What are the main functions of a transmission?
2 Answers
The main functions of a transmission are: 1. To change the transmission ratio; 2. To expand the torque and speed of the driving wheels; 3. To enable the car to reverse; 4. To facilitate gear shifting or power output. The maintenance methods for a transmission include: 1. Regularly changing the transmission oil; 2. Frequently checking the oil level; 3. Avoiding coasting in neutral; 4. Regularly cleaning the transmission; 5. Avoiding forced gear disengagement; 6. Reducing the time spent idling to warm up the car. The components of a manual transmission include: input shaft, output shaft, differential, gears for each gear, bearings, synchronizer, gear shift mechanism, shift fork, oil seal, lubricating oil, housing, and output flange.
To me, the transmission is essentially the critical bridge for a car's power delivery. Without it, the engine's power simply couldn't adapt to various road conditions. I've experienced this firsthand while driving – when starting or climbing hills, you need torque, and that's when the transmission shifts to a lower gear, multiplying the engine's torque several times over. Once the car picks up speed on the highway, it automatically shifts to a higher gear, reducing engine RPM for better fuel efficiency. The most obvious function is reverse gear, entirely relying on the transmission's gear set to reverse the drive direction. The smoothness of gear shifts during normal driving also depends on transmission design, especially in automatic cars, where computer-controlled shift timing directly affects comfort. Oh, and it protects the engine too – without a transmission directly connecting to the wheels, climbing hills would surely stall the engine. Nowadays, newer CVT or dual-clutch transmissions are even smarter, delivering seamless power transitions.