6 Reasons Why Transmissions With Loads Of Gears Are Ridiculous

Whoever coined the phrase “more is better” should be clocked in the mouth for leaving it so open-ended, because auto manufacturers don't understand that it doesn't apply to everything
6 Reasons Why Transmissions With Loads Of Gears Are Ridiculous

Am I the only one who thinks manufacturers are going a bit mad with their bazillon-speed transmissions? Fortunately the insanity is tied to automatics, which I’m sure most CTzens will agree are not the transmissions of choice for those who breathe tyre smoke and enjoy the smell of racing fuel. That said, modern automatics are pretty outstanding compared to the boxes of yesteryear, and I’m not one to completely write-off a potentially fun-to-drive vehicle just because the gearbox can choose its own ratios.

However, I don’t see one single reason why a freaking passenger car needs anything more than seven speeds. I get the concept - more gears provide a larger ratio spread, providing better acceleration and fuel economy. But when you take a closer look, simply adding more gears actually isn’t much of a solution. I suspect it’s become less about performance and more about one-upping the competition. I’m not buying into the hype, and here’s my decidedly non-engineering opinion as to why.

1. Added complexity means added cost

6 Reasons Why Transmissions With Loads Of Gears Are Ridiculous

More cogs means more material, plain and simple. But you also have all the additional bits like clutches that need to be stuffed in there, and that, of course, adds more cost to the sticker price. And the added complexity also means more opportunity for failure, and I have no doubts if your spiffy nine-speed transmission decides to explode when you’re out of warranty, you’ll pay the equivalent of a decent used hot hatchback to get it rebuilt.

2. More gears means more weight

6 Reasons Why Transmissions With Loads Of Gears Are Ridiculous

Even with clever packaging, all those components add weight to cars that already weigh far more than their predecessors. Weight is the enemy of performance; manufacturers should be finding ways to make cars lighter for better performance, not throwing in more gears to compensate for the excess weight that comes from, among other things, more gears.

There’s also the space required to use such transmissions, which is why you don’t find these abominations on small front-wheel drive cars. When they are used in a front-wheel drive application, the extra weight positively destroys handling balance in a layout that’s already nose-heavy.

I know, most of these uber-speed automatics are supposed to “learn” driving habits to provide less intrusive performance, but the fact still remains that the lightest press of the gas pedal usually results in a downshift. Even my 2004 Mazda 6 with a five-speed automatic annoys me on the hills around my home with the way it instantly drops to fourth at the mere suggestion of an incline at highway speed.

It doesn’t take an engineering degree to understand that the more parts move, the more wear they’re subjected to. Think about that the next time you’re in stop-and-go traffic with a hyperactive automatic that shifts 10 times in the span of one city block.

4. Fuel economy gains are all hype

6 Reasons Why Transmissions With Loads Of Gears Are Ridiculous

Fuel economy seems to be what most manufacturers tout as the advantage to such gearboxes, but it’s complete and utter rubbish. Most of these cars show perhaps a couple of miles per gallon advantage at best over older models with fewer ratios. That’s such a small difference that driving style, atmospheric conditions, even tyres can have a much larger effect on mileage.

Case in point: my 2002 Infiniti I35 with a 255bhp 3.5-litre V6 and four-speed automatic averaged 31 mpg on my recent road trip, and the vast majority of those miles were done at 70 mph or more. The new Chrysler 200 with its 295bhp V6 and nine-speed automatic advertises “up to” 32 mpg. Fail.

Remote video URL

I won’t deny that tighter ratios help acceleration. That’s why my old Infiniti would be so much quicker with a six-speed auto as opposed to its four-speed, but that doesn’t mean nine gears will make it quicker still. Ask anyone who has a 21-speed mountain bike what gears they use the most - one through seven, then 14th and 21st. Translated to car speak, five reasonably close ratios with one or perhaps two tall gears for highway cruising will give the same acceleration as something with nearly double the gears. That’s why a new Mazda 6 with a six-speed auto is just as fast and efficient as a new Chrysler 200 with a four-cylinder, despite the Chrysler having three more gears.

6. CVTs are the true performance automatics of the future

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Manufacturers are basically trying to make conventional gearboxes work like a continuously variable transmission. I know CVT is a bad word among enthusiasts, and their less-than-stellar track record for reliability is a valid reason for that. But my friends, CVTs have epic performance potential. Holding an engine in its sweet spot for all of eternity is what every racer dreams of. On the flip side, having an engine barely running so as to deliver awesome mileage with minimal emissions at speed is what every environmentalist dreams of. The CVT with its gearless belt can provide infinite gear ratios, making the dreams of both sides come true.

