aerobaticflyer

So before I place my order for the new GS I gotta see how rusty I am on a stick after 30+ years. I had a 08 C6 auto but this time around I'd like to go with the M7. Of course if I can't drive the thing without stalling it an A8 may be in my future!

roadbike56

My last manual was about 20 years ago but it was the old M-4 rock crusher in the 69 Vette with a quick grab clutch. The M-7 is easy to adapt to. You'll have no problems. Once I had the M-7, it took about 3 weeks where I was completely comfortable, i.e. felt like there was no 20 year gap.
With rev matching and dual mode exhaust, the M-7 is totally a fun drive. You won't regret buying it.

JLargo

It's just like riding a bike. I have been back and forth between autos and manuals all my life.

mikez06

Good luck!
Have the A8 and absolutely love it, had the A6 before as well.
Nothing like paddle shifting quickly.
Get what you feel most comfortable driving.
(lol)

aerobaticflyer

Guess I should mention I have this little thing to overcome....been braking auto trans vehicles with my left foot the past 15 years. Two feet...three pedals.....oh my!

Better start now unlearning that trait.

Hoping it's like skiing......hadn't in 20+ years but it came right back.

dvilin

The M7 is easy to drive, you will love it.

JerryU

Don't base your decision on stalling in a test drive!
All my DD's have be standard trans since 1959!
Had a C6 for 5 years and seldom stalled. However when I first got it the clutch was different than my S10 I had prior and the '93 and '88 Vettes I owned. Found I could not feather the clutch and gas. I used hard soled shoes for the first month that forced defined activation. Then could use sneakers or soft soled driving shoes.
I picked up my C7 in October 2013 (there were no test drives then, they were all owned cars.). The dealers driveway was an incline and I stalled it when leaving! Wasn't concerned as all clutches are different.
Your muscle memory will quickly learn in a week or so.
You'll also learn to love Rev Match, IMO, I use it 99% of the time.

DELKDL

Also hadn't driven a manual in years. Stalled it many times at first - no more. Just give it gas.

Strake

I TOO have been driving with Left Foot on brake pedal in an Auto trans..... but as soon as I'm in a manual, it's immediately natural for me to use the right foot for brake pedal..... don't even think about it. I learned to drive in stick shift cars.

When I TRY to "break the habit" of using my left foot for braking in an auto I about put everyone through the windshield trying to use my right foot on the brake pedal in an automatic

Also, after about 4 automatic Vettes...... C4 and C5's I asked my wife if she knew how to drive a stick, to which she replied that 20 years earlier she owned a 280Z stick...... she got in the Manual C5 Vette we were buying and NEVER stalled it, or the next 3 manual Vettes...... It was ME that wanted to try an automatic this time around.

mikez06

Remember in an automatic, DEAD pedal means something:
NO left foot on any pedals...at all...ever.

Very bad habit, man!

DickieDoo

You'll love the clutch and the gear indicator on the HUD, you will also like REV MATCH since it makes it easy to learn and smoother.

Treat it like a 5 speed at first. You will get a little discouraged if you try gears 6 & 7 or a 7 to 6 downshift, that takes a bit of getting used to.

the dead spot for the gear leaver is in the 3 - 4, so with no right or left pressure, your good for 3 or 4, then a slight tug to the left is 1 - 2

and don't forget hill assist, don't think about it, just drive and you'll be amazed!!

ZR-1DUDE

Something to be aware of with these new cars with computer controlled idle - if you let the clutch out really really slow - you don't have to touch the gas to pull away on level ground. 69 you would have to get it gas for sure - 2016 the computer will do it for you if you allow it time.

I just bought a 2016 Z06 M7. When I picked it up with 8 miles on it - the shifter was really sticky and had a "notchy" feeling to it. I have 2200 miles on it now and it is much much better. I suspect with 7500 miles it will be much smoother.

Another thing is the trans fluid needs to heat up or it is pretty stiff.

On the rev match - pull the lever on the steering wheel will turn it on. Nothing tells you it is on unless you are in gear and the gear indication will be amber. If you turn rev match off - it will turn back white if you are in a gear and the DIC will show you turned rev match off.

Rev match is awesome and make driving the M7 a lot of fun.

I really like my M7. It pretty much is my daily driver in nasty traffic at times. it is very livable. Don't be turned off by how it feels day one - it gets better.

Enjoy,
D.

JerryU

Treating it like a 5 speed is a great suggestion. In fact in 2 1/2 years I never row thru the gears past 5th! 5th, 6th and 7th are all overdrives. Around town I'm mostly in 5th as well as on the rural 55 mph speed limit roads where I live. Hardly ever use 6th and use 7th only on the interstate.

