Wednesday 12th January 2011

ZF Announces 9-speed Gearbox

Nine ratios mark a world-first for gearbox maker with new auto 'box

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Transmission maker ZF is working on the world's first 9-speed automatic gearbox for passenger cars.

But unlike the 8-speed ZF auto (which serves in BMWs, Audis and Range Rovers), the 9-speed gearbox is designed for front-drive applications rather than rear- or four-wheel-drive layouts.

"Already a leader in technically advanced, fuel-saving multi-speed transmissions for rear-drive vehicles, ZF's new 9-speed enables significant fuel economy improvements and delivers excellent performance characteristics for front-wheel-drive vehicles," says Hans-Georg Harter, ZF's CEO.

Such is the sophistication of the new gearbox, says ZF, that shifts are 'below the levels of perception'. This means that the gearbox can double-shift or even jump several gears without either the driver or passengers noticing.

ZF also reckons that the 'box's electronic brain selects the right gear for the driving conditions, eliminating unnecessary 'stepping' - or constant shifting.

Which is all very nice, but what's really important, surely, is that drivers of humble front-drive hatches will soon be able to thumb their noses at those Audis, BMWs, Range Rovers and Lexuses that have 'only' eight gears...

The new ZF auto will be built in a brand-new manufacturing facility near Greenville, South Carolina, and word is that the first application of the 9-speed auto will be beneath the bonnet of some sort of Chrysler.

[gforceg]

Are we moving back to the heady days of the Variomatic?

Looked at another way; when my father was posted to the US in 1972 he bought a 1967 Chevy Impala station wagon which had a two speed auto box. It shifted into "top" gear at about 20mph and could then trundle up to about 110mph. If you needed to get a wiggle on I believe it could kick back down to first at anything up to about 50mph. Who could ask for more, eh?

[Zod]

The shifts in the 8 speed box are definitely detectable. It is very smooth and clever, but not like a variomatic.

[piefacemate]

Don't quite get the point in this, with it being for FWD applications I'm guessing it's not going for the performance marketplace and will be used in cars capaable of <140MPH.

So that's going to be one gear for every 10-15mph increase... why not just use a CVT instead?

[CraigyMc]

Er, Riggers - "several". Kick the subeditor...



C

[HeMightBeBanned]

9 gears! Is it for a car or a mountain bike?

[Collaudatore]

Also, "Lexuses"....


I think the plural is "lexi"

[Zod]

Collaudatore said:

Also, "Lexuses"....


I think the plural is "lexi"

No, it is not.

[PaulMoor]

Collaudatore said:

Also, "Lexuses"....


I think the plural is "lexi"

Nope, Lexuses is fine. It't a name, not a latin word, so adding es to the end is more correct. There are only a few examples where it is I replacing the US, for example fungus/fungi is correct, but virus/viri is not. Lexi is not, itself, wrong though. Lexuses would be the most correct, as it is used more often than Lexi.

Edited by PaulMoor on Wednesday 12th January 10:53

[george h]

Whats wrong with a 5 speed manual...

[Riggers]

CraigyMc said:

Er, Riggers - "several". Kick the subeditor...



C

As Manuel would say: que? That not how you spell 'several' then?

[mat205125]

george h said:

Whats wrong with a 5 speed manual... CVT

.... for people that don't want to shift for themselves, of course.

[Jakdaw]

piefacemate said:

Don't quite get the point in this, with it being for FWD applications I'm guessing it's not going for the performance marketplace and will be used in cars capaable of <140MPH.

So that's going to be one gear for every 10-15mph increase... why not just use a CVT instead?

Rubbish - don't assume that just because the top speed of such a car might, say, be 120 mph that top gear should be such that top speed is reached when the car is at maximum revs. In order to maximize economy you'll still want to gear the car such that the wheel-speed at maximum revs in top gear is considerably faster than the engine would be able to pull the car along at.

[ZeeTacoe]

george h said:

Whats wrong with a 5 speed manual...

You can't take the piss with a 5 speed manual on the EC emission test.

[Twoshoe]

Surely there comes a point with this seemingly endless increase in number of ratios that the miniscule potential economy/performance gains will be outweighed by the increase in weight of the gearbox itself?

[TonyHetherington]

piefacemate said:

Don't quite get the point in this, with it being for FWD applications I'm guessing it's not going for the performance marketplace and will be used in cars capaable of <140MPH.

So that's going to be one gear for every 10-15mph increase... why not just use a CVT instead?

The point is that a car is most economical in a certain power band.

Rather than have 5 gears and go from 2000rpm - 5000rpm, change, 2000-5000rpm, change, in fact what more gears does for you is keep the car in and around it's most economical zone. For example, 2000-3000, change, 2000-3000, change.

The same can be said for power or torque too. The more gears, the more near (or on) the optiumum engine revs you are - be that for economy, power.

[pcn1]

Collaudatore said:

Also, "Lexuses"....


I think the plural is "lexi"

Wasnt that a joke from "Alan Partridge" sit com ? (After he changed to a Lexus from the Ford Probe !)

[71tuscan]

Sad...
-5 speed manual or 4-speed + overdrive do just fine.
-As for 'beyond any level of perception'... no auto box (except CVT/Multitronic/...) can beat a driver with precise feet operating a manual.
-FWD only makes it completely uninteresting.

This one definitely tops my list of 'irrelevant developments'

[Fleckers]

Some of the 'TARDS' i have seen driving today were lost in gears up to a massive 25 mph

WTF would happen if they get 10 gears to play with..........

[jake15919]

Think we are now at the point where CVT (if done properly) should take over from the automatic. It's perfect for duel power vehicles.

[TonyHetherington]

Fleckers said:

WTF would happen if they get 10 gears to play with..........

But they don't get 9 gears to play with.

They get exactly what they get now - an accelerator and a brake.