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GM 8-Speed Automatic Enhanced For 2019 Silverado, Sierra

The GM 8-speed automatic transmission that will be available in the all-new 2019 Silverado and Sierra has been improved over the unit in previous-generation trucks.

Improvements

In a line buried deep within a previous announcement uncovered by GM Authority, Chevrolet states that the 8-speed Hydra-Matic in the 2019 Silverado features “enhancements designed to improve shift quality, as well as a new centrifugal pendulum absorber torque converter that reduces vibrations to improve smoothness.”

2019 Chevrolet Silverado RST

Criticisms

In prior-generation, K2 platform Silverado and Sierra, the GM 8-speed was often criticized for its jerky and unexpected shifting behavior that ultimately worsened the satisfaction of driving and/or riding in the pickup. Whether the improvements made to the 8-speed gearbox in the all-new T1 platform 2019 Sierra and Silverado will address these issues is unknown.

Availability

The revised 8-speed transmission is assigned RPO code MQE and is available in conjunction with the turbo-charged 2.7L I-4 L3B engine as well as the naturally-aspirated 5.3L V-8 L84 EcoTec3 engine.

By comparison, the 8-speed automatic in the last-generation Silverado and Sierra is assigned RPO code M5U.

Both transmissions are electronically-controlled and feature overdrive, tow/haul mode, cruise grade braking and powertrain grade braking.

2019 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 exterior in Red Quartz Tintcoat GPJ - July 2018 001

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Comments

  1. I believe they have addressed the Shudder issue with the converter.

    Older models are being addressed with a TSB converter replacement.

    Reply
    1. What do we say to the dealers when we want that converter changed out on our 15′ Silverado?

      Reply
  2. I think the 8-speed for base trucks are adequate IMO. The old 4-speed 4L80-E in my modded Trailblazer SS I had gotten me 20-22 mpg at 80mph, 25-30mpg in v6 and v8 W-cars at the same speeds 4T60-E I drove , unless the US have a German style highway i dont see the point of added gears but I guess it’s to ace the competition.

    Reply
    1. But the base transmission on the 2019 Silverado and Sierra is not the improved 8, but rather the six speed from 2014.

      The added gears of the 10 speed actually do serve a major purpose… drive it and you’ll see the benefits – especially in a smaller engine. This is not rocket science, and more gears (when done well) is always better.

      Reply
      1. not always, more gears=more bearings and meshing cogs=more wasted friction. There is a balancing act. PER GMauthority, there was a report that the new FWD 9 speed did increase engine efficiency by 5% over the six speed, but increased friction by about 3%, for a total benefit of 2% increased efficiency. Ford has announced that they are pulling a cog on the GM 9 speed to reduce it to an 8 speed. There is an optimum number of gears. The 8 might be best for the 5.3? Either way, it wont be horrendous. The ZL1 camero had better times with the 6speed manual over the 10speed auto cause the 6 speed had way less friction. This 8 speed should be awesome!

        Reply
        1. Ford pulled a cog from the 9-speed to save money. Jim Hackett’s plant to turn Ford around is to cut costs out of their vehicle lineup.

          Reply
          1. Don’t know why they downvoted you. What you said is accurate. Ford CEO Jim Hackett announced in October that their turn around plan for Ford included $14 billion in cost cuts.

            https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-eyes-14-billion-in-cost-cutting-under-new-ceos-plan/

            “Ford Motor Co.’s new CEO plans to cut $14 billion in costs…. Ford told investors it expects to reduce material costs by $10 billion by 2022 through new deals with suppliers and simpler designs.”

            Hackett announced that in October. Then less than 6 months later, Ford announced that they would be removing a gear from the 9-speed because the fuel economy didn’t justify the COST to Ford. Ford didn’t say that there wasn’t a benefit in fuel consumption, just that they didn’t see a benefit when considering their cost to build it.

            “GM’s nine-speed didn’t provide enough of a fuel economy improvement to justify the added *cost* and weight of an extra gear, Ford said.

            “The small efficiency benefit did not justify the added weight and cost of an extra clutch and gear,” Ford spokesman Mike Levine said in a statement to Automotive News.

            http://www.autonews.com/article/20180423/OEM01/180429934/ford-gm-9-speed-transmission

            Expect to see more decision like this now that Hackett is running Ford. Cutting $10 billion in material costs and $4 billion in engineering costs is going to be noticeable in the final product.

