Every car’s function is to transmit power from their engine to the wheels. This is the basic setup of all cars ever since it was invented and it continues to this day, with only some minor adjustments. The throttle is there to control the power that is sent to the wheels. For instance, when you need to climb a hill, you will need more throttle and higher RPM and you press the throttle a little bit harder. Other times, you may only need low RPM especially when cruising down the highway. This control makes your car a great transportation system because you have full control over it.
Transmission Control Module
Most modern cars use transmission control module to control the gear selection of the car. Because of the popularity of automatic transmission, this module has become a necessity for most vehicle. It controls when and how the transmission operates. It uses several sensors around the car to gauge whether a gear change is necessary. Once it detects that the car need to change gear, it will send a signal to the clutch operator to make the necessary change. This type of electronic device is very useful in making driving convenient and practical. Another benefit of this device is it actually selects the safest transmission gear to be in.
As I’ve said above, these gear changes are done by the transmission control module using the data it receives from the engine. There are transmission setups that have manual modes for drivers wanting to have control over their automatic transmission. This module does record the driving patterns of its user and base the transmission performance off of that. This function allows most automatic transmission vehicle to perform as closely to what the driver want without the need to him to do manual gear change.
Computerized Driving Pros and Cons
Because of the modernization of vehicles and the phasing out of manual transmission cars, we have become more and more reliant to computers with regards to driving. Back then, you need to learn how to use the clutch in order to drive around. Today, anyone with a foot can drive a vehicle provided he/she knows the laws about driving. We have the computers to thank for that. Automatic transmission cars have transform our transportation industry in more ways than one. For one, it made it more accessible and easier to learn.
One of the main disadvantage of automatic transmission is it is harder to maintain. Because most of the functions are electronic-related, many transmission repair companies, especially old ones, will have trouble diagnosing the main problem. Good thing that more and more transmission repair companies are learning how to fix newer systems. Soon, manual transmissions will be phasedout completely and they will only operate on automatic transmission.
Future of Driving
As we move into the future, we are slowly but surely offloading most of our tasks to computers. Driverless vehicle are already here and you may own one sooner than you might think. It is the inevitable but welcome future.