Motor Authority - blog Tag: Transmission

The new Camaro SS is definitely one of the hottest pony cars to come along in the last decade, but so far it hasn't been all roses for the car, with a recall over a faulty battery and most recently, a new problem with breaking manual transmissions. Now a General Motors spokesman says the problem has been identified, and therefore can be solved, but the company isn't revealing what the cause was.

The news comes by way of the New York Times, which quotes GM spokesman Adam Denison as saying, "I think they want to keep that one pretty close to their chest" in reference to the underlying cause of the transmission breakages.

The Tremec TR6060... The new Camaro SS is definitely one of the hottest pony cars to come along in the last decade, but so far it hasn't been all roses for the car, with a recall over a faulty battery and most recently, a new problem with breaking manual transmissions. Now a General Motors spokesman says the problem has been identified, and therefore can be solved, but the company isn't revealing what the cause was. The news comes by way of the New York Times, which quotes GM spokesman Adam Denison as saying, "I think they want to keep that one pretty close to their chest" in reference to the underlying cause of the transmission breakages. The Tremec TR6060 sourced to send the LS3's power to the rear wheels is a popular industry choice, found in a wide range of muscle and performance cars including Chevrolet's own Corvette, but the units installed in Camaro SS models apparently have some internal flaw that lends them to sudden and catastrophic failure. Reports of the problem emerged on enthusiast forums over the past several weeks, usually with breakage occurring during use of the built-in launch control. Owner speculation points toward the output shaft being the weak link, but GM's statement to Camaro5, one of the largest Camaro enthusiast sites on the web, didn't confirm that aspect of the story. The statement revealed only that GM had decided to temporarily stop shipment of the car to dealers, and that an 'in production' review is being made. GM makes it clear that it is "NOT requesting vehicles be returned for any service or dealer deliveries stopped as a result of this action." Now that the problem has been located, however, GM could be on the hook to fix all of the early-build manual-transmission SSs. Whatever GM decides to do, however, Camaro SS owners out there might want to refrain from using their traction control for hard launches for the near future to avoid a lot of downtime as their transmission is replaced. Automatic SS models and all other Camaros are unaffected by the problem.2010 Camaro SS official photos2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Read More

Questions about safety, affordability, ultimate value and even performance are all well-worn topics for fans of the Daimler-built Smart ForTwo minicar, but to date mechanical problems haven't been a hot topic - aside from balky transmissions. Now Daimler has decided to fix the problem by offering a free upgrade to the 24,622 2008-model vehicles affected.

The fix applies to U.S.-market cars sold last year. The problem was a hesitancy going into gear, rough shifts and even slipping between gears, according to reports from users. The company is acknowledging the problem, and stepping up to fix it free fo charge - as they should.

"We will... Questions about safety, affordability, ultimate value and even performance are all well-worn topics for fans of the Daimler-built Smart ForTwo minicar, but to date mechanical problems haven't been a hot topic - aside from balky transmissions. Now Daimler has decided to fix the problem by offering a free upgrade to the 24,622 2008-model vehicles affected. The fix applies to U.S.-market cars sold last year. The problem was a hesitancy going into gear, rough shifts and even slipping between gears, according to reports from users. The company is acknowledging the problem, and stepping up to fix it free fo charge - as they should. "We will upgrade your transmission software to the new 2009 operating mode which provides improved shifting dynamics as well as instant changing between automatic and paddle shifting just by touching the up or down shift paddles," says one owner's notice letter, according to USA Today. A simple software update will fix the automatic's issues, and it only takes about 90 minutes from start to finish. Getting these issues out of the way will be a key element to the success of even more expensive versions like the ForTwo EV displayed at this year's Detroit Auto Show. The huge potential for efficiency and consequent low emissions won't be enough to overcome a car that offers a poor driving experience for many picky American drivers. Read More

BMW will soon be offering a new eight-speed automatic transmission developed by ZF that is set to appear first in the 7-series flagship saloon. The new transmission is said to be both more fuel-efficient and cheaper to manufacture than the current six-speed unit, and its performance is also claimed to be comparable with the more advanced seven-speed dual-clutch unit launched last year in the M3.

Speaking with Automotive News, BMW development chief Klaus Draeger said the luxury carmaker plans to focus on automatic transmissions instead of dual-clutch units for its high-volume models.

“The eight-speed automatic that we developed with... BMW will soon be offering a new eight-speed automatic transmission developed by ZF that is set to appear first in the 7-series flagship saloon. The new transmission is said to be both more fuel-efficient and cheaper to manufacture than the current six-speed unit, and its performance is also claimed to be comparable with the more advanced seven-speed dual-clutch unit launched last year in the M3. Speaking with Automotive News, BMW development chief Klaus Draeger said the luxury carmaker plans to focus on automatic transmissions instead of dual-clutch units for its high-volume models. “The eight-speed automatic that we developed with ZF can compete with dual-clutch transmissions on shifting times, but it’s lighter and more efficient and has cost advantages,” he revealed. “The incompatibility with high engine-speed designs is a disadvantage, however.” Draeger went on to explain that dual-clutch transmissions are complex, expensive and heavy, especially for cars with longitudinally mounted engines and RWD. ZF’s new eight-speed auto, meanwhile, has been designed for both RWD and AWD cars and will appear in several BMW and Audi models later this year. The extra cogs have the added benefit of improved fuel economy because the gearbox can better match engine speeds with the right gear since there’s more to choose from. To further enhance fuel-economy, the new ZF gearbox will also have an engine stop-start feature. Using BMW’s own vehicle test data, ZF has found that the transmissions achieves a fuel economy benefit of 3% for gasoline engines and 6% for diesel engines over its current six-speed auto. Both the first and second generation gearboxes will be built at ZF’s Saarbrucken plant in Germany with half of these earmarked for use in BMW vehicles. Read More

