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8-Speed Automatic Transmission for Chrysler cars and trucks:
Truck / Ram
Trucks and Jeeps 845RE / 870RE, ZF 8HP45 / 8HP70 / 8HP90 Jeep
Engines / Trans Chrysler
by David Zatz See the end of the page for the second generation and repairs.
Repairs / Fixes Other Cars

Tests and Reviews Shortly after Cerberus took control of Chrysler, rumors of ZF eight-speed automatics in the company’s
cars and trucks started to swirl. After Fiat took over, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed the
rumors; and in 2011, Chrysler said it would use the eight-speed in its large cars, behind the Pentastar V6
engine, in the 2012 model year (V8s adopted it in the 2015 model year). Ram pickups adopted the
transmission in the 2013 model year, and Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango shared it with the
2014 model year.

The transmission is a ZF design; when made by Chrysler, it has Rick Anderson wrote that ordinary
changes to match Chrysler equipment factory equipment and methods. people cannot check the fluid level or
The unit is also used by Porsche, BMW, and other high-end car add fluid. An experienced mechanic
makers. It is designated 8HP45 or 8HP90 when made by ZF; the with a professional set of tools and a

Chrysler version of 8HP45 is called 845RE. factory manual can check and add

fluid, using Lifeguard 8 or equivalent

The 845RE name shows 8 speeds, “45 x 10” Nm of capacity, rear
fluid, not ATF+4. Anyone, though, can
wheel drive intent, and fully electronic controls. It can be, and will be,
look over the transmission, cooler lines,
used with 4x4 and AWD setups.
and cooler to check for leaks.”

Differences between the 8HP45 and 845RE include, according to oh2o,

the clutches (845RE has extra friction plates) and, for some vehicles, a higher capacity oil pan. Many
internal parts do not interchange.

With the Pentastar V6 and HP8, the Chrysler 300 achieved 0-60 in 7.2 seconds, and cruised at 70 mph
with the engine at a mere 1,400 rpm. Gas mileage was 31 mpg (RWD), up from 27, with city mileage
unchanged. The torque rating of 331 lb-ft for this version of the transmission is far above the Pentastar’s
260 lb-ft. Dodge Charger, with the same setup, did 0-60 in 6.6 seconds and had the same gas mileage
ratings.
Terms of Use
Chrysler is making its transmissions (and most of the parts for them) in its various Indiana plants, and ZF
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is building them in Greenville, South Carolina. The Indiana plants and ZF also make the 9-speed
automatic transmission for front wheel drive and all wheel drive cars. Privacy Policy

Mopar (Chrysler,
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transmissions.

ZF 8HP45 / Chrysler 845RE Technical information (and the HP70)

Variants of ZF eight-speed automatic include an AWD version and one with a built in 20-horsepower
electric motor for a parallel hybrid setup.

Advantages of the transmission are not so much the eight speeds, which keep the engine in its optimal
range, but:

the wide range of gears, allowing for a low “performance” first gear and a high “economy” top
gear;
a claimed 98% efficiency in any gear, with an unusually fast locking torque converter; and
shifts that take place faster than a person can sense them.

The transmission can be used in a mild or full hybrid setup, and allows input torque up to 900 Nm, or
664 lb-ft (8HP90) — high enough for any Chrysler gasoline engine, not quite enough for the Cummins
diesel.
The efficient, low-mass triple-line torque converter’s lower inertia helps during shifting and starting,
while its twin torsional damper system allows fast engagement with little “slip.” Other efficiency and
shift-improvement features include a hydrodynamically cooled clutch, low-viscosity transmission fluid,
and chain-driven axial parallel vane cell pump.

The transmission uses four planetary gearsets and five gear shift elements (two brakes, three clutches);
there are two opened shift elements per gear, minimizing drag losses. Only two shift elements are open in
each gear, cutting parasitic losses; and it can make extreme transmission shifts, such as eight-to-second
kickdown, in one step.

