Manual Transmission THE CONVENTIONAL TRANSMISSION

Manual transmission is also known as standard transmission system or manual gearbox. This is the standard transmission system used in automobiles. Driver clutch engagement and disengagement by the foot pedal engages and disengages the engine from the driving wheels. Gear stick is used to change the gear ratio according to the speed.

The engagement of gears in the gearbox is done by sliding them on their shafts which is rotating at some speed. When the gears got engaged they start rotating at the same speed (if the gears are of same size, they will give same torque transfer to the wheels from the engine). Generally gearbox consists of three shafts, an input shaft, a layshaft and an output shaft.

Gearbox is used to change torque supplied by the engine and transfer to the driving wheels of the vehicle. Manual transmission works by locking the selected gear and transfer it to the output shaft.  Five-speed gear box is the standard gear box nowadays. Gearbox which is accompanied with a pressure plate that accommodates the clutch plate helps to engage and disengage the engine from the gearbox.

Manual gearbox requires more driver involvement with the vehicle.

Gears are used for various purposes, like:

• Good fuel economy of the vehicle, due to the better use of engine power band,
• Better performance over a long range of RPM.

Manual gearbox has advantages like:

• Durability, due to cheap parts and mechanical simplicity,
• Less maintenance is required,
• No cooling mechanism is required for manual transmission,
• Low cost,
• Choosing of correct gear is all over the driver,
• Less RPM changes due to greater number of gears.

Drawbacks of Manual transmission:

• Patters of gear shifts, changes brand to brand,
• Clutch pedal reduces the speed of gear change,
• Clutch pedal seems unhealthy at the time of traffic pronounced shifting of gears,
• Stop at hills makes it harder for the driver weather to leave the clutch or the brake.

Gears are changed with the help of Gear shift stick that is place inside the vehicle and is connected to the transmission system directly or indirectly. Gear Shift stick is available in various shift types, like

• Floor mounted shifter: present at the floor of the vehicle.
• Column-mounted shifter: gear levers are present at the steering column of the vehicle.
• Console mounted: Gear lever is present at the instrument panel

Nowadays manual gearbox is available in popular hatchbacks in Indian market that contain five-speed manual transmission system. In these vehicles the gears are selected by manipulating the gearlever that is connected to the gearbox or the transmission system. The gear pattern layout is available on the gear stick.

Manual gear box provides a better engine and torque control to the driver by allowing him to shift the gears to any engine speed form.