Brace Yourselves: 11-Speed Triple Clutch Gearboxes Are On The Way
We’ve only just wrapped our heads around the idea of nine and 10-speed automatic gearboxes, but manufacturers are far from done when it comes to adding new ratios.
Last year news emerged that Honda had patented an 11-speed, triple clutch transmission, and now Car is reporting that General Motors is proposing its own 11-speed ‘box.
Like the Honda unit, the GM gearbox has three clutches, and it has two reverse ratios in addition to the 11 forward gears. GM already produces a 10-speed transmission (below), currently seeing service in everything from the Chevrolet Tahoe to the Camaro ZL1.
Ford and Lexus also have 10-speed ‘boxes and Mercedes now has a nine-speed unit across much of its range, so what’s behind the new obsession with offering a mountain bike-like selection of cogs to choose from? As you’d probably expect, it’s all about efficiency.
More cogs makes it easier for the ever more clever gearbox control units to keep the engine speed at the most efficient point possible, whatever speed you’re doing. This new generation of 11-speeders will apparently be good for a five per cent fuel economy improvement, amid worldwide efforts to drastically reduce carbon emissions by 2025.
What are your thoughts on the incoming wave of many-cogged gearboxes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section…
Source: Car
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Part of me is impressed but the other part of me is internally screaming…
So you’re internally sounding like a prius at full throttle then? =D
I don’t see why you’d need three clutches. A double-clutch can have one gear engaged and one gear preselected, but why would you need to preselect TWO gears? Surely it would be enough to have it preselect the next gear up when you’re accelerating and preselect the next gear down when you’re decelerating? Sure, occasionally it would preselect the wrong gear and take a few milliseconds more to shift, but that’s nothing compared to the weight and complexity of another clutch.
Because you’re changing gear so fast that a dual-clutch can’t keep up
Meanwhile in Sweden…
[DELETED]
Actually it has dinamical drive
Or for sake of not writing a 10 page essey
A 3 gear gearbox
Soon, all cars would have fast and furious gearboxes as well
nah, by then theyd have 20 gears
Mechanic: “Aw balls, I just dropped this box of cogs into this metal ice-cream cone”
Honda & Chevrolet: “Hold on, he’s onto something…”
Watch out Eaton Fuller, before long cars will have 13 and 18 speed gearboxes
This is just manufacturer trying to get around the fact that we don’t like CVTs..
Glad we came to the same conclusion, but 11 gears… That’s a bit ridiculous when a cvt transmission can do better
Meanwhile I have a 3 speed slushbox
BMW BE LIKE:
“DCT is dead”
.
HONDA BE LIKE:
“ Never said anything about TCT.”
I thought BMW said this was all unnecessary. Then again they regard indicators unnecessary over there too :P