And if you doubt its performance applications, watch this video from the 1990s of the Williams team testing a CVT for F1 - something the FIA shut down in a hurry because of its potential for complete domination.

Remote video URL

I know, people say it just doesn’t feel or sound natural to not have an engine going up and down in RPM. There’s something to be said for the aesthetics and art of driving, but as a petrolhead I tend to place performance over panache. If the CVT seems unnatural, well, get used to it because it can be epic. There will always be cars with manual transmissions to enjoy the art of driving, but for just going fast, let me put it this way: you can either wait for VTEC to kick in, or it can always be kicked in. CVT yo - how can that be a bad thing?

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Comments

Lil' Phil

If you have autobahn you want many gears.

02/15/2016 - 10:19 |
2 | 2

Not necessarily. Top speed is determined by power and air resistance, not number of gears. You could achieve over 200 mph in a car with 4 gears, just the rpm range of each gear would be bigger.

02/15/2016 - 10:38 |
2 | 2
Thomas B

I want a CVT. I imagined it and then I saw it existed and I want one so bad

02/15/2016 - 10:29 |
8 | 2

Buy an Audi with multitronic. Multitronic means CVT in Audi language.

02/15/2016 - 12:02 |
8 | 0

If you want a classic, I’d buy a DAF, the manufacturer who invented de CVT ( Variomatic)

02/15/2016 - 12:39 |
12 | 2
Ryan McCosker

Koenigsegg doesn’t know what gears are…

02/15/2016 - 10:29 |
290 | 4
Dat muscle guy (Sam Stone)(Camaro Squad)(Die augen leader)(E

In reply to by Ryan McCosker

Pffft Koenigssegsgsgasgresgegsegsegwsegseg master race yo

02/15/2016 - 11:16 |
50 | 0

“Transmissions, where I’m going, I won’t need trasnnsmissions”

02/15/2016 - 16:09 |
2 | 0

Koenigsefkdoocivosoalxlcjixosogplbgkjcgsgzivkfogohodokfkfkdkgivooxgg kicked in yo.

02/15/2016 - 18:11 |
0 | 2
Lassë Lund

I’d rather wait for VTEC to kick in yo, i couldn’t have the same joy if it all the time were kicked in yo

See what i mean?

02/15/2016 - 10:31 |
30 | 2
Anonymous

Fact is CVT is still in early development, and it weirds people out that don’t understand it and then think their car “isn’t changing gear”.

CVT is going to be amazing.

02/15/2016 - 10:35 |
74 | 4
Slow_C1500

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

That’s what I always told everybody. Prius FTW!

02/15/2016 - 12:19 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Volvo 340 from 1976 had a variomatic gearbox on the smaller engines, so the concept has been used for quite some time.

02/15/2016 - 12:20 |
2 | 0
ValveLiftMan

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I seriously believe that the CVT is the best auto transmission for normal, non sporty vehicles.

02/16/2016 - 14:02 |
4 | 0
CheesyBISTO

I have a ‘90 MX5 with a 5MT…it could do with a 6th to act as an over drive but I entirety agree with you.

02/15/2016 - 10:37 |
0 | 0
slevo beavo

The cvt is the best thing in a pruis

02/15/2016 - 10:41 |
18 | 0

YES

02/15/2016 - 12:20 |
12 | 0

And the ONLY good thing

02/15/2016 - 12:37 |
2 | 0
Tijs Willemsen

What do you think about trucks with 18-speed transmission? :P

02/15/2016 - 10:48 |
0 | 0

It would be necessary in their case with their heavy load, but I think such is not the case with passenger cars

02/15/2016 - 11:30 |
0 | 0

They are all manual transmissions and all the gears are there to keep the engine in its sweet spot. They use multiple gearboxes to do this. Some trucks have 24 gears but 18 is most common.

02/15/2016 - 11:35 |
0 | 0
Anonymous
02/15/2016 - 10:48 |
58 | 0
One Lap Kings

Another point that goes along with weight. If the transmission isn’t getting bigger/heavier to add more gears, then they are making the gears themselves smaller and weaker (unless they use stronger materials which is not cheap).

02/15/2016 - 11:03 |
0 | 0

Or simply advances in material engineering get you stronger, better and lower cost parts.

02/15/2016 - 12:16 |
4 | 0