GM considers eight-speed gearbox (http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/general-motors/gm-considers-eight-speed-gearbox/)


http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/GM/Chevrolet/79060.jpg (http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/general-motors/gm-considers-eight-speed-gearbox/)


Earlier this month information from leaked UAW documents (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/supercars/gm-planning-dual-clutch-gearbox-for-c7-corvette/) revealed the Corvette may get a new dual-clutch transmission and now reports are claiming GM is also working on new seven and eight-speed gearboxes. The key now for GM is determining whether the improvements in fuel economy and performance would justify the cost of engineering them into a vehicle.

The executive director of GM Powertrain’s Transmission Engineering, Jim Lanzon, told The Car Connection (http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Daily_Auto_News/GM_Eight-Speeds_on_the_Way.S173.A13506.html) that every possibility is being looked at including a similar gearbox design to the one used on the high-performance BMW M5. GM has the technology but as Lanzon explained, “there is more to making a seven or eight-speed transmission than adding more modules. You’ve got to be concerned about the parasitic losses that neutralize the fuel-economy gains.”


New computer design tools have sped up the development of GM’s recent gearbox technology. Where once it would take close to a decade to develop three or four new transmissions, with the aid of computerized tools GM has launched nine new six-speed transmission models in just four years.


Dual-clutch technology is slowly filtering to other companies after the Volkswagen Group first pioneered the gearboxes in their mass market vehicles. Mitsubishi’s Evolution X (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/sedans/mitsubishi-launches-the-gsr-and-rs-lancer-evo-x/) and the Nissan GT-R (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/supercars/more-nissan-gt-r-pics-leaked/) both get dual-clutch gearboxes and Ford is bringing it to market very soon.

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Why would the UAW have a hold of such documents. Surely these are confidential business operations and maybe even trade secrets? UAW should have nothing to do with this area of GM.

More gears = teh BETTAR!!

But seriously, it's pretty sweet, my mom's ML has a 7 speed and I can cruise on the highway at 70MPH at under 2k RPM...

35 mpg corvette with super performance - w00t :banana:

See Subaru, GM is doing it, you can toooooooo:lol: Instead of using a gear box that has been around forever. To me it looks like GM is heading in the right direction. The 09 Cobals SS will be packing the same turbo motor thats in the Solstis and sky:D

Ya but GM builds some of the best trannies in the World,they have a really big head start on small FHI.

Yea, GM most definitely builds great trannys - hell, BMW buys them from GM.

I think a 7 and 8 speed tranny sounds great. It would help tremendously in real world driving... i.e. being able to cruise at 80+mph at like 1500rpms. It won't help EPA numbers unfortunately too much, since EPA tests cars at a fairly low speed. It should also help acceleration numbers too since you can make 1st gear ridiculously low.

I actually remember reading somewhere that GM has an incredibly advanced tranny that they use everywhere but in the US (:rolleyes:) that is set up like a manual (less weight and I think no torque converter with less friction losses) but robotically shifts gears automatically. Anyone have any info on that technology? Am I just remembering it wrong?

Yawn. Yet more weight to be added to GM vehicles...

As much as I hate autos, I bet that cars with that trans would have brutal passing times on the highway. I loved how my old LS1 car would loaf along in 6th gear at 90 mph--and ~2K rpms.

I am also happy to hear about these 8-speed trannys. Those LS motors have such a narrow powerband! Moreover, 6th gear is so short that at highway speeds the motor is turning 200 rpm OVER idle!

"Dual-clutch technology is slowly filtering to other companies after the Volkswagen Group first pioneered the gearboxes in their mass market vehicles. Mitsubishi’s Evolution X and the Nissan GT-R both get dual-clutch gearboxes and Ford is bringing it to market very soon."

This is the begining of the end of Completely Manual gearboxes! And I only have to thank one of my favorate Auto manuf. Audi.... As these big steps always trickly down to the lower models in their line-ups also...

See Subaru, GM is doing it, you can toooooooo:lol: Instead of using a gear box that has been around forever. To me it looks like GM is heading in the right direction. The 09 Cobals SS will be packing the same turbo motor thats in the Solstis and sky:D


No No No, not unless your interested in driving an Automatic STI!?

