Eli5 what does the transmission on a car do and how does it work?

Question

Eli5 what does the transmission on a car do and how does it work?

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Answer 1

It changes the ratio at which the engine spins its shaft compared to the speed the wheels spin.

The more times the engine’s shaft spins per times the wheels spin, the harder the engine can push the car up a hill or get it moving from being stopped.

Once the car is moving then the engine doesn’t have to push the car as hard to keep it moving. So the transmission makes the number times the engine shaft spins closer to the same as the number of times the wheels spin.

The real name of the shaft coming out of the engine is, “crank shaft,” and the transmission doesn’t actually go from the engine to the wheels, but this is a simple way to visualize it.

For more information, look up diagrams that show the crank shaft, the gears inside the transmission, the various kinds of transmissions, and how it connects to the power train.

If someone argues with you about what the “power train” is, be aware that I am using the phrase in its original sense. Some people prefer to call everything from the engine to the tires by that name.

So don’t let that confuse you.