Tech Briefs
April 2003
AAD: shifting for itself
Automated manual transmissions (AMTs) provide automatic gearshifts (plus manual mode) with performance, fuel consumption, and emissions approximately comparable with manual transmissions—and with major packaging and cost benefits compared to a torque converter-linked planetary gear system. They are thought to be particularly suitable for small cars, but in everyday use most AMTs fail to provide the shift quality of conventional automatic transmissions. Achieving smooth shifts demands carefully coordinated driving techniques that can become tedious, and failure to achieve a sufficiently high standard results in passenger discomfort and driver embarrassment. New systems using double clutch technology have been designed to solve this problem but may present packaging, weight, and cost challenges, which could make them unsuitable for small cars.
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