Benefits and Shortcomings of the 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
In addition
to the very important job of allowing your car come to a complete stop
without stalling the engine, the torque converter actually gives your
car more torque when you accelerate out of a stop. Our DSM torque converters
can multiply the torque of the engine by two to three times. This effect
only happens when the engine is turning much faster than the transmission.
At higher speeds, the transmission catches up to the engine, eventually moving at almost the same speed. Ideally though, the transmission would move at exactly the same speed as the engine, because this difference in speed wastes power. This is part of the reason why cars with automatic transmissions get worse gas mileage than cars with manual transmissions.
To counter this effect, 2g DSM's have a torque converter with a lockup clutch. When the two halves of the torque converter get up to speed, this clutch locks them together, eliminating the slippage and improving efficiency. Sometimes this lockup clutch can cause a headache when modifications are done to increase engine output.
The parts of a torque converter (left to right): turbine,
stator and pump.
Original source of this article - Howstuffworks.com
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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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