Systems and methods for combination control of a cylinder, state, and a transmission gangs

An ignition module determines a target number of activated cylinders of an engine based on a torque request and a current gear ratio of a transmission. A composite identification module identified based on the torque demand a combination comprising a possible number of activated cylinders and a possible transmission ratio, wherein: the possible number of activated cylinders is different from the target number of activated cylinders; and / or the possible transmission ratio differs from the current gear ratio of the transmission. If a second fuel consumption of the possible number of activated cylinders and the possible transmission gear ratio is lower than a first fuel for the target number of activated cylinders and the current transmission ratio, a transition module selectively switches: the target number of activated cylinders to the possible number of activated cylinders to; and a target speed ratio of the transmission in order for the possible transmission ratio. An activation / deactivation module controls a cylinder activation and deactivation based on the target number of activated cylinders.