I've been driving my C8 more in manual mode lately. Driving in a straight line is obviously no problem. However, it's very awkward to upshift when the steering wheel is turned. Especially when making a sharp right-hand turn where the paddle is positioned at or past the bottom of the wheel. In that instance, I've started pressing the paddle with my left hand which doesn't seem like a very safe way to control the car through a turn.

Any paddle shifting tips when making sharp turns?

 

Depending on the turn and gear selection,right or left hand on the steering wheel near the paddle,use a finger on the shifter to go select your gear. Easy,I think.
Norm

 

I’d recommend visually staying ahead of the car and setting up your gear selection prior to fully turning the wheel at apex or shifting on corner exit.

 

If you are doing the corner kinda fast with some g load, you don't want to shift in the middle of the turn, it will change the amount of torque pushing the rear, potentially unbalancing the car. At HPDE's they will tell you to shift right before the turn, along with most of the braking. That way, you can push through the turn at a steady max speed, at the limit of the tires if you like, accelerating as your hands start to unwind. Fun to practice!
Supposedly, with PCM, once you hit the apex just floor it, and the computer will keep it from spinning. Something I'll have to try out once I get my C8. Later this year?
If you're just loafing through a corner, doesn't matter, shift whenever, and I suppose just have your hand in the right place at the start of the turn.

 

Yep! Having driven only standard shift DD's for 60 years for the first month I drove in only Manual Mode. Also wanted to not use V4 Mode or 7th or 8th during the 500 mile break-in.

But had a problem every time I left the stop sign on our rural road to merge into often heavy ~70 mph traffic on a 4 lane divided highway! After break-in, hit the rev limiter a few times as 1st gear reaches it at ~35 mph in the blink of an eye. No fun with ~70 mph traffic coming up fast behind! About a month after I started in September 2020 a forum poster provided the solution where I drive now. Z MODE Power set to Track. If you have MRC can set RIDE to whatever you'd like! It drives about as I have been my two C7's for 7 years in our rural area, seldom on the Interstates. This is what it does. It's a different car With POWER Set To TRACK:

• The car will upshift at much higher rpm than when in TOURING, SPORT or MY MODE.
• It will seldom shift past 5th gear (or 6th if going >73 mph. Note 4th and 5th are OD ratios, like 6th,7th and 8th) providing engine torque with modest throttle increases WITHOUT downshifting.
• It will not go into V4 mode.
• When braking, it will downshift at higher rpm and rev match makes it perfectly smooth in each gear.
• Note, if desired you can still use the shift paddles. So if it's in 5th and your just cruising, pull the upshift paddle and you can shift to 6th or 7th. If making an aggrieve turn you can downshift at whatever rpm you'd like as you brake. But you'll probably find when in Z MODE with Power set to TRACK it will downshift at high enough rpm with aggressive braking.

Note, in addition to it shifting by itself at 6500 rpm, where in Manual Mode when I left the ~70 mph traffic on the 4 lane highway to enter our 25 mph limit narrow rural road as I did in my two C7 M7's downshifted. With Z Mode it downshifts though 3 gears in the blink of an eye with hard braking. Can reduce the number by pulling a paddle (see PS) BUT love that Rev Match Music!

PS: Hold the downshift paddle, the DCT will serve up the lowest possible gear. Do that while braking, and the transmission will keep downshifting as engine speed allows.

 

Enter the turn 1 gear up from where you did.

 

If you are in that sharp of a turn with a 6.2 liter V8 with almost 500 pounds of torque and you feel the need to shift, you're doing it wrong. That engine will pull one of many gears without hesitation. As others have stated, you really shouldn't be shifting mid corner anyway.

 

I should have been a little more detailed in my original post. Here's the scenario:

You're at a traffic light two or three cars back waiting to make a right-hand turn. You start the car moving in first gear and as you accelerate through the turn first gear starts to wind out and you need to shift to second gear. By this time the plus paddle is down at your lap. You've either have got to cross your arms or let go of the wheel with one of your hands so you can click the paddle shifter.

If you stay in first gear through the turn, the RPMs are high and you get a hard shift into second. The other option is to shift into second before making the turn. Depending on what the traffic is doing up a head, you may not be at an ideal speed to make the shift.

 

I've played around with Z mode. I have the MRC shocks so I have steering, exhaust, suspension set to Sport and the powertrain to track. I like that track holds the gears longer but my goodness does gas mileage go to ****. I know I bought a $90K sports car and gas mileage should be the least of my worries. But I'd like to get a little more than 10 miles per gallon.

 

I prefer fixed to the steering column paddles like Ferrari and other Italian makes. Our Alfa Romeo uses exactly the same AL paddles as in the 458, and as you can see they are extra large such that they can be reached regardless of how the wheel is turned. You also know exactly where they are at all times.

