Things To Avoid When Driving TORQUE CONVERTER Automatic Transmission

Like the International automotive market, the Automatic transmission is slowly but surely taking the top spots. This is so evident as they offer a great deed of convenience that especially fairs superior over the manual transmission. That said, there are many transmissions in the Indian automotive market one can choose, they range from DCT to CVT, Torque converters to AMTs. Driving a car with an automatic transmission is easy they say, well is it really easy? Or are there other aspects to driving an automatic?

To extract the most life and efficiency out of your torque converter automatic transmission here is what you have to keep in mind.

1. Shifting to Drive Mode with a cold Engine is Bad
   

   

   Everyone needs some time to get up and get running the morning, so does your car. After cranking the engine for the first time for the day, let it idle for about a minute so as to let the engine oil get in all the engine passages. Even after that, it is recommended not to turn the A/C on until the engine reaches its running temperature.

2. It’s Harmful to Suddenly Switch Directions
   

   

   Switching directions here refer to shifting the gear lever to either ‘R’ (Reverse) or ‘D’ (Drive). Coming back to the list, one should not change the direction unless the car comes to a complete stop. Most of the modern cars will not let you change the gears when in motion, so don’t apply force to do it. It might just lead to a deep hole in your pockets.

3. Don’t Coast Down the Hill in Neutral
   

   You might think when coasting down the hill in neutral, the car will give really good mileage. Well, it is right you’ll get ultimate fuel mileage as when in neutral the fuel flow is restricted. But this would be the last thing we want when driving in hilly areas. Where the restricted fuel will deliver more mileage, it’ll also hamper the control over your car. How? You may as when in neutral the only thing one can do is the brake and you lose the tendency to speed up when in urgent need. Problems aren’t over yet, you’ll also load the braking system making them prone to brake fade. When coasting down in Drive will accompany its braking system, as it is called engine braking.
   

4. Driving an Automatic with Two Feet is Dangerously Funny

   The motor skills of a person driving a manual transmission are different from a person driving an automatic. This usually happens with either a newbie or a person driving a manual transmission sits behind the wheel. What will happen? Well, when slowing down to depress a faux clutch in an automatic, the person depressed the brake with his/her left foot with the same intensity. Voila, the car comes to a sudden halt. I’m sure due to this braking force the occupants can experience at least 2-3g’s of G-Force. It is no fun indeed, neither for the occupants nor for the traffic on the road.

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5. Never Rest either of your foot on the Brake Pedal
   

   Almost all the cars with automatic transmission have a dead pedal to rest the foot. Please use that instead of the brake pedal. Talking a look at the second scenario, when the cruise control is engaged many of the drivers rest their feet on the brake pedal out on the highway. Please avoid doing so, as resting your foot on the pedal can lead to a slight depression which can lead to rubbing of the brakes to the disk or the drum. Rest is obvious that the brake pads and shoes in cars with automatic transmission get worn really quick, avoid accelerating it.

6. Avoid Driving with Low Fuel Level
   

   

   The engine technology has come along with that started from carburettor shifted to EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) and then different types of EFI. Later it came down to GDI or gasoline direct injection. This is somewhat similar to the Diesel direct injection. Where the goal was to provide the best possible stoichiometric ratio. That said, with such high-pressure injections into the cylinder you should not run the car on low fuel level, be it petrol or diesel. Low fuel could lead the fuel to suck in air instead of the fuel, that has a really bad impact on fuel delivery. A slight break in the fuel can hamper the whole cycle.

7. Don’t Launch Aggressively
   

   

   Unless your car doesn’t come with a launch control system, don’t bother taking the control in your hands. Where doing so some time is still fine, doing it on a regular basis can have a huge toll on the torque converter. This will surely decrease the efficiency at which the transmission is transmitting the power to the wheels. The torque converter is somewhat an exception here. Sure it will have a hard time coping up with the engine but due to the working fluid in the torque converter, it is somewhat damped.

8. Should know the proper way to towing an Automatic
   

   

   You may know that when the ‘P’ is engaged, it is to stop the vehicle from rolling back or forward on slopes. Well, thinking that, it is a really bad idea of towing your car when it has P engaged. That said, N or Neutral is the best way to tow an automatic vehicle that is front-wheel drive. It is recommended not to drive the towed vehicle on the driving wheels. But if it is a 4X4 there is an exception.

9. Shifting gears with Pedal to the Metal
   

   

   Another way to harm your transmission is by accelerating hard with the pedal to the Metal. Where it is okay to do so in a DCT, this will have a significant toll on a torque converter. With the engine on the boil and shifting gears, there is a slight delay when shifting the gears. In the meantime, the engine will be running at even high RPMs. Later, like the torque converter clamps back, a sudden load will be applied on the engine.

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