ZF 8 speed automatic transmission review

[srt20]

I own 18 F150 with a 10sp auto. I also own 2 of the 8sp autos. The JLUR and a Durango.
I like the 8sp trans better.

Ive driven some GM 10sp as well. IMO the 8sp is the best OEM auto trans on the market.

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[Rambler_13]

But it's not just the trans. shifter, it's the steering wheel controls too! Up goes down in the menu, down goes up. It's dyslexic!

I don't buy Lite Brite's idea at all. It's a Jeep made for the consumer market, it should be intuitive. Down should be down. Up should be up.

Just about every sports car does it this way, and is the way it should be imo, even for a truck, haha. Porsche screwed this up with their PDK initially and then fixed it around 2016/7. My 2015 Turbo S had it backwards (up to upshift and down to downshift) which was annoying but since it had paddles, I never used the shifter.

The ZF is an amazing transmission, it was particularly brilliant in my previous AR Giulia QV with Alfa’s tuning. I also prefer the ZF in the JL to the 10sp in the Raptor that I just traded for the JL. The 10sp upshifted wonderfully but downshifted terribly. When it downshifted, it would literally lunge the truck forward rather than slow it down. It was as if they couldn’t figure out the rev matching. And I felt 10 speeds was just too many, even 8 is pushing it.

 

[rogisilva]

I also agree with pulling (down) for up-shifts and pushing (up) for downshifts, I see it as pull and push on the stick more than up and down and it is much more natural to pull it towards you to shift up. I've felt like this from my first drive in an auto with a sequential shifter... That car had it backwards (push for up-shift) and it immediately felt wrong even with no prior experience.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Here is a cool video on the ZF HP automatic transmission. I believe that the ZF HP is similar to the 850RE.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/ent...s-eight-speed-automatic/ar-AAAM3tv?li=BBnb4R5

Embedding the video for others:

 

[Lou Bunn]

8 Speed automatic...boy, back in my day we had a 2 speed called the PowerGlide. You FLOORED it till it changed gears and then drove regularly. I love new things!

 

[roaniecowpony]

I also agree with pulling (down) for up-shifts and pushing (up) for downshifts, I see it as pull and push on the stick more than up and down and it is much more natural to pull it towards you to shift up. I've felt like this from my first drive in an auto with a sequential shifter... That car had it backwards (push for up-shift) and it immediately felt wrong even with no prior experience.

I got comfortable with the steering wheel paddle shifters on my SS Camaro. I can see where they could work well on a Jeep when wheeling.

 

[Rambler_13]

8 Speed automatic...boy, back in my day we had a 2 speed called the PowerGlide. You FLOORED it till it changed gears and then drove regularly. I love new things!

I had one of these on a '67 Firebird, lol. Robust transmission but very slow off the line from what I recall and an almost 80 mph upshift to 2nd!

 

[brazos]

I got comfortable with the steering wheel paddle shifters on my SS Camaro. I can see where they could work well on a Jeep when wheeling.

They would indeed. I had paddles on a Honda side-by-side 4wheeler. Ideal for off-road driving.

 

[D60]

I particularly like how the 8sp has a constant decel mode, grabbing lower gears to provide some compression braking as you slow. I'd actually like to see it a little more aggressive in that, like tow/haul in my 6R140

Used to be autos were only considered a component to make you GO, and they didn't bother downshifting 'til you floored it

 

[1quick1]

I've had variants of this transmission in a 14 Grand Cherokee and a 17 RAM and the one in the 18 JL is the best yet. It comes down to getting the programming right and this one is leaps beyond the one in the 14 GC.

 

[JP18]

Got one in a 2012 BMW 650i. Works awesome.
Got one in a 2015 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel, works great.
DID NOT GET ONE in my 2018 JLUR, have had clutch problems since I got it. Regret not getting the auto.

JP18

 

[twisty]

Love my auto. So smooth you dont know it's shifting and the reason I turned on the option to see what gear I'm in. It's crazy good.

I dont mind the way the manual works, makes sense to me and I only use it when wheeling. I have bumped it into manual by mistake and it freaked me out when it wasnt shifting. That would be my only complaint on it, but it only happened the one time.

 

[LincolnSixAlpha]

I'm very familiar with this transmission after many years of driving BMW autos. Chrysler/Mopar/FCA actually is licensed to build these transmissions from ZF, although I suspect there's minor physical if any, and more likely software changes between a ZF built, and Chrysler built tranny.

Watched this a few years ago and this guy gives a good breakdown of the transmission as he builds it up in his shop class.



More here:

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a23367341/automatic-transmission-best-zf-eight-speed/

and finally, the obligatory Wiki Page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_8HP_transmission

 

[Outlaw]

But it's not just the trans. shifter, it's the steering wheel controls too! Up goes down in the menu, down goes up. It's dyslexic!

I don't buy Lite Brite's idea at all. It's a Jeep made for the consumer market, it should be intuitive. Down should be down. Up should be up.

You're thinking about it wrong. Forward IS down. Forward is relative to the plane on which the lever/switch is placed. So for the shifter, forward is forward. On the steering wheel, forward is up. Think push=down, pull=up. Same in aircraft, every piece of construction equipment, every mechanical or hydraulic control ever. Every joystick control ever.
The shifter is correct!
It's not like an old auto trans position shifter, it's like a high performance ratchet shifter. That is what lite brite was referring to and she's correct.

 

[D60]

Love my auto. So smooth you dont know it's shifting and the reason I turned on the option to see what gear I'm in. It's crazy good.

I dont mind the way the manual works, makes sense to me and I only use it when wheeling. I have bumped it into manual by mistake and it freaked me out when it wasnt shifting. That would be my only complaint on it, but it only happened the one time.

Yeah it's actually interesting how seamless it is - I didn't realize until I did the muffler delete and now I can hear it shift. But otherwise most drivers don't understand how active this thing is

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