            Reply
          2. Don’t know why they downvoted you. What you said is accurate. Ford CEO Jim Hackett announced in October that their turn around plan for Ford included $14 billion in cost cuts. Then less than 6 months later, Ford announced that they would be removing a gear from the 9-speed because the fuel economy didn’t justify the COST to Ford. Ford didn’t say that there wasn’t a benefit in fuel consumption, just that they didn’t see a benefit when manufacturing COST was factored in.

            “GM’s nine-speed didn’t provide enough of a fuel economy improvement to justify the added *cost* and weight of an extra gear, Ford said.

            “The small efficiency benefit did not justify the added weight and cost of an extra clutch and gear,” Ford spokesman Mike Levine said in a statement to Automotive News.

            http://www.autonews.com/article/20180423/OEM01/180429934/ford-gm-9-speed-transmission

            Expect to see more decision like this now that Hackett is running Ford. Cutting $10 billion in material costs and $4 billion in engineering costs is going to be noticeable in the final product.

            Reply
        2. The 6 speed only had faster times because it had 1 less gear shift, not because it had less friction. I think your understanding of gearing is a little lacking.

          Reply
      2. Still, if the old 4-speeds were decent and the 6-speed 6L80-E was the improvement and moved the loaded trucks back in the ’00s and now the 6-speed inadequate for base trucks?. During the C/K and GMT400 days offered THM 3-speed for base trucks while THM 4-speeds were optional but we need a 10speed for everyone?.

        Reply
      3. The 6-speed is only available in the 2019 trucks if you buy a work truck or classic trim. The LT, which 95% of truck buyers consider the lowest trim they would buy, comes standard with the 8-speed. The 6-speed was kept around to keep fleet customers happy. Just checking the transmission fluid on the 8L90 is a major chore since there is no dipstick.

        Reply
        1. “The LT, which 95% of truck buyers consider the lowest trim they would buy……” Where did you dream the stat up ? Yeah they sell bunches of “fancy” trucks, but at todays prices (some built in Mexico no less) they sell plenty of “cheapies”, cause thousands of folks don’t want to pay for a house when buying a truck !

          Reply
  3. To be honest it seems like more gears more issues and not just GM.

    I see on forums more complaints about slow kick downs, shudder, more clunky shifts.

    My 8 speed I have now is the first transmissions that I ever had an issue with. If sitting for more than two days the converter would drain out. The tranny would slip till the converter filled. Then the new tranny and converter shifted hard till it went through the adaptive process. It too 5,000 miles till it worked right now I wonder will it last.

    I miss my TH400.

    Reply
    1. “If sitting for more than two days the converter would drain out.”

      I believe that GM identified the root cause of this issue as being a problem with the valve body separator plate. They modified the plate design to prevent it from happening.

      Reply
      1. Yet they refuse to fix the 2018’s due to “no code” when they plug it in, does not matter that they see it, feel it, video it, No code means no fix!

        Reply
        1. Excatly, GM and 2 dealers have told me that no code means no fix. Unless your broke down on the side of the road it is operating as designed. Clunking, jerking is all part of their design.

          Reply
  4. With the all electronic transmissions, the shift lever on GM trucks, is it just old school for feel and looks or is there a real link connection to the trans? I prefer the shift level. My brother’s Ram has the knob and I just didn’t like it. No real feel that your in drive or park.

    Looking over the 2019 Silverado pictures, the interior hasn’t changed that much. I’m sure auto critics will have a field day about it. With not much else to do I counted 47 buttons and switches on the dash and steering wheel. It does not include knobs, the horn or the tow mode button on the shifter let alone the touch screen. I wonder why the wife doesn’t like to drive my truck.

    Reply
    1. I despise the knobs.

      You ever plow snow with one you will know what I mean.

      Reply
    2. At least GM still uses buttons. Ram moved a lot of buttons to the touchscreen which is a really annoying decision.

      I’m glad that GM still uses a column shifter. I can’t stand the Ram shift knob and Ford’s column shifter feels cheap and plasticky. I do wish that GM would at least offer an option for some kind of paddle shifter on the steering wheel. I prefer driving the truck in manual mode but using the toggle switch is somewhat annoying.

      Reply
  5. I have a 16 YM Denali Sierra. I absolutely hate how it shifts. The transmission is atrocious.

    Reply
    1. Get a custom tune. Problem solved.

