Downshifting A6

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Oct 26, 2017 | 01:17 PM

tv_dir

Thread Starter

Burning Brakes

Joined: Mar 2006

Posts: 757

Likes: 2

From: Lake Worth Florida

Downshifting A6

Is it ok to downshift in a 2014 Z51 A6 while in Manual sport mode? Also should I take It all the way down to first gear?
Always had manual shift... Last one was my C6, and I'm still trying to get used to these damn paddle shifters! Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thamks!
Michael

Oct 26, 2017 | 01:27 PM

defaria

Safety Car

Joined: Jul 2011

Posts: 4,496

Likes: 1,209

From: Phoenix, Arizona

I rented a vette, a 2014 and then later a 2015. Rental cars are pretty much always autos. Personally I hate paddle shifters in automatics however I did play with it a bit. If you're traveling fast and attempt to paddle shift down to 1st you'll probably be greeted by the following message (which made me chuckle the first time I saw it) - "Shift denied!".

Oct 26, 2017 | 01:31 PM

davepl

Le Mans Master

Joined: May 2000

Posts: 8,729

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From: Redmond WA

Mine's an A8, but if you PULL AND HOLD the paddle it will pick the lowest appropriate gear, which avoids you having to guess or worry.

If you tried to go to too low a gear, the computer should save you from yourself with a "Shift Denied" message.

Oct 26, 2017 | 03:49 PM

Kraz8s

Pro

Joined: Nov 2013

Posts: 588

Likes: 222

From: Fuquay-Varina

I down shift my A6 all the time, daily driver always in manual mode. You can be as agressive as you want as long as the tranny is up to temp. You can still down shift if it isn't up to temp but I'm always gentle and normally let the car do so as it slows down. Once up to temp you can pretend to be an F1 driver for all the car cares! There are provisions in place as stated above to stop you from down shifting at too high of RPMs.

As for down shifting to 1st, completely ok at a stop, rolling stop or going under say 30ish.

Play around to see what your car likes. The above is based on me owning a '12 Gen5 SS, a '12 GS, and now my '14 Z51 all with the A6. The C7's tranny is definitely better than the other two, heck GM did 3 years of R&D on it.

Hope this helps you out!

Last edited by Kraz8s; Oct 26, 2017 at 03:51 PM.

Oct 26, 2017 | 04:47 PM

Power Hawk

Drifting

Joined: Mar 2011

Posts: 1,251

Likes: 343

From: Louisville KY

Yes to your question of taking it all the way to 1st gear. The computer will not allow you to shift to a gear that is too low. Experiment with it. Enjoy.

Oct 26, 2017 | 11:51 PM

owc6

Team Owner

Joined: Apr 2013

Posts: 26,227

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From: Chirper Island

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAVE396LT1

Mine's an A8, but if you PULL AND HOLD the paddle it will pick the lowest appropriate gear, which avoids you having to guess or worry.

If you tried to go to too low a gear, the computer should save you from yourself with a "Shift Denied" message.

The A6 does not do this.

However, I downshift regularly, even into first. No harm, except to your fuel economy (whatever that is).

Oct 27, 2017 | 01:03 AM

JGarland

Le Mans Master

Joined: Oct 2009

Posts: 7,397

Likes: 124

From: Frisco TX

Yes. I downshift ALL THE TIME.

I rarely go down to gear 1 while still moving though. Usually go to 1 only while stopped at a light.

Oct 28, 2017 | 12:07 PM