minuteman71

RapidC84B

Agreed.... what I basically said in an earlier post. DCT is excellent on track. On the street it's boring unless you want to sip your coffee on your commute.

Jinx

Well, I see nothing has changed in the six years since C7 was bundled up in the snow... or the many more years since C6 was bundled up in the snow.

It has occurred to me that I might very well have a blast connecting with a man.
But there are certain things about connecting with a woman that I'm not willing to quit.

I enjoy modulating the clutch on shifts too much. I'm not even great at it. It's a skill that I can continue to refine. I am convinced it releases endorphins every single time I do it. Even when I do it poorly. Even in traffic. Even when I'm tired. And especially when I'm driving hard.

As long as I'm physically able to modulate my own clutch, I'm not buying a car that doesn't let me do so.

Except maybe, MAYBE, a 1968 Cadillac Eldorado.

.Jinx
Don't judge my hall pass

PurpleLion

When at the track, do you use the paddles to shift or do you let the computer take care of shifting?

RapidC84B

z06801

At a typical PCA track day, I don't think I have ever had a student use the paddles, they quickly figure out the computer does it better and leave it at that. Makes it easier on the Instuctor to take that part of it of the plate. These are in the beginner and intermediate groups.

DebRedZR1

So for those of us who don't care out fractions of seconds faster and want to have FUN driving themselves over a computer ?

z06801

You must not care about winning your HPDE!

ByByBMW

THIS!
I am in the beginner group and honestly don't think I will ever get out of the group. Various reasons for that including cost and age.
But I can tell you that it was more enjoyable for me to concentrate purely on the car behavior, and mine, while doing the HPDE and Xcross and not having to also incorporate shifting techniques. The PDK is an amazing transmission once one gets over the fact that a computer can do something better than we can.
At this point in life, if the ME has a GOOD DCT, I will be in the market, if not, I'll stay with my 2012 GS with the A6.

Mehrlovin

Part of the reason I just got a C7 Manual is because I don't like the changes coming down the road. I want a stick shift and I'm worried the C7 might be the last one with it. DCT is a automatic. Part of the reason I liked the Corvette is that it sticks to its roots and I don't look forward to the day when you simply cannot buy a good sports car in a stick shift. The German cars are kind of headed that route and its unfortunate IMO. If they want to make sedans full automatic, hybrid, electric etc., I am fine with that but there needs to be a space for V6s, V8s and stick shifts.

z06801

Even Porsche had to bring it back because of wants of its customers. Hell not one person on this thread has said they think a manual is faster or more modern than a dual clutch, just more fun for them to have that skill of connecting with the car. Choices are good, I hope we have one on the Mid engine

NY09C6

^This

Suns_PSD

I thought of one other important reason to buy a manual Corvette: Otherwise how & where would my daughter ever learn to drive a manual trans in the future if her dear old dad doesn't have one? They are becoming more rare and then you have Autonomous cars coming online in her generation. I want her to still possess these 'old world' skills lest she ever ends up in S. America or some other 3rd world place, or just wants to ride a motorcycle like her dear old dad eventually.

SBC_and_a_stick

The clutch has some weight to it, the shifter requires movement from the stick to the wheel. On a typical track day I drive for about 3 hours a day on track. I have no powersteering so steering with one or two hands matters more. I had to use 3,4,5th gears on Laguna Seca. Turn 2 requires 5 to 3 shift, by turn three I'm in 4th, by 5 I'm in 5th, by 6th I'm in 4th, turn 7 requires 5th to 3rd again. There is rev matching for downshifts. I think you get the point.

Not sure what your point is about medical conditions, clearly if you have a condition auto is needed, but you won't see me roll in a powered wheelchair at Walmart since I can use my own legs.

As for active mind, I think you're far removed from the whole experience. There is wide range of how good a driver is at heel and toe. Turn 11 at Laguna Seca rev match is not easy, depending on whether I get the racing line or not it can be a thousand RPM different engagement point, you can lock the rear wheels and smash into the wall. At some tracks heel and toe is made difficult due to G's accelerating you away from the gas. This is true coming out of the corkscrew at Laguna Seca or switching between Thunderhill 3 mile and 2 mile on the combined 5 mile course.

