- #1
Wannabeagenius
- 91
- 0
Hi All,
Something has been nagging at me for decades and I feel that this is the place to get the real answer so here goes.
The question concerns the difference between manual transmissions and automatic transmissions regarding traction in snow.
Now it seems to me that given the same input/output gearing and the same number of gears, it would not matter if the transmission were automatic, manual, or powered by several very intelligent mighty mice. The torque at each gear delivered to the wheels would be the same in all cases.
Now anybody, including myself, who has driven a manual transmission knows that there is a sensation of more traction in snow. Is this sensation real or imaginary? If imaginary, why? If real, is it simply a matter of different gearing? If it is real and it is not a matter of different gearing, what in the world is the physics behind it?
Thanks in advance.
Bob
Something has been nagging at me for decades and I feel that this is the place to get the real answer so here goes.
The question concerns the difference between manual transmissions and automatic transmissions regarding traction in snow.
Now it seems to me that given the same input/output gearing and the same number of gears, it would not matter if the transmission were automatic, manual, or powered by several very intelligent mighty mice. The torque at each gear delivered to the wheels would be the same in all cases.
Now anybody, including myself, who has driven a manual transmission knows that there is a sensation of more traction in snow. Is this sensation real or imaginary? If imaginary, why? If real, is it simply a matter of different gearing? If it is real and it is not a matter of different gearing, what in the world is the physics behind it?
Thanks in advance.
Bob