Maintaining Fuel Efficiency as You Drive

By Mister Transmission

More gears, electronic shifting, and dual clutches: here’s how modern transmissions are improving fuel economy

In the unending quest to increase vehicle fuel efficiency, some auto manufacturers are adding more gears to automatic transmissions. It’s two-pronged answer to improving vehicle mileage and adhering to increasingly stringent carbon dioxide emission standards for cars and light-duty trucks.

Adding gears to improve performance is not an entirely new idea, but much of the thrust for doing so concerning maintaining fuel efficiency is the idea that more gears reduce the engine’s operating range. That concept gave way to the creation of continuously variable transmissions (CVT). By keeping engine revs low, a CVT ensures no more fuel is burned than what is required for any type of driving.

Some people believe a manual transmission provides better fuel efficiency than an automatic transmission. There may be a hint of truth to that – and only just – but it depends entirely on the model of vehicle you drive. However, on the whole, a modern vehicle with an automatic transmission is more economical than one with a manual transmission.

Other Transmission Technology Advances

Expanding the number of gears in automatic transmissions or installing a CVT in a car are two approaches intended to increase and maintain fuel efficiency, but here are other options, including automated manual transmissions (AMT) and dual-clutch transmissions (DCT).

AMTs, aka automated clutch-manual transmissions, are thought to provide better fuel economy than other automatic transmissions because they have a clutch instead of a torque converter. That may not be indisputable with the invention of lock-up torque converters and electronic gear shifting. Nevertheless, AMTs also use electronics to shift gears and they provide a similar driving experience to a traditional automatic transmission.

DCTs, also referred to as a twin-clutch transmission, house two clutches: one for even-numbered gears, the other for odd-numbered gears. Compared to a traditional automatic transmission, DCTs reportedly reduce fuel consumption between 3% and as much as 9%. DCTs, powered by a car’s onboard computer, are becoming increasingly common in both domestic and imported vehicles.

The Drive Toward Better Mileage

It’s the automatic transmission innovations among competing auto manufacturers that are transforming the cars we drive, and their improving fuel efficiency. Since the mid-1990s, Canadian motorists have been gravitating toward purchasing vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. That, in turn, led to the increasing rivalry between carmakers to develop more efficient transmissions.

Not to be overlooked, improving your car’s fuel efficiency requires more than adding gears or choosing a vehicle with a CVT. Sleeker auto bodies, buying high-quality tires, and regularly scheduled maintenance of your transmission can all add up to fuel cost-savings.

If you have a question about your car’s differential or transmission, contact the Mister Transmission service centre nearest to you.

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Highly recommended. Ray and guz. Very professional and honest with their work. I drop off my 2018 ford f150 with a 10speed transmission for rebuild and it was nicely done. I got my truck back within a week waiting for parts from ford take the longest. truck drive like new again. Im Very happy. Thank you guys.
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Goldenmitt
Dave at Mr.Transmission was outstanding! I was in a panic and Dave helped me out extremely quickly. My truck was in and out within the day. He explained what the problem was and what needed to be fixed. He gave me a fair price and was very helpful. Thank you Dave and the boys at Mr. Transmission for your great service and quick work.
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Sanjay and his team were...
Amanda Smyth
Sanjay and his team were amazing to deal with! We had just had a bad experience with another auto shop, and Sanjay went above and beyond to ensure our vehicle was repaired as quickly as possible. He provided a quote and stuck to it even though I am sure they put in more labour than I was quoted for. He even drove me to pick up my rental car!
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Excellent service!
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Shawn Irvine
My parents just had their transmission & control arms replaced here. Barry, the Owner/Operator, was amazing to work with. He worked hard to provide us with as many options as possible to keep the pricing manageable, while also trying to ensure they had a usable vehicle in a timely fashion. I spoke with him frequently and he was always transparent on what he was seeing, and where things stood. If ever I, or my parents, have another issue with a transmission, we agree this will be the first place we call.
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One of the best experience my wife and I ever had with any mechanic. Coco and her son, were both amazing, they helped us with our immediate issue. Honest and trustworthy, friendly and understanding. God smiled on us that day when our car problem presented and we were lucky to have been at their shop. They turned a problematic day into one of the finest experiences of our lives.
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