2017 Ford F-150 Raptor could get a 10-speed automatic transmission.
In October of 2013, Ford filed for a patent that would allow them to manufacture an automatic transmission with eleven gears. That’s right, eleven gears! We had just wrapped our petrolheads around the idea of 9-speeds in a transmission, but it seems that Ford wanted something a bit more ostentatious. A gearbox that would have cogs in double digits, so eleven it is then! The favourite number of cogs in a gearbox right now is nine. New Land Rover products such as the latest Range Rover Evoque and the brand new Land Rover Discovery Sport house a ZF 9-speed automatic gearbox. When ZF launched the 9-speed gearbox in 2012, the company’s CEO admitted that 9-speeds is more than enough, considering the whole system’s complexity and weight. Clearly, Ford doesn’t seem to agree to this “natural limit” law for gearboxes.
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor will mostly use a 10-speed automatic gearbox.
Ford says that they have only patented the technology for this manic gearbox with a zillion ratios, but haven’t planned on implementing it on any of their future products, as yet. That said, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup will mostly come equipped with a new 10-speed setup. A spokesperson for the carmaker said in a statement, “As a technology leader, we submit patents on innovative ideas as a normal course of business. Patent submissions help protect our new ideas but do not necessarily indicate future business or product plans.”
Current day 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions offer good drivability and frugality.
Honestly, how many cogs does a modern car need to get moving and achieve respectable fuel economy? Surely there must be a cap to how many gears a car can or rather should have, before the computer controlling it freezes and says, “OK, I quit!” Only time will decide on that and whether Ford plans to execute their patent for real, remains to be seen.
Source – autoguide