 

Yep, that is the issue! We know breaking in an apex it stupid! Tires only have so much traction and you can use it to accelerate, brake or corner (SCCA training, it's a vector sum!) Frankly found the issue even when NOT trying to accelerate quickly to merge into ~70 mph from a stop sign. As you note just making a a simple right turn from a light during break-in your at the max 4000 recommended rpm at about 22 mph in the blink of an eye (in a Z51 but about the same in the base car.) Had that happen several times in the break-in time when I was only driving in Manual Mode!

It was leaving that stop sign to merge into ~70 mph traffic that made it clear I needed to do something different. For those who never hit the rev limiter (which I did periodically in my two C7s all fuel is cut off and it's like hitting a wall! No fun with traffic coming up fast from behind! And don't say just wait for a bigger traffic opening! Was in line the other day with a "grandma in an SUV) at the stop sign and a landscaper pulling a trailer with his tractor was behind her. Both making a left (see pick in my prior post) , which meant crossing two lanes of traffic and waiting in the center island for a traffic break in the other two lanes. Grandma didn't want to to that (as there is little room and even the C8 is tricky as can't pull at a 30 degree angle as I did with my C7s- can't see the oncoming traffic. She finally had enough room ion both sides and went. Then the landscaper who CAN"T wait in the divides as his trailer doesn't fit! Heck could have been half way to town! Yep today and tomorrow with very heavy Myrtle Beach Traffic going and coming won't go anywhere!

 

Understand! I'm mostly driving in our rural area and take only back roads into town. Lots of turns and stops so whatever I use not great mpg! You can use paddles to shift from the 5th it won't go past by itself. But I also now use My Mode. Have it set in Sport with NPP and eBoost set like Z Mode to Track. It does go into V4, shifts to all gears and the mpg is better. If I don't have heavy traffic when leaving the stop sign will stay in MY MODE and so it's not going into 5th before I make the turn to another rural road, when I accelerate I pull the downshift paddle and keep it in 3rd! But is at a red light and making a right turn just hit the Z Mode button!

As Foosh noted, Ferrari has fixed paddles, which would solve the issue. BUT again redline coming at ~35 mph is a very low speed and when accelerating aggressively it's there in the blink of an eye.

SIDEBAR
Actually the first time I realized the issue was when I was driving home with my new C8 the 30 miles from the Courtesy Dealer who is in a small rural town. There is section with a 10 miles long two lane road though mostly farm land and where Clemson has an Agricultural Research Center. About mid way there is a 4 way stop with blinking red light etc. We have few of those in our area and many folks are not used to defining who goes 1st etc. There was a fellow on a racing bicycle also waiting in front of me. Let him go before and there was a car on the cross street who was supposed to go but stayed stopped. Since I believe in "he who hesitates losses," I accelerated across that road quickly as you never know when the other car would get an inspiration to move! Well although going straight I had not realized the low speed at which it's past 4000 rpm in 1st gear. The engine revved past 4000 rpm which surprised me! Recall that fellow on the bike looking over his shoulder wondering if I was going to run over him! As noted, 4000 rpm is reached at about 22 mph! that's how we get to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds! BTW, the 1st gear in my prior M7 C7 GS redline was at ~50 mph; 4000 rpm at ~31mph not ~22 mph!

 

It doesn't look like anyone makes them for the C8, but I bought paddle shift extenders for my Audi and it was a huge help in situations like the one described. I see they have them for the C7. Maybe the stock C8's are much longer than the C7?

 

You've just clarified the problem. The car is geared SO low that first really isn't needed. If you put the car in auto and just pull away from a stop sign at normal speeds, the car will shift into second before it has covered its own length. When I am pulling into my driveway the car won't shift into first until it's going about 2 mph. As soon as you start moving just shift into second, you will not lug the engine or have any issues whatsoever.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm going between my m6 Camaro ZL1 which has a tall first gear that can reach a max speed of 60 mph and my C8. I'm expecting manual mode in the C8 to behave similar to the ZL1 and it doesn't even come close. Looks like I'm going to have to adjust my driving habits in the C8.

 

One of the great things about DCT is your can upshift or downshift at any point without upsetting the car. It allows you to drive with balance where the techniques above were developed for best compromise in a stick manual.
To your original question, the paddles could be slightly longer, but the best technique is to roll your hand as you turn and use your index finger to execute the shift. On a a right turn, your thumb is on top of the yoke, and as you turn the wheel rotate your right hand to the left around your index finger, you can then reach the paddle easily with your
index finger. Unwind you just roll your hand back. Hands always on and in control.

 

I agree. The "Paddles on wheel or column" is going to be a debate forever. For me, I would prefer the paddles on the column.

 

Like the physician replied when the patient said, "It hurts when I do this"... "Then don't do that."

 

This poster got it exactly right!! Corvette screwed up on this placement of the panels. My main beef with the C8

 

Hmm... shifting in the middle of your turn!! What could possibly go wrong?