Why Your Car Needs a Torque Converter
Introduction
to How a Torque Converter Works
Why Your Car Needs a Torque Converter
How it Works
Benefits and Shortcomings of the Torque Converter
Just like manual transmission cars, cars
with automatic transmissions need a way to let the engine turn while the
wheels and gears in the transmission come to a stop. Manual transmission
cars use a clutch, which completely disconnects the engine from the transmission.
Our automatic transmission cars use a torque converter.
Figure 1. The torque converter is situated between the
engine and the transmission, in our FWD based cars, the engine is turned
sideways, but the torque converter location is still between the engine
and transmission.
A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling, which allows the engine to spin somewhat independently of the transmission. If the engine is turning slowly, such as when the car is idling at a stoplight, the amount of torque passed through the torque converter is very small, so keeping the car still requires only a light pressure on the brake pedal. If you were to step on the gas pedal while the car is stopped, you would have to press harder on the brake to keep the car from moving. This is because when you step on the gas, the engine speeds up and pumps more fluid into the torque converter, causing more torque to be transmitted to the wheels. .
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Table of Contents:
Introduction
to How a Torque Converter Works
Why Your Car Needs a Torque Converter
How it Works
Benefits and Shortcomings of the Torque Converter
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