If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed that vehicle engines are getting more and more powerful in Houston and at the same time are getting better and better fuel economy. I’ve gotta tell ‘ya, most of that’s because of technological advances in transmissions. To get a better understanding of why that is, let’s talk bicycles.
You’ve probably seen plenty of cyclists on Houston roads. Perhaps you ride yourself. Then you know that a cyclist’s cadence is the number of times per minute he or she pedals. The ideal pedal speed is the zone where they can most efficiently generate power over a sustained period of time. The experienced TX cyclist uses her gears to keep her pedal speed in the ideal zone whether she’s climbing a hill, cruising on a flat stretch or killing a downhill.
Think of it this way: if you have a 1-speed bike, you really have to pump hard to get up to speed. Your top speed is limited by how fast as you can pedal. And if you’re climbing a steep TX hill – forget about it.
Now let’s add a couple of gears: one lower and another one higher. With the lower first gear, you can get up to your ideal pedal speed quicker. When you shift to second, your pedal speed drops below ideal for a while as you work to get back to peak efficiency. Same thing happens when you shift to third, but now you can go much faster than you could with a 1-speed bike using the same effort. Add more gears and you can see that it’s much easier to maintain ideal pedal speed. The result, quicker starts, better hill climbing, higher top speed and, most of all, a lot less fatigue for the Houston rider.
Like a cyclist on a bike, every vehicle engine has an ideal engine speed called its power band. When an engine is running in that zone, it can make power very efficiently. It’s the vehicle transmission’s job to keep the engine in the power band over a wide range of operating conditions. Today 5 or 6 speed automatic transmissions are pretty much the minimum, and 7 and 8 speeds are fairly common in Houston.
Obviously these sophisticated transmissions are very expensive. In fact, next to your vehicle engine, your transmission is the most expensive component in your vehicle, so it pays to take good care of it. Your manufacturer has a recommended service interval for changing your old, contaminated transmission fluid. Servicing your transmission on schedule at Lucas Auto Care keeps it operating at its best and can prevent costly damage. Ask your friendly and knowledgeable Lucas Auto Care advisor if it’s time for transmission service. Come see why smart Houston drivers trust their transmissions to Lucas Auto Care.
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Lucas Auto Care
12600 Grant Road
Houston, TX 77429
http://lucasautocare.com