The new 6R140 from Ford is definitely one of the most exciting drivetrains on the market today. The new 6R140 was released to replaced the previous Torqshift unit, which was the 5R110. The 5R110 was previously used in both the 6.0 and 6.4 Ford diesel engines. When Ford released the 6.7 L Powerstroke powerplant it also released the new much stronger 6R140 Torqshift transmission. The new Ford 6R140 Torqshift transmission is the most robust transmission Ford has yet to build. This unit was designed and manufactured exclusively by Ford Motor Company. First and foremost, Ford opted to incorporate a robust one-piece bell housing design for the all-new 6R140 Torqshift transmission. This new one-piece design is not only tough but adds a tremendous amount of rigidity to the case making torsional flex an afterthought.
The transmission features a very deep first gear (great for towing and moving mountains) with double overdrive (excellent for fuel economy). This unit has a total of six forward gears with the ratios as follows: 1st gear 3.974:1, 2nd gear 2.318:1, 3rd gear 1.516:1, 4th gear 1.149:1, 5th gear 0.858:1, 6th gear 0.674:1. For maximum efficiency, the patented Lepelletier geartrain reduces complexities that exist in connecting an automatic transmission's gear sets and clutches. Simply put, the 6R140 uses a simple gearset to drive a Ravigneaux gearset. So the transmission uses just five clutch sets to achieve six forward gears. The 6R140 is further strengthened by the utilization of a powder-metal carrier within the compound Ravigneaux planetary gearset (a double planetary gearset).
The carrier is made up of four pressed components, which are sinter-brazed together to form a rigid, dense structure. The new torque converter in the 6R140 features an exclusive long travel, ultra-high capacity turbine damper designed to soften the extreme force produced by the new 6.7 L PowerStroke. Here at SunCoast, we have already improved upon this converter, launching our own line of Torque converters including a variety of stall speeds.
The Engineering
When SunCoast first took a look at the 6R140 Torqshift transmission we instantly saw the similarities between the Ford 6R80 and GM 6L80/6L90 platforms. We new from previous experience the 4-5-6 clutch pack would be the first area that needs to be addressed. The 4-5-6 clutch pack is also known as the "E CLUTCH" and is one of the smallest clutches in the transmission. As we tested our different friction materials and manufactures we saw a pattern develop. The higher the friction coefficient the more violent the shifts become, especially when adding additional torque is in the equation. Often times this creates the 3-4 "squawk" when shifting into 4th gear. It became very apparent that if we were going to deliver a superior fiction material to our customer, this issue would need to be addressed. We have seen our competitors simply settle for a clutch that has less friction coefficient allowing slip to occur during the shift. while settling on an inferior friction material may be acceptable to some, Ron and the SunCoast development team took a different approach. We decided to take a more scientific approach, and yet another Patent hangs on the wall. . .
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