What Does a Dual Clutch Transmission Do For You?
The exhilaration you feel when you sit behind the steering wheel is one of the best parts of the drive. The thrill of the open road, a powerful machine at your command, and a spectacularly handling vehicle are all part of it. When your vehicle is designed to make your heart beat a little faster, there’s a good chance it’s equipped with a dual clutch transmission. What does that truly mean? It’s a ‘clutchless’ system, an automatic transmission that shifts on its own. How does a dual clutch transmission make the driving experience so much better?
Ready for the Next Gear
The difference between a high-performance transmission and a typical automatic transmission is in how quickly it shifts. The faster and crisper the shifts are, the better your acceleration will be. Where a typical automatic transmission has one clutch system to switch gears, a dual clutch system already has your next gear ready for you. Pretend you’re in fourth gear. One clutch is holding steady with fourth gear while the other clutch is ready to instantly make a switch. It has the next gear – either up or down – locked and loaded. If a higher gear is demanded, the shift can be completed in the blink of an eye, faster than any racecar driver could shift a manual transmission. If the next lower gear is needed, that shift can be made just as quickly.What’s the Result of a Dual Clutch Transmission?
- First and foremost, you’ll have incredible acceleration from a DCT transmission compared with either a manual or traditional transmission. There’s simply no way to manually shift as fast as a DCT gearbox.
- There’s no lag between shifts. In a normal automatic transmission, there’s a slight but noticeable lag when the transmission needs to change gear up or down. That lag is annoying and robs you of performance.
- It makes for a more enjoyable Acura ownership. The same horsepower and torque can do more when you have a DCT transmission.
