Eli5: How do standard transmissions work, specifically downshifting?
In: Engineering
Do you have a multi-speed bike? It’s the same thing really. The lowest gears are “easy” to pedal….but you pedal like crazy to go very slowly.
You shift gears and your pedaling equals higher road speeds. That’s “up-shifting”,
You come to a hill and peddling gets hard (Lugging your engine) so you “down-shift” to make it easier on your “engine”. You pedal faster (rev higher) but easier.
In a car….your engine likes to be in a certain RPM range to deliver maximum power…..and another RPM range to deliver maximum economy. Shifting the gears makes your best attempt to stay within those ranges depending on road speed and load and elevation changes.
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