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Old 05-10-2011, 10:46 PM   #35
DGthe3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fielderLS3 View Post
Not sure I like the idea of an 8-speed transmission. The 6-speeds I've experienced hunt enough, and take long enough to reach the right gear when more power is needed as it is. I know there is a performance/efficiency argument, but how many more gears before they hit a point of diminishing returns?

At some point, the number of shifts (and the time those will take) to make a pass will negate the advantage of the closer ratios, and the efficiency gains won't be worth the annoyance of having a transmission that is constantly shifting.
On the other hand ... more gears means that it will be more likely to have an acceptable gear and won't need to hunt as much, and if they are spaced closer together then each shift will be less noticeable.

That said ... I would guess that 6-8 gears would probably be about the useful limit for manual transmissions. Automatics, I don't think it really matters. The limit for them would be at what point is it better to go with a CVT vs individual gears.
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