GM considers eight-speed gearbox
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GM considers eight-speed gearbox
GM considers eight-speed gearbox
Posted on Wednesday 17 October 2007
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.
Posted on Wednesday 17 October 2007
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.
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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.”
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.”
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Having said that, though, with present technology, it is really hard to beat the twin-clutch VW-Audi DSG (Direct-Shift-Gearbox). Each time I have done a review of a DSG-equipped vehicle or have otherwise had a chance to drive one, it has put a smile on my face. IMO, no other transmission, manual or automatic, currently on the market, compares with it for everything combined......smoothness, refinement, efficiency, acceleration, mileage, and conventional shift/feel. It is, however, rather complex, and will be expensive to repair or replace if/when it fails after the warranty runs out.
Last edited by mmarshall; Oct 17, 2007 at 07:16 PM.
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