Dual clutch transmissions are expected to witness the highest growth rates mainly due to the efforts of Volkswagen Group, which is likely to remain the biggest player, Kaushik Madhaven, program manager with Frost and Sullivans European Automotive and Transportation Practice, told Lube Report.

Bryan Grisso, driveline global business manager for Lubrizol, explained that while automated manual transmissions use gear oils – sometimes referred to as manual transmission fluid – dual clutch transmissions require uniquely designed fluids to manage wear, friction and viscometric performance.

Most people consider the need is for a hybridized fluid there, with characteristics of both a manual transmission fluid as well as an automatic transmission fluid, Lubrizols Grisso told Lube Report. The DCT is the one thats really quite unique. He said that the dual clutch transmission technology, which is in its infancy right now, is just starting to become available in different vehicles in Europe.

Lubrizol has been working on this for a number of years, Grisso said. Again, were looking at that balance of friction, wear and the viscometrics.

The wet clutch in a DCT requires special attention and special friction properties, agreed Mike Nelson, segment manager for power transmission fluids for additive supplier Infineum.

According to Madhaven, stepped automatic transmissions in Europe are expected to reach a point of stagnation with regard to improved efficiency and fuel consumption.

Benefits of an 8-speed automatic transmission over a 7-speed automatic transmission are not so significant anymore, the Frost and Sullivan analyst said. Emerging technologies are not expected to impact the automatic transmissions market in the near future in a big way; however, they are likely to make a mark and set the ball rolling.

Infineums Nelson said that if the use of automatic transmissions grew in Europe, transmission fluids would differ from their U.S. counterparts. Higher anti-shudder durability requirements and higher oxidation stability are required due to higher power and torque in smaller packages, he said.

Nelson told Lube Report the trend in Europe is to improve fuel economy, and he pointed out that all passenger car automatic transmissions there have been fill-for-life since the early 1990s. When transmissions get smaller, it also changes the performance requirements for the fluid. High oxidative stability and increased extreme pressure protection are needed, he said. The volume may be reduced as well.

Lubrizol’s Grisso said that general trends in Europe include improved fuel efficiency, lowercarbon dioxideemissions and extended drain intervals. Enhanced fluid durability is important, he said. The fluid has to live longer in the transmission as you go to longer life.

According to Grisso, while projections call for little growth in continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) in Europe, they are projected to have higher growth in other regions such as Asia. He said one possible driving force for that is the CVTs unique footprint, which can be designed to fit into smaller cars.

Information about the Frost & Sullivan study, “Strategic Analysis of the European Market for Transmission Technologies,” can be found at www.frost.com.