Rumors, reports and even the odd video of its slick dual-clutch AWD gearbox grenading itself into oblivion have plagued the Nissan GT-R since shortly after its release into the wild. A short while later we learned that using the undocumented AWD launch control feature could void the relevant sections powertrain warranty, Nissan followed that up with a decision to strip the troublesome feature from 2010 models.

Now a team of Aussie engineers from Pfitzner's Performance Gearboxes (PPG) are working to become the first to offer a more durable upgrade alternative for those that insist on relentlessly hammering their trannies at the strip.

So... Rumors, reports and even the odd video of its slick dual-clutch AWD gearbox grenading itself into oblivion have plagued the Nissan GT-R since shortly after its release into the wild. A short while later we learned that using the undocumented AWD launch control feature could void the relevant sections powertrain warranty, Nissan followed that up with a decision to strip the troublesome feature from 2010 models. Now a team of Aussie engineers from Pfitzner's Performance Gearboxes (PPG) are working to become the first to offer a more durable upgrade alternative for those that insist on relentlessly hammering their trannies at the strip. So far little is known about the mechanics underlying the upgrade, but it's being built for Samurai Speed and Titan Motorsports who are cooperating on a 600hp+ (447kW+) engine. Whatever can stand up to repeated AWD launches at that power level on a 3,800lb (1,727kg) car will no doubt be able to withstand the thrashing stock versions are likely to see on the street or the local drag strip. Pricing and a date for availability are still unknown as the new gearbox is a work in progress, but from the look of the new first gear cogs (on the left in the photo) there will be plenty of metal beefing-up of the perceived weak spots. Another small change from stock appears to be a slightly shallower angle of engagement. That will allow more power to be transmitted more readily, but will also likely result in more gear noise as well. The apparent weak spot in the stock transmission, according to PPG, is the teeth on the first gear cog, which develop tiny fractures that eventually fail under repeated stressful launches. For those that won't be able to afford the likely expensive upgrade, but still want to win those prestigious stop-light races, there will be some comfort in knowing the car can still nearly equal a Corvette ZR-1 in the 0-60mph (96km/h) dash without launch control. Via: GT-R Blog Read More

American automotive enthusiasts have long been used to being left out of the loop on some of the best models European and Japanese carmakers have to offer - the pre-R35 Nissan Skyline GT-R range, any number of hot hatches, wagons and sedans and pretty much anything fun with a diesel engine in it are prime examples. But American carmakers haven't tended to be among those saving the best for the rest of the world, with a few notable exceptions. One of the latest such exceptions is the new Dodge Avenger, which is now available in Australia and other markets with a 2.0L turbodiesel engine and a dual-clutch transmission.

While Aussies and others... American automotive enthusiasts have long been used to being left out of the loop on some of the best models European and Japanese carmakers have to offer - the pre-R35 Nissan Skyline GT-R range, any number of hot hatches, wagons and sedans and pretty much anything fun with a diesel engine in it are prime examples. But American carmakers haven't tended to be among those saving the best for the rest of the world, with a few notable exceptions. One of the latest such exceptions is the new Dodge Avenger, which is now available in Australia and other markets with a 2.0L turbodiesel engine and a dual-clutch transmission. While Aussies and others miss out on the 3.5L V6 that makes the American version so peppy, that's cold comfort for diesel-heads looking to do some quick shifting. Rated at 138hp (103kW) and 228lb-ft (310Nm) of torque, the 2.0L oil burner still nets an impressive 38mpg (6.2L/100km) combined efficiency rating. Part credit should also go to the six-speed auto-shifting dual-clutch transmission, which reduces parasitic losses compared to a traditional torque-converter-based auto. The heart of the Chrysler/Dodge dual-clutch transmission is a pair of wet multi-plate clutches bathed in lubricating fluid which also serves to cool the system, ensuring it doesn't overheat under load. “Chrysler’s new dual-clutch transmission is the next step in transmission technology, offering consumers improved fuel economy along with smooth shifting,” said Frank Klegon, executive vice president of product development at Chrysler. “This important new Chrysler technology is one of several initiatives we have in place to directly focus on improving fuel efficiency across our vehicle line-up.” Improving fuel consumption and emissions is of increasing importance around the world, but particularly in the EU and countries with similar emissions laws. CAFE requirements are beginning to push the U.S. in that direction as well, however, so it's at least possible that the high-tech fuel-saving combo could eventual make its way to U.S. shores. The price of such technology isn't cheap, however, with the 2.0L turbodiesel with DCT commanding a premium of about 40% over its 2.0L petrol/five-speed manual base model sibling, and about 10% over the 2.4L petrol four-speed automatic.2008 Dodge Avenger unveiled Read More