![]() With an 18 speed, and the ability to split every gear, the likelihood of being that guy decreases. Have you ever been pulling a really steep hill, with a really heavy load, and you realize you need to downshift? As a new driver, what goes through your mind? Have you ever been hesitant to shift, afraid you might not be able to hit the next gear? Have you ever seen drivers stopped in the middle of hills, having to start out over again, because they missed a gear? No one wants to be that guy. The ability to split every gear really comes in handy, and really spoils you as a driver. The beauty of an 18 speed really shows up when travelling through the hills and mountains of any state. Even those just beginning their driving career, know something about Pennsylvania there are lots of hills and mountains when driving the interstate highways. In my driving career, I did most of my driving in Pennsylvania. One of my favorite things about an 18 speed is when pulling hills. We already mentioned some of the positives above in this article. What are the positive aspects of having of an 18 speed? It will seem like you never stop shifting, until you get into your running gears. As you start from a stop, having the ability to shift every half of a gear is a huge plus. The draw to an 18 speed is the ability to split every gear. However, you will really appreciate having an 18 speed if the loads are heavy and the terrain is hilly or mountainous. You can use an 18 speed transmission effectively with any type of load. What loads typically use this type of gear pattern? So in order to choose the best combination, you’ll need to consider a few things: average load weight, where you’ll be running the most, and what is most important to you fuel economy, pulling power, and/or top-end speed. That gear ratio is a good option for higher cruising speeds on the highway.įor more variety in terrain, with hills and mountains, you may choose to go with a 3.55 or 3.73, which will give you good top-end as well as plenty of pulling power. If you are going to be running through flat land/terrain most often, then a lower gear ratio would be more useful, something like a 2.93 or 3.08. The optimal gear patterns and ratios depend alot on where you’ll be running your truck the most. Also, you wouldn’t have to split every gear when shifting up through. And when empty, I would usually start out in the high side of 3rd or 4th gear. Unless the load is very heavy, you can start in a higher gear. When driving an 18 speed, you will usually not need to use each gear. The gear pattern in the image above is a pretty standard gear pattern for an 18 speed transmission. What is the optimal gear pattern and gear ratios? But having options under a variety of situations is something to appreciate. You won’t need to use most of the gears most of the time. The beauty of an 18 speed is the ability to split every gear. The biggest difference is the amount of shifting you’ll have to do. ![]() But for experienced drivers, an 18 speed transmission is usually preferred. As a result, many companies prefer 10 speeds. They also stand up well to abuse by those learning to drive. A 10 speed is very easy to learn, and easy to shift. The most popular is probably the 10 speed. The choice of transmission is largely dependent on personal preference. You have 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, and 18 speed transmissions. There are many options for transmissions in trucks. How does an 18 speed compare to the most popular transmissions? You will notice that there is a high/low side to every gear, including reverse and the Lo gear. The following image shows an example of an 18 speed shift pattern. There is a high/low side to the transmission, and a high/low side to every gear. In a typical 18 speed transmission, you can split every gear. ![]() It may sound like an obvious answer, but that’s not really the case. Let’s answer these questions one at a time. Is this a good transmission for beginners?.What loads typically use this type of gear pattern?.What is the optimal gear pattern and gear ratios?.How does an 18 speed compare to the most popular transmissions?.A really good way to learn is to ask the right questions. When you hear 18 speed, you may have some questions. Our focus in this article is the 18 speed transmission. You will hear various opinions as to which is best, but in order to give an educated opinion, you need to know the differences. Make of truck, model, engine, and then transmission. When you talk to long time truck drivers, one of the first things you’ll learn is what kind of transmission is in their truck. When you think of driving truck, what is one of the first things that comes to mind? For many of us, it’s shifting gears. ![]()
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