STANG KILLA SS

been in the market for a '08-13 Z06 for 6-8 months now.
i wanted the new trans and the "improved steering feel" of the 08s+.


however ive come across a 07 thats so exactly what im wanting its making me question my choice.

car will be a dedicated track/HPDE car. so trans and steering feel are highly important to me vs someone buy for daily or weekend car.

1. has anyone driven both the 06-07 T56 and 08+ TR6060? thoughts on both? shift ease, feel, strength etc. which one is better?

i currently race a f-body with a T-56, although there must be some differences as mine is motor mounted, not in the rear.

2. its mentioned for '08 that they "improved steering feel" but never any mention of what they did. anyone know? different steering ratio? less power steering assist? removed rubber coupler in steering shaft or something? anyone know? also anyone driven both '06-07 and a '08-13 on or off track. is the difference noticeable?

i recently test drove an '08 Z06 and thought the steering felt very dead to me. however i was on the street, but it had no feedback like im used to in my f-body.

Unreal

T56 is fine for ~1000-1100rwhp. Shifts better. Fastest 6 speed c6z is a stock t56. 6060 advantage is the thicker 5/6th for mile and 1/2 mile racing, but I've never seen a damaged 5th in a t56. I put 20k mile on my t56 at 1000+hp and 50+ 1/2 mile runs and zero issues. Shifted great. Put a 6060 in and regret it. All it does is shift notchy when cold and doesn't shift nearly as well as the t56.

Steering is slightly lighter in an 08+. Nothing notieable.

Tech

I was just driving my TR6060 and thought it was nice and smooth. I also use an MGW shifter that some people have called notchy as well. Seems to fall into gear for me.

Unreal

If you haven't driven both a lot, I doubt anyone would notice a difference. 6060 still shifts fine. MGW shifters on mine too, just the t56 shifts better IMO along with a lot of other people who think the same. Even RPM says t56 shift better because of something with the design.

For a <1000rwhp, any difference in the tranny is basically nothing besides telling your buddies at car shows you have a 6060 vs a t56.

03worthy4link

I haven't driven an 06-07 T56 car but did enjoy the T56 in my f-body like you. I moved into an 08 Z and can easily say I noticed a difference in shift feel when cruising around with the 6060. It IS notchier, but when it comes to banging gears i couldn't tell you the difference between it and any other manual trans I've ever driven. Steering I can't comment on but would venture to say unless told there were differences you probably wouldn't notice. My .02 is that if the car is exactly what you're looking for then go for it!

jp_tt_awd

I have an 07 and drive my buddies 08 quite often, I honestly can't tell much of a difference in shifting or steering.

-jp

redcycle13

I have an 06 Z06 with T56, and a 13 427 convertible with TR6060. The shifting seems better on the 06, the overall stiffness of the chassis may contribute to the better feel of the Z06.

GARY2004Z06

Test drove an '06 C6Z when they first came out. I noticed that that I felt more connected to the road with my former '04 C5Z. I did not like the steering and feedback from the '06. Fast forward to my '08 C6Z and offer the following. I felt the steering was greatly improved. The 6060 trans is more durable than the T-56 but that may not matter for your goals. Some people feel that the 6060 is actually smoother when warmed up than the T-56. (Ranger preferred my trans to his T-56; however, we can all agree that he did not have any shifting issues with his T-56.)
You should probably test drive both cars since this is very subjective. Dr. Ron would be a good person to contact since he has had (3) of them and does road race.

Hib Halverson

Arguing shift feel just on the basis of what trans is in the car is a fool's errand.

There are two other major factors with shift feel which have nothing to do with the trans itself:
1) trans lubricant
2) condition of the clutch and clutch hydraulics.

If a trans is "smoother" when it's warmed up that's most likely a function of lubricant rather than transmission internals unless this is a case of a new transmission which has not been through its break-in period.

All Corvette T56es are not created equal. The C6 version has different synchronizer assemblies which shorten shift throw because they move a shorter distance to engage a gear.

The T6060 is a significantly more robust design than is a T-56.

As for "Unreal" who states that a T-56 is "fine" for 1000-1100 at the wheels, I'm not sure I'd believe that without seeing some supporting data proving the durability of the T-56 that that power level. As for 20,000 miles on a T-56 behind a 1000-hp engine...was that standing starts on sticky drag radials or real drag slicks? Or was it rolling starts with street tires? Finally, how much of the 20,000 miles was actual competition and how much was normal street driving?

Unreal

Mix of all. Either way if he runs a <600hp Na cars it doesn't matter. It is more than strong enough. Had easy 500+ 1-4 gear pulls, 5 half mile events and other events at 1000+. Didn't skip a beat.

Same fluid, same clutch, same shifter. I'm not the only one that agrees. Another local swapped in a 6060 and had the same conclusion.

For his application and 99% of z06 owners, the difference is basically nothing. Very few if any get close to the limits of a z06 t56.

Fastest 6 speed z06 is a stock 2006 drivetrain (8.8.@161) and that list is dominated by 06-07s so if your concerned with drag racing, it shows it is plenty capable of that power level.

STANG KILLA SS

im not concerned about strength really. i will be road racing sub 550 rwhp NA. pretty easy on a trans.
im more interested in ease of shifting and speed/power shifting (with clutch)
ie the ability to go into gear quickly and reliably 1000s of times.

ie its the feel im after.

also my fully built t-56 is often quite hard to get into reverse.

STANG KILLA SS

anyone know what they changed in 08 to improve steering feel? i cant find that info anywhere.

Mike's LS3

From the Corvette museum:

"The Corvette's precise rack-and-pinion steering is revised to provide improved feel at all speeds. The revisions are due to a new, premium machining process of the system's internal components, a new, stiffer intermediate shaft and controller calibration changes."

GARY2004Z06

This statement is not true. I have run several types of fluid with the same results. Until the trans is up to operating temperature, the 1-2 shift was always stiffer.

MarkC

Gary, do you know what happened to Ranger, he was a class act and just disappeared?

STANG KILLA SS

thank you! i had been googling high and low and had not been able to dig that info up.

Hib Halverson

Ok. Let's say results may differ.

I have two T6060s. One on factory fill. It's shift effort is higher when cold but gets noticeably better once the trans warms slightly.

The other uses Red Line SuperLight Shockproof lube. It shifts better than the one on factory fill, regardless if it's cold or at operating temp.

Bottom line, lube has a lot to do with how a trans shifts at various temperatures.

You didn't say what type of lubes you tried. Can you list a couple of them?>

furiousox

Had an 08 LS3 with TR6060 and honestly I prefer the T56 shift feel in my 07 z06 more; each gear goes into its gate more positively and overall felt less rubbery. Dunno if my 08 was a bad sample but it's my 2 cents.

User Omega

I share this experience. MGW & 6060... Smooth as glass.. Power shifting no issue.

I've broken 4 t56 transmissions in cars with less than 1k HP. Not for a lack of driver mod either. Companies like RPM transmission aren't able to sell T56 or 6060 builds purely because of fear mongering. One was an input shaft (no it was not shock loaded), one was 3rd gear, 2 others were catastrophic internal failures. Could I baby a T56 for 1k whp survival? Maybe but I feel like Id sure have to be really nice to it.

I think you have just been incredibly lucky UNREAL. The 1kwhp T56 with someone that pushes the car is usually a really short story.

GARY2004Z06

I do agree with your statement that fluids make a difference. Formerly ran OEM. We are currently running Royal Purple. I do like Red Line oil but have not tried their trans fluid yet.