Too many gears?

[Saleen836]

What is the point of an auto gearbox with 10 gears?

A close friend has an auto with 10 gears and it just seems to never know what gear it wants to be in (It's a Ford) are they all a bit like this as to me it just seems pointless, what was wrong with 6 gears?

[Mars]

Saleen836 said:

What is the point of an auto gearbox with 10 gears?

A close friend has an auto with 10 gears and it just seems to never know what gear it wants to be in (It's a Ford) are they all a bit like this as to me it just seems pointless, what was wrong with 6 gears?

9-speed Mercs don't suffer with this. Also, the changes are quick and smooth.

[MikeM6]

As I understand it, more gears means fewer compromises between efficiency and performance. You can have more shorter ratio and still retain the taller gear ratios. With 6 you have to choose between them, with 10 you can have both.

[GeniusOfLove]

MikeM6 said:

As I understand it, more gears means fewer compromises between efficiency and performance. You can have more shorter ratio and still retain the taller gear ratios. With 6 you have to choose between them, with 10 you can have both.

This is the theory, in reality there is an awful lot of shuffling about going on.

With a little turbo engine (diesel or petrol) with a tiny power band it can help keep the thing on the boil but it's nothing but an irritation on a powerful engine.

The 10 speed in a 5.0 Mustang is absolutely crap. The ZF8 is still the best autobox in the business, even as they've revised it into the 3rd generation they haven't felt the need to add more ratios.