How much does a transmission weigh?

You might be wondering what makes your vehicle heavy. Since the transmission is technically the gearbox of any car, some speculate it might have the most weight. Hence the question: how much does a transmission weigh?

An average transmission weighs about 100 to 400 pounds, and it is almost the same weight as a dolphin. Hence, if you have cause to carry a transmission for any reason (like delivering it to a destination, lifting it in a garage, moving it with a truck, or loading it into a vehicle), you should be adequately prepared to handle its weight. This article will explore the role of the transmission in a car, its types, and its weight.

What is transmission in a car?

The transmission in cars is synonymous with “control.” Between five and six gear sets plus a series of gear trains make up the transmission. These components allow you to control your car’s power without changing your engine’s speed.

Transmission enables your wheels to get the correct amount of power it needs and keeps your engine spinning at a proper rate. Without a transmission, starting and stopping a car will be difficult.

What does the transmission do?

The following is a summary of the role of transmission in vehicles:

• It prevents the engine from self-destruction: the gearbox system is what lends stability to a car’s engine. Without it, the engines will work too fast, causing overheating and quick wear
• It helps you utilize your vehicle’s power and control whether it goes fast or slow
• Its turning gears do not overload engines
• Its mechanism is largely responsible for stopping a car in motion.

What are the types of transmission?

To understand how transmissions work, let us look at the types of transmissions that exist. There are basically four types of transmission, and they include:

Manual transmission

The manual transmission is the oldest and simplest type still in use. It is characterized by a friction clutch controlled by a driver’s foot. The clutch connects the engine’s rotational energy and the transmission’s input shaft.

A synchro and gear-selected fork connected to the shifter from the input shaft engage a set of gears. The shifter is what the driver operates while driving (uses it to change gears).

The main advantage of manual transmission lies in its simplicity. It is easy to fix, has a relatively cheaper cost of repairs, and it also saves gas, and offers better performance than other transmission types.

However, the manual transmission requires a lot of control while on the wheel. A little mistake can send your car crashing down a hill! There are also some differences when it comes to the matter of “how to rev a car by transmission type“, but both types are special in their own way.

The manual transmission has several sub-categories under it, and they include:

• Dual-clutch: more common in older cars, and its contemporary variant is a significant upgrade
• Synchronized: double clutching was eliminated in this transmission, and pads were used to slow down the constantly working gears
• Unsynchronized: transmissions with this system were powerful. They were also called rock-crushers
• Single-clutch: a computer controls the shifting and the clutch for this transmission. Dual clutches replaced it as they handle increased torque better than the single clutch
• Automated: AMT, this transmission system uses a computer to control the shifting and the clutch, and heavy-duty trucks use it
• Preselector: in this transmission system, engaging the clutch at any time constantly shifts gear to the next forward gear. It was used mainly in the 1930s till the early 1950s.

Automatic transmission

With the advancement in technology came automatic transmissions. An automatic transmission curbs the stress of controlling a vehicle using manual transmission. In this transmission type, the vehicle’s computer controls the gear shift and the complex torque converter transmits the vehicle’s rotational energy.

Unlike manual transmission, the automatic transmission has a series of clutches, brakes, and a planetary gear set. In the case of a fault, the complex setting of the automatic transmission makes it difficult and costly to repair. Considering how simple it is to drive the automatic (select the P-R-N-D-L choices on the gear selector), it is a fair trade-off.

Recent automatic transmission technologies aim to give a similar performance and fuel economy to a manual transmission. The closer they achieve this, the more gears automatic transmission adds to itself. Over the years, the automatic transmission has seen lots of improvements.

Continuously variable transmission (CVT)

The first thing to notice about the CVT is that it has no gear. Some drivers reveal that using it feels more like an appliance than driving.

CVT uses belts and pulleys to produce an infinite amount of ratios. The car’s computer creates the best balance for a driving situation by adjusting the pulleys. It works like an automatic transmission but without gears.

No other transmission boasts of a good fuel economy like the CVT. Also, they are second best at durable and low repair prices after manual transmission. Still, we can’t overlook a few CVT transmission problems, so not all the models are safe to buy used.

Semi-automatic and dual-clutch transmissions

The semi-automatic transmission utilizes a system of pneumatics and actuators to change gears with a mechanical layout similar to conventional transmission. On the other hand, dual-clutch transmission has separate clutches for odd and even gears. Drivers can operate this gearbox either manually using paddles on the steering wheel or in a fully automatic mode.

The semi-automatic and dual-clutch transmissions system’s strength lies in their faster gear changes than all other transmission types. They also give a superb performance than the manual transmission.

Unfortunately, these systems are highly complex, making repairs frequent and costly. They are mostly used in racing cars and high-end sports cars.

The commonly used transmission types are manual and automatic transmissions. For the manual transmission, a driver has to select the proper gear and engage or disengage the clutch. To engage and disengage the car engine from the transmission, a manual car uses a flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch. In other to make a shift, you have to push the clutch first.

In contrast, automatic transmissions replace the clutch with a torque converter for changing gears.

Our take

Transmissions come in different sizes and types. They control your engine, helping you maximize the potential of your vehicle.

An average transmission weighs between 100 and 400 pounds. When moving them, use adequate protection to avoid little accidents. And if you’ve not decided which transmission type is best for you, considering your regular schedule and passion for driving will give you a lot of insight on which to use.