In-Depth Analysis[b] With Assessment And Torque Ratio[c] And Efficiency Calculation[d] |
Planetary Gear Set: Teeth[e] |
Count |
Nomi- nal[f] Effec- tive[g] |
Cen- ter[h] |
| Ravigneaux |
Simple |
Avg.[i] |
|
Model Type |
Version First Delivery |
S1[j] R1[k] |
S2[l] R2[m] |
S3[n] R3[o] |
S4[p] R4[q] |
Brakes Clutches |
Gear Ratio Span |
Gear Step[r] |
| Gear |
R 3[s] |
R 2 |
R 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Gear Ratio[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
[b] |
| Step[r] |
 |
 |
[t] |
 |
[u] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Δ Step[v][w] |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Shaft Speed |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Δ Shaft Speed[x] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Torque Ratio[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
[c] |
Efficiency
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
[d] |
|
W7A 400 W7A 700 W7A 900 722.9 |
400 N⋅m (295 lb⋅ft) 700 N⋅m (516 lb⋅ft) 1,000 N⋅m (738 lb⋅ft) NAG 2[y] · 2003[10][11] |
42 86 |
86 110 |
28 76 |
46 114 |
4 3 |
6.0162 4.6948 [g][t] |
1.7846 |
| 1.3486[r] |
| Gear |
R 3[s] |
R 2 |
R 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Gear Ratio[c] |
−1.4987[s]
 |
−2.2307
 |
−3.4157 [t][g]
 |
4.3772
 |
2.8586[w]
 |
1.9206
 |
1.3684[w]
 |
1.0000[r]
 |
0.8204[x]
 |
0.7276[x]
 |
| Step |
1.4884 |
1.5313 |
0.7804[t] |
1.0000 |
1.5313 |
1.4884 |
1.4035 |
1.3684[r] |
1.2189 |
1.1276 |
| Δ Step[v] |
|
1.0288 |
|
|
1.0288[w] |
1.0605 |
1.0256[w] |
1.1226 |
1.0810 |
|
| Speed |
–2.9205 |
–1.9622 |
–1.2815 |
1.0000 |
1.5313 |
2.2791 |
3.1987 |
4.3772 |
5.3355 |
6.0162 |
| Δ Speed |
0.9583 |
0.6808 |
1.2815 |
1.0000 |
0.5313 |
0.7478 |
0.9196 |
1.1785 |
0.9583[x] |
0.6808[x] |
Torque Ratio[c] |
–1.4473 –1.4219 |
–2.1400 –2.0955 |
–3.2433 –3.1594 |
4.2560 4.1965 |
2.8083 2.7833 |
1.8993 1.8886 |
1.3611 1.3574 |
1.0000 |
0.8131 0.8094 |
0.7179 0.7130 |
Efficiency
[d] |
0.9657 0.9487 |
0.9593 0.9394 |
0.9495 0.9250 |
0.9723 0.9587 |
0.9824 0.9737 |
0.9889 0.9834 |
0.9946 0.9919 |
1.0000 |
0.9912 0.9866 |
0.9868 0.9799 |
|
| Actuated Shift Elements[z] |
| Brake 1[aa] |
|
❶ |
|
|
❶ |
|
|
|
❶ |
|
| Brake 2[ab] |
|
|
|
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
|
|
|
| Brake 3[ac] |
|
|
❶ |
❶ |
|
|
|
|
|
❶ |
| Brake BR[ad] |
❶[s] |
❶ |
❶ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Clutch 1[ae] |
❶[s] |
|
|
|
|
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
|
|
| Clutch 2[af] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
| Clutch 3[ag] |
❶[s] |
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
|
❶ |
❶ |
❶ |
| Geometric Ratios: Speed Conversion |
Gear Ratio[b] R3[s] & R2 & 5 Ordinary[ah] Elementary Noted[ai] |
[s] |
 |
 |
[s] |
 |
|
Gear Ratio[b] R1 & 1 Ordinary[ah] Elementary Noted[ai] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gear Ratio[b] 2–4 Ordinary[ah] Elementary Noted[ai] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gear Ratio[b] 6 & 7 Ordinary[ah] Elementary Noted[ai] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Kinetic Ratios: Torque Conversion |
Torque Ratio[c] R3[s] & R2 & 5 |
[s] |
 |
 |
|
Torque Ratio[c] R1 & 1 |
[aj] |
[aj] |
|
! Torque Ratio[c] 2–4 |
 |
 |
 |
|
! Torque Ratio[c] 6 & 7 |
 |
[aj] |
|
Revised 14 January 2026 Nomenclature
sun gear: number of teeth
ring gear: number of teeth
carrier or planetary gear carrier (not needed)
sun gear: shaft speed
ring gear: shaft speed
carrier or planetary gear carrier: shaft speed
With gear is
gear ratio or transmission ratio
shaft speed shaft 1: input (turbine) shaft
shaft speed shaft 2: output shaft
torque shaft 1: input (turbine) shaft
torque shaft 2: output shaft
torque ratio or torque conversion ratio
efficiency
stationary gear ratio
(assumed) stationary gear efficiency
Gear Ratio (Transmission Ratio)  — Speed Conversion —
- The gear ratio
is the ratio of
- input shaft speed

