A Look at GM’s new 10-Speed Automatic

Engineers for the new 10-speed automatic transmission available in the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 built on the experience of previous, critically acclaimed Hydra-Matic multispeed transmissions to push its performance, refinement and efficiency advantages to a new threshold.

The 10-speed is an all-new design – and the first-ever application in a car – with a wider, 7.39 overall gear ratio spread, that enables the ZL1’s supercharged engine to remain at optimal engine speeds during upshifts.

The wider overall ratio enables a lower numerical top gear ratio – an attribute that reduces engine speed on the highway, which contributes to greater fuel efficiency than a comparable eight-speed transmission. Improvements in spin loss complement the optimized gearing, further enhancing efficiency.

And while the Camaro ZL1 will be the first GM vehicle to offer the new 10-speed automatic, designed for rear-wheel-drive applications, it will be available in eight additional vehicles by 2018.

Additional highlights:

• Creative packaging – The 10-speed is approximately the same size as the six- and eight-speed transmissions, minimizing changes to vehicle interfaces.
• Quicker shifts than a dual-clutch transmission – Testing has shown faster upshift times than the Porsche PDK dual-clutch transmission. In fact, the 1-2 upshift is 36-percent quicker than the PDK, while the 2-3 and 3-4 upshifts are 27-percent and 26-percent quicker, respectively.
• Reduced spin losses –Thanks to only two non-applied clutches – the same number as the eight-speed – as well as other design features, the 10-speed automatic has lower friction that contributes to greater fuel efficiency over GM’s six- and eight-speed automatics. New ultra-low viscosity transmission fluid also reduces friction, while an internal thermal bypass allows the transmission to warm up faster – attributes that enhance fuel efficiency
• GM-developed controller – It is the latest transmission to use an all-new, GM-developed control system, with performance calibrations tailored specifically for different vehicles.