The 8HP70 transmission in the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger weighs around 90 kg (198 lb), the same
as the 6HP26 and less than the 5HP24 (the first numeral is the number of gears). The 8HP70 is larger
than the 8HP45, but not much longer.

The tall first gear allows for early lockup of the torque converter clutch.

Gear 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R (RWD) R (AWD) Spread

Ratio 4.71 3.14 2.10 1.67 1.29 1.00 0.84 0.67 2.65 3.06 7.03

Chrysler will have 40 different “control maps” to change shift patterns based on operating conditions
(covering both rear and all wheel drive systems).
The list price for this transmission, in December 2012, was $3,935 (this is what most dealers are likely to
charge ordinary customers). Via a discount on-line dealer, the range was around $2,950 to $3,550 plus
shipping.

[See the ZF 9-speed automatic]

The Chrysler-ZF partnership

According to Mike Kirk, Chrysler’s director of axle, driveline, and manual transmissions, there were two
main reasons for Chrysler’s changes to the ZF automatics.

Kokomo was already set up with its own tooling and robotics, which are different from those used by ZF.
Some changes to the transmission were made so they could use Chrysler’s equipment and methods.

Chrysler also needed to make many more transmissions than ZF; choices that make sense for 50,000
transmissions a year may not make sense for 200,000 per year.

Mr. Kirk said that the partnership with ZF had been mutually productive; while Chrysler owns the
intellectual property of any changes they make to the transmissions, they keep ZF informed. Chrysler can
patent any of their changes and methods, including the software and controls, and is motivated to
improve the transmissions and production methods to stay balanced with ZF.

Standards for both manufacturers are high, and the two companies use the same end-of-line test centers,
driven by the same software.

A first-hand look at Chrysler’s new 8-speed automatic transmission

by Patrick Rall

Chrysler’s newest technology to improve performance and fuel economy is their segment-exclusive 8-
speed automatic transmission, hitting the market in for model-year 2012. We had a chance to log a few
miles in the 2012 Dodge Charger Blacktop equipped with the 292hp V6 and the new 8-speed
transmission.

The transmission comes with the new touch-shifter on the console, with manual shift control using
steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. This system debuted in the SRT lineup, but when these new 8-
speed models begin reaching dealerships around the country, this will mark the first application of the
Chrysler paddle shifters on a non-performance model…supposing that you don't consider the 292
horsepower Dodge Charger a performance model.
Chrysler has done it right, using metal for the shift paddles with a sleek, smooth finish. The SRT8 has the
+ and - signs filled in with black paint, while the V6 uses unpainted impressions.

Some paddle systems leave you hunting for the paddles when you get to crossing over your hands for
shifting under hard cornering but that is not the case with the Chrysler paddle system with the
ergonomically perfect levers making for quick, smooth shifts.

The other component of the

new Chrysler 8-speed
automatic transmission is the
console mounted shifter that
uses a “slapstick” motion rather
than the traditional shifter
movement. The low profile
shifter bears a similar shape to
the old school slapstick shifter
and rather than the normal
PRNDL pattern, the 8-speed
automatic shifter has just Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive/Sport mode (in cars without Sport mode and
paddle shifters, it has Drive and Low). When you pull it back to move into gear, the shifter does not stay
in place – instead returning back to the middle position. As you shift from Reverse into Neutral and then
into Drive or Sport, the shifter clicks through the gears but always returns to the center position of the
shift console. [Editor’s note: this behavior is incredibly annoying, which is one reason why Chrysler used
a knob-based system on Rams and Cherokees, and a more conventional shifter on 2015 and newer cars.]