- to output shaft speed

- and therefore corresponds to the reciprocal of the shaft speeds

Torque Ratio (Torque Conversion Ratio)  — Torque Conversion —
- The torque ratio
is the ratio of
- output torque

- to input torque

- minus efficiency losses
- and therefore corresponds (apart from the efficiency losses) to the reciprocal of the shaft speeds too

- whereby
may vary from gear to gear according to the formulas listed in this table and 
Efficiency
- The efficiency
is calculated
- from the torque ratio
- in relation to the gear ratio (transmission ratio)

- Power loss for single meshing gears
- is in the range of 1 % to 1.5 %
- helical gear pairs, which are used to reduce noise in passenger cars, are in the upper part of the loss range
- spur gear pairs, which are limited to commercial vehicles due to their poorer noise comfort, are in the lower part of the loss range
Corridor for torque ratio and efficiency
- in planetary gearsets, the stationary gear ratio
is formed via the planetary gears and thus by two meshes
- for reasons of simplification, the efficiency for both meshes together is commonly specified there
- the efficiencies
specified here are based on assumed efficiencies for the stationary ratio
- of
(upper value)
- and
(lower value)
- for both interventions together
- The corresponding efficiency
- for single-meshing gear pairs is

- at
(upper value)
- and
(lower value)
Layout
- Input and output are on opposite sides
- Planetary gearset 2 (the outer Ravigneaux gearset) is on the input (turbine) side
- Input (turbine) shafts are R1 and, if actuated, R3
- Output shaft is C3
Total Ratio Span (Total Gear Ratio/Total Transmission Ratio) Nominal

- A wider span enables the
- downspeeding when driving outside the city limits
- increase the climbing ability
- when driving over mountain passes or off-road
- or when towing a trailer
Total Ratio Span (Total Gear Ratio/Total Transmission Ratio) Effective

- The span is only effective to the extent that
- the reverse gear ratio
- matches that of 1st gear
- see also Standard R:1
Digression Reverse gear
- is usually longer than 1st gear
- the effective span is therefore of central importance for describing the suitability of a transmission
- because in these cases, the nominal spread conveys a misleading picture
- which is only unproblematic for vehicles with high specific power
Market participants
- Manufacturers naturally have no interest in specifying the effective span
- Users have not yet formulated the practical benefits that the effective span has for them
- The effective span has not yet played a role in research and teaching
Contrary to its significance
- the effective span has therefore not yet been able to establish itself
- either in theory
- or in practice.
End of digression
Ratio Span's Center

- The center indicates the speed level of the transmission
- Together with the final drive ratio
- it gives the shaft speed level of the vehicle
Average Gear Step

