|
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
10-17-2007, 01:18 PM | #1 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 73805
Join Date: Nov 2004
Vehicle:24 TypeS ZO6 White |
GM considers eight-speed gearbox
GM considers eight-speed gearbox
Earlier this month information from leaked UAW documents 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 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 and the Nissan GT-R both get dual-clutch gearboxes and Ford is bringing it to market very soon. Source Auto News: Sub. Required
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
|
10-17-2007, 02:00 PM | #2 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 33287
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: 2013 Focus ST, Yella
Vehicle:RIP Nik I will always miss you |
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.
|
10-17-2007, 02:24 PM | #3 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 48685
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Coquitlam, B.C.
Vehicle:2010 Prius Silver |
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... |
10-17-2007, 02:26 PM | #4 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 102287
Join Date: Dec 2005
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Hawley, PA
Vehicle:2022 Nissan Frontier Green |
35 mpg corvette with super performance - w00t
|
10-17-2007, 02:34 PM | #5 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 120057
Join Date: Jul 2006
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: *outskirts of motor city*
Vehicle:2018 WRX (base) 6spd WRB |
See Subaru, GM is doing it, you can toooooooo 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
|
10-17-2007, 02:42 PM | #6 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 73805
Join Date: Nov 2004
Vehicle:24 TypeS ZO6 White |
Ya but GM builds some of the best trannies in the World,they have a really big head start on small FHI.
|
10-17-2007, 05:33 PM | #7 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 14611
Join Date: Jan 2002
|
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 () 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? |
10-17-2007, 05:44 PM | #8 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 20325
Join Date: Jun 2002
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Vehicle:08 Yamaha WR250R 07 Suzuki DL650 |
Yawn. Yet more weight to be added to GM vehicles...
|
10-18-2007, 09:43 PM | #9 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 35419
Join Date: Apr 2003
|
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.
|
10-19-2007, 12:09 AM | #10 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 10852
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Cleveland / UMD College Park
Vehicle:Then : JDM Ver 7 STi Now : E46 M3 / MKVI GTI |
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!
|
10-19-2007, 12:31 AM | #11 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 151994
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:05 STI "Stage 2" [email protected], 1.78 60's |
"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... |
10-19-2007, 12:34 AM | #12 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 151994
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:05 STI "Stage 2" [email protected], 1.78 60's |
Quote:
No No No, not unless your interested in driving an Automatic STI!? |
|
10-19-2007, 02:29 AM | #13 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 162187
Join Date: Oct 2007
|
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!
|
10-19-2007, 02:36 AM | #14 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 134036
Join Date: Dec 2006
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: San Jose, CA
Vehicle:2007 STi Limited Satin White Pearl |
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 |
10-19-2007, 03:08 AM | #15 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 110979
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sacramento, Ca
Vehicle:2010 FJ Cruiser 1999 Miata |
i dont think the DSC will replace the good old manual due to the costs... i could see them replacing the typical auto though.
|
10-19-2007, 03:35 AM | #16 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 83125
Join Date: Mar 2005
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: SoCal
Vehicle:2010 EV0 X Wicked White |
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
|
10-19-2007, 06:33 AM | #17 | |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 14611
Join Date: Jan 2002
|
Quote:
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. |
|
10-19-2007, 12:09 PM | #18 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 104555
Join Date: Jan 2006
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Norman, OK
Vehicle:1996 VW Passat Wagon TDi White |
Quote:
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. |
|
10-19-2007, 06:02 PM | #19 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 151994
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:05 STI "Stage 2" [email protected], 1.78 60's |
Quote:
Look at Audi.... It has already trickled down to the GTI's and Jetta GLI's..... Boo... |
|
10-19-2007, 06:26 PM | #20 | |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 14611
Join Date: Jan 2002
|
Quote:
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. |
|
10-20-2007, 07:20 AM | #21 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 20325
Join Date: Jun 2002
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Vehicle:08 Yamaha WR250R 07 Suzuki DL650 |
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.
|
10-20-2007, 11:51 AM | #22 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 138997
Join Date: Jan 2007
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Belle Center, OH
Vehicle:0000 Nothing |
anybody else predict massive whiplash at wot?
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Hyundai Unveils New Lambda GDI Direct-Injected V6, Eight-Speed Auto | AVANTI R5 | Non-Subaru News & Rumors | 13 | 04-30-2010 09:58 AM |
Audi Transmissions: Eight-Speed Is The New Six, Seven | AVANTI R5 | Non-Subaru News & Rumors | 63 | 02-28-2010 11:01 AM |
Ricardo To Develop New Eight-Speed Automatic For Chinese Car Industry | AVANTI R5 | Non-Subaru News & Rumors | 2 | 06-26-2009 10:51 AM |
Hyundai developing eight-speed automatic transmission | AVANTI R5 | Non-Subaru News & Rumors | 26 | 11-11-2008 11:22 PM |
GM planning dual-clutch gearbox for C7 Corvette? | AVANTI R5 | Non-Subaru News & Rumors | 0 | 10-03-2007 05:21 AM |