2010 Tremec TR6060 (MM6/MZ6/MH3/MG9/M10) car transmission
2010 Model Year Summary
Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual car transmission
New Features and Benefits for 2010 model year
Second gear synchronizers using carbon material
Second gear synchronizer design with advanced and asymmetric teeth (CTSv in 2009)
Improved transmission pump pick-up
Implementation into the V-8 Camaro
Second gear synchronizers using carbon material
The change to carbon material on the second gear synchronizer will improve the durability of the synchronizer. Carbon also protects the synchronizer during WOT shifts with the wheels spinning. The shift feel improvements made in 2008 are refined further with the implementation of the carbon material.
Second gear synchronizer design with advanced and asymmetric teeth
Implementing advanced and asymmetric teeth on the second gear aynchronizer system improves the shiftability of the transmission during cold temperatures. This is accomplished by the advanced and asymmetric teeth contacting the second gear dog ring in less distance and with increase stopping power. The shift feel is significantly improved in cold weather. This design also improves the warm shifting comfort.
Improved transmission pump pick-up
As the performance vehicles improve in handling and on-track performance, an improvement to the transmission pump fluid pick up was needed to maintain an acceptable fluid temperature during limit handling and on-track events. In order to enhance operation, an 'S' tube design was introduced into some TR6060 applications for 2010 model year. The features of the 'S' tube are twofold. First, the tube is lengthened to put the pick-up point further rearward in the fluid sump. Second, the tube has an 'S' shape to put the pick up location in the middle of the sump as compared to the current design which is offset to the left slightly. With the introduction of the 'S' tube, fluid temps are reduced by 5 degrees Celsius.
Low maintenance
The TR6060 6-speed uses Texaco ATF Type III 1863 fluid and is certified "fill-for-life," requiring no fluid changes. The clutch is activated hydraulically, which automatically compensates for clutch disc wear, eliminating manual adjustments (except for the ZR1 which uses a traditional clutch). The Tremec TR6060 six-speed has evolved from a design that aimed to require virtually no maintenance in all but the most severe conditions.
Overview
Both the standard Corvette and the high-performance Z06 use the TR6060 designated as MM6, which is validated to 500 lb-ft of torque, while the TR6060 with the Z51 option features higher ratios and is designated as MZ6. It is validated to 430 lb-ft of torque.
The ultra high performance ZR1 uses the TR6060 designated as the MH3, which is validated to 650 lb-ft of torque. The CTSv uses the MG9 version of the TR6060 validated to 560 lb-ft of torque.
The Camaro uses the M10 gear set validated to 430 lb-ft of torque.
Design features include a combination of double-cone and triple-cone synchronizers on all gears.
Synchronizers act like clutches to speed up or slow down a gear that is being shifted to.
Double-cone synchronizers have two friction surfaces to effect this gear acceleration, and triple-cone synchronizers have three friction surfaces.
The greater the friction surface, the easier the transmission is to shift. In addition, double-cone and triple-cone synchronizers are smaller in diameter than a single-cone synchronizer with the same friction area allowing the transmission to remain more compact.
Bearings in place of bushings lower the friction of the shift rail movements for the TR6060, making the shifter feel naturally lighter and more direct.
Refinements common to the design of all six-speed Tremec TR6060 transmissions include needle bearings on all forward gearsets and 5th and 6th gear synchronizers located on a countershaft.
The countershaft location of the 5th and 6th gear synchronizers allow those gears to be selected without affecting the 1st through 4th gearsets, contributing to ease of shifting.
The sixth-generation Corvette with the Z51 option uses the MZ6 version of the six-speed, with ratios developed for the M12 which was used in the Cadillac CTS-V. These ratios are higher in first, second, and third gears than the MM6, as well as a lower-ratio fifth gear to increase top speed for the Z51 option.
When the high-performance Z06 version of the Corvette was introduced for 2006, a stronger single-piece countershaft replaced the previous two-piece countershaft for the MM6. The output shaft was enlarged to a 30-spline unit, which is more durable than the 27-spline unit used in previous applications.
Also in 2006 the 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission was introduced, and the bolt pattern for the rear of the case extension of the manual transmission was changed to match the same bolt pattern as the automatic.
In 2009 model year, two new applications of the TR6060 were introduced. First, the Corvette ZR1 using the MH3 gear set. This gear set is the closest ratio gear set available in the TR6060. This gear set has been developed for maximizing on-track performance. Other than gear ratio changes, the only other refinements made in the TR6060 to handle the 638 lb-ft of engine torque were material changes in some shafts and gear pairs. The other 2009 model year introduction was the CTSv. The gear set chosen for this application was the MG9 which is similar to the MZ6 set used in the Z51 Corvette. However, in order to handle the 550 lb-ft of engine torque, the gears were redesigned. A trans pump is standard on the CTSv.
The front bell was also incorporated into the front adaptor it improve powertrain bending. Both the ZR1 and CTSv use a twin plate clutch to handle the increased engine torque.
Originally, the Tremec T56 evolved as a higher-torque capacity, six-speed version of the proven M49 five-speed manual transmission, and was introduced in the 1993 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. It was also added to the 1997 fifth-generation Corvette. For the 2008 model year, it has evolved into the TR6060.
Further applications included high-performance models, such as in mid-2004 the Cadillac CTS-V, which used the LS6 engine mated to the M12 higher-ratio version of the transmission, as well as variants that were used in the Pontiac GTO and Chevrolet SSR models.
