[barts dart]

most automatic people allege to be commuters in heavy traffic how will this tranny help them? for fuel economy will it beat the 6 speed?

 

[rajunz]

The auto's already get better mileage due to the MDS. 8 speeds will probably have more of an overdrive gearing to increase the mileage even more. Also, according to the Dodge reveal, it will lower the 0-60 times by half a second, which will easily get the 5.7's in the high 12's.

 

[Yahooligan]

The auto's already get better mileage due to the MDS.

Really? I've yet to see any HEMI auto consistently get 27-28mpg on the freeway. During my road trip from SoCal up to WA and back that's what I averaged over multiple tanks. MDS helps the autos get better mileage, sure, but not better than the 6-speed from what I've seen.

 

[barts dart]

The auto's already get better mileage due to the MDS. 8 speeds will probably have more of an overdrive gearing to increase the mileage even more. Also, according to the Dodge reveal, it will lower the 0-60 times by half a second, which will easily get the 5.7's in the high 12's.

im seeing old novas with 350 engines and 2 speed powerglides turning the 1/8 in the 6s this would be embarrsing to a new hellcat I think

 

[aldo90731]

The 8-speed will give you a wider range for more efficient use of the 3.6 V6, and the V8s as well: from a lower 1st gear for a quicker launch, to a higher gear for better HWY MPG. I'd expect at least 1-2 better MPG over the A5 in real driving.

My 300S V6 with A8 was rated at 31 MPG HWY. I don't think I ever got more than 29... But that's still pretty good for such a large, comfortable car.

Also, despite the love for the current A5 from many forum members, the A8 shifts much more smoothly, for an overall more refined experience. I hope they fixed the twitchiness of the gear selector into reverse, though.

 

[barts dart]

did a 470 mile road trip to rod run last weekend in a 6 speed rt mostly interstate cruise on 72. evic showed 28.2 mpg

 

[Palerider15]

im seeing old novas with 350 engines and 2 speed powerglides turning the 1/8 in the 6s this would be embarrsing to a new hellcat I think

And...they have no creature comforts, suck gas to the tune of maybe 8 miles/gallon, and maybe, one could stand to be driving them for about an hour before the drone and exhaust get to you. You just can't compare old technology with the new. Two different animals for two different times.
Having said that...if the new 8spd has the same shift characteristics of the one in the 2013 V6 Chargers, I am not a fan. There is no "movement" in the shifter itself to give you the feel of shifting. It's more like a joystick than a shifter.
That might be OK for a Camry type of daily driver, but it takes away all that a muscle car is, as far as driving it goes.

 

[sorbs]

if the new 8spd has the same shift characteristics of the one in the 2013 V6 Chargers, I am not a fan. There is no "movement" in the shifter itself to give you the feel of shifting. It's more like a joystick than a shifter.

Sport mode speeds shifts from 400ms to 250ms and the new T-handle replaces the weird "I can't find drive after reversing" issue on the V6 cars. Also the tuner crowd (Superchips/Diablo) will have more tuning tricks to up sell to us in the future.

Bottom line: it'll be hard to justify sticking with a stick

 

[aldo90731]

Bottom line: it'll be hard to justify sticking with a stick

I am with you on that one. My last two Challengers have been stick shift, and I LOVE it, but after driving an A8 for severas months, it can do most anything I can do manually, but faster and more smoothly.

BTW, gearshifts are little more than an electronic switch these days: we won't be moving a mechanical linkage anymore. So we better get used to it.

 

[randycat99]

I think we need to wait to see what axle ratio they actually put on these 8-spd Hemi Challengers...yes, that will make all the difference in what this new transmission can/cannot do.

In general, I think the 8-spd is overkill with our Hemi's. It's right on target for the Pentastar-based Challengers, though. If they use a 3.08 axle on the Hemi-equipped models, 1st gear on the 8-spd will be way too short, and more or less be useless as far as putting any amount of engine grunt into it...you'll be tryin' real hard to put tires in the back that will even handle that. If they use a 2.65 axle, then first 4 gears will be more or less like what you had in the 5-spd auto, plus you essentially gain another 4 "overdrive" gears. *Maybe* there will be a small advantage in the 1/4 mi run as far as better use of 3rd and 4th gear. Short of track use, you are probably never going to be able to get much favor out of that, unless you are the type that routinely jockeys for pole position on a hwy (not that I would know anything about that ).

