Twin Clutches

[Diego]

Ten years ago it was enough to have paddles on your steering wheel. Then the reality of 13-minute gearchanges hit home.

Audi's S-tronic (nee DSG) changed that and now they're all at it. Predictably, Porsche's PD K is the best.

1868

[divengrabber]

A twin-clutch gearbox, double clutch transmission or dual clutch transmission (DCT) is a semi-automatic transmission with separate clutches for odd and even gears. The outer clutch drives the odd numbered gears, while the inner clutch drives the even numbered gears. Shifts can be accomplished without interrupting power, by applying the engine's torque to one clutch just as the engine's torque is being disconnected from the other clutch. Since the synchronizers that select an odd gear can be moved while driving the car in an even gear, and vice versa, DCTs have been configured which shift more quickly than Formula One and other cars equipped with single-clutch AMTs (automated-manual transmissions, a.k.a. single-clutch semi-automatics). Also, with a DCT, shifts can be made more smoothly than with an AMT, making a DCT more suitable for street-driving.