Photo: Chrysler
Since it was introduced on a handful of models back in 2011, the Chrysler Group installed the ZF-sourced TorqueFlite 8HP transmission in more than a million vehicles. When compared with its five and six-speed predecessors, the eight-speed auto is estimated to save 700 million gallons of fuel over the lifetime of those one million vehicles equipped with it.
Even though the Chrysler Group recently started to build a ZF-designed nine-speed automatic at its Tipton Facility, the 8HP is still king throughout the Chrysler lineup. The nine-speed is currently available with the 2014 Jeep Cherokee and 2015 Chrysler 200 luxury sedan, while the eight-speed box equips most Chrysler models produced nowadays, including the jaw-dropping 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
The Detroit manufacturer informs that those 700 million gallons of gasoline and diesel are worth about $2.5 billion according to current fuel-price forecasts, while the eight-speed gearbox will also be responsible for reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by a more than six million metric tonnes. Depending on the application, a TorqueFlite transmission can account for fuel economy improvements of up to nine percent when compared with a more conventional automatic.
“This is precisely the kind of impact we targeted with the TorqueFlite program,” declared Jeffrey Lux, vice president and head of transmission powertrain at Chrysler. “We fully expect this momentum to continue as we expand availability. The TorqueFlite’s wide 7.03 ratio spread is the reason it can deliver such superior performance. This enables engines to operate at peak efficiency in a broader range of driving conditions.”
Since the TorqueFlite eight-speed box debuted on the 2012 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 fitted with the 3.6-liter Penastar V6 engine, the eight-speed gearbox migrated to HEMI V8-powered versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ram 1500 pickup truck and Dodge Durango, among other models with front, rear or four-wheel drive.
In the case of the recently introduced 600+ horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Chrysler and ZF came up with the 8HP90 variant, a high-performance heavy-duty automatic that can handle the massive amounts of torque generated by the 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat mill.
The TorqueFlite 845RE is produced under license from ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the Chrysler Group’s manufacturing complex in Kokomo, Indiana. The 8HP70 and 8HP90, respectively, are produced at ZF’s plants in Gray Court, South Carolina, and Saarbrucken, Germany.
The Detroit manufacturer informs that those 700 million gallons of gasoline and diesel are worth about $2.5 billion according to current fuel-price forecasts, while the eight-speed gearbox will also be responsible for reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by a more than six million metric tonnes. Depending on the application, a TorqueFlite transmission can account for fuel economy improvements of up to nine percent when compared with a more conventional automatic.
“This is precisely the kind of impact we targeted with the TorqueFlite program,” declared Jeffrey Lux, vice president and head of transmission powertrain at Chrysler. “We fully expect this momentum to continue as we expand availability. The TorqueFlite’s wide 7.03 ratio spread is the reason it can deliver such superior performance. This enables engines to operate at peak efficiency in a broader range of driving conditions.”
Since the TorqueFlite eight-speed box debuted on the 2012 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 fitted with the 3.6-liter Penastar V6 engine, the eight-speed gearbox migrated to HEMI V8-powered versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ram 1500 pickup truck and Dodge Durango, among other models with front, rear or four-wheel drive.
In the case of the recently introduced 600+ horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Chrysler and ZF came up with the 8HP90 variant, a high-performance heavy-duty automatic that can handle the massive amounts of torque generated by the 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat mill.
The TorqueFlite 845RE is produced under license from ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the Chrysler Group’s manufacturing complex in Kokomo, Indiana. The 8HP70 and 8HP90, respectively, are produced at ZF’s plants in Gray Court, South Carolina, and Saarbrucken, Germany.
Google News