Automatic transmition vs manual transmition - Essay Example

There are two main types of transmission systems in use today: manual transmission systems and automatic transmission systems. This paper shall analyse them using a literature review with the objective of establishing their operation, as well as the merits and demerits of each system. The first vehicular transmission system is the manual transmission system. One major characteristic of this transmission system is the driver’s ability to change the gear ratio using a gear lever as deemed necessary due to engine load changes or terrain differences (Denton, 2012).

The driver achieves this degree of control over the power output fed to the vehicle’s wheels through a clutch system that disengages the engine from the drive shaft leading to the wheels. Manuals transmission systems mainly fall into two distinct groups: trans-axle transmission systems and in-line transmissions systems (Heisler, 2002). The former finds application in front-wheel vehicles such as normal family sedans, while the later is applied in four-wheel and rear-wheel drive vehicles. Automatic transmission systems distinguish themselves from manual transmission systems by virtue of the driver’s limitation in changing the vehicle’s gear ratios as this happens in an automated manner.

These vehicles achieve this level of transmission automation through a torque converter powered by hydraulic fluid driven by the engine itself (Duan, 2014). Therefore, using a system of planetary gears and clutch packs, the engine’s own load and speed engages the required gear ratio using a set of blades in the converter system called the impeller and turbine (Erjavec, 2010). It is important to note that the workings of an automatic transmission unit are far more complicated that this report’s simplified outline, due to the existence of other complex components such as governors and modulators as well as numerous