South African racing driver and CAR Journal contributor Deon Joubert writing on the artwork and intricacies of a handbook transmission, within the January 2023 situation of CAR Journal.
After I was a child, vehicles have been largely handbook. That they had small engines, and handbook gearboxes used to supply a 4-speed, and later 5-speed possibility. Computerized gearboxes often belonged to lazy, massive heavy cars with torque converters; usually three-speeds that wanted a giant V8 engine to show them. Small Computerized vehicles have been slower whereas additionally utilizing extra gasoline.
But it surely’s changing into more and more regular to see computerized gearboxes, even in bakkies. I consider one of many causes that that is the case is {that a} diesel engine with a turbo, or any turbo for that matter, could have extra torque greater up the rev vary, however they’re simple to stall. So it really makes for a far nicer driving expertise if the automobile has an computerized transmission. It’s additionally simpler to go offroading with an computerized, significantly with all of the digital aids in trendy 4x4s.
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For efficiency vehicles, producers have additionally moved away from the handbook gearbox to the Double Shift Gearbox (DSG) and recently 9-speed computerized gearboxes, each of which I a lot choose. A DSG gearbox is basically an automatic handbook gearbox with two clutches. The gearbox can predict which gear you’ll doubtless use subsequent and put together for it, permitting for quicker and smoother gear adjustments. And the most recent Computerized gearboxes are shut behind with gear change velocity. I discover this particularly necessary in the case of deciding on the correct gear when taking a nook; if I’m driving a automobile for the primary time on the observe and it’s a handbook, I could select a gear however then have to alter whereas I’m in the course of the nook, with a handbook this implies lifting the throttle and shedding the engine velocity, whereas with the DSG or computerized you simply pull a stage and it does the gear shift for you in the course of the nook, at an unimaginable transition velocity and with the throttle large open which retains the air flowing by means of the engine.
The factor with DSGs is that the motive force expertise comes from how the producers have programmed their gearboxes, and with a few of them the programming wasn’t as enjoyable. 10 years in the past, the Nissan GTR and a few of the BMW gearboxes have been a revelation in the way in which that they interacted with the motive force, and I actually loved these. In the present day all of the DSGs work very properly with the ZF-style automatics shut behind.
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Street automobile handbook gearboxes all have synchromesh which permits the 2 driveshafts within the gearbox to match the speeds in order that gears may be modified, particularly downshifting with out revving the engine. Additionally they have helical gears that are quieter in addition to numerous rubber mounts within the linkages which makes every little thing extra sloppy.
Essentially the most enjoyable handbook gearboxes, nevertheless, are present in critical race vehicles and don’t have synchromesh however have canine rings and straight-cut gears which produce a few of the most wonderful sounds. The gear adjustments are very satisfying and upshifts may be carried out with no clutch and wish some talent, particularly to not spherical off the canine rings, the place it’s important to match the speeds of the 2 shafts by revving throughout downshifts. The approach is known as “heel and toe”. “Heel and toe” is braking whereas blipping the accelerator. It’s tough to take care of brake stress whereas revving the engine, so very quick drivers won’t hassle, accepting some gearbox harm for lap occasions.
An evolution of the so-called H sample canine ring field was the sequential shift gearbox, which operates on a aircraft ahead and again and you may’t skip gears like with an H sample.
They’re very exact and quick and when you’ve got an engine interrupt, you may change gears with out lifting the throttle. A sequential shift handbook gearbox is well essentially the most satisfying mechanical expertise I’ve had, and in our Touring Automobile days all of us had blisters on our fingers from driving with them..
Street automobile handbook gearboxes simply aren’t as satisfying because of the want to make use of the clutch, the synchromesh and all of the imprecise linkage motion. Anyway, when you recover from 400 kW, I don’t know the way a clutch able to dealing with that may handle to really feel prefer it does in visitors.
Canine ring gearboxes can’t be used on the highway, so a much better possibility – providing virtually the identical enjoyable – is the DSG gearbox. With regard to the DSG, these days you’ve got a paddle on the steering wheel that you simply pull, and relying on what sort of tactile sense that paddle has, that’s what you are feeling you’re doing though all of the shifting is going on contained in the gearbox and occurring extraordinarily rapidly. Due to the gear pre-select, all that’s occurring is the alternating of the clutch, and the result’s an prompt gear shift.
Nothing will ever match the uncooked, inflexible gear shifts allowed by Canine Ring methods, given the mechanics that go into manufacturing the modern-day computerized. However by way of efficiency on the observe, and comfort on the highway, you can not dispute the utility of a DSG or 9-Velocity computerized system.
The video below goes into somewhat little bit of element.