To say shifting gears in H pattern manual does not require an active mind or muscle is plainly wrong. You need both and stamina.

This says everything, you're driving an automatic that is worse than a manual in every way but you still CHOSE it! Just like most that can afford a DCT today, they buy it because they want to work less and think less but "win" in HPDE whatever that means. So these arguments about DCT in context are simply about that and not the superiority of DCT. The same folks that buy DCT would have bought torque converter auto even when stick was king in everything.

One of my favorite drivers is a 80 year old that drives a stick shift Elise. He's better than most drivers on any day. Unless you have a medical condition, age is merely an excuse. The muscle and mind muscle you build driving stick is applicable in other areas in life. Stick shift drivers are more likely to be better drivers because they build both kinds of muscle.

Look up Nio EP9. We're well past the point where cars are faster with humans in them. We have to actively think what our place in the world is and what we draw pleasure out of.

JerriVette

The battle has been going on for literally decades as this forum has existed...

I am sure the c8 will offer both an automatic and a manual.

Since I have owned manual transmission sports cars for forty years and enjoyed them...I'm going to opt for the dct option if it's made available on the c8..

I'm not in the minority and I'm ready for something different...

Two decades of corvettes z51 s or z06 s and I'm ready for a new rear mid engine dct 500 hp c8...

GM could care less about all this nonsense...they just want to create a product that drives profit..

A manual and a dct transmission rear mid engine two seater will drive consumers crazy with desire..

Don't argue back and forth....there will be both an automatic and a manual c8 without question...

A dct would be standard and the manual will be the extra cost option...as it was in the c5...

Jmo

ByByBMW

I've seen your posts on DCT's and your thoughts on them. They are so far from the reality of DCT's I'm not even going to try and change your mind.
To ME, a DCT is superior in EVERY way to at TC transmission, period.
The TC tranny in my 2012 GS is crap when I compare it to a DCT. Put a DCT into that car and it would be the diference between night and day.
But you don't like DCT's and I do. Enjoy your manual. I promise you I enjoy my DCT/PDK as much as you enjoy your manual.

Rapid Fred

As to your first point — is that not your personal value judgement? Obviously many folks would say automated shifting is “better” because they have different value criteria than you. Both sides can be logically correct here.

As to your second point, the last 35 years of owning nothing but sticks, when automatics were available to me, says you are 100% wrong — at least as to me. I suspect there are many others in my camp — they hate the feel of slushboxes but would consider something like a DCT as combining the best (value judgement again) of both worlds.

As to your third point, well, there’s the rub. I learned to drive a stick in my 20’s so I am not “natural” at it even today nearly 40 years later. But I loved the purely mechanical feel and the involvement of it all, even when commuting. At this point, I still would probably not buy a torque converter automatic because they just don’t feel “right” to me. Whether the “involvement” aspect matters enough to me is an internal debate that I cannot resolve until I test drive a well-sorted DCT.

That’s why I really appreciate the honest opinions of those who have driven them. Some like ‘em, some don’t — but I’ve yet to see any comments in this thread that they feel the same as slushboxes.

SBC_and_a_stick

Well, we do agree on one thing. You're trying to change my mind and I'm trying to change yours. Without demand for the stick the stick will die. I have no doubts about that. I wouldn't care which options get checked if it wasn't for the lame situation in which we are today. I'm not as optimistic as JerriVette that for the few of us that want to row their own manufacturers will make another generation of true sports cars.

ByByBMW

And anybody who HAS drive a well sorted DCT/PDK will tell that they don't feel the same as a slush box. The other poster seems to have a hard time accepting that a DCT can be as fun, as useful, and feel as good, if not better than a manual. I am a DCT believer as of 5 years ago when I had my epiphany when I drove my first Porsche with a PDK.

PurpleLion

Wow, you are implying that a Ferrari 488 is not a true sports car! When, in fact, it is the worlds BEST sports car! You might want to restate your opinion.