How Many Is Too Many Gears? Ford Files Patent For 11 Speed Automatic Transmission

The *theoretically* perfect transmission for an internal combustion engine is a CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission. It has an "infinite" number of gears that allow the engine to stay at its optimum RPM while the transmission changes it ratios to accommodate the engine's characteristics and driving conditions. This gives you ability to deliver optimum performance and optimum fuel economy.

Automatic transmissions with multiple discrete gears are a compromise that attempt to get as close to that theoretically ideal CVT as is feasible. Compromise factors include:
- Manufacturing cost
- Reliability
- Durability
- Weight
- Form factor / packaging
- Comfort (how it feels when it shifts)
- Performance

As long as you haven't compromised the transmission "too much" in the above areas, you can't have too many gears. For all intents and purposes, a CVT and 100-gear transmission are functionally identical.

I was going to say something similar. It will be a bit of time but eventually we'll have high-torque CVTs with intelligent software guiding them and that's that. They'll be able to go from very economical to very sporty and aggressive and anything in-between.

Honda, usually a very conservative automaker put one in the Accord (its most conservative product!). I think Ford might be putting its eggs in the wrong basket. Much smarter to put money into improving CVTs, they are the future for IC engines.

How many gears is too many? Two is too many. This is why we need electric propulsion, no clunky gear-switching transmissions are needed, just a simple and always connected gear reduction.

The more gears the transmission has the more time is spends hunting for the "right" gear. This pretty much guarantees that it is never in the right gear and it is not delivering the optimum torque to the wheels. Just observe any 18-wheeler out there.

Seriously? Your argument makes no sense. The time required to find the "right" gear doesn't change just because there are more gears. The algorithm will be just as fast for 1000 gears as it will be for 5 for all practical intents. Furthermore, even if there were a millisecond longer of delay, that wouldn't change driving dynamics in most cars and certainly wouldn't have any impact on efficiency/fuel economy or optimal torque.

Electric engines can't be mated directly to wheels anyway. They require gearing and, in fact, the Roadster was supposed to have a 2-speed gearbox and Tesla failed to create one. They settled for the one-speed box, but it isn't optimal. Electric motors have torque curves, power curves, and efficiency curves just like ICEs. A gearbox will help keep an electric motor at maximum efficiency at all times and can improve performance. Having a real gearbox with an electric motor could really extend range at higher speeds.

Well, it is not "my" argument. Argue with the Tesla Model S P85D. Sure they have a torque "curve" if you can call the flat line at max from 0 RPM a curve. And with two el. motors geared differently that line extends quite far.

But if you care I cannot stand modern slush boxes. They're never in the right gear and always hunting. If it has to have gears, either give me a manual or a DSG.

My nine speed auto is fantastic in auto drive with constant torque and imperceptible shifts. However it makes the shift paddles useless and unnecessary...you can barely detect an up or down shift so leave it in auto.