rosemaryburm

I have been wondering why GM would add sequential shifting in the auto trans, and it occurs to me it is at least partly to relieve the distress of a "hunting" transmission. With more than four or five gears, an automatic can annoyingly "hunt" for a gear, especially in speeds between 20 and 50. But, with the paddles, the driver can select an appropriate gear and stick with it through most, if not all of, that speed range, with no shifts or hunting, and the capacity to easily up or down shift if need be -- a sudden stop, passing, etc. With the Corvette's resources, staying in one gear through a wide range of speeds is not the problem it would be wth a lesser beast. Yeah, GM could have just used the ubiquitous "auto-stick", with the lever being pushed over into a sequential shifting slot, instead of the paddles. I've taken up enough space, someone else can tackle that one.

Need 4 Speed

Why not...If people buy it, then we'll sell it..

steve miller

GM Blew it with this one too. Just like the mercedes sl55 they put the paddles on the wheel, instead of on the steering column. Try shifting and turning at the same time. Can't be done. The Bentley Continental, and The Ferrari got it right.

craigcurry

antoniopaolo

DANNOV

If you try shifting and turning at the same time at high speed, you may be in for a surprise.

steve miller

Yeah, A BIG TREE under the hood!!!

Hoonose

As I recall there was a poll on the BMW forum about column mounted vs steering wheel paddles, and the result was close to 50-50.

steve miller

I don't doubt the poll, I just can't imagine what they were thinking. They're should be a rule that says you can't vote unless you have driven both. Seriously, the SL55 cannot be shifted unless you're driving a straight line. I had an 03.


Steve

2000 green hornet

A good multispeed automatic "knows" what gear to be in from a variety of inputs to the computer that controls the transmission. Why do you feel it needs to "hunt". Do you feel the GM computer is incompetent ? GM is way behind in automatic transmission technology. If it hunts for the "right" gear it will be another sign that the company is becoming obsolete.

I love my Corvette and GM for making it. But sometimes I get the feeling that some of the guys and girls on this forum never drive other manufacturer's products. If you don't drive and enjoy some of the other products out there, you will be left without important knowledge to make decisions. There are many many other products in the market for different purposes than the Vette that are extremely well made . Some of the Eastern car companies are now working on 8 speed automatics. They will always be in the exact "sweet" spot of torque and horsepower at any speed.

Just because the Corvette is the best product for the money, don't think other cars don't have some legs up on our Pride and Joy!

Get out and open your eyes and other senses and look at the entire world of automobiles. Then when you get back into our beloved Corvette you will have a new sense of why it is the most fun!

mss8022

Having owned cars with paddles on the steering column (Ferrari) and on the wheel itself (Porsche, BMW and SL55), there is little doubt in my mind that the steering column (with long paddles) is the best and easiest to change. And it helps when one side is up shift and the other is downshift like in the Ferrari.

JmpnJckFlsh

No. The paddles are not to address any problem with gear hunting. I'm speculating, but I bet a lot of the technology in this transmission is "borrowed" from the heavy duty Allison transmission used in their trucks, which is outstanding at knowing which gear it should be in.

The paddles are there to provide the enthusiast with capability he would not otherwise have with an automatic transmission. An automatic transmission shifting by it's own designs can never anticipate a future event such as the driver wanting to downshift to take full advantage of engine braking or flexible acceleration rather than WOT...an automatic transmission is always REACTING to changes already in progress.

Engine braking with an automatic transmission is very limited, and always dependent on the transmission's gear selection which is following the driver's application of the brakes. The paddles permit the driver to make gear changes himself in anticipation of upcoming road conditions without being tied to an "algorithim", and without taking his hands off the steering wheel.

