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When driving my m7 C7 and stopping at a red light, I would engage the clutch-shift to neutral and disengage the clutch until the light turned green in order to minimize wear. A friend who has a C8 (mine is still in order purgatory) holds both paddles back to keep the DCT in neutral until the light turns green, but I think that may not be the same as what I did with a manual transmission. So, I guess my question is, does the DCT put itself into neutral with the clutches engaged when it sees the brake is constantly applied below a certain speed indicating a full stop is imminent?
When driving my m7 C7 and stopping at a red light, I would engage the clutch-shift to neutral and disengage the clutch until the light turned green in order to minimize wear. A friend who has a C8 (mine is still in order purgatory) holds both paddles back to keep the DCT in neutral until the light turns green, but I think that may not be the same as what I did with a manual transmission. So, I guess my question is, does the DCT put itself into neutral with the clutches engaged when it sees the brake is constantly applied below a certain speed indicating a full stop is imminent?
No the C8 DCT does not put both clutches in Neutral. At about 3 mph it starts slipping the 1st gear (3rd, 5th, 7th) clutch. What I do is pull both paddles as I'm breaking when in 2nd and both clutches disengage (as I would when driving a standard shift.) . Once stopped you can release the left paddle as the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th gear clutch would be in Neutral anyway. Then when the light is about to turn green or whenever you'd like, release the right paddle and the clutch will slip as the car is in 1st and you're ready to accelerate.
No big deal letting the clutch slip according to Tadge as it's a wet clutch and can handle that small amount of slippage. But having only driven cars with a 3rd pedal as a DD (until the C8) for 60 years it's a habit!
If you hold only 1 paddle long enough, the trans will drop into D1 and your car will move.
Guess I have not had a red light that long! Actually now, once stopped, I don't wait for the green light, I have my foot on the brake and just let the 1st gear clutch slip and am ready to accelerate. Also I'm now driving mostly in Z MODE where I have Power set to Track and when braking it downshifts more aggressively so depending on where I'm stopping may just let the clutch slip.
With the more aggressive way the Power is supplied with it set at Track in Z MODE the C8 is operating much like I operated my 2 standard shift C7's. In my rural area take back roads the 20 miles into town. (Note you don't get more power just changes the way it's applied.) A number of turns and sections are past farm fields. I was never past 5th gear, no need and I like the torque available in lower gears. When accelerating away from stops and turns would shift at higher rpms than the C8 will in all but Track and Z MODE with Power set to Track.
Now the car shifts at higher rpm's from lower gears.
It seldom shifts to higher than 5th (note, even 4th and 5th, like 6th, 7th and 8th are OD ratios!)
I will not go into V8 Mode.
When braking it will downshift at higher rpms.
You can still use the shift paddles so if it's in 5th at say 60 mph and you're in a long stretch you can just pull the Upshift Paddle and move to 6th or even 7th. still won't go into V4.
If braking aggressively for a turn, can pull the downshift paddle whenever you want, but as mentioned braking will downshift automatically at higher rpm's than when driving in all but Track, beit Touring Sport or even MY MODE as you can't set Power in MY MODE, it's not available to set! Also unlike driving in Track MODE you can have ride set to touring if you want! Can set Steering, eBoost and NPP wherever you would like.
JerryU, nice video comparing the track mode vs sport mode. As one who has been driving manuals for 44 years, I think track mode will be the mode I will be selecting for most of my driving. I prefer to drive in a lower gear, slightly higher rpm with less down shifting. It's just the way I drive my manuals.
Sorry to hijack your thread, but I found the next video interesting too. C7 Grand sport vs C8 roll race.
Last edited by Mike's LS3; Nov 21, 2020 at 12:55 PM.
JerryU, nice video comparing the track mode vs sport mode. As one who has been driving manuals for 44 years, I think track mode will be the mode I will be selecting for most of my driving. I prefer to drive in a lower gear, slightly higher rpm with less down shifting. It's just the way I drive my manuals.
Sorry to hijack your thread, but I found the next video interesting too. C7 Grand sport vs C8 roll race.
Z-Mode has several advantages IMO. You can set the ride where you'd like. I drove my C7 Grand Sport in Sport MODE as we have few post holes in Eastern SC but even the twisty narrow road I live on with woods on one side has tree roots that have pushed up the pavement enough to make TRACK too harsh. I also have the C8 Steering set to Sport, same as in the Grand Sport. Brake, eBoost is set to Track as is NPP.
When I start off with a cold engine I let it shift in Tour mode where it starts automatically. When I reach the highway I just press Z MODE on the steering wheel. As I have Power set to Track I get those advantages. Best of both words and about the way I drove my standard shift Grand Sport.
Today, for example have a long straight strength on a rural road so although it was in 5th pulled the shift paddle and went to 6th. Lots of flexibility without using Manual Mode, which I had used during break-in.