Chrysler’s 8-speed transmission combines aggressive gear ratios for the lower gears to bolster torque
multiplication and low end acceleration, while also providing fuel economy friendly higher gears to
improve mileage when cruising on the open road. Some may believe that they will complain about how
often the transmission shifts, but I was blown away at the smoothness of the new ZF 8-speed automatic.
Under normal driving, such as accelerating away from a stop sign up to 55mph, the ZF-designed
Chrysler 8-speed is seamless; you can barely tell when the transmission is shifting. Once you have gotten
to a cruising speed of 55 to 70mph and the transmission has gotten through the gears, the low RPM range
allows for minimal amounts of fuel consumption on the open road. The Chrysler 8-speed also has plenty
of gearing to get the 2012 Charger with the 3.6L V6 from 0-60 in a hurry, and allows even the V6 to do a
smokey burnout.

If you want manual control of the 8-speed Chrysler transmission for some spirited driving fun (or more
smokey burnouts), you can use the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters (on cars that have them).
From there on, the driver has full control of the upshifts and the transmission only downshifts when
necessary to prevent the engine speed from dropping too low. Under most conditions, your hands don't
need to leave the 10 and 2 positions; the paddles are in ideal areas for quick shifts, and when using the
manual shift mode while exercising all 292 horsepower, the shifts are much more positive – like you
would expect from a modern sports sedan.

Based on my time behind the wheel of the 2012 Dodge Charger Blacktop equipped with the 292hp
Pentastar V6 and the new ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, it is clear that this new gearbox does a fine
job of combining a sporty driving experience with high fuel economy. The sport shift mode allows the
driver a more engaging driving experience and when left in Drive, the new transmission works through
the gears with no notice of the high number of shifts.
Chrysler “broke the rules” again with the introduction of an 8-speed automatic transmission to mid-
priced cars, but once consumers see and accept this system, we can expect others to use similar
technology in mid-priced cars.

Repairs

Generally, there have been few repairs noted; the eight-speed was well tested by luxury automakers
before Chrysler became the first mainstream company to use it.

Some reported rough shifting after work was done on their car, which may indicate a missed step in the
repair: skipping the “PROXI alignment,” which updates information in all the car’s systems. Even a
TCM update may require PROXI alignment. A technician wrote, “PROXI alignment is required when a
module is replaced, or, in this case, the transmission bangs into gear something fierce. It does make a big
difference.” One telltale (though it may not always appear) is a blinking odometer.

An FCA spokesman wrote, “It's called out in the service instructions. Skipping the procedure is not an
option. We encourage customers to contact the company directly if they have concerns, at 1-877-IAM-
JEEP (426-5337); 1-888-CIAO-FIAT (242-6342); or 1-800-CHRYSLER (247-9753).”

The second generation eight-speed automatic transmissions

The second generation ZF 8HP automatic was first used in the BMW 520d and, at FCA, by Alfa Romeo.
“Comprehensive” changes have lower drag torque, a higher gear spread (distance between first and
eighth), and lower vibration.

The changes, which increase efficiency “by up to 3%,” were partly made to deal with small,
turbocharged engines, and to work better with engines that reach peak torque early on (such as diesels).
The latter required a higher gear range, so that the eight-speed will move from 7.0 to 7.8 — incidentally
beating the eight-speed currently used by General Motors.

Internal losses were cut, partly by adding sprints into the multidisk packages of the shift elements,
to almost fully open friction shift elements and thereby cause less drag torque. Power losses were
cut by over two thirds, according to ZF.
Creep torque has been cut by fully opening a clutch during deceleration and when the vehicle is
stopped, so that drivers don’t have to brake to keep the car from moving. The oil pump pressure has
been cut in pressure by around 30%.
 New torsional vibration dampers eliminate vibrations from the engine, stopping them from moving
along the driveline and into the driveline and the body.
The torque converter allows faster power transmission and lets lock-up occur much earlier.
Coasting with the transmission uncoupled can now occur at speeds up to around 100 mph, and
stop-start systems can work immediately instead of after 1.5 seconds.
The transmission improves downshifts, providing nested multiple downshifts for even quicker
response times

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