Don’t Fear Progress: You Want Ford’s 10-Speed Automatic Transmission
When Ford announced the 2017 Raptor at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, they dropped a bomb about the new truck. No, it wasn’t that it’d be powered by a 3.5L EcoBoost V6, but rather that it would have Ford’s new 10-speed automatic. Having more gears than a Huffy might not sound like something you want in your pickup truck, but it will be something you want. Combined with the new EcoBoost 3.5L in the 2017 F-150, it’ll be a potent combination.
So what makes this 10-speed so special? Well the obvious is that more gears means better overall performance. This allows Ford to engineer the truck to tow better, drive better, and get better fuel economy. While it doesn’t have as many ratios as a continuously-variable transmission, you don’t get any of the drawbacks of a CVT.
This new 10-speed is special in other ways, including the construction. As with all things in the new F-150, the new transmission is lighter. It also doesn’t use any cast-iron components, which saves weight. An additional two pounds of weight is saved by integrating the torque converter / turbine clutch.
Because of the integration that transmission has with the truck’s other systems, in additional to a modified Tow / Haul mode and a Sport Mode, the transmission will also adapt based on how the operator is driving.
The 10-speed joins the 2nd-generation EcoBoost V6 in the 2017 Ford F-150, and will also be the transmission used in the 2017 Raptor.
Let us know what you think over in the forums!
via [Ford]
