Conclusive 6 or 8 speed auto trans?

[dhmgejs]

Hi everyone, I've been looking for a 2010-2012 Audi A4 for quite a few months now.

I understand that starting in 2011, the A4's started shipping with 8 speed instead of 6 speed transmissions. Aside from fuel economy, are there other noticable advantages?

If any drivers have experience with both, I would really appreciate your help with this question. Is it worth it to spend a few thousand more for the newer models with 8 speed trans?

I saw a limited amount of threads regarding this, and could not find information to give me a conclusive answer.

Thanks in advance!

[Stubek]

Acceleration. First gear is much taller. I made a comparison of the gear ratios in each gear and the 1st in the 6 speed was about equal to 3rd in the 8 speed IIRC. I made a table of it 2 years ago. I know first in the 8 is 4.71 gearing.

If you are looking to buy used and trying to decide between a 2010 and 2011, get the 2011 for better trans, MMI 3G, and a few other little tweaks.

[dscline]

First gear is much taller. I made a comparison of the gear ratios in each gear and the 1st in the 6 speed was about equal to 3rd in the 8 speed IIRC.

Really? When I looked at it, 1st in the 8-speed had a slightly lower ratio than the 6-speed. But perhaps the data I was looking at was bad. It would make sense to have a higher ratio in the 8-speed, since you have more gears to work with, and there was a comparison review (I think Car & Driver, but could be mistaken) that said the 8sp "transformed" the car as far as acceleration goes, but whatever data I looked at made it appear that most of the difference was in 7th & 8th. The ratio in 8th is really low. Not only does it give better mileage, but engine noise on the highway is reduced. The 8sp is also reportedly faster in shifts, and is rated for slightly more torque (though whether or not that results in better durability when modding remains to be proven).

[NJRoadFan]

Having driven both, the 8-speed is better geared. Noticeable difference in acceleration. The car loafs around at about 1500rpm on the highway in 8th . Straight highway fuel economy is slightly better. I don't see any improvement in mixed or city driving.

[amz]

The car loafs around at about 1500rpm on the highway in 8th . Straight highway fuel economy is slightly better. I don't see any improvement in mixed or city driving.

I can second this...on the highway, my friends eyes pop when they see the tach sitting at 1600RPM's...

[sleeperwagon]

All of us have learned that trying to save a grand or two has burned us in the end. If MPG is not your concern, focus on buying the nicest, cleanest A4 that fits what your looking for. Good luck

[Leaudi]

I would go for the 8 speed. I have gotten 2 loaner cars that were 8 speed, and compared to my 6 speed, the 8 speed is better in my opinion. The acceleration is better, along with the cruising. Especially when in sport or manual mode.

[sdy101]

Every 8-speed tranny loaner that I've gotten has been much snappier/quicker when accelerating from a stop light/sign then my 6-speed Auto... I figured it was more carbon buildup on my 50k+ mile car, but maybe it's the tranny too....

[dhmgejs]

Sounds like 8 speed is the way to go for me then. Thank you everyone for your quick input and insight!

[jlaudio]

neither haha. i hate the way that these auto transmissions are coded so you always drive around at 1800 rpm

[strife1013]

8 speed is better :-) quicker response than the 6 speed.

[craigiemac412]

Every 8-speed tranny loaner that I've gotten has been much snappier/quicker when accelerating from a stop light/sign then my 6-speed Auto... I figured it was more carbon buildup on my 50k+ mile car, but maybe it's the tranny too....

This. I literally just dropped off my 2010 for 55k maint and got a 2013 8spd Tip as a loaner.....surprisingly big difference in acceleration haha

[Surfsuhp]

This is good info. There were a few threads when the 8 speed first came out, saying that the 8 speed was noticeably shifting a lot more than the 6 speed. Has this been resolved as a learning period issue only, and has this smoothed out over time?

[dscline]

I haven't driven the 6sp, but I would say the 8sp does shift quite a bit. That's just the nature of the beast... the more gears you have the better chance you have of having one close to the "optimum" ratio for the current conditions, but it has to shift to get you there. At highway speed it doesn't take much for it to shift down to 7th, or even 6th.

[belzebutt]

Those of you with 8 sp, do you still enjoy shifting with paddles? The only downside I can think of is that it might be too much shifting, but I kind of expect that you get used to it.

I do wish I had at least one more gear for highway driving. As for the difference being huge, when I had an 8 sp loaner I had no idea it was 8 sp until I tried manual mode at the end of the day.

[dscline]

Honestly, it's not that often that I shift with the paddles just for the sake of doing it. This is my first auto since high school, and despite owning MTs exclusively for the past 30 years, I don't generally have a desire to run in manual mode for daily driving. I do use them as a temporary override, like if I'm expecting to need to quickly accelerate, but using them for regular driving feels odd to me. I usually let it do it's thing, and just correct it when needed.

[NJRoadFan]

Those of you with 8 sp, do you still enjoy shifting with paddles? The only downside I can think of is that it might be too much shifting, but I kind of expect that you get used to it.

Manual Mode only allows shifting of the 7 gears.

[dscline]

Manual Mode only allows shifting of the 7 gears.

?? This isn't a limitation that I've noticed. Are you saying you're unable to manually shift to 8th?

[epicx]

I have the 8 speed Multi EU, not sure if they ship it to NA but its a very lazy gearbox. On the other hand its super comfortable since its CVT.

[Stubek]

Manual Mode only allows shifting of the 7 gears.

I can shift in and out of every gear. I can down shift 2-1 at 20+ and upshift 7-8 at 49mph.

[b6onboost]

Having 8 speeds allows for more aggressive gearing in 1st/2nd which results in quicker acceleration. Car and Driver tested a 6 speed at 6.4s and an 8 speed at 5.6s. That's quite a noticeable difference.

[dscline]

Having 8 speeds allows for more aggressive gearing in 1st/2nd which results in quicker acceleration.

While I agree with you in theory, that's not what the data suggests. From what I've found, comparing a 2010 6sp to a 2012 8sp:

       6sp    8sp
1st    4.171  4.714
2nd    2.340  3.143
3rd    1.521  2.106
4th    1.143  1.667
5th    0.867  1.285
6th    0.691  1.000
7th           0.839
8th           0.667
final  3.517  2.848

Once you take into account the final drive ratio, you are left with:

       6sp    8sp
1st   14.669 13.425
2nd    8.23   8.951
3rd    5.349  5.998
4th    4.020  4.748
5th    3.049  3.660
6th    2.430  2.848
7th           2.389
8th           1.900

So strangely, if this data is correct, 1st is actually geared lower (higher ratio) in the 6sp than the 8sp. Though 2nd is slightly lower in the 8sp than in the 6. It seems to me looking at this, there has to be more to it than the ratios allowing it to make a quicker jump off the line. On the surface, you would think the 6sp would have the advantage in 0-60... the 8sp needs three shifts to get there, while it looks like the 6sp could hit 60 while still in 2nd. But the tests show the 8sp is quicker. But the torque converter could be different, the programming of how/when it locks up could be different, the ratios could match the torque curve better.

[belzebutt]

FYI:
http://www.zf.com/media/media/img_1/...Produkt_EN.PDF

"The 8HP shifts faster and more precisely than a professional driver, requiring less than 100 milliseconds to initiate a downshift when increased acceleration is desired."

I've seen the 6HP quoted at 200 ms but also as low as 100 ms.