Manual Transmissions Are so Old News

Semi-automatic or dual clutch transmissions are becoming more and more prevalent in the automotive industry, such as it is used in the Mercedes SLS AMG, Porsche Carrera, and even the Volvo S40. Dual clutch transmission are the best of both worlds, they are a cross between a manual gear box and an automatic transmission. So what makes them so special? A dual clutch transmission allows a driver to manually change gears without a clutch pedal if they so choose or they can leave the gear selector in a fully automatic mode. Dual clutch transmissions save the user the troublesome task of pushing and releasing a clutch pedal to take off from a stop or to change gears. Dual clutch transmission make driving fun again, no need to worry if your accidentally going to run into the car behind you on a steep hill if you stall your car, all you have to do is leave it in fully automatic mode. If you're feeling sporty on a winding country road then a dual clutch transmission will allow you to be, manual up shift or down shift in numerous ways. Some dual clutch transmission cars have paddles at the steering wheel while others use a contemporary gear shift lever to allow the changing of gears. Dual clutch transmissions also save you gas at the pump, they do this by being in constant connection with the engine's flywheel. In a manual shift car every time you press the clutch in to change a gear you're losing potential power that the car could have used to keep moving, same story goes for an automatic transmission. Automatic transmissions also rob horsepower from your engine since they are all hydraulically operated. Hydraulics require power to make them operate and you can use up quite a bit of your engines energy operating one. Take for instance the new Chevrolet Camaro SS, the automatic version of this car is rated at 26 less horsepower than its six speed manual brother, that's 26 horsepower! Dual clutch transmissions can lead to up to 10% better fuel economy and the clutches don't need to be changed as frequently as a manual transmission; also a dual clutch transmission will outlast an contemporary automatic because the clutches used have more surface area thus reducing ultimate wear.

So how does a dual clutch transmission operate? You may be asking yourself. Well, they aren't simple by any means, but at the same time the principle is; but first we should understand how they came about. Dual clutch transmissions were originally thought up during world war two for military vehicles, but didn't come into a real world application until about 1983 in the Le Mans Porsche 956 race car. Dual clutch transmissions have been used widely in endurance and rally racing ever since. So, how did they make their way into production cars? Volkswagen was trying to make a little sport compact they had more appealing to a wider audience, so they stuffed a dual clutch semi-automatic into the 2003 Golf R32 sport compact. That is where it all began, now dual clutch transmissions are pretty much an option on more expensive or sportier cars since 2008. Dual clutch transmissions seem to handle horsepower quite a bit from the reduction of gear shift shock, it only takes a dual clutch transmission about 8 milliseconds to change a gear so they show up in popular sports cars such as: Nissan Skyline GTR, BMW M3, BMW Z4 sDrive35i, and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

Dual clutch transmissions operate in a simple, but somewhat complex manner to explain. It's not really two clutches (as in two clutch discs), it's two clutch packs that have about three clutch plate discs and three clutch discs. These two sets of clutch packs fit neatly into what is called a clutch drum, one set is smaller in diameter than the other, so, effectively you have one on the outside and one on the inside. The reason you have two clutch packs is so that one can handle the odd shifts: 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th; and the other can handle the even: 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th, and reverse. The actual transmission itself is surprisingly similar to a manual transmission with gears, synchronizers, and shift collars. The shifting mechanisms are electro hydraulic as well as the dual clutch engagement and disengagement. Overall dual clutch transmission are more efficient and more reliable, so we aren't going to see them go any place anytime soon. They may eventually make the manual gearbox an extinct relic as we travel forward in time with automotive technology.