This month we will discuss transmissions, how to choose one and how they work.

Manual and automatic, are they the same? The answer is no they are not. A manual is a gearbox that has a steel rod attached to the box. In order to shift through the gears must be glided and then they shift. An automatic is shifted by an electronic signal at a predetermined rpm safe for the motor.

Manual transmissions can be harmful to the motor if not used correctly. They can tear a motor to pieces and ruin it from the inside out. Problems with a car usually come from the motor and how it was put together.

Although the transmission is an extremely important part of the drive train, it can be harmful if not installed correctly. It should be properly hoisted into the bellhousing. If it is not it could disengage from the flywheel and fall out while driving. The bolts must also be torqued to a certain specification.

“Transmissions can be very helpful or very dangerous to a car,” Will Worstien, of Chucks Transmission in Fresno, said. ” A manual transmission is more harmful to a motor than an automatic if shifting rates are too quick or off target.” They can be reached at 255-1320.

“An automatic transmission is monitored and controlled by electronic signals,” Worstien went on to explain. “No transmission is geared the same as another. Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge all have different gearboxes.”

Ever since the mid 1800s people have been attempting to invent transmission gearboxes that will effortlessly shift their car. Transmissions can be geared low or high. Low for fast acceleration and not much top speed and high the opposite.

Karl Benz was a pioneer and a respected man in the automotive industry. He was said to have built the first running motor and have the first successful transmission. His transmission was first and still holds it’s mark as a baseline gearbox.

What it all comes down to is that both transmissions can do the same things. A manual can be better for road and track racing and quarter mile racing if shifting and clutch work is on time and correct. An automatic is a more leisurely and can be better for a tired driver or a driver not used to road conditions.