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