Automobiles come with two basic transmission types. First, there are manual transmissions where the driver uses a stick shift to change the gears and then there are automatics which do all of the shifting for you. In general terms, cars with manual transmissions have less moving parts than automatics and tend to get better gas mileage. What many people don’t know is that there is a third type of transmission that offers the best of standard and automatic transmissions to drivers: dual-clutch transmissions (DCT).
![Future Transmission](https://www.todayautonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Future-Transmission.jpg)
Image From Wikimedia Commons
The insides of a DCT are functionally similar to good, old manual transmissions. Let’s review they work. First, when the driver of a manual transmission car changes from one gear to another, they first push down the clutch pedal. When the pedal is depressed, the vehicle’s clutch disconnects the engine from the gearbox. Then the driver uses the stick shift to select a new “gear.” Once the new gear is selected, the driver releases the clutch pedal, which re-connects the engine to the transmission and off they go..
A DCT, by contrast, uses two clutches, but has no clutch pedal. The way it works is that complex electronics and hydraulics control the clutches. This is roughly similar to an automatic transmission. In a DCT, however, the clutches operate independently of each other. One clutch controls the even gears (second, fourth and sixth) while the other controls the odd gears (first, third, fifth and reverse). Using this arrangement, gears can be changed rapidly without interrupting the power flow from the engine to the transmission.
Some explain that a DCT is like an “automated manual transmission.” The service manager at Urse of Morgantown, WV, a full service Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealer tells us that this is actually a pretty accurate description because there isn’t a fluid-coupled torque convertor inside. In principle, the DCT behaves like a standard manual transmission: It’s got input and output shafts and inside are gears and synchronizers. What it doesn’t have is a clutch pedal, because computers and solenoids do the actual shifting for you.
From many perspectives, DCTs are a superior transmission. Perhaps the biggest advantage of a DCT is improved fuel economy. Because power flow from the engine to the transmission is not interrupted by a power-wasting torque convertor, fuel efficiency increases dramatically. Some experts say that a six-speed DCT can deliver up to a 10 percent more mileage than a conventional 5 speed automatic transmission.
Despite all the superlatives, adoption of DCTs hasn’t been rapid so far. The reason is that that some automakers are wary of new technology unless it offers real advantages to the consumer. As with any new technology, it may take several years before DCTs become a major transmission option.