Here’s a quick little video with a simple and elegant explanation of the dual-clutch transmission.   

Like a lot of recent trends in the automotive industry, the dual-clutch transmission (DCT in car biz jargon) isn’t really all that new. It’s been germinating for a few decades now. And like many innovations, the DCT has generated its share of controversy. Ford and Honda, to name two, have suffered some highly-publicized troubles with DCTs, and overall, the design hasn’t conquered the automotive market as quickly as some predicted, especially in the United States.

But all that said, we note that both the 2020 mid-engine C8 Corvette and the latest Shelby GT500 prominently feature dual-clutch transmissions—both units are supplied by Tremec, by the way—so you can bet that gearheads here in the USA will be talking about them a whole lot more over the next few years. The seven-speed Shelby gearbox carries the designation TR-9070 while the eight-speed Corvette transaxle unit is a TR-9080, and both units employ actively-cooled wet clutches.

Obviously, the Corvette and the GT500 exploit the performance advantages of DCTs, including lightning-quick gear changes, but there are other angles to the dual-clutch story, too. The operating principles of the DCT aren’t so terribly complicated, but many technical stories can make them seem that way, while other sources manage to omit important points. As we always say here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, the best technical explanations are the plain, simple, and clear ones. This neat little six-minute animation, produced by the Learn Engineering YouTube channel, is more than worthy of your time. Video below.