Has anyone heard anything about the new 8 speed auto gear box on the fiat Ducato
Any News about Fiat Ducato's 8-Speed Transmission
- Thread starter Mart grump
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Lenny HB
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That's clever as its not in production yet.
Lenny HB
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The 8 speed will be fitted in the Series 10 current Ducato is series 9 with the 9 speed box. I think it's due end of this year.
Early adopterThat's clever as its not in production yet.
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Obvious I have a new MH, I don´t even know how many gears it has.......That's clever as its not in production yet.
haganap
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Test pilot...fair play
It has been mentioned on a couple of Series 10 Ducato reviews.
What’s the point of all these new diesel vans when we’re supposed to be all electric in 6yrs…
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Take it back. You've got one missing.
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Lenny HB
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2035 is 11 years away and that's for cars I think commercial vehicles will be excluded. Keep up boy.What’s the point of all these new diesel vans when we’re supposed to be all electric in 6yrs…
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Likewise, 8 gears 9 gears I just lose count! I have 9 on the Fiat Van I thinkObvious I have a new MH, I don´t even know how many gears it has.......
anyway it's superb.8 gears on the Volvo and that has been superb as well.
Manual boxes are so yesterday!
Because its not 6 years yet and everyone will be desperate to buy one before it is.What’s the point of all these new diesel vans when we’re supposed to be all electric in 6yrs…
Lenny HB
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What's 6 years got to do with it?
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Good idea, it is under warranty
My speculation is the 8 speed is an in-house box originally designed by Citroen for MPVs with a 2.0 diesel litre engine.
I suspect it'll be a let down compared to the ZF 9 speed. But it might make it cheaper.
I suspect it'll be a let down compared to the ZF 9 speed. But it might make it cheaper.
In the rapidly growing past, I remember 3 speed autos and 4 speed manuals with first being non-syncro and so low geared that you always started in second, effectively a 3 speed manual.......happy days..and I agree, auto is the way, unless its a lightweight soft top with a few winding roads and passes to chuck it around...Likewise, 8 gears 9 gears I just lose count! I have 9 on the Fiat Van I think
8 gears on the Volvo and that has been superb as well.
On US RV sites there has been much discussion/complaint that the 9-speed gearbox is designed for all Fiat's from cars to the Ducatto/RAM Promaster but installers just block out the top two gears so it is a de facto 7-speed gearbox (the top 2 gears don't have enough torque for a full 4,000 kg van).
Maybe Fiat are just being honest and keeping the gearbox the same but removing the top gear for all vans.
If you have a 9-speed does it use the top 2 gears (use the manual override, can you get the rev reduction of the higher gears above 7? I tried this on a US van and it does stop at 7, can't access 8th, or 9th, gear).
Maybe Fiat are just being honest and keeping the gearbox the same but removing the top gear for all vans.
If you have a 9-speed does it use the top 2 gears (use the manual override, can you get the rev reduction of the higher gears above 7? I tried this on a US van and it does stop at 7, can't access 8th, or 9th, gear).
Ooh, I must try that.....
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cooperman66
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Mine def uses all 9 gears....
I'd be interested to know what rpm you get in 7th, 8th, 9th at, say, 65mph, if anyone knows. No rush, just curious.
MichaelT
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My car has 7 gears so maybe 9 on a commercial vehicle is overkill?
I have the 9-speed box and it's brilliant. On motorways it's in 8 or 9 all the time cruising between 60 and 70, occasionally down to 7th gear if it's a steeper incline.
I find our 6-speed Fiat based MH reminds me of 'those days'. 1st is really low and 6th is really high, so it feels like a 4-speed 'box plus a crawler gear and overdrive.
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You forgot double de-clutching!
Ber090
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ZF 9 speed brilliant. Presume new 8 speed in-house will be cheaper. On a Camperstop in Spain watching a German comformatic equipped camper being loaded onto breakdown truck. No gears, no local garage able to fix. Poor guy spent 5000 euros last year 14 months ago on repairs. Warranty 12 months!
It means they can tune the engine to be really efficient in specific rev bands. As long as it changes fast and seamlessly, give it however many it needs.
I think Ford make a 10 speed for their larger vehicles? Commercial vehicles generally need more gears to cope with higher loads.
I think it's unlikely the installers play with the ECU. If there's not enough torque to maintain the requested power a higher gear, it won't change up. The gearboxes should manage it themselves, so the converters shouldn't need to alter anything anyway. But it should still go to 9th when coasting at high speed.
I like it too, but I did notice that if you use the limiter and keep your foot to the floor, it will stay in 8th, you need to lift a little then it drops into 9th.....not so comfortable to use as the old cruise control, that was set and forget, the limiter requires more throttle action.
We do a lot of Austria with its 100kmh speed limit and I notice the difference between the 2 systems.
If I'm going downhill or I'm already rolling and I'm not in a hurry, I'll often start in 2nd. I can still lift the clutch pretty much straight away.
I think 6th is too high because motorhomes are heavy, unaerodynamic and the wheels are too big. It was optimised for delivery vans.
I'm generally ok with the box. But on mountain roads, I do find the gap from 3rd to 4th is too big. I think it's 33% difference in ratios? It's not so bad on my 150bhp van, but in my previous 120bhp where the turbo kicked in later, I had to scream out 3rd before shifting to 4th when accelerating up hill.
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