The purpose behind a DCT is to reduce the gap between gear shifts to a minimum, with the benefits being improved performance and fuel efficiency. It wasn’t until 2003 that a production road car featured a DCT, in Volkswagen’s Mk4 Golf R32. The electronics needed for the computerised control module had not yet reached the miniaturisation levels of modern times and so were quite sizeable and took up valuable engine bay space. Space was also a considerable restriction. The Porsche 956 released in 1983 received the distinction of being the first to feature one, and their complexity and expense kept them in the realm of motor racing and high-end super cars for the most part. ![]() Its realisation had to wait until the 80’s, and it was Porsche who eventually became the first major adopter having worked on their own version since the 60’s. Like so many ‘new’ developments for automobiles, the double clutch transmission is an idea that had been around for a significant amount of time before finally being put to use, having been experimented with pre-World War two. ORIGINSĪlso referred to as a Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), most car manufacturers have their own version or versions, but use them selectively across their ranges of vehicles – with the Volkswagen group the most invested in their implementation. Sitting in the middle ground between an automatic and a manual transmission, the simplest way of describing their operation, is that they’re an automatically operated manual transmission – achieved by using two clutches.ĭoing away with the torque converter of a normal automatic transmission, they utilise the traditional gearing methods of a manual - but then split that gearing across two output shafts to allow power flow to shift between them incredibly quickly. Kia has penciled in 2015 as the year in which this transmission will start appearing in their cars.Despite what is undoubtably very clever and complex engineering, the Double (or Dual) Clutch Transmission (DCT), has a mixed reputation with drivers and has not achieved the level of ubiquity many thought it would. The 7-speed transmission offers wider ratio coverage than the 6-speed alternative, which in turn results in a much improved fuel efficiency rating. ![]() The automaker’s new DCT unit is able to minimize the amount of torque lost during shifting by employing continuous power delivery, which also helps make each gear change incredibly smooth. This set-up means that the DCT is able to immediately jump to any of its seven gears, or be able to do it sequentially, depending on what the driver needs at any given time. ![]() There are also two gear input shafts used in the odd and even gear ratios. The use of an external damper means that the new automatic gearbox is a lot more refined.Ī pair of dry clutches are used in the DCT, each of which has an electric motor-driven clutch actuator to help improve fuel efficiency. Kia’s research and developmnet team has also been focusing on NVH through the development process. The goal of the engineers as they designed the transmission was to deliver a 7% increase in fuel efficiency and a 5% improvement in acceleration over the existing 6-speed automatic transmission. 7-speed DCT improves performance & fuel efficiency The new seven-speed automatic gearbox (DCT) takes the best of manual and automatic transmissions and combines them to deliver faster gear changes. The idea is to use this transmission to replace the existing 6-speed automatic that is delivered as an option on a number of different Kia models. This new state-of-the-art automatic transmission is a first for Kia, as they look to deliver improved fuel efficiency, improved performance, and a sportier driving feel to their vehicles. Kia gave a little glimpse into the near future when they showed off their new 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) at the Geneva Motor Show.
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