List of Honda transmissions

Honda has long built nearly all of its own automobile transmissions, unlike many other manufacturers which often source transmissions from other makers.

Automatic transmissions

Honda's automatic transmissions are unusual in that they do not use planetary gears like nearly all other makers. Instead, the Hondamatic and its successors use traditional, individual gears on parallel axes like a manual transmission, with each gear ratio engaged by a separate hydraulic clutch pack. This design is also noteworthy because it preserves engine braking by eliminating a sprag between first and second gears

Honda was forced to invent their new system due to the vast array of patents on automatic transmission technology held by BorgWarner and others.

Honda initially chose to integrate the transmission and engine block for its first application (in the N600) as in the Mini. The Hondamatic incorporated a lockup function, which Honda called a third ratio, and had manual gear selection. The company's early transmissions also used a patented torque converter which used stator force to reduce hydraulic losses by using a reaction arm to increase the hydraulic pressure when the stator was stalled. The reaction arm acted directly on the regulator valve this meant that increased pressure was available to the clutch plates when torque multiplication was greatest. The stator was equipped with a sprag clutch enabling it to freewheel when required. The N360/N600 controlled gear changes by balancing a throttle valve and a centrifugal valve. These "opposing" pressures caused the gear changes through the free floating gear change valves.

On October 18, 1967, the N360 AT model with lock-up function was unveiled at the London Auto Show.(ref Honda Worldwide) It is not now clear if the lockup function made it into production; it was not fitted to the N600AT for Europe.

The typical torque multiplication of the c11.5in. of the time was about 1.5 to 1. The N360/N600 was about 5.5in. and achieved a torque multiplication of over 2.2 to 1.

The first Civic was equipped with a manually changed hydraulically engaged two speed transmission with a torque converter. This torque converter was nominally about 7in. and achieved a torque multiplication of c2.7 to 1. It also used the reaction arm on the stator as in the N360/N600 to increase hydraulic pressure. It was initially announced in Europe as an automatic as the staff at Honda in Europe assumed that it would like the N600 be fully automatic. This was quickly changed to "Hondamatic". This gearbox was a separate unit and used ATF - Automatic Transmission Fluid.

The company's naming scheme is also confusing, as it is specific to a single model of vehicle and some identifiers are reused.

Manual transmissions

External links

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