ZF8HP70 for ZF6HP28 swap?

[Tapps33]

I'm toying with the idea of swapping an 8 speed in for my 6 speed, has anyone done this? I can't seem to find anything on it for LR's. It's been done with BMW's many times, but as with everything else, Rovers are a breed unto themselves.

The physical swap is easy...easy being a relative term. I'll swap the manual shifter for the dial shifter and do a little re-wiring/pinning in some of the harness connectors and we should be good to go....EXCEPT...the software integration.

I reached out to GAP and they were very non committal. Is it as "simple" as a CCF update and perhaps an ECM flash with the new transmission mapping? Or is it WAY stinking harder than it needs to be?

Thanks!

 

[djkaosone]

I wonder if you can swap out the TC, transmission, and the TCM as a set? Maybe you'll get the hi/lo gears too, if you don't already have it.

 

[ktm525]

lol You are nearing 4 years on the SCV8 swap? You sure you want to add this too?

 

[Tapps33]

I was actually going to incorporate it into the swap. I've got an SC 6sp sitting in the garage, I just need to finish the 2010 infotainment upgrade, then it'll be onto the SC swap. I have all the parts, just need to clear some space in the garage and get it put together and installed. That said, I was gonna rebuild the 6speed so I know it'll be solid, I just figured if I could find a decent deal, an 8 speed wouldn't be bad either. Although, now that I think about it, I've already done the zip kit to the TCM for the swap LR4...I'd lose that if I went to the 8speed.

 

[ryanjl]

Well, the 8 speed is connected to the supercharged V8s in the L405, so it's something Land Rover does from the factory.

 

[powershift]

The 6 speed is pretty nice. It has 2 overdrive gears. 4th will go up or down any freeway and then there are two overdrive gears. 5th is a sweet gear for going down 7% grades. I don't need to touch the brakes at all.

Tbh, I wouldn't know what to do with 2 more gears. There might be a point where there is too much shifting. Ford has their 10 speed and it seems like there is a lot of shifting going on. Shifting creates heat and that isn't great for going up a grade unless its winter. I like long gears where you can hold the pedal down and it just pulls uninterrupted for a long time. With today's auto transmissions there would be 4 shifts in that same amount of time of winding out a gear from yesteryear.

 

[itsaguything]

Perhaps… In a previous life, I would frequently drive all kinds of military vehicles. I appreciated the many gears.
As all of us know, despite the current theme and trend, regular maintenance is paramount. Not servicing any transmission or cooling system is death. Avoiding overheating is not difficult…. if one pays attention to their vehicle.

I have no experience with the management of the ecm and the tcu. I wouldn’t expect it to be difficult but I prefer to go at such things with product documentation. Modifying Black box solutions are a slippery slope.

 

[Tapps33]

Very good points made by all.

I was just curious if anyone had done it before. The 6speed is rather nice, but in theory, the 8speed will simply have a smaller rpm drop per shift, allowing the engine to stay in its “sweet spot” in the power curve a little better. After having pulled a heavy camper with a 4speed transmission (thanks Dodge) I’ve become a HUGE believer in more gears are better! Cause less gears can really suck sometimes!

That said, as I’m already swapping the SCV8 engine, perhaps it’s best, at least for now, to just stick with the 6 speed, and try not to integrate too many things at once. I know someone who broke down the NA and SC transmissions side by side, and the only physical difference was a 3 sprag planetary(NA) vs a 4 sprag planetary(SC). Everything else was the same, even the steels and frictions, shaft diameters etc….

I know LR’s with the SCV8 are running the 8spd now a days, but that’s tied to the Bosch ECU’s. I have a 2012 with a Denso ECU. My guess is that I can’t flash a Denso ECU with a Bosch file containing the TCM protocols, but I don’t know.

As I said, the mechanical swap is the easy part in this case. I know on BMW’s, when they swap transmissions like this they literally remove the TCM and companies make aftermarket controllers to go in place of the stock system.

 

[ftillier]

Did the SCV6 LR4 go to a Bosch ECU too?

 

[Tapps33]

Yes, Denso only made the NA V8 and early SCV8 ECU’s. So, pretty much from 2014 forward it’s all Bosch for the LR4. (2013 for the RRS as they got the SCV6 in 2013)