Zf Friedrichshafen · 1990–2008
ZF 5HP19 transmission
5HP is ZF Friedrichshafen AG's trademark name for its 5-speed automatic transmission models (5-speed transmission with Hydraulic converter and Planetary gearsets) for longitudinal engine applications, designed and built by ZF's subsidiary in Saarbrücken.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Key data
== 1990: 5HP 18 & 1997: 5HP 19— Ravigneaux planetary gearset types — == History. The Ravigneaux planetary gearset types were ZF's first 5-speed automatic transmission and introduced in 1990. They were produced through 2008 in different versions and were used in a wide range of vehicles. Since the successor model, the 6HP, could be manufactured at a significantly lower cost, most of the gearboxes were replaced shortly after its launch in 2000. Planetary gearset concept. ==== Improved fuel economy ==== The main objective in replacing the predecessor model was to improve vehicle fuel economy with extra speeds and a wider gear span to allow the engine speed level to be lowered (downspeeding), which is a decisive factor in improving energy efficiency and thus reducing fuel consumption. In addition, the lower engine speed level improves the noise-vibration-harshness comfort and the exterior noise is reduced. Increased manufacturing complexity. The 5HP 18 and 19 are a transmission family with purely serial power flow: components were simply added to enable more gears. This makes these transmissions larger, heavier, and more expensive. With 10 main components, progress was unsatisfactory: an obvious transitional solution. It is therefore the last conventionally designed transmission from ZF. All subsequent transmissions from ZF including the 8-speed transmission 8HP require fewer main components. Quality.
1992: 5HP 30 & 1996: 5HP 24— Simpson planetary gearset types —
=== History === The Simpson planetary gearset types were ZF's second 5-speed automatic transmission and introduced in 1992. They were produced through 2000 in different versions and were used in a wide range of vehicles. Since the successor model, the 6HP, could be manufactured at a significantly lower cost, most of the gearboxes were replaced shortly after its launch in 2000. Planetary gearset concept. ==== Improved fuel economy ==== The main objective in replacing the predecessor model was to improve vehicle fuel economy with extra speeds and a wider gear span to allow the engine speed level to be lowered (downspeeding), which is a decisive factor in improving energy efficiency and thus reducing fuel consumption. In addition, the lower engine speed level improves the noise-vibration-harshness comfort and the exterior noise is reduced. Reduced manufacturing complexity. The 5HP 30 and 24 are the first transmission family with combined parallel and serial power flow to prevent these transmission from becoming larger, heavier, and more expensive. In order to avoid a further increase in manufacturing complexity while expanding the number of gear ratios, ZF switched from the conventional design method—in which the planetary gearset concept was limited to a purely serial or in-line power flow—to a more modern design method that utilizes a planetary gearset concept with combined parallel and serial power flow. This was only possible thanks to computer-aided design and has resulted in a globally patented gearset concept. The resulting progress is reflected in a better ratio of the number of gears to the number of components used compared to existing layouts. The 8HP has become the new reference standard (benchmark) for automatic transmissions. Quality.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- 5HP 18 · 5HP 19 · 5HP 30 · 5HP 24
- Production
- 1990–2008
- Model years
- 1991–2008
- Manufacturer
- ZF Friedrichshafen
- Class
- 5-Speed longitudinal automatic transmission
- Related
- MB 5G-Tronic
- Predecessor
- ZF 4HP transmission family
- Successor
- ZF 6HP
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8063075CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmissionCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1361997836 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.