Various types of transmission system and their advantages

There are different types of transmission systems on vehicles out there, having the same functions but different working principles. Having reached this stage on the transmission system, you probably know its basic fundamental. Well, it has been covered in an article that was explained to be the mechanism that transmits the power created by an automobile engine to the driving wheels called the TRANSMISSION SYSTEM (or POWER TRAIN). A transmission system is referred more specifically to the gearbox, in fact, the 5-speed transmission refers simply to the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains.

Today we’ll be looking at the various types of automobile transmission system and their working.

Contents

Types of transmission system:

The following stated below are the kinds of transmission systems you can find on vehicles:

Manual Transmission System (MT)
Automatic Transmission System (AT)
Automated Manual Transmission System (AM)
Continuously Variable Transmission System (CVT)

Manual Transmission system:

In the manual type of transmission system, the power is generated by the engine to the axles that turn the wheels. The other types of transmission serve the same purpose but work differently. The manual transmission system is known as a “standard transmission” or a “stick shift.”

It uses a Driver-operated clutch to regulate torque transfer from the engine to the transmission which is typically engaged and disengaged by a foot pedal. Manual transmissions have one of the easiest and simplest mechanisms, they also often have the longest lives. This is because there is less to go wrong in the mechanism.

They also offer the best fuel economy, and vehicles with a manual transmission system tend to be a bit cheaper than other types. The most professional driver enjoys driving such. Furthermore, in manual transmission, the driver selects all gears manually using both the moveable gear selector and the driver-operated clutch.

manual transmission

Automatic Transmission:

To be honest automatic transmissions are easy to engage but their mechanism is more complex. For drivers who see the engagement of the manual transmission as extra work then the automatic transmission is the best option. The automatic transmission changes gears automatically and the gear ratios at the vehicle move.

Vehicles are easily controlled at low speeds with an automatic transmission rather than a manual. This is because of the side effect of the clutchless fluid coupling design known as “creep” which allows the car to want to move while in a driving gear, even at idle. Below are some advantages of the automatic transmission system:

Faster transmission response
Comfort at gear switching
Good torque capacity
Proven technology

In addition to the automatic transmission system, a torque converter, planetary gearset, and clutches or bands are used to shift through the vehicle’s forward gears automatically. However, some cars that feature automatic transmissions give the driver little amount over the manual control. For instance, the driver can control the upshifts and downshifts by using the buttons or paddles on the steering wheel or the gear selector. Another name for this transmission system is “shiftable automatic,” “Tiptronic” and “Autostick”

automatic transmission

Automated Manual Transmission:

Just like the manual transmission, the automated manual also uses a mechanical clutch. However, the clutch is not controlled with the driver’s consent or through the clutch pedal, rather is automated using electronic, pneumatic, or hydraulic controls. This transmission system is also known as a “Direct Shift Gearbox” or a “Sequential Manual Gearbox.” Either fully automatic forward gear shifts or manual shifts are allowed in the gear selector or through the buttons or paddles on the steering wheel. Some advantages of the automated manual transmission system include:

Low production cost
Low fuel consumption
Shorter switching times
Advanced functionalities like hill hold or launch control etc.

Continuously Variable Transmission:

The continuously variable type of transmission system is abbreviated as CVT and is also known as a shiftless transmission. It is the modification of the automatic transmission that changes seamlessly through a continuous range of effective gear ratios as opposed to a fixed number of gear ratios.

The transmission system uses belts, pulleys, and sensors rather than gears to maintain a steady acceleration with no interval for the gear to change. The belt-driven design gives approximately 90% efficiency which is lower than the manual transmission system. However, due to the fact that the CVT can keep the engine at its optimum power, this thereby increases its efficiency and gas mileage.

continuously variable transmission

That’s it for this article, “Types of the Automobile Transmission System.” I hope you enjoyed the reading, if so, kindly comment, share, and recommend this site to other technical students. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to see more posts as they are published. Thanks!

Various types of transmission system and their advantages