What Is a Car Transmission?

Car transmissions are integral parts of driving. They allow you to utilize engine power when necessary and change gears when desired for faster acceleration.

Manual and automatic transmissions both offer their own set of advantages and disadvantages, so it’s essential that you select the one best suited to you. Below are some benefits and drawbacks of both types.

Easier to drive

Car transmissions are mechanisms designed to transfer power from an engine to drive wheels, with manual and automatic options being the main types available.

Many drivers favor automatic transmissions as they are easier to operate, provide a smoother ride and are more convenient when driving in heavy traffic conditions.

Finding your way around a manual transmission vehicle may take practice – especially for new drivers or those with limited manual dexterity. Learning the ropes takes a considerable amount of practice before you become adept at shifting gears and working the clutch properly.

Manual transmission cars can also make driving in heavy traffic more challenging and hazardous, as you must constantly stop and start. Driving such a manual vehicle in such conditions can even be considered more hazardous.

Manual transmissions can also be challenging to control on hilly roads, often becoming difficult to avoid stalling altogether. An automatic transmission, on the other hand, is much better at adapting automatically to any slope that might arise and handling these situations more effectively.

It will make it much simpler and quicker for you to enter and exit your vehicle on steep hills, saving both time and effort.

Automatic transmissions offer another distinct advantage over manuals: increased fuel economy. This is due to how their torque converter and hydraulic pump work together to reduce engine energy use; ultimately this results in better economy – although the difference might not be huge.

Fuel efficiency may seem minor at first, but even small variations can quickly add up when filling your tank regularly. That’s why it is vitally important to check EPA mileage estimates before purchasing any car regardless of transmission type or mode.

Manual and automatic transmissions typically offer similar fuel efficiencies. The only real difference lies in cost to maintain, as manuals tend to have more moving parts than automatics – thus decreasing their resale values.

Cheaper to maintain

Car transmissions are essential components, and as such they should receive regular maintenance to remain functional. This means being cleaned, inspected and repaired when necessary.

Automatic transmissions are more complex than their manual counterparts, with numerous systems and components that may malfunction or wear out over time. They also contain more parts which could cost a considerable amount to repair if anything breaks.

However, regular car maintenance can help you prevent costly repairs. Many automakers recommend changing transmission fluid every 30,000 miles or so for optimal performance.

Step one in transmission maintenance should be to regularly inspect fluid levels with a dipstick and make it a habit of checking fluid levels with it.

Simply by taking the time and care needed to change your transmission oil regularly, you can reduce maintenance costs significantly and save yourself a ton of money in the long run. Please refer to your owner’s manual for advice as to when this should be completed – doing this will save you an incredible amount.

While there are ways to protect yourself against costly transmission problems, the best way to safeguard against costly transmission repairs is having your car regularly checked by a mechanic who can identify potential issues and catch them early, saving money in the process.

An experienced technician is capable of quickly diagnosing and fixing most transmission issues without taking apart or replacing all components at once, which is why you should select a reliable mechanic for any car transmission maintenance required by your vehicle.

Drivers of cars equipped with manual transmission tend to pay less in car insurance due to being perceived as less risky by insurers; thus offering cheaper policies.

Manual transmissions tend to be much more fuel-efficient than their automatic counterparts, potentially saving you hundreds in fuel costs over time. You’ll gain more power while decreasing wear on your engine; meaning a single tank of gas may last you further than with an automatic.

More efficient

Manual transmission cars featuring a stick shift, clutch and three pedals may have their fans, but these types of cars are now much rarer in the United States than before because automatic transmissions provide more efficiency and comfort for drivers.

Automatic transmissions typically contain more gears than most modern manuals, enabling engines to deliver power to wheels more efficiently without making many revolutions; this reduces gas consumption.

Modern automatic transmissions come equipped with additional efficiency-boosting technologies, including shift optimization. This technique uses a computer program to select gears that enable engines to reach near optimal engine speeds.

Continuously variable transmission (CVT), which functions similarly to an automatic, but with infinite combinations of gear ratios that can be selected at any time. A CVT can also be programmed to reduce fuel consumption during slower speeds or congestion situations.

Transmissions can help save fuel by minimizing parasitic losses, which occur when your transmission doesn’t operate efficiently and result in oil supply loss, drag torque and creep or idle torque losses.

Losses associated with pump systems and lubrication methods may also be reduced through various approaches, including using different pump systems and employing more effective lubrication techniques such as reducing main oil supply pressure or installing more efficient vane pumps or applying variable displacement pumps.

Some technologies can be costly. For example, an FEV teardown study estimated a six-speed transmission equipped with wet dual clutch has an estimated direct manufacturing cost of -$147 compared to six-speed automatic transmission.

Beyond just cost savings, however, these technologies also bring other advantages. An EPA/Ricardo study demonstrated that optimization could lower fuel consumption by 5 percent compared to typical MY 2010 shift maps.

Although these benefits exist, much research needs to be conducted on how best to get maximum performance and comfort out of transmissions. Many drivers lack enough experience driving new transmissions which could cause them to feel uncomfortable driving them or lead them down an unsafe path, potentially leading them to crash their vehicles.

Better fuel economy

Although manual transmissions may be more suited to specific drivers than automatic ones, their benefits include improving fuel economy and helping reduce emissions. A study published by Consumer Reports demonstrated this fact – as vehicles equipped with manual transmissions could increase their mileage up to two to five miles per gallon more than automatic models.

Manual transmission cars may be rare in the U.S. market, while in Europe and Japan more than 80% of new car sales feature them. Manuals give drivers greater control, which may help save gas.

Drivers who opt for manual transmission cars may be more attentive and careful behind the wheel, decreasing their risk of an accident. This is because manual vehicles require drivers to focus on driving without fiddling with phones or distracted by surroundings while automatic cars tend to leave drivers more open to distraction.

Research by engineers and psychologists indicates that decreasing vibration dose value or other metrics associated with acceleration and jerk can make shifts smoother for drivers, potentially lowering levels of stress (Dorey and Holmes 1999; Skippon 2014). Unfortunately, however, perceptions may change more than actual performance (Kim et al. 2007).

Transmission design architecture, number of ratios and spreads, parasitic losses within the transmission and its parasitic losses all play an essential role in determining fuel consumption of any vehicle. By increasing transmission ratios or shifting to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), engine consumption may decrease substantially.

As well as cutting fuel consumption, shift optimization algorithms can also reduce oscillations in drivelines and improve shift quality, further cutting fuel usage by between 3.9 to 4.1 percent according to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency. They represent a cost-effective technology solution.

As one example, an automatic six-speed transmission with a seven-speed shift optimization algorithm has been estimated to decrease fuel consumption by an estimated 5 percent in an engine with natural aspiration alone; however, when added to an engine with additional technologies such as intake cam phasing or continuously variable valve lift this effectiveness decreases by approximately 1.6 percent.