As transmissions have improved over the years, vehicles have started to adopt more gears in the automatic transmission, which in turn makes the gear shifting more precise, reducing the amount of fuel needed to drive and shift the car. While it is now standard for most automatic transmissions to have around six gears, the all-new 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and other GM-based pickups built on the same line are set to come out with an eight-speed transmission.
The eight-speed transmission is going to drastically improve the fuel economy of the vehicle, which is desirable for anyone who is on the market for a new truck. The standard 2015 Silverado is going to hit the market with a V-8 engine, offering out a total of 420 horsepower and 460 pound feet of torque. A few years ago, an engine this size would have provided inferior gas mileage, but with the release of an eight-speed transmission, the vehicle can provide almost precise shifts, which is going to improve the fuel economy. Where other vehicle manufacturers have downgraded truck engines to a V-6 or have even switched to a stainless steel vehicle body in order to shed weight in order to improve gas mileage. All of this ultimately comes at a cost as the smaller engine also has less horsepower and torque. Both of these are extremely important for any truck driver who intends on towing equipment, boats or anything else. That is why Chevy has decided to instead of downgrade the engine and the towing capacity, to actually improve the engine itself, so the vehicle can still maintain an impressive amount of horsepower and torque, without suffering any sort of negative issues with the vehicle.
Another benefit of the eight-speed transmission is it offers a smoother ride. When a vehicle with less gears shifts, it is often at the height of one gear’s RPM for a few seconds before it upshifts, which can cause a sudden change in the sound of the engine and the speed at which the vehicle accelerates. With the eight-speed transmission though, this is much smoother and the vehicle is not left in the high end of the gear’s RPM. This makes for a quieter ride and one that is going to be smoother than any other vehicle with a six-speed transmission.
The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado’s eight-speed transmission is going to have a wider ratio in the gears, to it receives more power in first gear, which is going to help with staring off and accelerating when towing a heavy load. It also comes with a lower rear axle ratio, which helps cut down the engine rotations per minute while on the highway. This way, the engine does not have to work as hard while towing, which is good on the engine and helps it last longer, with fewer repairs needed. The EcoTec3 V-8 is also the most powerful engine that comes in a light-duty pickup, so someone in need of a powerful truck but doesn’t want to spend a large sum of money doesn’t have to purchase a medium-duty or heavy-duty pickup. Also, an added bonus with the EcoTec 3 engine is it can switch down to a four-cylinder operation when there is less or no payload towing, which is going to improve the fuel economy even further.
