my bro just got a jeep cherokee and keeps arguing that a auto is better than manual for offroading and honestly i cant see where a auto would be better at all.

it is better in most respects.

Have you ever done rock crawling with a manual?
it is hard to keep from riding the clutch and stalling.

Where a manual is better is when you are going down hill, you can just put it in a low gear and coast. With an automatic, you have to ride the brakes.

+1 on what Chris said. The few buddies that I have that are "off-roader-types" all have autos...

Can you use gear reduction boxes with autos?

My parents had an '88 Cherokee Pioneer back in the day. With that thing in 4L and the transmission in L, you didn't need brakes while going down a hill- you actually needed a touch of gas to keep from slowing down too much.

That works on some automatics. It depends on the gearing in the trans and transfer case. It needs to be real low to get that to work right.

I was into 4-wheeling long before I owned a mazda.

i did the 4 wheeling thing too before my mazda and i hated havin an auto. you would pull up onto a rock and have to wait for the trans to build up pressure. then it would kick down when i wanted it to be in a different gear. i would watch my buddy with the same truck idle up stuff in 3rd while i was spinning my tires in 1st or 2nd

What kind of truck and trans?

i had a lifted xterra and he has a frontier (also lifted) (same truck). i would probably still have it but it wasnt standard. the funny thing is i had better tires at the time.

did you guys have the same tires inflated to the same pressures?

my tires were deflated a bit idk bout his... they were bald so i dont think it would make a big diff

just so i can correct myself... he wasnt idling up rocks n 3rd we were going up different obstacles. my experience with rocks is that with the auto you have to build up pressure in the trans / tq converter and let off quick once so you dont come down too hard.

there is your answer, Nissan

Not the best trans.

A lot of it has to do with what converter you have in there. With a motor that has a lot of low end, you can have a real low stall converter and that problem goes away.

I've owned a fourwheeler for the last 15 years in some form or another, and they have all been autos. Never had a problem crawling or climbing big hills. In fact I could climb some hills that my friends with manuals couldn't. they'd lose traction and I'd just keep the throttle steady and drive right over the stuff they were getting stuck on.

well i guess i've been proven wrong. i still wont buy one but i guess im just a control freak

Try shifting gears with the manual in a tough rock crawling spot... lol

I like the manuals for regular off-roadin' though... and pullin'