy]

I went with the 5 speed. I wanted to be able to pick the gear myself when climbing hills etc. But I bet rush hour traffic could be a bitch with the manual. Also, I first noticed the peddle spacing issue when test driving, but have never had a prob with it once I brought it home. 10 1/2 shoe. Also, I wanted the posibility of 1 extra mpg.

Prefer automatic dealing with traffic as my daily driver. Prefer stick on my other (sports) car. But I wish the H3 was a 6 speed automatic.

[1_maniac]

Berstrom Hummer of Milwaukee has a yellow '06 H3 with the Lux/Adv
MP3 radio / black tube steps / brush guard / 5 SPEED / with under 11K

I had to order it ... Only drawback is that it has a couple of serious quirks
that neither the dealer or GM could or would fix ... at times, when the clutch
is depressed the engine revs to 4K and stays there ... 2nd ... the brakes are
really spungy and never have worked right since day one ...

Now since it was not a "BuyBack" or "Lemon" the title is not branded ... neither
does GM or any dealer has to disclose it ... IF the new buyer asks, the dealer
is required by Wisconsin law to provide the previous owner's name & address

I was going to order an exact replacement, but the yellow is no more
For '08 the replacement color is "Sunset Yellow", which no one seems to
know what color that is ... If it is the color of the "flat gold" I've seen in
pictures of the '08 ... NO thanks

If, you are going to buy a pre-owned vehicle ... always ask to speak to the
previous owner before making the purchase

[H3slate]

I have a manual and love it. When I got my H3 my dealer only had two or three on hand, so I special ordered mine, had to wait two months, but got everything I want. I have owned a gutless 84 subaru auto, a 88 vw stick, a 93 auto xterra and now the H3. For me, the manuals were always more fun to drive.

I feel like I have more control over our slightly underpowered vehicle. Not going fast enough? just down shift and punch it.

I was at a Hummer event in Reno, we were going down a steep hill to demonstrate the crawl ratio, all the autos were braking all the way down, my H3 crawled down by itself, no brakes. The better crawl ratio rules!

[3Hummer]

I took the auto only cause i do a lot of driving lots of lights. Also my dad had a stick car it was fun for every now and then i drove it but for my self to drive it all the time it would get annoying.

[Hal]

The crawl ratio on the stick is what sold me because I was buying this truck primarily for its off road ability. It is also true, being under powered, the manual helps you get a move on when you need to. As for steep hills, the low range manual will idle up or down any hill at a snail pace, so no problem with foot work on the pedals, just let out the clutch and the brake at the same time, you don't even need to touch the gas and the truck starts idleing up the hill or down, slow, safe and controlled!

[Huck BB62]

I like engine braking as much as the next guy, I'm sorta curious as to will the Hummer ever come out with engine braking technology or that the 5.3's extra three cylinders may help in the braking department. My quad, a BRP Outlander Max XT brakes as good as anything on the market. I've yet to see anything steep enough to overrun the engine braking. Maybe Hummer could take something from that? Even in 4lo, I do use the brakes. But for the rest of the time, there's no way, no how, that I'd have a Hummer stick because of the interlock that keeps it from starting in gear. Has anyone ever rigged a hand throttle on a Hummer?

If someone hasn't stalled on a climb, or obstacle, they haven't been on gnarly enough stuff. One instance in particular, bar none, that's terrifying as hell, is a big, long steep, slippery climb. Stabbin' the clutch to get it done may be the worst thing ever.

My Scout was geared plenty low, 73:1 and one time in particular that stuck out in my mind was a lon steep scrabbly two track to a ghost town. I'd let my mud terrains get a little bald. This climb was forever long on a ridge. I only made it to just near the top and dug in. I stomped on the brakes, put it in reverse (the engine was flooded, that's how steep it was) and started it in gear and drove it down backwards. It was a long long puckerfest to the bottom!!!!

On the other hand, had I not had the gearing and had to use the brakes, maybe it wouldn't have had such a good outcome because once that front end breaks loose and starts to come around, you're screwed, blued, and tattooed.

There's good and bad to both. If they nailed the engine braking like BRP's done on my quad, I'd say that there's no way that I'd want to live with a stick.

[TANDREW]

just wondering with alot of you going to moab and rincon what worked better for you? I know the stick works wonders on hills and normal trails but what about the harder stuff?

[HummerLite]

Originally Posted by H3slate

I have a manual and love it. When I got my H3 my dealer only had two or three on hand, so I special ordered mine, had to wait two months, but got everything I want. I have owned a gutless 84 subaru auto, a 88 vw stick, a 93 auto xterra and now the H3. For me, the manuals were always more fun to drive.

I feel like I have more control over our slightly underpowered vehicle. Not going fast enough? just down shift and punch it.

I was at a Hummer event in Reno, we were going down a steep hill to demonstrate the crawl ratio, all the autos were braking all the way down, my H3 crawled down by itself, no brakes. The better crawl ratio rules!

Gee, I special ordered mine too, I was going to get the Alpha, But, I like the manual transmission too much...... I think i'm gonna supercharge my H3 and save some money, Not really into all that crome..... Maybe they will see that some people enjoy driving there Hummers with a manual transmission.... I live in New York and see alot of traffic and still love the manual trans.. I offroad alot too, never been a problem, over the roughest rocks and hills and love the low crawl ratio going down hills too
5 Speeds = FUN
Automatic = BORING