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Category: New cars

Program Guide

2024

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Program Guide
Program Guide
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TRANSMISSIONS

The basic principles of the operation of transmissions have remained unchanged for many years. But designers are relentlessly trying to perfect ancient designs.

MECHANICS

Manual gearboxes are still the most common. Over the past decades, they have not undergone radical changes. But designers are forced to adapt to all the stricter requirements for the dynamics, and most importantly, the economy of cars. Relatively recently, the five-speed gearbox, which seemed to be on top of perfection, has long become common, even on very inexpensive cars. Today, six-speed units are increasingly moving from expensive sports models to the "average".

What gives an extra step? Jeg Beyer from the Ford team, who designed the transmission for the latest generation of Mondeo, answers this question: “Usually we designed five-speed gearboxes, trying to provide good acceleration or maximum speed - or, or … By adding another gear, we got a good acceleration dynamics without sacrificing speed potential.”

In words, everything is simple. In fact, the compact 52-kg “box” MMT6 collected a lot of the latest technologies: for example, steel sliding gearshift clutch made by stamping and laser welding. They are much more reliable and durable than traditional cast. The gears of the most loaded gears (from I to IV) were equipped with additional synchronizers to reduce friction and more soft shifting. Needle bearings of gears contribute to this. As a result, the new box copes with the transmission of high torque, it is much easier to switch “to cold” and requires less than 2 liters of oil for refueling.

Naturally, Ford is far from the only manufacturer of six-speed transmissions. And on the way already seven-speed units. But even in the “middleweight” competitors have long been pushing the mechanics.

AUTOMATION

Most Americans have no idea how to shift gears manually. Many machines still have units that have been familiar for decades, planetary gearboxes with torque converters. Despite the complexity of the mechanical-hydraulic filling, they are reliable and durable.

In addition, the design is extremely convenient for modernization. As with manual gearboxes, the number of gears has now increased from three to five to six; the units have not been controlled by analog control units for a long time - they were replaced by microprocessor ones; additional modes appeared for active, winter and economical driving and even self-adaptation (adjustment) of the box to the driving style.

But perhaps the most severe blow to mechanical competitors was inflicted by the massive introduction of “automatic machines” with manual gearshift: Sensonic, Tiptronic, Steptronic … The same thing hides behind different names: you can control the gearbox in manual mode by pushing the lever back and forth. You can do without a lever at all: more and more buttons are installed directly on the steering wheel - another borrowing from motorsport. Now it’s a sin for lovers to pull the lever to complain about “stupid automatics”.

In fairness, we note: modern automatic transmissions have "taught" to react so quickly to the driver’s command with the gas pedal that it is difficult for the latter to compete with it.

On the "automatic front" new changes are coming. Recently, Mercedes-Benz announced that on the models of S- and E-classes is about to make its debut … seven-speed automatic “7 G-tronic”. With it, the car significantly outperforms the five-speed analogue, improved elasticity in the range of 60–120 km / h, fuel consumption was reduced by 0.5 l / 100 km, and switching even a few steps down became almost imperceptible for riders. When switching to the kick-down mode (pedal to the floor), the electronics do not go through all the transmissions from top to bottom, but jumps over one.

The torque converter is blocked not only in higher gears, but also in first gear, minimizing slipping time.

The ideal is close, but so far unattainable. With all the advantages of such a transmission, it still has significant disadvantages - high price, power loss and, consequently, increased fuel consumption. Therefore, engineers create …

HYBRID IN A BOX

How to distinguish a car with a manual from an automated analogue? Many will probably answer: the lack of a clutch pedal and a shift lever. Today it is not so!

Automated mechanical boxes are appearing more and more often, in which electronics are in charge of the clutch and gearshift: its teams execute pneumatic, hydraulic cylinders or solenoids. The clutch pedal is not needed, and the shift lever is more like a selector “automatic”.

As often happens, the first pancakes came out lumpy: a lot of jolts accompanied the switch, and when the gas was discharged, the cars pecked their nose. But the flaws gradually wore out.

