Automatic/Manual
 

Alright, I need all of you to do me a big favor :)

So the person getting the HHR SS wants an auto. Now, I am for the manual with the added gain in HP and mpg, but he does not drive a stick, and is very worried about it. So those of you with SS manuals, could you help me out a little here and list why you picked the manual/if the clutch is tough to do?

I picked the manual because I love driving stick, and on the HHR SS the automatic had a few 'handicaps' compared to the stick.

Here are the cons of the automatic in this car:

• Only 4 gears
• No manumatic feature(!)
• GM seems worried about the strength of the auto, limited the HP of the SS. That makes me concerned, especially for future mods

The clutch in this car is super light. I fired up my Mustang yesterday, and that clutch is probably 4x the effort. This is the lightest clutch I've had in a performance car. Probably almost too light really.

If this car is not going to be driven by you, you really need to make sure that the person getting it is going to be comfortable driving a stick shift car. Try to find a car they can practice on before buying a vehicle you are going to be stuck with! Some people just hate rowing their own gears, especially in traffic. And some people just have physical issues that prevent them from comfortably shifting as well.

And some people just don't care :smile:

Thank you for the breakdown! That is the problem, there are no stick SS HHRs in the area, so with the sale ending today, its either take a risk or possibly lose out on something that he would have enjoyed more.

See if you can find a stick Cobalt or Saab that he can practice on maybe? If he likes it enough then order/find a 5 speed SS!

Oh the saab is a great idea! We went to see an HHR SS in a couple towns over to try the manual, but of course it was sold by the time we got there. Maybe my dealer today will have something manual.

Heh my SS is my first manual car, I haven't really practiced much, except for 20 minutes at a time with various cars. The HHR SS is very easy to drive, the clutch pedal provides great feedback and is very light, so its very easy to get used to.

Awesome. Thank you!

I test drove a manual, after not having driven a manual in years. It was a breeze to operate, although a little bit of work compared to the automatics I've driven for a long time. I enjoy rowing gears, as a matter of fact I "pretend" to shift in my auto sometimes because it's fun. But realistically, because of my commute, I would tire of the stick after a few days with all the stop and go driving. Also, my wife refuses to drive a stick.

I was leaning towards the stick in the SS I was getting but with my 20 mile commute and having a baby in the car, the auto just makes more sense. I am not that worried about losing a few HP. 235-250 is more than enough for me..

PLus the boss (my wife) said she would prefer the auto as well in case she ever has to drive the HHR SS.

I live in TX and its damn smoking HOTTTT here I opted for the Auto SS because I already have a 1000hp car and an 05 SRT4 5 speed .I tell you I truly love the auto start feature. Before I leave I always start my car a few minutes before so when I get in it the air is ice cold. Also you get the arm rests on the passenger and driver with 2 cup holders. They say the Auto is slower but I disagree with that. When I brake boost that auto it spools 8lbs of boost out of the whole. Also the gears are longer and Turbos love to work under load the auto lets the boost pull a lot longer without having to shift. There is a huge difference in the way the SS runs after it is broken in. There was a guy on here using his G-timer that was getting 6.3 to 60mph without brake boosting it there was room for improvement I thought.

As far as the Auto tranny goes the MFG. Is always going to be on the safe side Im sure the tranny will hold up fine on street tires even with mods. Turbo cars put the least amount of strain on driveline components because boost isnt as violent compared to nitrous. If the SS was an N/A cars and had a 100 shot on it the jolt would be so violent it it would probably snap the tranny.

This might make you feel a little better since you have a Mustang on my 93 Fox I used a stock T-5 tranny and the tranny was only rated to I think 300 fly hp. The car put down on the old setup 541 rwhp and 567 rwtq. The tranny lasted for 2 years on Nitto Drag radials. But I was putting double the recommended HP on that tranny.