- Cars have an engine, whether it is fuel-powered or electric. The engine creates the power necessary to move the vehicle. Smaller engines normally have less power than bigger ones, although this is not always true. The engine produces torque, which is what moves the car from a complete stop, and horsepower, which takes over when the vehicle is in motion. Think of torque as towing ability and horsepower as passing ability.
- There are two types of transmissions found in passenger cars and trucks: a manual or an automatic. A manual transmission will employ the use of a clutch, a shifter and different speeds or gears that can be chosen by the operator at will. An automatic transmission has predetermined shift points and goes through all the gears on its own, with the operator only pressing on the gas.
- When the engine turns, it causes the transmission to rotate. Connected to the transmission via what is known as an output shaft is the driveshaft. It is a long, cylindrical metal shaft that connects the transmission to the rear-end axle, allowing the power to get to the wheels and, ultimately, the ground. On front-wheel-drive vehicles, there are only axles that spin using the transmission and no need for a long driveshaft.
- The axle contains a ring and pinion gear set that has a predetermined ratio, which theoretically works best with the transmission gears and tire size. When the driveshaft turns the ring and pinion gears, they spin the axle shafts. On the ends of these shafts are the wheels of the vehicle, which spin at the same rate, causing the car to move forward or backward. On a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the gears that turn the axles are found inside the transmission instead of in the axle housing.
Comments
queenbee34 said
on 11/22/2009 I am wrting a process analysis essay for my college English class, I am wanting to write it on how a car works, so this should help me a great deal. Thanx for eHow.com!