Gm builds great trannys someone said? In Aus we must miss out on them, the trannys is our Holdens are rough as guts... I would have said GM needs to focus on perfectly a 6 speed before going onto more gears!

Screw engineering cost vs performance gain, what about size and weight? I can't even imagine how massive an 8 speed gearbox must be. I'll pass for now.

I hate to think DSG's could be the end of manual gearboxes. Let's hope they're the end of slushboxes :D

Screw engineering cost vs performance gain, what about size and weight? I can't even imagine how massive an 8 speed gearbox must be. I'll pass for now.

I hate to think DSG's could be the end of manual gearboxes. Let's hope they're the end of slushboxes :D

i dont think the DSC will replace the good old manual due to the costs... i could see them replacing the typical auto though.

i dont think the DSC will replace the good old manual due to the costs... i could see them replacing the typical auto though.

I'm sorry to break it to you, shortly down the road DSG type gearing is going to be the standard. Manuals are going to be as rare a whitney houston siting

Gm builds great trannys someone said? In Aus we must miss out on them, the trannys is our Holdens are rough as guts... I would have said GM needs to focus on perfectly a 6 speed before going onto more gears!
No one ever said anything about standard transmissions... but when it comes to automatics, yes, GM builds top-tier ones... good enough that BMW buys them for it's cars.

Screw engineering cost vs performance gain, what about size and weight? I can't even imagine how massive an 8 speed gearbox must be. I'll pass for now.

The Lexus 8-speed is, I believe, no larger or heavier than their 6-speed unit... at least if I remember their presss releases correctly.

I am also happy to hear about these 8-speed trannys. Those LS motors have such a narrow powerband! Moreover, 6th gear is so short that at highway speeds the motor is turning 200 rpm OVER idle!

+10

That sort of gearbox makes sense for something like an M5 or a Ferrari, where you have to wring its neck to get the power out, but when you have seventy four liters of displacement to work with, I fail to see the point, other than the obvious marketing techno-dickwaving, ala Lexus. I'd bet you dollars to donuts that not a tenth of those old fogies who bought the new LS460 with its fancy 8 speed transmission could tell the difference if it only had a 5 speed auto.

I'm sorry to break it to you, shortly down the road DSG type gearing is going to be the standard. Manuals are going to be as rare a whitney houston siting

Ding Ding Ding, this is the begining of the end... If all the auto makers are putting them in their "flag ships" then they will trickle down.

Look at Audi.... It has already trickled down to the GTI's and Jetta GLI's.....

Boo...

+10

That sort of gearbox makes sense for something like an M5 or a Ferrari, where you have to wring its neck to get the power out, but when you have seventy four liters of displacement to work with, I fail to see the point, other than the obvious marketing techno-dickwaving, ala Lexus. I'd bet you dollars to donuts that not a tenth of those old fogies who bought the new LS460 with its fancy 8 speed transmission could tell the difference if it only had a 5 speed auto.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Planned Obsolescence.

GM pretty much invented it in the '30s, and rode that concept to vast riches up until the early 70s or so. Then they simply became lazy and forgot that customers need to be given a reason to get a new car, since very few of them drive them till they are dead.

If it takes an 8-speed tranny to compete in the high-end luxury sedan business then so be it. No matter that 90% of your customers don't have a damn clue what that even means... they know that XYZ manufacturer uses "only" a 7-speed, so this new car from another manufacturer with an 8-speed 'must' be better.

I also highly disagree that an 8-speed is mostly useless except for exotics... geared right with a low 1st and 2nd gear, it will help acceleration, while a high ratio for 7th and 8th can potentially increase gas mileage dramatically.

I also highly disagree that an 8-speed is mostly useless except for exotics... geared right with a low 1st and 2nd gear, it will help acceleration, while a high ratio for 7th and 8th can potentially increase gas mileage dramatically.

In something with a tiny, peaky engine, yes, makes sense. In the Z06, lowering the gearing of the first couple gears is useless: Traction control (or wheelspin) already limits how much power makes it to the road in the first couple gears.

anybody else predict massive whiplash at wot?