When buying their first car, a beginner has many questions. First, they are interested in which gearbox is better to choose mechanics or automatic. Some motorists know about cars only that you need to switch the gear yourself on the mechanics of transmission, and the automated equipment does it without the driver’s participation.
Mechanical gearbox
The principle of operation of a manual transmission is since the driver himself changes the gears through which the torque is transmitted from the engine to the wheels of the car to ensure the optimal engine speed, at which it gives out its maximum efficiency at the required driving speed. When the driver depresses the clutch, the circuit is opened, and the engine does not transmit torque.
Using the lever from the passenger compartment, the driver puts the desired gear in the right place and, releasing the clutch, closes the chain with the new gear. This is a simple description of how it works. Today, cars with a manual gearbox are the most reliable type of gearboxes due to their simplicity of design and the absence of the need for electronics for operation.
Consider the advantages of this type of checkpoint:
- Economy – with skillful driving, you can save fuel well by operating the engine in those modes with minimum consumption. In addition, when driving on the highway when leaving hills, you can put the car in neutral, letting the engine idle.
- The car’s dynamics – on the mechanics, it depends only on the driver at what speed the engine will work. This allows you to lower the gear and give the car more torque when overtaking on the highway or in the city; accelerate the car faster to the speed you need; use “box braking” in emergencies. The automatic machine itself decides when to change gears and does not allow any arbitrariness.
- Affordability of operation – since this is a relatively simple device, then repairing and purchasing a new gearbox will be much cheaper than repairing an automatic machine.
- Gaining experience is the main argument for new drivers to consider. Those who have experience driving cars with mechanics can always sit down and immediately drive any vehicle in the world. But those who constantly drive the vehicle will have problems even getting underway on the mechanics. This is because mechanics teaches you to listen to the engine’s sound, listen to its extraneous noises, and develop attentiveness and responsibility when driving.
Disadvantages of manual transmission:
- Inconvenient – yes, it is corny inconvenient to drive around the city with a mechanic. If you get into a stream of red light, you don’t have to remove your hand from the gear lever at all. The constant movement of the arms and legs makes the driver look like an octopus. Repetition after each traffic light clutch, first, gas, clutch, second, gas – can infuriate any driver. Especially when driving in a traffic jam.
- The resource of the motor and transmission – a beginner, with his inept actions, can force the engine to work in extreme modes, which reduces its resource. The same goes for the clutch. A beginner can burn it, constantly squeezing it out while thinking about actions at a traffic light, when leaving a parking lot, and the like performed automatically by experienced drivers. And the repair of manual transmissions, although not the most expensive, is still an extra-budgetary occupation.
Pro-tip: automatic or manual gearbox, don’t forget to take tires into account. Tires are often overlooked, which turns out to be the root cause for all the unpleasantries in driving. So ensure you equip your vehicle with the corresponding tires. For example, suppose you own a van; one proper corresponding tire would be the Dunlop SP VAN01.
Automatic gearbo
Previously, cars with automatic transmissions were inferior to mechanical ones in many respects, except for ease of driving. They had just incredibly colossal fuel consumption, few gears, due to which the dynamics of the car was critically reduced, there were failures during gear shifting.
Today, automata are so advanced that they are in many ways superior to mechanics. And every day they are improving even more. So, let’s look at the advantages of slot machines:
- Dynamics – cars of the premium segment have automatic transmission with two clutches, increasing acceleration dynamics. But the classic, not so perfect box models are put on cheaper vehicles that are more suitable for beginners. Therefore, it seems like an advantage, but for a beginner, it does not matter.
- Convenience – indeed, even a first-time driver will be able to move off any road from any angle. Moreover, driving with automatic transmission is fun.
- More resources – due to the inability to independently control the engine speed by the driver and gentle modes of operation from the computer, and the transmission itself and the engine have a longer service life.
For many, the argument will already be enough that automatic transmission is just convenient. But still, such boxes did not remain without drawbacks (we will talk about the shortcomings of simple machines that are installed on most middle-class cars):
- The automatic engine accelerates the car more slowly.
- Higher level of fuel consumption.
- It is impossible to start the car “from the pusher” in the cold season.
- The cost of a vehicle with a machine gun is, on average, one thousand dollars more.
- Repairing or replacing an automatic transmission will be very expensive.
The choice of a mechanic or automatic machine for every novice driver is a personal matter. But as we said, learning to drive, feel the car, manage it as an extension of yourself is better on mechanics. Yes, it is not so convenient; it often causes irritation and driving is no longer a pleasure. But still, this is the first car you will change from in 2-3 years. Then, you will be grateful to your firstborn with mechanics for an invaluable experience.
