All About Cars

How Do Car Manual Transmission Systems Function?

19 July 2018

Gladys Carter

Sometimes referred to as a powertrain, a transmission system takes the energy created by a car's motor and transmits it to the wheels. Of course, the revolutions that occur in your engine and not transmitted at a 1:1 ratio to your wheels so the transmission system must mediate the power that is created in some way. Therefore, the transmission system in your car is not just a series of axles that connect the wheels directly onto the engine.

Not only does the transmission system adjust the speed of the wheels' rotation so that you can control your car properly, it allows you to disconnect the power of the engine to the wheels entirely. Both of these functions are carried out by the car's gearbox — the integral part of any transmission system.

Converting Torque to Road Power

Torque is the rotational force generated by your car's engine. To adjust this to a usable level that means you can drive your car up hills, in traffic and on the open road, you need to be able to select the right gear ratio. In a low gear, a ratio of about 3:1 can be expected in the average family car gearbox. In fifth gear, about 0.8:1 is commonplace. Therefore, it would take much more energy to move a wheel of your car by one revolution in fifth gear unless it was already turning. This is why driving instructors teach their students to pull away in first and cruise in higher gears.

Of course, you also need neutral in order to stop the car's engine from delivering any power to the wheels at all. In addition, a reverse gear is offered by all gearbox manufacturers for certain types of manoeuvre. This usually has the highest gear ratio of all.

Why Should I Maintain the Transmission System?

Without a regular service of your transmission system, all sorts of problems can occur. Typically, a gearbox will slip if it is not in good condition. You tend to notice this as you step up a gear and find that power suddenly drops as you accelerate. Equally, incorrectly aligned gears can grind on one another causing a wretched sound that informs you immediately that something is not right.

Gearbox repairs are always simpler when problems with the transmission system are detected at an early stage. Without the repair of a faulty gearbox, you can eventually expect damage to your engine which will be beyond economical repair.

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