If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed that vehicle engines are getting more and more powerful in Reno and Sparks. At the same time, they are getting better and better fuel economy. Most of those improvements are 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 Reno and Sparks roads. Perhaps you ride yourself. Then you know a cyclist’s cadence is the number of times per minute he or she pedals. The ideal pedal speed is the zone where a cyclist can most efficiently generate power over a sustained period. The experienced Nevada 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 Nevada 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 more quickly. When you shift to second, you have to work for a while to get your pedal speed back to peak efficiency. The 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 it becomes much easier to maintain ideal pedal speeds. The result, quicker starts, better hill climbing, higher top speed, and, most of all, far less fatigue for the Reno and Sparks rider.

A vehicle engine’s ideal engine speed is 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 minima, and 7 and eight speeds are relatively common in Reno and Sparks.

These sophisticated transmissions are very expensive. Next, to your vehicle engine, your transmission is the most expensive component of 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 Wayne’s Automotive Center keeps it operating at its best and can prevent costly damage. Ask your friendly and knowledgeable Wayne’s Automotive Center advisor if it’s time for transmission service. Come to see why smart Reno and Sparks drivers trust their transmissions to Wayne’s Automotive Center.