Corvette eight speed automatic
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
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OP won't regret it unless he gets a problematic A8, which is his concern in the first place. OP has no idea if he made a mistake yet. Time will tell.
Last edited by RedC7AZ; Aug 21, 2016 at 07:32 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,596
Likes: 120
From: East Tennessee
I wonder if the major problem with these is in the learning/adapt algorithms which are either learning incorrect behavior or otherwise not reacting as they should. The first adaptive transmission I owned was an Allison 1000 in a 2001 GMC diesel pickup and I never had an issue with it but I recall early on some people reported harsh or odd shifts and in several cases it seems it came from husband and wife drivers who had very different habits causing issues. The Allison 1000 in my 2006 GMC did have one repeated harsh shift situation from third to fourth under light acceleration with the AC on but after it was put back into fast learn mode the issue disappeared and has never come back.
My daughter and I just came back from a 45 mile drive since this was the first time in months that it was nice enough to take the top off. I mostly shifted manually (avoiding any V4 AFM operation) but did let it shift automatically when going through a couple of towns and on a couple of fast merges onto the interstate. There weren't any harsh shifts under light, moderate, or heavy acceleration in automatic mode. Smooth shifting with these clutch to clutch type automatics have been perfected years ago but maybe the software folks are, to quote the British, "too clever by half". Hopefully the engineering team gets a handle on this soon and it has probably been complicated by the real hardware issues that were identified in earlier production.
My daughter and I just came back from a 45 mile drive since this was the first time in months that it was nice enough to take the top off. I mostly shifted manually (avoiding any V4 AFM operation) but did let it shift automatically when going through a couple of towns and on a couple of fast merges onto the interstate. There weren't any harsh shifts under light, moderate, or heavy acceleration in automatic mode. Smooth shifting with these clutch to clutch type automatics have been perfected years ago but maybe the software folks are, to quote the British, "too clever by half". Hopefully the engineering team gets a handle on this soon and it has probably been complicated by the real hardware issues that were identified in earlier production.
But even on a 'good' A8 day I'll hop in my wife's Acura and after a few miles I think to myself how the throttle and shift mapping almost perfect. Granted the Acura will not beat the Corvette in a drag or any other race.
Most new multispeed autos have some kind of learning, these are really gas mileage heavy programmed stock. Plus the more gears you have the more complicated it gets with apply/release timing, rotating mass and fluid pressure variance.
It is what it is, not perfect, not horrible either IMO. I do feel bad for the guys that have had problems, of course I now more aware on the highway just waiting for the torque converter shudder to start. Really what you can you do at this point if you already own one? Just hope GM will come out with some real fixes but given their history I doubt it.
Nothing wrong with making people aware of the issues, it still wouldnt change my mind to buy an A8. But the only 100% way to make sure you dont get a 'bad' A8 is to buy an M7.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 406
Likes: 2
From: Collingwood ON
We had NO issues - none, nyet, zero, zilch. There were no unusual noises, no bangs, no hard shifts. It is a great ride.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,996
Likes: 304
From: MOORESVILLE NC
I have 25,000 miles on my 2015 with the A8. I do not use the paddles. I had the dealership re-flash/re-program the A8 with less than 5K because of a harsh 1 to 2 shift in slow traffic. Been great since then. As a DD, I just put it in drive and just go, with a smile on my face.
Last edited by HAD2HAV2; Aug 20, 2016 at 10:42 PM.
Racer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 437
Likes: 82
In 2015 34240 C7 were produced. For the 2015 Corvette Stingray, that breakdown was 25.6% manual and 74.4% automatic. For the Z06, the take rate on the 7-speed manual was 51.6% while the new 8-speed auto accounted for 48.4%
In 2016 a total of 40,689 Corvettes were produced and 31,440 of the Corvettes made for MY 2016 have the 8-speed paddle shift automatic transmission.
I think the odds are that you will enjoy your auto without issues. I love mine! I also understand why the people with problems are upset after spending $60,000 plus on a new car.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 32,042
Likes: 4,610
Just be certain that you monitor the performance aspect of YOUR A8, after you take delivery of your 2017.
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Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 38
Likes: 11
I want to thank everybody for their input on the eight speed transmission My company car is a Chrysler 300 with an eight speed automatic transmission. The transmission works great but it does have some quirky times where it has banged and made a revving noise if I accelerate quick and then let off the gas. I am very excited to get this car it is a bad *** looking ride. The sound of the V8 coming out of the exhaust system is second to none. My last sports car was a Mercedes AMG SL 65 with the retractable roof.. I absolutely love that car but it was unbelievably expensive to maintain. Thanks again everyone
Pro
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 566
Likes: 163
From: Earleton Fl
A8 tranny
I'm one of the guys who had problems with my A8. GM and my local dealer took care of them. They replaced the TC, and now about 7000 miles on it NO problems.
Any thing with moving parts can/ will have problems. I see and read the complaints about the problems, but you really don't have any way of knowing how wide spread they are. Terms like "many, many" don't really address anything. It's like saying how long a piece of string is. Yea, it agitates me that I had problems, but they were dealt with. We really enjoy our C-7 -A8 and all !!
It remains to be seen if the A10 comes out problem free, as some seem to be suggesting.
Any thing with moving parts can/ will have problems. I see and read the complaints about the problems, but you really don't have any way of knowing how wide spread they are. Terms like "many, many" don't really address anything. It's like saying how long a piece of string is. Yea, it agitates me that I had problems, but they were dealt with. We really enjoy our C-7 -A8 and all !!
It remains to be seen if the A10 comes out problem free, as some seem to be suggesting.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Santa Rosa Beach FL
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2015
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Race Director
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,199
Likes: 1,139
From: Santa Rosa Beach FL
What's the Country of Origin on these A8's per MSRP sticker?
