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There's no benefit to the "control" offered.

Yes, actually, there is benefit. Rick disagreeing, doesn't mean those benefits magically vanish.

The benefit is in the snow, on dirt roads, on windy, twisty paved roads.

The benefit exists on high end, but more so for the average car.

I grew up in Canada, live here, and cut my teeth delivering pizza, on manuals, in any weather. Warm suuny days, or -25C in a snow storm, pizza was delivered. On dirt, pavement, concrete, in freezing rain, pizza was delivered.

Try googling "lake effect snow". Try googling "ice bridge".

You know when you feather a clutch? When trying to ever so gently, get moving on ice or slick snow.

Normal torque of even the weakest car, will have you spinning, digging a hole.

You want to stop fast? On a rural, soft, dirt road? Like when a moose, or deer, appears in front of you?

Many non-porche cars do not have multi-piston breaking systems. Slamming the brakes on, and throwing the car into 1st, has, in a front wheel drive, the effect of you "digging in" to the dirt. Braking distance can drop to 1/5th in such a case.

No you won't destroy the tranny or clutch, for by the time you get it in first, and clutch, your foot floored on the brake has already dropped speed. Not to mention, do you want to burn a little clutch, or smash into a moose?

There are other scenarios too, but urban Californians, driving high end cars, won't run into the same ones.

I have no problem with someone disagreeing, and I agree with the 99% figure, but we aren't discussibg stunts, or track driving here.

I mean, is it common in California, to throw a couple of bags of sand, into the trunk of rear wheel drive cars, so that in the winter you have weight over the rear wheels?