- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
The ZF 8HP is the new transmission coming in the JL, JT and Dodge Ram 1/2 ton trucks and is really one of the biggest upgrades to the new Wrangler, IMO. The ZF 8HP has been used in many other very different vehicles, starting with a BMW 760Li fitted with the V12 engine, as well as vehicles from Aston Martin, Fiat Chrysler, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volkswagen too.
The ZF 8HP is rated up to 1000 ft/lbs of torque in some variations that demand that much power and it's built so that the torque converter can be replaced with an electric motor, for a mild hybrid drive. The efficient, low-mass triple-line torque converter’s lower inertia helps during shifting and starting, while its twin torsional damper system allows fast engagement with little “slip.” Other efficiency and shift-improvement features include a hydrodynamically cooled clutch, low-viscosity transmission fluid, and chain-driven axial parallel vane cell pump.
The transmission uses four planetary gearsets and five gear shift elements (two brakes, three clutches); there are two opened shift elements per gear, minimizing drag losses. Only two shift elements are open in each gear, cutting parasitic losses; and it can make extreme transmission shifts, such as eight-to-second kickdown, in one step.
The gear ratio spread of 7.0 ensures that the engine is always in its optimum operating range and close to peak torque. -
I had a chance to drive a new Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi and the 8HP transmission. The Ram has transmission shift buttons on the steering wheel and allows manual shifting without placing the transmission in 'manual' mode like other vehicles. The shifts are tight and smooth, making it easy to upshift or downshift as needed. The factory display claimed 18-19 MPG over the last 400 miles, with much of that being in the Colorado mountains! The gear ratio spread was awesome, it was obvious that the engine was kept at it's peak powerband at all times with normal driving.
Personally, I think the ZF 8HP is an amazing transmission and really makes the JL & JT even that much better.... from the high MPG and great gear spread, I think it's a winner. It will be interesting to see if the Rubicon's 4 to 1 will be too deep with a Jeep in 1st gear, low range. It makes me wonder if a non-Rubicon will have a pretty good crawl ratio with that super deep 1st and 2nd gear. Coupled with the EcoDiesel, the torque and a non-Rubicon should be pretty capable offroad if shifted in 1st or 2nd gear.
The ZF 8HP is rated up to 1000 ft/lbs of torque in some variations that demand that much power and it's built so that the torque converter can be replaced with an electric motor, for a mild hybrid drive. The efficient, low-mass triple-line torque converter’s lower inertia helps during shifting and starting, while its twin torsional damper system allows fast engagement with little “slip.” Other efficiency and shift-improvement features include a hydrodynamically cooled clutch, low-viscosity transmission fluid, and chain-driven axial parallel vane cell pump.
The transmission uses four planetary gearsets and five gear shift elements (two brakes, three clutches); there are two opened shift elements per gear, minimizing drag losses. Only two shift elements are open in each gear, cutting parasitic losses; and it can make extreme transmission shifts, such as eight-to-second kickdown, in one step.
The gear ratio spread of 7.0 ensures that the engine is always in its optimum operating range and close to peak torque. -
| Gear | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | Spread | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio | 4.71 | 3.14 | 2.10 | 1.67 | 1.29 | 1.00 | 0.84 | 0.67 | 2.65 | 7.03 |
I had a chance to drive a new Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi and the 8HP transmission. The Ram has transmission shift buttons on the steering wheel and allows manual shifting without placing the transmission in 'manual' mode like other vehicles. The shifts are tight and smooth, making it easy to upshift or downshift as needed. The factory display claimed 18-19 MPG over the last 400 miles, with much of that being in the Colorado mountains! The gear ratio spread was awesome, it was obvious that the engine was kept at it's peak powerband at all times with normal driving.
Personally, I think the ZF 8HP is an amazing transmission and really makes the JL & JT even that much better.... from the high MPG and great gear spread, I think it's a winner. It will be interesting to see if the Rubicon's 4 to 1 will be too deep with a Jeep in 1st gear, low range. It makes me wonder if a non-Rubicon will have a pretty good crawl ratio with that super deep 1st and 2nd gear. Coupled with the EcoDiesel, the torque and a non-Rubicon should be pretty capable offroad if shifted in 1st or 2nd gear.
