Dual clutch gearboxes have different names depending on the brand. At Volkswagen they are called DSG; at Hyundai DCT; at Porsche PDK; and Mercedes-Benz G-DCT, among other examples.
Despite having different names from brand to brand, the working principle of double clutch gearboxes is always the same. As the name implies, we have two clutches.
The 1st clutch is in charge of the odd gears and the 2nd clutch is in charge of the even gears. Its speed comes from the fact that there are always two gears in gear. When it is necessary to change gears, one of the clutches enters the scene and the other is uncoupled. Simple and efficient, practically reducing to “zero” the changeover time between relations.
Dual-clutch gearboxes are becoming more and more robust — the first generations had some limitations. And so you don't have headaches with your double clutch gearbox, we've listed five cares that will help you to preserve its reliability.
1. Do not take your foot off the brake on climbs
When you're stopped on a slope, don't take your foot off the brake unless it's to take off. The practical effect is similar to making “clutch point” on a car with a manual transmission to prevent the car from tipping over.If your car has an uphill starting assistant (aka hill hold assist, autohold, etc), it will remain immobile for a few seconds. But if you don't, the clutch will kick in to try and hold the car. Result, overheating and wear of the clutch disc.
2. Do not drive at low speed for a long time
Driving at low speed or making steep climbs too slowly wears out the clutch. There are two situations in which the clutch does not fully engage the steering wheel. The ideal is to reach enough speed for the clutch to fully engage.
3. Not accelerating and braking at the same time
Unless your car with dual clutch gearbox has “launch control” function and you want to do 0-100 km/h in cannon time, you don't need to accelerate and brake at the same time. Again, it will overheat and wear out the clutch.Some models, in order to safeguard the integrity of the clutch, limit the engine speed when the car is stationary.
4. Do not place the box in N (neutral)
Whenever you are stationary, you don't need to put the box in N (neutral). The gearbox control unit does it for you, preventing wear on the clutch discs.
5. Changing gears in acceleration or braking
Increasing the gear ratio during braking or reducing it under acceleration harms dual-clutch gearboxes, because it goes against their operating principles. Dual-clutch gearboxes anticipate gearshifts depending on acceleration times, if you downsize when gearbox expectation was to increase gear, gear shifting will be slower and clutch wear will be higher.
In this specific case, using manual mode is harmful to the longevity of the clutches.