In the Mazda’s Auto-Shift transmission, wheel speed sensors, throttle angle and torque sensors work continuously, providing optimal shift times and selecting the right gear. It even implements engine braking. On the descent, the box “freezes” in gear, in which engine braking is most effective. If the sensors detect significant resistance to movement, for example, on a lift or when towing a trailer, the electronics changes the program, reducing the number of switches so that the box does not “rush” from transmission to transmission.

Finally, if you drown the gas pedal to the floor, Auto-Shift turns off the overdrive mode, instantly pushing the lower gear.

OPTIONS

A little relieve the transmission of planetary mechanisms, solenoids or clutches? At the same time make the gear ratio smoothly change, adapting to the driving conditions? Fantasy? Not at all! Attempts to do this have been undertaken over a century ago!

CVTs or CVTs (Continuous Variable Transmission) are of several types, but V-belts are most widely used. The principle of operation is temptingly simple: a pair of split pulleys between which the belt moves. A smooth shift of the belt entails an equally smooth change in the gear ratio.

CVTs have long been uncommon on snowmobiles, jet skis and quadricycles, that is, where it is not required to transmit large torque. The Achilles heel has always been a belt that does not withstand heavy loads and often requires replacement.

It is not known how the fate of the variator would have developed if it were not for the Dutchman Van Doorn, who instead of a belt proposed a pushing plate chain made of steel tape and trapezoidal segments strung on it. This decision led to the appearance in the 1980s of small cars with CVT “boxes”. Nevertheless, for a long time it was believed that CVTs were the destiny of only low-power machines. But gradually this myth is dispelled.

Nissan mass-installs the Ekstroid system on the Gloria and Zedric models. The motor of these machines with a volume of 3 liters produces 176 kW / 240 liters. with. and 310 N.m of torque. Audi is also not far behind with Multitronic for the 193-horsepower version of the A6 with a 2.8-liter engine that develops a torque of 280 N.m.

German engineers were able to achieve reliable operation of the variator by picking up a combination of a multi-row steel chain-belt, consisting of 1025 links, special grades of steel, from which pulleys are made, thought-out oil formulations.

Designers have already taught CVTs to work in manual mode. Having programmed the values of the gear ratios, the variator can be turned into an analogue of a gearbox with sequential switching.

Audi designers even adapted to customers who were annoyed by the motor working on the same note: after all, the variator takes the engine to the optimum speed zone and “freezes” while the car picks up speed. Engineers thought of adjusting the electronics so that with the throttle open at a quarter, the motor would spin up to only 3, 000 rpm. It is worth pushing the pedal harder, the engine will increase speed to 4500, but in full load mode it will “sing” at close to maximum 6000 rpm.

The advantages of the variator are obvious. “CVTs are lighter, simpler in design and more economical than traditional 'automatic machines, '” says Audi production manager Phillip Braback, “and as fast as manual gearboxes.”

OPTIONS POSSIBLE

Obviously, in the coming years, traditional mechanical boxes will remain only on cheap compact models and … some sports cars for a narrow circle of connoisseurs. The “automatic machines” that are growing thin before our eyes are still holding their positions, but are retreating in front of semi-automatic units and continuously variable transmissions. Probably, by the time hybrid cars become mass, a V-belt variator will be just as familiar. On a machine where part of the work is done by an efficient electric motor, a continuously variable transmission for its gasoline counterpart looks particularly logical.

The number of gears in manual gearboxes of passenger cars is growing. Today, not only sports cars are equipped with six-speed ones, but also golf-class models - for example, Volkswagen-Turan.

The army of semi-automatic transmissions is growing every day. The LuK company promotes several schemes at once: the ASG family with electric clutch and gear shift drives has taken root at the Opel Corsa: 1 - clutch drive; 2 - self-adjusting clutch; 3 - gearbox drive.

How long has BMW introduced the first production car with a six-speed automatic, and Mercedes-Benz is ready to offer a seven-speed “7 G-tronic”.

The basis of the Multitronic variator is a stacked steel chain.

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