When getting on the interstate I stay in 4th until 70 then shift to 7th. In fact for a fun often keep in in 3rd (that's only 4500 rpm at 70 mph, 2000 rpm from red line.) When getting off I usually go directly to 4th for the off ramp and rev match makes the downshift smooth as silk!

As you note the 7th to 4th is where the shiftier springs bring you. For a test drive treating it like a 5 speed or even 4 will make shifting easy.

Fcal

Don't get discouraged if you stall it out.
The clutch in the C7 catches very high and takes some getting used to.
I've been driving a stick for 45 years and stalled mine out twice in a month.
Rev match sucks. It might help you on a smooth upshift, but over revs on the downshift.
If you know how to drive a stick, it's very annoying.
With 7 speeds, you're gonna get lost in the beginning. Luckily there is a gear indicator on the speedo. When downshifting from 7th to 6th, be careful of 4th. Just keep right side pressure on the stick and it will go into 6th. There is a reverse lockout, so you don't have to worry about jamming it into reverse.
The M7 is a blast. Get it you won't be sorry.

Indy-hp

You'll be fine. It's like riding a bike. Once you learn the slip point in the clutch and get over any hesitation to give it gas, you'll stop stalling, in about 10 minutes.

The only quirk to watch for in the M7 is the 4-5 shift. If you push right too hard, you'll end up in 7th instead. It took me a good while to get used to that after driving an M6 every day for 15 years.

Corgidog1

In about 15 minutes, it will all come back to you including getting the feel for the C7 clutch. Very easy to drive and kudos on your decision to get the stick.

stingraymyway

You'll love it. Prepare to write a check.

JerryU

FWIW for some who want to consider rev match again!
I learned to use rev match soon after I got the C7, I think it's great! However I found some things you cannot do and was successful making it overrev in a test when I tried since a few report that as a problem.

First I am very good at heel-toe (or in a Vette toe side of foot) at higher rpm's. Been driving only standard shifts as DD's since 1959! Pretty easy to learn at higher rpm's like when racing. In fact before my C6 I was driving a modified S10 where the peddles were not situated to make it easy! Again I was good at higher rpm downshifts. Even in the C6 it is not easy to perfectly modulate the throttle at lower rpm's when skipping gears on a downshift. For example I live is off of a 60 mph 4 lane highway and the narrow single lane road that I turn into has a 25 mph speed limit and goes around a large fountain. Traveling in 5th at 65 that is only ~2000 rpm. I want to be in 3rd after the turn and going directly that is 4000 rpm and I downshift before braking. I do it all the time and the transition is perfectly smooth and it never overrevs! Another is coming from 7th on the interstate to 4th for the off-ramp. That is going from 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm in 4th and usually just use engine braking to slow. Again, modulating heel-toe to make that perfectly smooth is not as easy as at higher rpm's. With rev match it's perfect every time!

I made a test to see if I could get it to overrev and found a way it can happen!
I was in 5th at 45 mph (1400 rpm) and shifted to 3rd (something I do in town when making a turn) that should have been 2800 rpm for a perfect match. However instead of going directly to 3rd I put the level in the 1st/2nd shift gate first. I did not shift to either gear just had the lever a bit to far over in the 1st/2nd slot. I then quickly put it in the 3rd/4th slot. The engine revved as if I was going to shift to 2nd, 4000 rpm! The Hall sensors that define the shift level position send signals to the computer and it "assumes" the gear that is going to be selected. You must only put the level in the area you want to shift!
Another habit I had to break was one I often used. For example, in my C6 when going from 5th or 6th and turning and wanting to be in 3rd, I would disengage the clutch and if in 5th put the shifter in 4th keeping the clutch depressed before putting it in 3rd and engaging the clutch. Spools up the cluster gears but this SHOULD NOT be done when using rev match, in fact it is warned NOT to do that and only go directly to the gear you want.

I don't even feel rev match working on upshifts since I shift quickly. If you shift slowly it will hold the rpm rather than just let it reduce normally (assuming you are taking your foot off-of the throttle when shifting.) But I never shift that slow.

To each his own but those hints are all it takes to learn to use rev match. If you want to heal-toe yourself, at higher rpm's you can do that with rev match engaged. However in one of the car mags a professional driver said he loved rev match as it gave him more time to focus on his braking spot and not have any unwanted forces acting on the car from shifting without a perfect match.

6714

All corvettes should be M7!!!!

2K14C7

<<<I TOO have been driving with Left Foot on brake pedal in an Auto trans..... but as soon as I'm in a manual, it's immediately natural for me to use the right foot for brake pedal..... don't even think about it. I learned to drive in stick shift cars.>>>

Exactly the same for me! I have used left foot braking on automatics since my teens and automatically switch to right foot in a manual without even thinking.

As for the OP, you will adapt and you will love it.