Not that it matters all that much if built to inferior specs.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,489
Likes: 579
From: Central Gulf Coast Florida
Forums attract numerous complaints about numerous things. If you do not take the complaints with a grain of salt, you will come to the conclusion that the entire car is ready to explode. I have a 2014 early VIN (1500) which I put an Edelbrock super charger on. You can find plenty of posts that suggest my car will become a bunch of junk. I have had zero problems. Enjoy your new car. It has a warranty.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,596
Likes: 120
From: East Tennessee
Would not want the engine out of warranty.
Would not want the fuel system out of warranty.
Would not want the electronics out of warranty.
Would not want the ABS out of warranty.
Hell would not want the whole car out of warranty
Transmission is something that bolts in and is rebuildable/replaceable. and carries a 5yr/60K warranty.
Like I have said many times, if you dont want auto transmissions problems dont buy an auto trans. Hoping GM will do something in 2017 or 2018 to fix it will get you nowhere, especially with the majority saying they have no problems. The whole C6 model run they could not prevent bad harmonic balancers, rocking seats or something simple like the flat black paint peeling off the A-pillar trim.
Would not want the fuel system out of warranty.
Would not want the electronics out of warranty.
Would not want the ABS out of warranty.
Hell would not want the whole car out of warranty
Transmission is something that bolts in and is rebuildable/replaceable. and carries a 5yr/60K warranty.
Like I have said many times, if you dont want auto transmissions problems dont buy an auto trans. Hoping GM will do something in 2017 or 2018 to fix it will get you nowhere, especially with the majority saying they have no problems. The whole C6 model run they could not prevent bad harmonic balancers, rocking seats or something simple like the flat black paint peeling off the A-pillar trim.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,782
Likes: 106
From: Salado TX
Not saying anyone is lying, but there is usually a different side to every story. I never claimed the A8 (or A6) was the best at anything, but I think it gets a pretty bad rap on this forum for whatever reason. They are not silky smooth CVT transmissions, nor are they race bred DCTs. I dont know what people expect from a plain old torque converter auto trans thats tries to do everything.
There are 40 thousand of them out there in Corvettes alone, plus who knows how many in trucks. Since most 2016 full size trucks come with the A8 I imagine quite a few trucks are out there. And yes, people on the truck forums have the same complaints about the A8. Still very few compared to the number out there.
There are 40 thousand of them out there in Corvettes alone, plus who knows how many in trucks. Since most 2016 full size trucks come with the A8 I imagine quite a few trucks are out there. And yes, people on the truck forums have the same complaints about the A8. Still very few compared to the number out there.
The good news is the later 16s and 17s seem to not be experiencing the same failure rate as the 15s and early 16s.
Last edited by Ernest_T; Aug 21, 2016 at 03:38 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,782
Likes: 106
From: Salado TX
The sky is falling, the sky is falling.....
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,199
Likes: 1,139
From: Santa Rosa Beach FL
Would not want the engine out of warranty.
Would not want the fuel system out of warranty.
Would not want the electronics out of warranty.
Would not want the ABS out of warranty.
Hell would not want the whole car out of warranty
Transmission is something that bolts in and is rebuildable/replaceable. and carries a 5yr/60K warranty.
Like I have said many times, if you dont want auto transmissions problems dont buy an auto trans. Hoping GM will do something in 2017 or 2018 to fix it will get you nowhere, especially with the majority saying they have no problems. The whole C6 model run they could not prevent bad harmonic balancers, rocking seats or something simple like the flat black paint peeling off the A-pillar trim.
Would not want the fuel system out of warranty.
Would not want the electronics out of warranty.
Would not want the ABS out of warranty.
Hell would not want the whole car out of warranty
Transmission is something that bolts in and is rebuildable/replaceable. and carries a 5yr/60K warranty.
Like I have said many times, if you dont want auto transmissions problems dont buy an auto trans. Hoping GM will do something in 2017 or 2018 to fix it will get you nowhere, especially with the majority saying they have no problems. The whole C6 model run they could not prevent bad harmonic balancers, rocking seats or something simple like the flat black paint peeling off the A-pillar trim.
It gets a bad rap because lots of people are experiencing problems with it. Do you think that people who are perfectly happy with the transmission are complaining about it? The transmission failure rate ought to be about zero percent, but it's a lot higher with this tranny. The people on the truck forums are actually having more issues because they drive their trucks more than Corvette owners drive their cars. Some of the problems don't manifest themselves until 10K and very few Corvettes have been driven that far.
The good news is the later 16s and 17s seem to not be experiencing the same failure rate as the 15s and early 16s.
The good news is the later 16s and 17s seem to not be experiencing the same failure rate as the 15s and early 16s.
You hear about planes crashing more than you hear about them landing.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,596
Likes: 120
From: East Tennessee
It gets a bad rap because lots of people are experiencing problems with it. Do you think that people who are perfectly happy with the transmission are complaining about it? The transmission failure rate ought to be about zero percent, but it's a lot higher with this tranny. The people on the truck forums are actually having more issues because they drive their trucks more than Corvette owners drive their cars. Some of the problems don't manifest themselves until 10K and very few Corvettes have been driven that far.
The good news is the later 16s and 17s seem to not be experiencing the same failure rate as the 15s and early 16s.
The good news is the later 16s and 17s seem to not be experiencing the same failure rate as the 15s and early 16s.
GM didnt change or redesign anything, except for the check ball in the pump cover for delayed engagement. Many people without the redesigned parts had never had the delayed engagement. and some still had it after the TSB so what did it fix exactly?
According to GM the torque converters never really had any issues, as far as I know they have not been redesigned, they are just being replaced.
0% auto trans failure rate, impossible, unless you build 1 car a year and it lasts through the whole warranty