At Kenny’s Transmission, we’re passionate about our field and love learning more about it. And we appreciate the important role that automotive transmissions have played over the decades. As the nation’s road systems expanded and citizens relied increasingly on their vehicles to go about their daily routines, transmissions continued to evolve, eventually becoming the high-tech mechanisms that they are today. Here’s a look at five interesting facts about vehicle transmissions.

Most Americans Can’t Drive a Stick Shift

According to a study conducted in 2018, less than 1 in 5 American drivers knew how to operate a manual transmission. As automatic transmissions become all the more common, the ability to drive a stick shift is going the way of history. 

The First Widely-Available Automatic Transmission

Though the first car was made in 1886, it wasn’t until more than a half-century later that a car with an automatic transmission became available to the masses. In 1939, GM sold its HydraMatic gearbox in Cadillac and Oldsmobile models, making it the first widely-available automatic-style transmission.

The Preselector Gearbox

There used to be a common type of transmission called the “preselect.” With the preselector gearbox, drivers would choose what gear they wanted to shift to before they actually engaged the clutch pedal. Then, upon engaging the clutch, the vehicle would shift to the desired gear. The preselect transmission was quite common in the 1930s to 1950s.

Some Automatics Now Get Better Gas Mileage than Manuals

In decades past, it was well-understood that manual transmissions would get better gas mileage than automatics. However, automatic transmission technology has now evolved to the extent that automatics regularly achieve the same or better fuel-efficiency as the same models that feature manual transmissions.

The U.K. Requires Certification to Operate Manual Transmissions

In the U.K., drivers who passed their test in an automatic transmission vehicle have to get a separate certification if they want to start driving a manual. Though if you pass your driver’s test in a stick shift, you are permitted to operate automatics. 

Transmission Service in Greenwood, IN

When you need transmission repair in Greenwood, IN and the surrounding area, contact Kenny’s Transmission at (317) 762-0389. Feel free to give us a call today to schedule an appointment!