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| 6R | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 2005–present |
| Model years | 2005–present |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | 6-speedlongitudinalautomatic transmission |
| Related | GM 6L ZF 6HP AisinAWTF-80 SC |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | 5R 44-E · 5R 55-E/N/S/W Ford AOD |
| Successor | Ford 10R 60 · 10R 80 · 10R 140 |
The6R is a 6-speedautomatic transmission forlongitudinal engine placement inrear-wheel drive vehicles. It is based on theZF 6HP26 transmission[1] and has been built under license by theFord Motor Company at itsLivonia Transmission plant inLivonia, Michigan. The6R debuted in 2005 for the 2006model yearFord Explorer andMercury Mountaineer.
It uses aLepelletier gear mechanism,[2] anepicyclic/planetary gearset, which can provide more gear ratios with significantly fewer components. This means the6R is actually lighter than its five-speed5R 44-E and 5R 55-E predecessors.
The6R 80 was available in 2009–2017Ford F-150 trucks (and 2018–2020 only paired with the 3.3L V6 engine). It features an integrated "Tow/Haul" mode for enhanced engine braking and towing performance. For the 2011 model year, the transmission was revised to provide smoother shifts, improved fuel economy, and overall better shift performance. Most notable of the improvements was the addition of a one-way clutch that provided smoother 1–2 up-shifts and 2–1 down-shifts. The transmission has a relatively low 1st gear and two overdrive gears, the highest of which is 0.69:1. This provides exceptional towing performance when needed, while maximizing fuel economy by offering low engine speeds while cruising.
The6R 80 can be found behind the 3.7L V6 all the way up to the 6.2L V8. Ford has stated that while the transmission is used in multiple applications, each transmission is optimized and integrated differently depending on the engine it is mated to. The6R 80 features "Filled for Life" low viscosity synthetic transmission fluid (MERCON LV), though a fluid flush is recommended at 150,000 mi (241,000 km) if your truck falls under the classification of "Severe Duty" operation. The transmission, as used in the Ford F-150, has a fluid capacity of 13.1 USqt (12.4 L) and weighs 215 lb (98 kg).
| Model | First Deliv- ery | Gear | Total Span | Avg. Step | Components | Nomenclature | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Nomi- nal | Effec- tive | Cen- ter | Total | per Gear[b] | Gears Count | Cou- pling | Gear- sets | Maximum Input Torque | |||
| Ford 6R 60 · 6R 80 | 2005 | −3.403 | 4.171 | 2.340 | 1.521 | 1.143 | 0.867 | 0.691 | 6.035 | 4.924 | 1.698 | 1.433 | 3 Gearsets 2 Brakes 3 Clutches | 1.333 | 6[b] | Installation R[c] | 600 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft) · 800 N⋅m (590 lb⋅ft) | |
| Ford 6R 140 | 2005 | −3.128 | 3.974 | 2.318 | 1.516 | 1.149 | 0.858 | 0.674 | 5.899 | 4.644 | 1.636 | 1.426 | 1,400 N⋅m (1,033 lb⋅ft) | |||||
| ZF 6HP All | 2000[d] | −3.403 | 4.171 | 2.340 | 1.521 | 1.143 | 0.867 | 0.691 | 6.035 | 4.924 | 1.698 | 1.433 | H[e] | P[f] | 400 N⋅m (295 lb⋅ft) – 750 N⋅m (553 lb⋅ft) | |||
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The main objective in replacing the predecessor model was to improve vehicle fuel economy with extra speeds and a wider gear span to allow the engine speed level to be lowered (downspeeding). The layout brings the ability to shift in a non-sequential manner – going from gear 6 to gear 2 in extreme situations simply by changing one shift element (actuating clutch E and releasing brake A).
In order to increase the number of ratios,ZF has abandoned the conventional design method of limiting themselves to pure in-lineepicyclic gearing and extended it to a combination with parallelepicyclic gearing. This was only possible thanks to computer-aided design and has resulted in a globally patent for this gearset concept. The6R is based on the6HP fromZF, which was the first transmission designed according to this new paradigm. After gaining additional gear ratios only with additional components, this time the number of components has to decrease while the number of ratios still increase. The progress is reflected in a much better ratio of the number of gears to the number of components used compared to existing layouts.
The ratios of the 6 gears are nicely evenly distributed in all versions. Exceptions are the large step from 1st to 2nd gear and the almost geometric steps from 3rd to 4th to 5th gear. They cannot be eliminated without affecting all other gears. As the large step is shifted due to the large span to a lower speed range than with conventional gearboxes, it is less significant. As the gear steps are smaller overall due to the additional gear(s), the geometric gear steps are still smaller than the corresponding gear steps of conventional gearboxes. Overall, therefore, the weaknesses are not overly significant. As the selected gearset concept saves up to 2 components compared to 5-speed transmissions, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
It has atorque converter lock-up for all 6 forward gears, which can be fully disengage when stationary, largely closing thefuel efficiency gap between vehicles with automatic andmanual transmissions.
In aLepelletier gearset,[2] a conventionalplanetary gearset and a compositeRavigneaux gearset are combined to reduce both the size and weight as well as the manufacturing costs. Like all transmissions realized with Lepelletier transmissions, the6HP also dispenses with the use of the direct gear ratio and is thus one of the very few automatic transmission concepts without such a ratio.