yeah…me too. Shifting connects me to the driving experience. And first line of defense on theft. My LS is automatic and when choosing for the r2.8/110…I went manual. Although I did consider the AX15, tremic, NV3500/4500 as well. In the end I swapped out the LT77 for the R380. Did same swap with the NAS. But I had a strong decade with the LT77– it’s fine and if no issues, I’d see no reason to change it. It’s carried many a person through tough demanding conditions. It’s not superior to r380 and his reasoning is used-car salesman.
If you want strong and not worried about weight, then the nv4500 is a beast. if you’re running big numbers…