there are two types of trasnmission system
1: Manual transmission
2: Automatic transmission
1 Manual transmission
Manual transmissions come in two basic types:
- A simple but rugged sliding-mesh or unsynchronized/non-synchronous
system, where straight-cut spur gear sets spin freely, and must be
synchronized by the operator matching engine revs to road speed, to
avoid noisy and damaging clashing of the gears
- The now common constant-mesh gearboxes, which can include non-synchronised, or synchronized/synchromesh systems, where typically diagonal cut helical (or sometimes either straight-cut, or double-helical) gear sets are constantly "meshed" together, and a dog clutch
is used for changing gears. On synchromesh boxes, friction cones or
"synchro-rings" are used in addition to the dog clutch to closely match
the rotational speeds of the two sides of the (declutched) transmission
before making a full mechanical engagement.
The former type was standard in many vintage cars (alongside e.g.
epicyclic and multi-clutch systems) before the development of
constant-mesh manuals and hydraulic-epicyclic automatics, older
heavy-duty
trucks,
and can still be found in use in some agricultural equipment. The
latter is the modern standard for on- and off-road transport manual and
semi-automatic transmission, although it may be found in many forms;
e.g., non-synchronised straight-cut in racetrack or super-heavy-duty
applications, non-synchro helical in the majority of heavy trucks and
motorcycles and in certain classic cars (e.g. the Fiat 500), and partly
or fully synchronised helical in almost all modern manual-shift
passenger cars and light trucks.
2 Automatic transmission :
Automatic transmissions are easy to use. However, in the past,
automatic transmissions of this type have had a number of problems; they
were complex and expensive, sometimes had reliability problems (which
sometimes caused more expenses in repair), have often been less
fuel-efficient than their manual counterparts (due to "slippage" in the
torque converter), and their
shift time
was slower than a manual making them uncompetitive for racing. With the
advancement of modern automatic transmissions this has changed.
[citation needed]
Attempts to improve fuel efficiency of automatic transmissions include the use of
torque converters
that lock up beyond a certain speed or in higher gear ratios,
eliminating power loss, and overdrive gears that automatically actuate
above certain speeds. In older transmissions, both technologies could be
intrusive, when conditions are such that they repeatedly cut in and out
as speed and such load factors as grade or wind vary slightly. Current
computerized transmissions possess complex programming that both
maximizes fuel efficiency and eliminates intrusiveness. This is due
mainly to electronic rather than mechanical advances, though
improvements in
CVT technology and the use of automatic clutches have also helped. A few cars, including the 2013 Subaru Impreza
[10]
and the 2012 model of the Honda Jazz sold in the UK, actually claim
marginally better fuel consumption for the CVT version than the manual
version.
For certain applications, the slippage inherent in automatic transmissions can be advantageous. For instance, in
drag racing,
the automatic transmission allows the car to stop with the engine at a
high rpm (the "stall speed") to allow for a very quick launch when the
brakes are released. In fact, a common modification is to increase the
stall speed of the transmission. This is even more advantageous for
turbocharged engines, where the turbocharger must be kept spinning at high rpm by a large flow of exhaust to maintain the
boost pressure and eliminate the
turbo lag that occurs when the throttle suddenly opens on an idling engine.