New Volkswagen 10-speed DSG to improve fuel economy

The Volkswagen group is well known for its dual clutch DSG gearboxes that were pioneered by Porsche a few years ago. What was originally meant to be used in sports cars and supercars around the world, the DSG has eventually filtered itself into entry level passenger cars like the Volkswagen Polo. A more advanced 10-speed DG gearbox will soon join the ranks alongside the current 6-speed and 7-speed gearbox and will be available in a range of Volkswagen Auto Group cars.

Codenamed the DQ511, the new dry type 10-speed DSG is essentially an advanced development of the 7-speed DSG gearbox. Designed for a peak torque rating of 550Nm, the new gearbox essentially employs the same basic construction as its 7-speed counterpart. The 10-speed is also as compact as its 7-speed counterpart, which essentially means the same platform could support either option depending on the engine specification of a particular variant or model.

Internally, reversing the power flow within the gearbox by adding a new shifting technique using a reversing wheel and two shifting elements enabled the additional gearing. What this essentially means is that even though there are only seven physical gears in the gearbox (just like the 7-speed), the additional combination allows one to have 10 forward gears. The first two gear ratios are set for acceleration whereas gears three to nine are set for general efficiency gains. The 10^th forward gear drastically slows down the engine RPM resulting in lower CO2 emissions while emulating an overdrive gear. The combination also leaves open the options of having a crawler gear combination or a ‘super overdrive’ gear for specialised or motorsport applications.

The sealed for life 10-speed DSG gearbox also employs a special coating on the gears that reduces friction along with a specially used low friction oil. The gearbox also supports a coasting engine off function as seen on the ‘Mild Hybrid’ technology that will also be employed in Volkswagen cars soon.