A8 Performance
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 7,146
Likes: 1,940
From: Hagerstown MD
St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
A8 Performance
I ran a couple errands this morning in my Stingray. The car had been sitting for several days and night time temps have been in the 20s. I let the car idle for a couple minutes before putting it into R. No issues. Then into D and drove off slowly. First 1-2 shift was a little wonky but after that smooth as silk. Took the tires about 4 miles to warm up. Life is good.
Added: Just wanted to add that my car was at the dealer for over 30 days having a fuel leak repaired and also had the TC and stator replaced. I do not know if any software updates were performed. I plan to drive it all winter and see if the shifting improves, gets worse or stays the same. In the spring at my next oil change, depending on how the transmission is performing, I may ask for a software update. If it stays as it is now, I am OK with the initial wonky 1-2 shift.
Added: Just wanted to add that my car was at the dealer for over 30 days having a fuel leak repaired and also had the TC and stator replaced. I do not know if any software updates were performed. I plan to drive it all winter and see if the shifting improves, gets worse or stays the same. In the spring at my next oil change, depending on how the transmission is performing, I may ask for a software update. If it stays as it is now, I am OK with the initial wonky 1-2 shift.
Last edited by rmorin1249; Dec 15, 2016 at 09:14 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 138
Likes: 7
From: Boydton VA
Mine did this as well and then around 4K miles it also started having an engagement delay on cold start up when shifting from park to drive. My dealership performed a software update a few months and 1500 miles ago which took care of both issues.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,353
Likes: 779
So far, the software update (this past summer) has resolved my delayed first engagement into Drive as well. Not that many miles since then, though...maybe 1500-2000 or so.
First 1-2 still sucks... I'll live with that as long as the delayed engagement into Drive stays fixed.
This trans is garbage in traffic though the low gears.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,101
Likes: 719
From: Northeast MA & Mad Beach FL
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 100
Likes: 13
From: Central, TX
Starting off with paddles masks the shift problem. You should not have to do that. Mine now has new flexplate, driveshaft, driveshaft collar, torque converter, and software. No problems so far.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,481
Likes: 394
From: Virginia Beach Virginia
never had any issues with the shifting on the A8. Of course I tend to hammer on it so have never noticed anything but the brappp between shifts. I suspect some people drive these normally which maybe they were not meant to do?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,353
Likes: 779
I drive it like I got a few keys of coke in the trunk, so that's far from the issue.
Not much you can do when the first shift into "D" launches your car or your sitting in bumper to bumper at 5:00.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 79
Likes: 12
How Long Does It Usally Take You Guys Trans Temp Needle To Start Moving? Yesterday In Houston With The Temp Being 65 I Left Work And Made It All The Way Home And The Needle Hardly Moved.
People Say You Need To Wait Till These Trans Heats Up But That Could Take All Day! It is A 20 Min Drive Form Work To Home.
People Say You Need To Wait Till These Trans Heats Up But That Could Take All Day! It is A 20 Min Drive Form Work To Home.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 7,146
Likes: 1,940
From: Hagerstown MD
St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
How Long Does It Usally Take You Guys Trans Temp Needle To Start Moving? Yesterday In Houston With The Temp Being 65 I Left Work And Made It All The Way Home And The Needle Hardly Moved.
People Say You Need To Wait Till These Trans Heats Up But That Could Take All Day! It is A 20 Min Drive Form Work To Home.
People Say You Need To Wait Till These Trans Heats Up But That Could Take All Day! It is A 20 Min Drive Form Work To Home.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,101
Likes: 719
From: Northeast MA & Mad Beach FL
to clarify, only reason I start off with Paddles the 1st start of the day it to get engine Temperature up quicker running all 8 cylinders.Never thought about doing to it prevent hard shifts.
Any re-starts during the day I start off in Auto mode and haven't experienced harsh shifts.
Maybe I'll try starting off in Auto the first cold start and see if there's a difference how the Trans shifts.
But I would think if my A8 has a problem with harsh shifts it would show up no matter how I start off, or how many times I start it, hot or cold in Auto mode, I don't know.
I do see more posts about the harsh 1-2 shift than the other problems reported with the A8
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,488
Likes: 1,028
From: MN
OK, I'm an outlier, but I don't really see the big concern if one has a harsh 1-2 shift just after starting the car. On rare occasions I do have an irregular 1-2 shift first thing (but pretty rare now that I drive off regularly instead of slowly like I did to try to avoid the harsh 1-2. For me this approach did just the opposite.) Never a harsh 1-2 if at all warm.
Now if the cold 1-2 is coupled with other symptoms then I agree there is a problem, and that is a different discussion.
Really, none of my manuals shifted the exactly the same warm vs. cold. One was an Audi that you could barely force into first if really cold--but when warm it shifted great. I don't really see why one would expect the same feel warm vs. cold in an engine or a transmission.
[Again, I do feel for those that have had massive problems. I went thru the months of aggravation and testing on a car a few years ago culminating in a new engine. But it was a P car instead of a Chevy.]
Now if the cold 1-2 is coupled with other symptoms then I agree there is a problem, and that is a different discussion.
Really, none of my manuals shifted the exactly the same warm vs. cold. One was an Audi that you could barely force into first if really cold--but when warm it shifted great. I don't really see why one would expect the same feel warm vs. cold in an engine or a transmission.
[Again, I do feel for those that have had massive problems. I went thru the months of aggravation and testing on a car a few years ago culminating in a new engine. But it was a P car instead of a Chevy.]
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 10,020
Likes: 3,427
From: Plymouth Massachusetts
2025 C7 of the Year Finalist- Unmodified
2024 C7 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C7 of the Year Finalist -- Unmodified
I want to trade my 2014 TR Z51 A6 vert for a 2017 TR GS A8 vert but you guys are killing me with the reviews of the A8 makes me keep going around in circles.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,488
Likes: 1,028
From: MN
Short review: Love the A8 and very glad I went with it. Have owned 4 manual sports cars and one DCT. Liking manual shifting with the A8 more and more. Like the option to be Auto or Manual. [But not lately as it's heading to -11 F here in MN.]
Last edited by JonMN; Dec 15, 2016 at 03:31 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,778
Likes: 2,304
From: Central UT
We've had 4 A8s - still have 3 of them (sold our '15 C7 for a '17). None of them ever had any issues. Had a couple of really hard downshifts from 2-1 on my wife's Denali when slowing at the top of the steep hill that goes up to our home, but that went away after a software update (it's a '15). We have an A8 in our CT6 - no issues. Had an A8 in our '15 C7 with no issues at all ever. When it came time to purchasing our '17 C7 we never gave it a thought. I know that some have had issues, and I'm really sorry for them. We figure if something goes in one of them our dealer will fix it.
Interestingly, I rented a new Mercedes in Seattle this Monday/Tuesday. 3 times it flat out slammed into gear, twice into first, and once into second. Operated okay other than that, but if it was mine it would be going into the dealer.
Interestingly, I rented a new Mercedes in Seattle this Monday/Tuesday. 3 times it flat out slammed into gear, twice into first, and once into second. Operated okay other than that, but if it was mine it would be going into the dealer.