Automatic and Manual transmission systems are the main types of transmission for vehicles. Both transmission types work to bring about movement in vehicles by connecting the engine to the wheels. They both have a gearbox that has a gear system that keeps alternating to give different power levels to the wheels, depending on what the vehicle requires. Generally speaking, these two transmissions are different in several mechanical ways. Manual transmission systems are generally cheaper to maintain in comparison to their automatic counterparts. We’ll discuss some of the reasons why in more details below.
Difference between Manual and Automatic Vehicles
The most significant difference between manual and automatic transmission systems is mainly the shifter layout. The shifter is often located between the seats that are in front, and often acts as a shifter that is used to change the placement of the gear transmission. In some old models, it is found attached to the column of steering or the dash.
Automatic Systems
In automatic cars, the shifters are simple, with alternations between four different modes for driving. The modes are park, reverse, neutral and drive, and they are often arranged in that respective order. These shifters in an automatic transmission system allow you to handle different conditions for driving by simply shifting gears.
Manual Systems
For manual transmission system vehicles on the other hand, there are about five to seven gears for forward movement, together with one gear for reverse. The different gears are numbered, with a correspondent of high numbers to a greater distance being covered.
In addition to the acceleration and the brake pedals, manual transmission systems also have a clutch pedal. The pedal for clutch is located to the left of both the brake and acceleration pedals, and helps the driver control different speeds by engaging the clutch plate.
Factors that Contribute to Manual Transmission Systems being Cheaper
1) Fuel Efficiency
Most Automatic cars generally tend to waste power of the engine by automatically switching up to higher gears unnecessarily. This therefore leads to quite a bit of wasted gas. Manual transmission systems on the other hand can easily switch to low gear, providing a high-power burst in the process. This enables manual vehicles to use much less fuel to achieve the same results.
Automatic system vehicles are not able to make such gear switches on their own. As such, they end up using much more gas and are thus considered to be less efficient in terms of fuel.
2) Maintenance
Manual transmission systems are cheaper to maintain and generally also require less maintenance in comparison to the automatic type. In addition, manual vehicles have very simple layouts. Because of this, they will tend to have very few repairs in comparison to the automatic ones that are so sophisticated.
The cost for a transmission replacement for the two types of transmission systems also differs greatly. The cost for the manual system is quite cheaper, ranging from around $1,500 to $3000. The cost for an automatic system is slightly higher, with a range of between $2000 and $3000.
Conclusion
Manual transmission systems are cheaper in terms of maintenance, in comparison to the automatic transmission system. This is because of the simplicity of the layout in manual vehicles; it is a simplicity that is quite affordable to maintain. Additionally, the different shifter and gear systems enable manual transmission vehicles to use very little gas, hence making them even more cost efficient.