- There are
gear steps between gears
- with decreasing step width
- the gears connect better to each other
- shifting comfort increases
Sun 1: sun gear of gearset 1: inner Ravigneaux gearset
Ring 1: ring gear of gearset 1: inner Ravigneaux gearset
Sun 2: sun gear of gearset 2: outer Ravigneaux gearset
Ring 2: ring gear of gearset 2: outer Ravigneaux gearset
Sun 3: sun gear of gearset 3
Ring 3: ring gear of gearset 3
Sun 4: sun gear of gearset 4
Ring 4: ring gear of gearset 4
Standard 50:50 — 50 % Is Above And 50 % Is Below The Average Gear Step —
- With steadily decreasing gear steps (yellow highlighted line Step)
- and a particularly large step from 1st to 2nd gear
- the lower half of the gear steps (between the small gears; rounded down, here the first 3) is always larger
- and the upper half of the gear steps (between the large gears; rounded up, here the last 3) is always smaller
- than the average gear step (cell highlighted yellow two rows above on the far right)
- lower half: smaller gear steps are a waste of possible ratios (red bold)
- upper half: larger gear steps are unsatisfactory (red bold)
In line with the logic for the 2nd reverse gear of the predecessor 5G-Tronic, the extended layout provides this 3rd reverse gear, but it was not used in the transmission that was finally launched on the market
Standard R:1 — Reverse And 1st Gear Have The Same Ratio —
- The ideal reverse gear has the same transmission ratio as 1st gear
- no impairment when maneuvering
- especially when towing a trailer
- a torque converter can only partially compensate for this deficiency
- Plus 11.11 % minus 10 % compared to 1st gear is good
- Plus 25 % minus 20 % is acceptable (red)
- Above this is unsatisfactory (bold)
- see also Total Ratio Span (Total Gear/Transmission Ratio) Effective
Standard 1:2 — Gear Step 1st To 2nd Gear As Small As Possible —
- With continuously decreasing gear steps (yellow marked line Step)
- the largest gear step is the one from 1st to 2nd gear, which
- for a good speed connection and
- a smooth gear shift
- must be as small as possible
- A gear ratio of up to 1.6667 : 1 (5 : 3) is good
- Up to 1.7500 : 1 (7 : 4) is acceptable (red)
- Above is unsatisfactory (bold)
From large to small gears (from right to left)
Standard STEP — From Large To Small Gears: Steady And Progressive Increase In Gear Steps —
- Gear steps should
- increase: Δ Step (first green highlighted line Δ Step) is always greater than 1
- As progressive as possible: Δ Step is always greater than the previous step
- Not progressively increasing is acceptable (red)
- Not increasing is unsatisfactory (bold)
Standard SPEED — From Small To Large Gears: Steady Increase In Shaft Speed Difference —
- Shaft speed differences should
- increase: Δ Shaft Speed (second line marked in green Δ (Shaft) Speed) is always greater than the previous one
- 1 difference smaller than the previous one is acceptable (red)
- 2 consecutive ones are a waste of possible ratios (bold)
2nd generation of advanced automatic transmissions, at Mercedes-Benz referred to as NAG 2 (New Automatic Gearbox Generation 2 · German: Neue Automatikgetriebe-Generation 2)[4]
Permanently coupled elements
- C1/C2 (the common carrier of the compound Ravigneaux gearset), and R4
- R3 and C4
Blocks S1 (sun gear of the inner Ravigneaux geaset)
Blocks R2 (ring gear of the outer Ravigneaux gearset)
Couples S1 (sun gear of inner Ravigneaux gearset) with R2 (ring gear of outer Ravigneaux gearset)
Couples R1 (ring of inner Ravigneaux gearset) with R3 and C4
Ordinary Noted
- For direct determination of the gear ratio
Elementary Noted
- Alternative representation for determining the transmission ratio
- Contains only operands
- With simple fractions of both central gears of a planetary gearset
- Or with the value 1
- As a basis
- For reliable
- And traceable
- Determination of the torque ratio and efficiency
Power flow in gearset 2 (the outer Ravigneaux gearset)
- the ring gear 1 driven by the turbine acts like an inverted sun gear 1 with the size of sun gear 2
- this results in the following power flow:

- this three meshings are reflected in the exponent of the term for efficiency
or 
- nevertheless, all gear dimensions of gear set 1 can be shortened completely
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