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Originally Posted by Martinjlm
As far as the DCT being a manual...let’s just say they are very closely related. Notice that the performance DCTs in C8 and GT500 are made by Tremec, not ZF or Aisin. What else does Tremec make? They can use the same shaft and gear manufacturing equipment to manufacture most of the DCT.
If you look at a schematic of an AT, an MT, and a DCT, the DCT and the MT will look very much alike in design and part content. They are both layshaft designs. Most ATs (except Honda and early Saturns) are planetary design. Funny that some Saturns were not planetary (<—humor).
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I am fully aware of all that. Enough to realize that comparing the internal workings is not a relevant approach to categorizing a DCT.
That a DCT is generally similar internally to a conventional MT
does not address the defining characteristic that separates the manual transmission from any variation of automated transmission. That being whether the transmission has any capability of its own to select and execute gear changes without driver involvement beyond specifying 'D' or some other forward-direction range.
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Basically, a DCT is an MT that shifts itself.
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Exactly.
A DCT is also going to force the driver to drive away from every full stop in exactly the same fashion as if he was driving a car with a conventional torque converter'd, planetary gear'd automatic. For most drivers, it's going to end up being driven in identical fashion to the way it'd be driven if was equipped with a conventional automatic transmission - select 'D' and drive until you need a function that 'D' cannot support.
Norm