That's really not where this 8-spd was designed to deliver benefits, anyway. It was just to ensure you have a ridiculously tall gear for whatever legal speed you might be at, to deliver fuel economy. I suppose that will be a boon for whoever was pining for the ability to roll around at 1100-1200 rpm wherever you go, but that is not exactly the recipe for a more "lively" and capable transmission. If you were complaining about the the transmission always dogging it by camping on an upper gear, you will really be complaining about it on the 8-spd. That's what it was designed to do to deliver the fuel economy. You'll still be complaining about it not downshifting just right, on those occasions you want to participate in "exhibition of speed". The best call in that scenario is to simply man the gear selection yourself, but instead, you now got 8 gears to maneuver, instead of 5. Welcome to "the Future", right?

Why is it such a hot product on the Euro-performance sedans, then?...when you put it on a 3.08 axle (or higher), those 4.x L v8's have a fighting chance to dig-out in 1st gear (before the cam or boost can help out), and then there is an endless series of gears after to accommodate any other road speed thereon. It all works because the 8-spd caters to a "particular" kind of engine...an engine that doesn't even exist in Dodge's line-up (and I'm not even calling for Dodge to come up with such an engine). The closest match would be the Pentastar.

 

[barts dart]

theres been good automatics in the past.but the people that make 4,5,6 speed conversion kits are still around

 

[wasp392]

I get to drive a phantom ghost with the zf 8sp often (not mine). I hate the way it shifts. Constant upshifting and downshifting. Very noticeable. It's a monster powerhouse for a heavy car but that tranny is not for that car IMO.


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[aldo90731]

The more Dodge can make the 3.6 V6 shine by mating it to an A8, the more people will want to buy Challengers, and the more we can count on Dodge continue to make them --V8s and all.

 

[randycat99]

I don't believe that, at all...quite the opposite actually. If you make people start thinking that all they "need" is a v6 in a 4000 lb car, then the v8 is truly in trouble.

That v6 is still only 300 hp, and it will never sound like a v8. That is what people need to remember, to keep v8's alive in these kinds of cars. In motorcycle terms, an rpm-screamer i4 will *never* replace what a Harley v-twin does. I'm not even that enamored with the Harley sound, but even I know that is cosmic truth.

 

[raceheart77]

So guys, Dodge really said the A8 will make the car .5 seconds faster in the 0-60?
I never driven a A8 and always thought it was for fuel economy...but a half second to 60 is big beans on the street.

 

[barts dart]

if this is only transmission in v6 cars the price to get in the game will probably go up.any guesses

 

[aldo90731]

Anything is cheaper than sourcing transmissions from Mercedes.

Chrysler is building the 8-speed transmissions, under license from ZF.

 

[aldo90731]

I don't believe that, at all...quite the opposite actually. If you make people start thinking that all they "need" is a v6 in a 4000 lb car, then the v8 is truly in trouble.

That v6 is still only 300 hp, and it will never sound like a v8. That is what people need to remember, to keep v8's alive in these kinds of cars. In motorcycle terms, an rpm-screamer i4 will *never* replace what a Harley v-twin does. I'm not even that enamored with the Harley sound, but even I know that is cosmic truth.

Not everyone wants 400+ HP. The moment fuel prices start to climb again, buyers will run away as far as they can from V8 engines. We need fuel efficient V6s to carry the Challenger through economic cycles.

 

[Big Swede]

I get to drive a phantom ghost with the zf 8sp often (not mine). I hate the way it shifts. Constant upshifting and downshifting. Very noticeable. It's a monster powerhouse for a heavy car but that tranny is not for that car IMO.


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That's because of the programming and not the tranny. I remember when Lexus first mated the 8 speed to their V8 and everyone hated how it was constantly shifting.

They reprogrammed it and now everyone who has driven one loves it. There's no question it will be way better than the current 5 speed for acceleration and a little bit in real world fuel economy.

 

[Cuda]

I can see the 8-speed helping times some and getting rid of the 2nd gear bog, MPG should go up for hwy. quite a bit, but even my car with the A5 has a hard time getting traction so if they put a lower first gear with the current 3.06 rear gear it's just going to spin!!!