General Automotive News

[Crasher]

I remember back when turbos were too big for many engines, people would use Nitrous Oxide with jets pointed at the compressor blades, actuated by a throttle pedal controller.

 

[BlueR32]

I remember back when turbos were too big for many engines, people would use Nitrous Oxide with jets pointed at the compressor blades, actuated by a throttle pedal controller.

Yup, 10-4.

 

[BlueR32]

Just when you thought this was old news...

SRT’s New eBoost Air Tech Could Make the Hurricane Inline-6 Feel More Like a Supercharged V-8

It’s not an e-turbo, but SRT says the add-on compressor attacks lag with no performance downside.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[UCyborg]

(Link to following article: https://fordauthority.com/2026/07/m...help-prevent-dementia-according-to-new-study/)​

​

Manual Transmission Cars Help Prevent Dementia, According To New Study​

By Brett Foote
July 2, 2026 12:15 pm

2
The manual transmission is something that used to be quite common in the automotive world, with many folks learning how to drive on that exact type of gearbox. It also used to be pretty rare to find a performance-focused vehicle with an automatic - or, at least, those weren't quite as popular or as quick as their manual counterparts. However, in recent years, manuals have begun dying a slow death, and are quite rare today. That's particularly unfortunate, as a new study has found that row-your-own gearboxes have a big health benefit to provide.

According to Japan's Best Car Web, this new study comes to us from Professor Ryuta Kawashima (who helped develop Nintendo Brain Age games) of the Tohoku University’s Institute of Development, and it found that driving a manual transmission equipped car can actually stimulate the brain's prefrontal cortex in ways that an automatic cannot. Through his research, Kawashima discovered that the physical sequence of rowing through the gears is particularly stimulating for the region of the brain that controls things like attention, decision making, and memory.



Driving a car with that sort of gearbox on a regular basis is even more beneficial, this study found - it provides drivers with a little bit of a "workout" that helps mitigate the effects of aging and also improves cognitive function over a period of time. This is not the case with automatics, the study found, which just aren't as engaging to operate.



Perhaps even more notable is that this sort of activity can even help ward off dementia and other aging brain disorders, which is a major problem across the globe. Trouble is, manuals are becoming increasingly rare in today's world, and currently represent less than one percent of sales among all automobiles - meaning that for those that wish to take advantage of these health benefits, it won't be terribly easy to find a new vehicle that can offer them.

By Brett Foote
Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

Didn't realize they became popular in Europe too. Until I recently, I thought automatics being prevalent was mostly US thing.

I drove an automatic once, but found it clunky to park.

 

[BlueR32]

For most people an automatic in some form is a convenience. Many if not most people in the U.S. have learned how to drive on an auto trans. They have been popular in the U.S. since the late 50' early 60' so many people never learned to drive a manual trans.

I believe the auto trans was invented to increase vehicle sales. In the U.S. even class 7 "big rig" tractors started using auto trans 30+ years ago. They reduce maintenance costs for fleets.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Big rigs are class 8. Lots of people know how to drive stick, just not recent generations. Slushboxes shine in gridlock traffic that most of us have to fight on the daily.

 

[BlueR32]

Big rigs are class 8.

So my typing sucks...

 

[Uwe]

In the U.S. even class 7 8 "big rig" tractors started using auto trans 30+ years ago.

Amy I the only one around here who thinks that the quality & professionalism of truck drivers has declined precipitously right around the time that automated transmissions in big rigs became commonplace? It took considerable dedication to learn to drive a 13- or even 18-speed manual connected to a big diesel engine with a narrow rev-range reasonably well. Now, any idiot can jump in a 40-ton truck and drive it down the highway. And then you get shit like this:

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On a more personal level, 30 years ago, big-rigs always had lane discipline; they would keep right except to pass. That is no longer the case. Now they're often oblivious to the fact that there's room for them in the right lane and they're blocking traffic that wants to move a bit faster than their speed-governed rigs are capable of. On a typical (for me) 450-600 mile day, I end up passing at least a few big rigs on the right, and I am not quick to do that because I really hate doing that, but my patience does have limits, and the fact that I could do at all is incontrovertible proof that they had plenty of room to move right.

-Uwe-

 

[BlueR32]

^^^^ I don't believe the transmission in class 8 trucks has anything to do with the decline in driver skills or behavior. I think there are a lot of people on the roadways that are dangerous because they lack skills, are technically ignorant of the rules of the road and because they are distracted by electronic toys. It also appears that a lot of newer truck drivers are not from the U.S. and can't read the English language. This has been noted in many serious accidents in recent years.

IME there is no respect for vehicular laws, other drivers nor good judgment. I see idiotic, dangerous, braindead moves by drivers daily. Some result in accidents and some lucky near misses. It's a serious affliction IMO. Quite frankly it's way more dangerous driving today than it was 30 years ago. I consider it a combat zone...

 

[Uwe]

I don't believe the transmission in class 8 trucks has anything to do with the decline in driver skills or behavior.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I think learning to drive a big rig with a manual was an effective filter.

I think there are a lot of people on the roadways that are dangerous because they lack skills, are technically ignorant of the rules of the road and because they are distracted by electronic toys. It also appears that a lot of newer truck drivers are not from the U.S. and can't read the English language.

Yes, those are all contributing factors. But how many of those would have been weeded out by the filter?

-Uwe-

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

When I was a kid, on the other side of the pond, you had to be 21 (allegedly mature) to get to drive.... and I also recall as a young kid, spending HOURS watching young drivers learn how to park in lots, maneuvering between cones, etc..... while doing driver's education. I can only imagine how much they had to practice while out driving if what I witnessed as far as being able to park and do slow maneuvers was any indicator.

Meanwhile, on this side of the pond, you don't even need to be fluent in English to be a "pro" driver.

 

[Eric]

professionalism of truck drivers

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[BlueR32]

^^^ I see that almost daily. Complete stupidity IMO.

@Uwe - how do these technically challenge people even get a CDL or do they drive without one???

 

[Uwe]

@Uwe - how do these technically challenge people even get a CDL or do they drive without one???

I suspect there are some states that hand out CDLs like candy on Halloween.

-Uwe-

 

[Crasher]

If that video is real and I was their boss, I would find out who they are and sack them immediately for brining the company into disrepute.

 

[BlueR32]

If that video is real and I was their boss, I would find out who they are and sack them immediately for brining the company into disrepute.

Literally a daily activity for local Amazon drivers at each hub, IME.

 

[BlueR32]

Did VW management create their own problems???

Volkswagen's CEO Called It a 'Mega-Crisis.' His Own Numbers Say the Real Enemy Is the Org Chart

Volkswagen's CEO is calling this a mega-crisis, but the company's own plan admits the real problem: overhead costs and complexity it built for itself.

theautowire.com

 

[Crasher]

I could see this coming years ago, they simply have too many models, how many different SUV's can you launch that start with the letter T? Then they keep launching new EV's no one wants and resurrect old brands in the USA producing EV pickup's that it is already clear, the market does not want. He is going to have to be brave and slash the entire VAG range, just because you have spent billions developing it, continuing to pump them out into storage parks isn't going to help.

 

[BlueR32]

I could see this coming years ago, they simply have too many models, how many different SUV's can you launch that start with the letter T? Then they keep launching new EV's no one wants and resurrect old brands in the USA producing EV pickup's that it is already clear, the market does not want. He is going to have to be brave and slash the entire VAG range, just because you have spent billions developing it, continuing to pump them out into storage parks isn't going to help.

Terminating the workers instead of management is always the solution to executive mismanagement...

 

[Crasher]

People are beginning to make parallels with the downfall of British Leyland.