Snakiller

Have we ever determined if CAGS functions in sport or track mode? I asked the dealer yesterday, and surprise, they didn't know.

AFVETTE

Try enterying a military base that way. You'll probably get shot.

Tom

PS: I work on a USAF base and considering all the Jersey Barrier's I have to snake my way through I'm not about to blast off from the guard at the gate.

SBC_and_a_stick

Waiting on the lower volume zo6 to have it all, or better said none.

~Stingray

Couldn't we just decide to shift from 1 to 4th if we want too? Why did chevy have to lock out the gears?

Parker Corvette

I had a 93 C4 with CAGS and I just unplugged it at the transmission. I hated it. My new Porsche Boxster does not have this feature but it does have start/stop of the engine at stop lights. You can turn that off with a switch right on the console. Mine is OFF for sure.

Reciprocal

You unloaded that frumpy bmw at a HUGE loss, and bought an even more curmudgeonly miata clone?

v26278

Skip shift, as much as I hate it, is effective in fuel economy testing, and has been easily dealt with by each owner in their own way. It's a feature only applicable to high- torque engines and Porsche could not use it on the Boxster even if they wanted to.

RocketGuy3

The engineers didn't design this feature to save any kind of wear and tear on the car... They did it for the sake of fuel savings.

SBC_and_a_stick

Missing the point. It's the compromises in design of the AFM that is a drawback. We know the torque tube is heavier because of it, we know the clutch is heavier because of it, odds are the cam is tame because of it, and the VVT...well I think that's probably the more interesting of the bunch. With simple VVT, like the one GM can implement on pushrods you often need to make sacrifices, you can either have low end torque gains or top end torque gains. If we were able to get the 40ft/lb up top then 500hp would be attainable. Now we have to make do with 460hp and a whooping 1mpg more on the freeway...wow...what a great choice.

The engine mounts are probably softer too. That can mean they break easier, but almost surely the throttle response suffers. Think that one of the strengths of the small block v8 is that it's very well balanced, stiffer mounts can be used without increasing NVH significantly getting both a very classy ride feel and great throttle response. With a V4 you get one or the other and every drawback that exists for a V4 engine now exists for the small block V8. This is a huge step back. GM has chosen for you, NVH is the same driver feedback is worse. A tough choice has been made.

Fuel economy savings in general are even deeper in the design. The extra gear meant a transmission that's 2 inches longer. What if the C7 is larger just to fit the damn 7th gear?

You have a heavier car, a less direct throttle feel, less power, and a crappier powerband. You think you can get that back by not using Eco mode??? C7 is handicapped like that.

SBC_and_a_stick

No. Two things: 1.ergonomics 2. variable strength

1. For ergonomics think this, the same electronic brake but instead of a button it's an old fashioned lever. Great things happen with a lever. You can find it without looking, you can find it when the car is going sideways, you can find it while drive hard and need it for extra tricks. Lever will always beat button for ergonomics. The only thing worse than a button is a touchscreen.

2. In a city with lots of altitude change a manual e-brake is a great asset. I can pull up to a stop at a fairly radical angle and gradually sharpen the e-brake grab by increasing the pull on the leaver. That means I'll slow down smoother and not surprise whoever is behind me. It's perhaps best used to smoothen the take off. With a push button e-brake you have to manhandle the clutch to take off from a huge incline before letting go of the e-brake. With a manual e-brake you work simultaneously gradually phasing the clutch in and phasing the e-brake out.


Manual e-brakes are brilliant. Electronic e-brakes are for idiots. Here is an analogy. No one likes drag clutches for everyday driving. Think why they don't work very well and that's also the reason electronic e-brakes don't work very well. Except e-brakes that are electronic are purely on/off which makes them way worse than the drag clutch in my example.

SBC_and_a_stick

I think it's because some owners enjoy modding their new car with ebay parts. Think how awesome you are when you tell your buddies that your new C7 just came off the lot and you already tuned it, yourself, no help.

Parker Corvette

Chevrolet didn't offer CAGS as a feature for you the owner.

Parker Corvette

v26278 I don't want CAGS on my Boxster. So now the C6.5 has CAGS on an outdated 6 speed automatic transmission and cylinder deactivation. Must get 90 MPG once it decides which gear it wants to be in.

RickDI

I understand what you are saying and I hadn't though of it that way. But other than the heavier torque tube the rest of what you say it just speculation at this point. I do agree that the 1 MPG advantage that we've heard mentioned doesn't seem worth the trouble.

I have a hard time being mad at GM though since they have to follow the governments lead on MPG regulations.

Matt26

This post shows just how little you actually know about cars and explains why you bought a boxter over a C7.

CAGS is not used on auto transmissions.

JoesC5

WTF are you talking about. CAGS is used on the 6 speed manual transmission, not the automatic.

JoesC5

Clutch is heavier because it is a dual disc design vs the single disc clutch used in the C6(ZR1 had the heavier dual disc clutch). Has nothing to do with AFM. C7's clutch has greater clamping force to handle the higher output of the optional engine to be released later on. Even though the clutch is heavier, the diameter is smaller than the single disc, thus it has less inertia. The heavier dual disc is well worth the slight increase in weight.

VVT has nothing to do with the pushrods.

As for the weight of the C7, better gas mileage is obtained with the AFM then if the car didn't have it but was ~35 pounds lighter.