[JROC]

Just wondering this.

People often go on about modern automatic transmission cars being faster than the same car with a manual transmission. At the same time the general consensus is that DCT is the ultimate performance car transmission there is available today. I know some will claim CVT (continuously variable transmission) to have the most potential, but let's talk auto vs DCT.

From my understanding a DCT (dual clutch transmission) works like a manual transmission only shifted by a computer. Of course it uses 2 different clutches (I think one for the odd gears and one for the even gears) but they're still clutches working like they do in a manual transmission car. If we people can't bang gears like a modern automatic transmission that uses a torque converter can, then why can a DCT out-shift a torque converter automatic?

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by JROC

Just wondering this.

People often go on about modern automatic transmission cars being faster than the same car with a manual transmission. At the same time the general consensus is that DCT is the ultimate performance car transmission there is available today. I know some will claim CVT (continuously variable transmission) to have the most potential, but let's talk auto vs DCT.

From my understanding a DCT (dual clutch transmission) works like a manual transmission only shifted by a computer. Of course it uses 2 different clutches (I think one for the odd gears and one for the even gears) but they're still clutches working like they do in a manual transmission car. If we people can't bang gears like a modern automatic transmission that uses a torque converter can, then why can a DCT out-shift a torque converter automatic?

Partially its because you've got a robot shifting a manual transmission for you. Humans are slow, machines built for a single purpose are faster.



A more extensive answer, and one thats a lot less glib, is that a DCT is more or less 2 transmissions in 1 -split between odds and evens. So as you're accelerating and going through the gears, the next one needed can be pre-staged. That is why they're generally faster. A TC auto can sometimes be as fast or faster than a DCT (when left to shift on its own) but its not really a contest when you take manual control.