Downshifting issue?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 204
Likes: 61
From: Clinton Twp Mich
Downshifting issue?
From about 35MPH, I floor my C7 Corvette and it downshifts all the way down to second gear! And it revs to the Moon!
I quickly up shift a couple of gears with the paddles because it sound like the engine will blow if I don't ! Is this normal?! It seems to act better in Manual mode.
I quickly up shift a couple of gears with the paddles because it sound like the engine will blow if I don't ! Is this normal?! It seems to act better in Manual mode.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 569
From: MSP
When you floor it in the automatic it drops to the lowest available gear? Stop the presses! File a complaint with the NHTSA!
When it "revs to the moon" is it revving beyond redline? Anything at or below redline is fine. Don't be scared.
When it "revs to the moon" is it revving beyond redline? Anything at or below redline is fine. Don't be scared.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 204
Likes: 61
From: Clinton Twp Mich
I think what you are saying is,......that the car is working as designed.
Okay, but it doesn't seem to increase the speed much. This is my first modern sports car and I don't want to damage the engine or transmission.
Okay, but it doesn't seem to increase the speed much. This is my first modern sports car and I don't want to damage the engine or transmission.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 8,680
Likes: 2,729
From: Atlanta GA
Dave
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,871
Likes: 695
From: Lagrange KY
Have had numerous Vettes C4 through C7. All automatics. I remember the first time I floored the C4. WOW! Had never experienced a downshift like that or that sort of acceleration. Each subsequent generation was even more exhilarating. I don’t do it very often, and only under the most favorable of conditions, but it definitely is rather startling and puts a huge grin on my face. I suspect what you are seeing is perfectly normal.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 343
From: Louisville KY
This is yet another reason I feel that it is important to be in a Corvette club. You could ask others in the club if their C7 does the same thing. My bet is that it is normal acceleration. I know mine really takes off when I floor it.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,620
Likes: 24,867
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
The car will downshift to the lowest gear that can safely be used. Unless there is something seriously wrong with your car, it is working as designed.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 569
From: MSP
35mph in 2nd gear on the 8 speed automatic is 3200 RPM, or 3600 RPM if you have a Z51.
35mph in 1st gear on the 8 speed automatic is 4850 RPM, or 5500 RPM if you have a Z51.
If you have the 6 speed auto, 35 is 4500RPM in first (4900RPM for Z51) and 2700RPM in second (2850RPM for Z51)
The engine can rev to something like 6800 RPM.
None of the numbers that are supposed to be happening are even remotely close to alarming.
If you're banging off the rev limiter when it's trying to downshift, your transmission is slipping. Otherwise, if you're panicking because it's getting above 2000 rpm... relax, sell your car, and buy a Toyota Camry.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,894
Likes: 1,562
From: Calgary Alberta
