Chrysler’s TorqueFlite Transmissions Saves $2.5 billion USD

Posted on 17 June, 2014

Chrysler’s TorqueFlite eight-speed transmissions are getting famous for their fuel savings and emissions reductions. They feature advanced-technology automatics which are first of their kind ever made available to mainstream-brand customers. In fact, these transmissions are now powering more than one million vehicles, worldwide. Vehicles equipped with TorqueFlite eight-speed transmissions are projected to save their owners more than 700 million gallons of fuel, if one compares them with their predecessors that featured five- or six-speed automatic transmissions. This means that the quantity of gasoline is worth approximately $2.5 billion at the pump.

Furthermore, they also contribute for the reduction of the combined CO2 emissions by more than six million metric tonnes. There have been achieved 19 Chrysler Group fuel-economy or driving-range benchmarks across four vehicle segments.

TorqueFlite 8HP70 transmission can be paired with HEMI-equipped Dodge Chargers, Challengers and Challenger SRTs. This transmission will be available in 2015. The first TorqueFlite 8HP45/845RE made its debut in model-year 2012 being the world’s first eight-speed available outside the luxury market. It was coupled with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 in the Charger and Chrysler 300 lineups.

Since then, both aforementioned transmissions have migrated, to Pentastar- and HEMI-powered versions of the Dodge Durango, Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee lineups. Now, with the introduction of the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the TorqueFlite transmission family adds its third member – the 8HP90 high-performance automatic. It affords greater torque capacity than any eight-speed previously offered by Chrysler Group.

TorqueFlite family is fully electronic and its software adapts the transmission’s shift patterns to driver behavior and driving conditions such as longitudinal and lateral acceleration, grade steepness, temperature and electronic stability control activation.

Internally, the transmission includes four gear sets and five shift elements, which comprise of multi-disc clutches and brakes. Only two shift elements are open at one time, which reduces drag losses stemming from the rotation of multiple parts. The TorqueFlite also is “fill-for-life,” never requiring oil changes, when subjected to normal driving conditions.

2014 Dodge Ram 1500 equipped with TorqueFlite function benefits further from a thermal management system that quickly raises engine and transmission fluid temperature. This enhances the fuel efficiency by 1.7 percent. This is done by reducing the parasitic losses that occur when engine oil and transmission fluid are in their natural, lower-viscosity states.

Source: Chrysler