      Reply
      1. Hopefully the 2019’s will be easier to tune. Because as long as GM refuses to offer a sport mode like Ford does in the F-150, GM is going to struggled on this front. GM’s stock transmission tuning saps all the life out of the powertrain. I’ve driven 2014+ GM 5.3 trucks before and after a transmission tune and the difference is night and day. The 5.3 feels like it gained 50 HP and 50 lb-ft with just a trans tune. It’s annoying hearing guys call the 5.3 a dog when you know what the engine is really capable of. GM NEEDS to create a selectable sport mode in the 2019 truck.

        Reply
    2. Could be wrong, or mixing it up with something else, I thought I saw it before though. Don’t they have a few bulletins out?

      Reply
  6. Devil is in the details as they say.. and making these small fixes will greatly improve the driver experience of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra which should help improve sales.

    Reply
  7. Although they’re probably not the only ones to do it, this kind of seems like an Apple approach, to release old, but slightly improved technology alongside the new stuff to create different price points for everyone. The old stuff could be fine. Toyota still uses old technology that they’ve supposedly improved over the years, and those things sell, with supposedly not doing so great on MPG still. Maximum fuel economy is a pretty great goal, but at the end of the day, it’s still a truck.I think the new engines with the 2.7 and the 3.0 Duramax should increase those MPG numbers. I’m personally kind of more curious about GMCs packaging options, because in my opinion Chevrolet just keeps getting more weird and complicated as the years progress. Especially on the trucks.

    Reply
  8. Get rid of the column shift and give us a T-bar shift, it’s not like there isn’t enough room.

    Reply
    1. T-Bar defeats one of the biggest advantages of a pickup, a bench seat. Where is your lover going to sit???

      Reply
      1. In the back seat of the crew cab.

        Reply
  9. I hope the new 8-speed fixes the shutter, and other problems, but in my opinion it took way to long. I`ll stay with my Tundra

    Reply
    1. Toyota . LOL

      Reply
  10. What ever happened to when you have a problem you fix it right away not years down the road? It’s a shame but it seems that the new GM is turning into the old GM. Reputations are difficult things. Good ones are hard to build and bad ones are hard to get rid of. Unfourtely the bad ones will linger on even after you have fixed the problem. There are still people out there who still judge GM vehicle by the bad days and refuse to acknowledge tha they are makeing dacient vehicles now.

    Reply
    1. It can take a couple years to identify the root cause of an issue and engineer a solution. If you just rush to “fix it right away”, you end up with junk like the 5.4 Triton. Ford “fixed” the 3.5 Ecoboost’s stalling/misfire issue 3 or 4 times before the fix actually fixed it.

      Reply
      1. Yeah, I can see that. To me, it seems like they’re identifying problems a little quicker than they used to. GM engineering also supposedly monitors every vehicle that is in for service, or that’s what my dealer tells me. Another one in addition to the Ford example was one that FCA put out, I forgot what it was, but it was kind of recent, and they recalled the vehicles multiple times. None of the manufacturers are perfect. I worked at a Toyota dealer as a service valet, and had to help the service director drop a new at the time 2016 Avalon off. They had several complaints as there were some defects, and said they were fighting Toyota to buy it back. I’d say it’s more just a matter of preference these days. The vehicles and companies all get the job done, but with natural machine defects here and there. It’s just a matter of choice at the end of the day.To me, I just think Toyota is slightly overhyped. They’re pretty good cars as I can appreciate most vehicles and brands, but nothing to make me jump so far.

        Reply
        1. If you ever visit some of the popular Tundra or Tacoma forums, you can track issues that remain year after year. The 2nd gen Tacoma had vibration issues with the front differential for years. The issue was carried over to the 3rd gen Tacoma. The 2nd gen Tundra has had rear axle issues for years and there are 2018 Tundras with the same premature rear carrier bearing failure. Considering the truck a 10 year old design and they only make 110k a year lately, they shouldn’t have such a hard time correcting such issues. It also took Toyota several years to finally address a smog pump that would leave a Tundra stranded in the winter time and cost upwards of $1000 to repair.

          It seems to be a systemic thing in the auto industry.

          Reply
          1. Yeah I can see it, nothing says more realiable to me. They’re great vehicles, but I don’t count them as being any more superior than others. My dealer doesn’t have a mini convenient store built into the waiting area like the Toyota dealer I worked for does. My dealer offers complimentary WIFI, computers, coffee, popcorn, water, and vending. Maybe that’s why people like Toyota so much, because while they’re in for service they get free coffee, cookies, and water with the option to buy microwaveable Ramen while they wait for 6 hours. Some people waited forever on some days, it was partly on them though.

