Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: Number_35
I think that beyond a certain point the complexity outweighs the gains. I'd say that 5 or 6 forward speeds is the sweet spot.
Drive a ZF-8 Challenger or Grand Cherokee back-to-back with a NAG-1 5-speed version, and you'll drop that line of thinking REAL quick. Or use a GM 5-speed vs 8-speed for your comparison, doesn't matter. The advantage of more forward gears is especially obvious with a normally-aspirated v6, the V8s and turbo engines can somewhat overcome the wide gaps of a 5-speed, but the v6 really came into its own when it got paired with the 8-speed.
If you constantly drive wide open throttle, the 8+ speeds are nice. Any other time they're just annoying. They're constantly up and down shifting, and they always have the engine lugging. Even the slightest bit of acceleration requires a down shift. I know why they're going with these mega-gear trannies and it's because they keep going with smaller and smaller displacement engines that have no torque, so they have a hard time pulling the wider ratio gaps between the gears. Larger displacement engines don't need that many gears...
I think you need to do what he suggested, and that is drive one. We have two vehicles with vastly different levels of power output both backed by the 8spd. Neither of them hunt up and down. The Jeep will climb massive hills in 8th, the only time it wants to downshift is when you tickle the loud pedal and tell it to and then it always seems to know the right gear.