Which gets better gas mileage manual transmission or automatic?

Manuals do get better mileage if you use them right. They are really not that hard to learn, so I highly suggest them. Plus since it keeps your right hand occupied, you are less likely to get in an accident or get a ticket because you were texting.

Manuals do (if properly driven). Automatic transmissions rely on a fluid coupler to connect the engine to the driveshaft. There is always some sort of slippage resulting in wasted energy. A manual transmission is directly connected via a clutch which offers no slippage unless it is defective.

It's the fluid coupling (called a "torque converter") that is the culprit in most automatic transmissions disadvantage in fuel mileage.

There is slippage when an automatic changes gears. Once you are under way, most modern automatics will lock the torque converter so that there is no slippage, but the control computer is usually programmed so that the slightest grade causes it to unlock, and in some conditions, to downshift.

All else being equal, staying in the highest gear practical gives you the highest fuel mileage. There are two main reasons.

-Friction is more a factor the faster the engine is running. Keeping it in a high gear lowers rpm and thus friction.

-Your internal combustion engine is an air pump. It sucks in air to mix with fuel to burn, and then exhales the products of that burning. A higher gear requires a bigger throttle opening to maintain speed, which is less restrictive.

Let me 'splain

The larger the opening letting air into your engine, the less work it has to do to suck it in. Try breathing just through a soda straw if you want a demonstration.

It might seem that a wider throttle opening would burn more gas, but it does not. At the same speed you burn the same amount of fuel to overcome the drag of the wind, friction in the drive train, and rolling resistance of the tires. The only other factors are internal friction in the engine, and intake restriction, both of which are optimized in the highest practical gear for conditions. A manual transmission gives you absolute control over what gear you are in.

Manual - it's not about coordination or smooth shifting, it's about watching your RPM's, and keeping them as low as possible (without stalling the car out obviously).

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What?

It's about keeping the engine in its peak powerband, which is NOT always about lower RPMS...unless cruising. Even then, that does not guarantee better MPGs.

Anyway, the human shifting arm doesn't have the consistency that a computer controlled automatic does. Plus, with such niceties as lockup torque converters, that aforementioned slippage is greatly eliminated.

So, drive what ever you want.

Having driven enough of both in Houston traffic over the years, I can tell you a computer controlled automatic gets way better MPGs than someone who shifts their gasser four cylinder of the same size at 1500 RPMs all day long.

I think that manuals would, but you need to learn how to shift manually good. You'll notice there's a delay when you shift as well, you shift like a second before you actually need to due to the delay, after a while though you can upgrade your transmission and have a shorter time of delay while shifting to make it closer to an instant shift which should help you time better when shifting. Manual is often used in racing, street and track. I know some stuff about cars for my age, games and life experiences, i have an older friends and brother who does street, both prefer manual. Takes time to coordinate well, try video games to help with your timing and coordination with manual.

Manual - it's not about coordination or smooth shifting, it's about watching your RPM's, and keeping them as low as possible (without stalling the car out obviously).

In addition to getting good mileage, the stick shift will also allow you to downshift to slow the car down - preventing break wear (don't slam it into gears, but as the RPM's drop, drop gears too - although in emergency situations I like being able to slam gears and brake at the same time (I've got a bad habit of dropping gears in front of tailgaters - they don't see any brake lights, but suddenly are 5-10' closer to my bumper and I can literally hear them pucker up).

I always feel more in control in a stick - and while it requires a little bit more attention to drive than an automatic, you should be paying more attention to driving than talking on the phone, eating/drinking, applying makeup, etc.

Even if you prefer an automatic, everyone should learn how to drive a stick in case you are stuck with one in an emergency, or have to borrow one. I have to really watch myself when I'm in an automatic now - I put my left foot down on the non-existent 'clutch' in my wifes car one night - caught the edge of the brake pedal and bounced my head off the headliner. Fortunately noone else was around.

I would also say the manual is better.

The automatic is set to 1 type of shifting.. you have nothing to say in that.

But the manual one relies on how you shift.

So, it's simple: Are you concentrating on how you shift, you will get better mileage in addition to an automatic transmission.

But if you dont care, and you drive like a sports car... you can do the math.

Depends on driving style but generally a manual gets better mileage because you have better control over your engines rpms.