Patent ID: 8353802

Claim:
A transaxle comprising: an input member; an output member; a housing having a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall extending between the first and second walls; first, second, third and fourth planetary gear sets disposed within the housing, each planetary gear set having a sun gear member, a ring gear member, and a planet carrier member supporting a plurality of planet gears each configured to intermesh with both the sun gear member and the ring gear member, and wherein the ring gear member of the first planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the sun gear member of the second planetary gear set, the ring gear member of the second planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the planet carrier member of the third planetary gear set, the ring gear member of the third planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the planet carrier member of the fourth planetary gear set, the sun gear member of the third planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the sun gear member of the fourth planetary gear set, the output member is permanently coupled with the carrier member of the fourth planetary gear set, the input member is permanently coupled with the carrier member of the first planetary gear set, and the sun gear member of the first planetary gear set is permanently coupled to one of the first wall, the second wall, and the third wall of the housing, and a plurality of clutches and a brake each selectively engageable to interconnect one of the sun gear, planet carrier, and ring gear members of the planetary gear sets with another one of the sun gear, planet carrier, and ring gear members of the planetary gear sets, and the housing; and wherein the housing has a first area defined radially inward from an outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the first wall and the first planetary gear set, a second area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the first and second planetary gear sets, a third area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the second and third planetary gear sets, a fourth area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the third and fourth planetary gear sets, a fifth area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the fourth planetary gear set and the second wall, and a sixth area defined radially inward from the third wall and radially outward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the first wall and the second wall, and the plurality of clutches and the brake are selectively engageable to establish at least eight forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio between the input member and the output member.