10 speed S550 Mustang

[DJGold]

My C7 has a 7 speed manual and it's too much. On the highway at 75mph with cruise you actually lose mpg in 7th gear (more fuel efficent in 6th). At 65mph you lose mpg in 6th (you're better off in 5th). 7th gear would only be useful at 80mph or more. I don't know about you guys but there aren't many places I can set the cruise at over 80.

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[Sterling Archer]

My C7 has a 7 speed manual and it's too much. On the highway at 75mph with cruise you actually lose mpg in 7th gear (more fuel efficent in 6th). At 65mph you lose mpg in 6th (you're better off in 5th). 7th gear would only be useful at 80mph or more. I don't know about you guys but there aren't many places I can set the cruise at over 80.

That seems counter intuitive. Wouldn't a taller 7th gear allow your engine to run at a lower RPM than 6th?

 

[Grimace427]

That seems counter intuitive. Wouldn't a taller 7th gear allow your engine to run at a lower RPM than 6th?

It might be too tall causing the engine to lug.

 

[DJGold]

It might be too tall causing the engine to lug.

Correct.

 

[Lagometer]

If 7th gear isn't Hyperdrive, I'm not interested.

 

[STAMPEDE]

An 8 speed would have been perfectly fine and a nice improvement in performance and mpg's, but 10 seems like a bit of overkill

 

[1320']

An 8 speed would have been perfectly fine and a nice improvement in performance and mpg's, but 10 seems like a bit of overkill

I agree, by all accounts the new 8 speed in the Challenger and Corvette is a great unit, I'm sure Ford could do something just as good. Heck, even if they just used a version of the ZF transmission it would be an improvement

 

[Patrick S]

my own personal humble opinion - I don't want more than 6. I know, its coming and we will all in the year 2040, be driving 24 speed tranny's but, honestly, when you want to find the proper passing power in a manual, I just like to drop into 5th and run. not have to choose between 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. It is great for trucks that are used for hauling. this is why semi's come in 9, 13 and 18 speeds. but for a get around car? personally, i say, no thank you.

 

[OppoLock]

my own personal humble opinion - I don't want more than 6. I know, its coming and we will all in the year 2040, be driving 24 speed tranny's but, honestly, when you want to find the proper passing power in a manual, I just like to drop into 5th and run. not have to choose between 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. It is great for trucks that are used for hauling. this is why semi's come in 9, 13 and 18 speeds. but for a get around car? personally, i say, no thank you.

I used to think that 6 was perfect for a road car. Then some 7 speeds came out and I thought, hey, that's neat, one more overdrive gear and some slightly tighter ratios. Then there was talk of 8 speeds and I thought that it was ridiculous. Then I drove some. They work, and they work well.

Now 10 speeds? If I'd heard about the idea 2-3 years ago I would've said someone's insane. Now I'm just going to keep an open mind about it and hopefully get a chance to test one out.

 

[1320']

In the new Chrysler 200 they use a 9 speed unit that is doing well.

 

[ACR2011]

My mom has a 2014 Mercedes GLK 250 BlueTEC (twin turbo diesel) and its a seven speed. I love driving that SUV....until my mustang comes in!
Back to subject, the seven speed improved the gas mileage. We drove from Sacramento to Huntington Beach, one way, and we still had a quarter tank left hitting 37 mpg. Its a 17 gallon tank.

 

[Old 5 Oh]

In the new Chrysler 200 they use a 9 speed unit that is doing well.

Reviews I have seen have not been good. It's programmed to make it darn near impossible to get into 9th gear. Like, downhill at 70 mph. So it works more like an 8-speed, and has confusion issues to boot. Not quite ready for prime time.

 

[Old 5 Oh]

My mom has a 2014 Mercedes GLK 250 BlueTEC (twin turbo diesel) and its a seven speed. I love driving that SUV....until my mustang comes in!
Back to subject, the seven speed improved the gas mileage. We drove from Sacramento to Huntington Beach, one way, and we still had a quarter tank left hitting 37 mpg. Its a 17 gallon tank.

It's not so much the number of gears, but the total spread from high to low. The GT and EB both have a boatload of low-speed torque, so the gear range in the current 6-speeds is plenty for good economy, especially with a low-numeric (3.15) rear end. First gear in the AT is a staggering 4.17:1, so it doesn't need a lot of help from the rear end to move the car off the line really well. And then 6th gear is 0.69:1, which means the overall final drive in 6th with a 3.15 rear is something like 2.17. That's about as high as it gets. The engines are flexible enough that six steps are plenty. 8 or 10 speeds is going to be gilding the lily, maybe a little more refined but not a big huge improvement.

 

[Twin Turbo]

my own personal humble opinion - I don't want more than 6. I know, its coming and we will all in the year 2040, be driving 24 speed tranny's but, honestly, when you want to find the proper passing power in a manual, I just like to drop into 5th and run. not have to choose between 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. It is great for trucks that are used for hauling. this is why semi's come in 9, 13 and 18 speeds. but for a get around car? personally, i say, no thank you.

The 10 speed will be an auto, not manual (unless I've misread your post)

Just had my first experience of the 8-speed in a BMW M235i. WOW. Just WOW. Always seemed to be in the right gear to keep it in the power-band and soooooooooooo smooth.

I got back into my 5-speed auto 330i and it seemed so slow, cumbersome and clunky in comparison.

If done right, the 10-speed auto in the Mustang could be perfection. I really hope it's being designed to cope with serious power, as I hope it becomes an option in the next GT500 in a few years.

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