I had a WRX 4 speed automatic. 1st gear took it up to 80kph, the kick into second could be hard to control, went like a rocket up to 110kph, then there was a long draw up to 180kph where 4th gear would kick in. I dunno what the top speed was, I had it up to 210 one time, about 6500rpm.
Then I had a six speed BRZ. The shifting was much smoother with 2 more gears. It had less HP than my WRX but still quite a bit at 200hp for a small car. Lasted until I traded it in at 300,000km, no problems.
These days I have a Crosstrek with a continuously variable transmission, no gears.
Better fuel economy by having more ratios to choose from, so it can keep the engine closer to its ideal RPM range for the current load.
Another big thing is by having the ratios closer, the sudden torque load from shifting is greatly reduced. Imagine shifting your bike from 3 to 8 and how much harder it suddenly is (or jump from the small front ring to the largest).
As an example, I’ve seen drag racing cars break engine mounts during an upshift. That’s an extreme case, but it demonstrates the torque loads that occur during shifts.
Also, DCT is a given with these transmissions, and it makes for an incredibly smooth shift, further reducing the torque loading during shifting - you almost don’t even feel it.
This is a Highlander. Dual Clutch Transmissions are for sportier cars. This is a more standard automatic unless it’s a hybrid, I didn’t finish the article.
Also Ford and GM use 10 speed transmissions in its trucks these days. And they designed it together. They’re built like regular automatics but with more clutch packs, planetaries and valves.
Multiple reasons: torque range kept optimal, fuel savings, etc. Just gets much more complex than the old 3 speed with Overdrive or 4/5 speed. Thus them blowing up at 100k
A CVT would probably be better than this ever increasing gear count.
I don’t know much about cars. Is it eight speed so the power band can be smaller, a cheaper engine? It just shifts constantly?
I’m just going by how I shift bicycle gears.
I had a WRX 4 speed automatic. 1st gear took it up to 80kph, the kick into second could be hard to control, went like a rocket up to 110kph, then there was a long draw up to 180kph where 4th gear would kick in. I dunno what the top speed was, I had it up to 210 one time, about 6500rpm.
Then I had a six speed BRZ. The shifting was much smoother with 2 more gears. It had less HP than my WRX but still quite a bit at 200hp for a small car. Lasted until I traded it in at 300,000km, no problems.
These days I have a Crosstrek with a continuously variable transmission, no gears.
Better fuel economy by having more ratios to choose from, so it can keep the engine closer to its ideal RPM range for the current load.
Another big thing is by having the ratios closer, the sudden torque load from shifting is greatly reduced. Imagine shifting your bike from 3 to 8 and how much harder it suddenly is (or jump from the small front ring to the largest).
As an example, I’ve seen drag racing cars break engine mounts during an upshift. That’s an extreme case, but it demonstrates the torque loads that occur during shifts.
Also, DCT is a given with these transmissions, and it makes for an incredibly smooth shift, further reducing the torque loading during shifting - you almost don’t even feel it.
This is a Highlander. Dual Clutch Transmissions are for sportier cars. This is a more standard automatic unless it’s a hybrid, I didn’t finish the article.
Also Ford and GM use 10 speed transmissions in its trucks these days. And they designed it together. They’re built like regular automatics but with more clutch packs, planetaries and valves.
Multiple reasons: torque range kept optimal, fuel savings, etc. Just gets much more complex than the old 3 speed with Overdrive or 4/5 speed. Thus them blowing up at 100k
A CVT would probably be better than this ever increasing gear count.