GM intends that the driver use the paddles to shift the transmission only during "spirited driving", and not during your daily commute. For your daily grocery getting, GM intends the transmission be driven in "D". That's my opinion anyway...otherwise, what's the point of having an automatic transmission.

jruss361

Don't worry about it! It won't be any time at all and you won't be paying any attention to the paddles.
Been there done that and the novelty wears off fast.
Jruss

2000 green hornet

I cannot add anything to the above. Paddles are for "sprited driving" . Like in enjoying your vehicle as if it is a part of you. Picture a ballet dancer enjoying his or her body in motion. Ultimate control in movement. Shifting the gears youself will allow you to control you car "body" to the fullest. Manual transmission folk already know the feeling. Now us auto lovers will have a little more control and fun. Not as good as a manual, but much better than before.

Anticipating ahead , like climbing mountains, etc. will be fun, but not necessary. The transmission will downshift as needed. Never force the transmission to upshift, as you will lug-damage the transmission or engine. The rest of the time just leave it in "D". Like Jack said.

TommyV

But, if you want to drive aggressively in "D", the ECM will kick into the "Sport" mode.

shopdog

You make pushbutton shifting sound revolutionary. But it isn't. Every automatic car I've owned from a 1961 Plymouth Valiant forward has had a means of shifting the transmission manually. The Valiant even used pushbuttons, though they were on the dash. The rest used a shift lever, either on the steering column or on a center console. Manually controlling an automatic transmission is not new. Hunting for buttons on a rotating steering wheel is new, but hardly revolutionary.

SHOOTER 49

Really getting tired of the speculation--taking a wait and see approach.

JmpnJckFlsh

My intent wasn't to make it sound revolutionary...only to emphasize the paddles are NOT intended for typical daily driving.

I was also around when Plymouths had those goofy selector buttons in the steering wheel hub...That probably wasn't any easier for dialing up your gear and driving with one hand than it is to change transmission ranges with a console lever.

I owned an C4 with a 700R4...It was a great car for cruising and I loved the car. But, constantly changing transmission ranges with that clunky console lever while driving mountain roads with switchbacks and two hundred foot drop-offs somehow just didn't seem worth the trouble or to make good sense. With the paddles, you will be able to keep both hands on the wheel and use your engine for braking when needed with minimal effort.

I prefer the MN6, and I look forward to driving my C6 on those same mountain roads. Somehow for me, the activity of integrating the clutch, shifter, and accelerator is more natural, and I feel more comfortable with that than attempting to downshift an automatic with the console lever. However, I suspect I could be just as comfortable with the A6 and paddle shifting...but not this time.

DANNOV

You are correct, it is not new. But, in today's high performance car there are some unique situations that must be programmed into the system. For example, there must be some safegard that prevents you from shifting into 1st gear at 120 mph. I am not sure how the 1961 Valiant handled that type of situation, I think that Chrysler just assumed it would not happen.

The C6 six speed automatic trans that can be shifted manually is designed for the performance driver who will drop into a lower gear for acceleration, but at the same time must have some safeguards to prevent the driver from over-revving and destroying his engine. It is computer control that is new, the Valiant did not have that.

The computer also has the ability to learn your driving style and adjust accordingly. I don't know if the C6 has this ability, but the Porsche Tipronic cars have computers that understand the driving situation, i.e. street driving vs aggressive driving on road or track and they adjust on the fly.

If the C6 had the equivalent of the Valiant trans, except that it was 6 speed instead of 3 speed, than none of us would be interested. I think it is quite a bit more refined than that. At least after 40+ years it should be more refined.

shopdog

Agree.
That's probably why they quit putting shift buttons on the steering wheel and went back to the more natural console shift lever.

I agree that the stock shifter leaves a bit to be desired, but replace it with a B&M Pro Ratchet and it is much nicer.

I expect you'd be even more comfortable with a good console mounted shifter. The problem with buttons on the steering wheel is that they move with respect to your hands and your body as you drive. That means you can't depend on muscle memory. With a shifter in a fixed location, whether that shifter is auto or manual, muscle memory means you never have to hunt for the controls.