            Reply
      2. I think a lot of the first Ecoboost problems were solved on the web. The stalling / misfire issues were solved by drilling a small hole in a low spot on the intercooler to let condensation out. The second problem, timing chain stretch, was solved by using a proper oil in the thing. Instead of semi-syn 5w30 Motorcraft oil, using a heavier full syn A3 rated oil like Edge 0w40 coupled with sane oil change intervals seems to have mitigated that issue. I have an early build ‘11 F150 that’s had 0w40 oil most of its life and at 120k it’s doing just fine.

        Reply
  11. I have 2 questions.

    1 Didn’t GM and Ford develope this transmission together?

    2. Do Ford have the same problems that GM has?

    Reply
    1. Technically I believe that Ford did the majority of 10-speed development. It’s based heavily on the work Ford and GM did together developing the 6L80/6R80. This time around, the agreement they had was for Ford to develop the 10-speed and share the design with GM. In return, GM would develop the 9-speed transmission for transverse applications and share it with Ford. In reality, GM would still need to do engineering work on the 10-speed in order to customize it for their applications and modify the design so it can be built with their manufacturing equipment and tooling. Same with Ford and the 9-speed, which seems to be a victim of cost-cutting as Ford has removed one gear from it. They will instead use the design as an 8-speed.

      Reply
      1. I was referring to the 8 speed. I would like to know if Ford had the same problems as GM? From what I have read about the 10 speed it seems to be far less problematic than the 8 speed. Seeing as how Ford was the lead developer for the 10 speed does that mean Ford is now the GM of transmission development? This is in reference that at one point and time GM was the premier Automatic transmission developer. So much so that the premier forieng luxury brand purchased GM tranny’s for their vehicles.

        Reply
  12. With these starting to hit lots, does anyone know if these will have a fender flare option? Or even an aftermarket setup like Bushwhacker?

    Reply
  13. The current 8 Speed used across the board is a disaster!
    I have a Corvette, $75 Grand, worst transmission GM ever put in a vehicle, and they have no fix, just drive until your warranty expires and go away!
    What happened to GM’s CSI?

    Reply
  14. Being an average blue collar man i can honestly say my 2018 silverado dbl cab 5.3 8 speed has cause me a terible hardshipand will never trust GM again tranny was never right totally rebuilt at 18000 miles total failure at 78000 now was told sorry no warranty now 7,000$ that idont have and after basic begging im getting a 6speed for 3600 $ in wat country is this right now theyre crowing about their improved 8speed they wouldnt rebuild mine bluntly said they only replace that trans. Im now paying truck payment and payment on loan for tranny thanx GM you really destroyed me at a time when money is tight china had covid s and GM has the 8speed tranny both will change your life for the worst

    Reply
    1. Wow, grammar is your friend!

      Reply
      1. Edward are you a GM engineer. You should be ashamed of yourself .

        Reply
  15. Yea well GM wasnt, not sure your being a smartass or what, in the spirit of the Holidays ill leave it at that .but i will tell you GM did me dirty, ill come out of it and wont buy another and anyone i see that’s looking ill tell them as well , even yhough grammar isnt my friend

    Reply
    1. After going back and reading couple posts i see Edward your a grammer enthusiast and a Ram owner and probably a democrat, were just lowly blue collar guys on this page who have legitimate expériences with our trucks good and bad not looking for a Dodge man to correct our Grammar again Happy Holidays

      Reply
      1. Wow, where to start on that one. Well yes I drive a Ram, but I also work for GM and also have a 2012 CTS. Please don’t lay your blue collar working class hero line on me. I worked plenty of hard dirty jobs when I was younger and was a union member doing shop work to pay my college tuition, no loans here. Spent 6 years in the US Navy, most of that haze gray and underway. The past 35 years I’ve worked in automotive facing IT and OT support. As for Grammar, there is no excuse in this day and age of spell and grammar checkers for those type of errors. I mean I was doing lots of writing long before PCs came along. I learned spelling, grammar and word usage in elementary and high school, didn’t you? Poor language use is like raising a flag that advertises your lack of language discipline. Oh and by the way yes I am a proud Democrat.

        Reply
        1. I knew it. I knew you worked for GM. Sorry to hear your part of the corruption on ripping off fellow countrymen.

          Reply
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