The one disadvantage of Manual Mode is when leaving a Red Light and making a right turn. The shift paddle is not in a position to unshift to 2nd. With a 5.17 dif ratio and a torque multiplication of 14:1 in 1st (versus my Grand Sport 1st gear of 10:1) your at 5000 rpm at the blink of an eye and YOU must shift! Really bad for me when parked in the center divide on the highway near my home and have to merge between packs of traffic traveling at ~65 mph! Have to be able to shift! In Z MODE just use full throttle, car shifts out of 1st near redline! I just have to change lanes and apply the brakes aggressively to make the turn on our 25 mph speed limit road! Fun!
^^^
Not just me others have discovered how to drive a "different higher performance car!" Just set Power to Track in Z Mode. Can keep Ride in Touring if you'd like. Great video by a fellow who drives just like me! The major difference is you can set Z MODE Power to Track while Ride can be set to the softest available, Touring. Only setting where you can set Power, cannot set in MY MODE! Other controllable variables can be set where you'd like, i.e. Brake Boost, Steering, NPP. Note different then using TRACK MODE where you live with a stiff ride!
Here is why I have my Z MODE 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 (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 to can still use the shift paddles. So if it's in 5th and your cruising pull the upshift paddle and you can shift to 6th or 7th. If making an aggressive turn you can downshift at whatever rpm you'd like as you brake. But you’ll find when braking hard it will downshift aggressively by itself.
This Pic shows the "Rev Match Music" I get when braking hard. No way a "Standard Shift Forever" Luddite can stir a stick and operate a clutch to go through that many gears that quickly!
Well this thread didn't go where I expected...
But on the upside I am now fully informed on how Jerry drives his car.😉
I'll see if I can get an answer or thoughts to my question that fits the OP's Thread title "How Does C8 Handle Stops." It's not the OP's question but mine!
Curious what anyone who came from a C7 Z06 or C7 Grand Sport thinks about eBoost setting and C8 Z51 braking in general. As I do with my C8 have a number of places where I stopped aggressively every day with my Grand Sport. With the Grand Sport 6 piston front calipers (with braking weight transfer and it's 50/50 static balance) the front brakes probably did 75+% of the braking. Could "feel" the nose dip a bit and the vacuum assist provide a lot of bit. Braking feel was linear with the OEM pads and my Carbotech 1521 street pads. The C8 does "feel" more balanced front rear as expected.
Have tried eBoost at Touring, Sport and Track. Now drive with eBoost set at Track. It's linear, stops fine BUT does not feel as aggressive as the vacuum assist. My direct comparison includes the aggressive vacuum assist when I drive the wife's BMW X5 SUV, which has the sport package that includes 315 section width Continental summer performance rear tires. Make some of those same aggressive braking turns, obviously NOT as fast.
The C8 stops fine, very predictable and linear but "feels" like it requires more braking force from my foot than my 2017 Grand Sport. Anyone have a comment on eBoost setting? Or C8 "brake feel" versus C7 Z06 or Grand Sport?
Does anyone feel that the car brakes pretty jerky as it downshifts coming to a stop? I've gotten in the habit of holding both paddles just to ensure a smooth stop. Even some of my passengers have noticed.
^^^
Depends what Mode you drive in. Also after going into 1st it has to start slipping, it's NOT like a "slushbox!" Initially I was pulling both paddles but now used to it so let it do it's thing! But at about 3 mph the 1st gear clutch has to start slipping. You can feel it as that starts slipping. Same with trying to "crawl forward." It's different that an automatic trans with a torque converter BECAUSE IT IS!
Does anyone feel that the car brakes pretty jerky as it downshifts coming to a stop? I've gotten in the habit of holding both paddles just to ensure a smooth stop. Even some of my passengers have noticed.
Hate to say it, but I am used to this with the other mid-engine cars that I have owned. The 10Mph to 0 is sometimes jerky. As you drive it you need to feel the brake and you will eventually learn what the proper stopping pressure is for the car. This car has torque and even though you are telling it to stop the engine and transmission say, woohooo lets go already!!!! It's taming those ponies under the rear is what you have to learn.
Honestly putting the car in neutral is kind of cheating to come to a stop. I typically will use the downshift paddle to use the engine to help stop the car and once down into first it is much easier to start getting that feel for the pressure required to stop the engine. I have never used neutral on any of the mid engine vehicles to stop the car.
Last edited by GPFboyJS; Dec 10, 2020 at 09:31 PM.
Does anyone feel that the car brakes pretty jerky as it downshifts coming to a stop? I've gotten in the habit of holding both paddles just to ensure a smooth stop. Even some of my passengers have noticed.
... I typically will use the downshift paddle to use the engine to help stop the car and once down into first it is much easier to start getting that feel for the pressure required to stop the engine. I have never used neutral on any of the mid engine vehicles to stop the car.
Depending on the Drive mode the C8 will downshift itself at different rpms as you slow down. I drive mostly in Z-MODE with Power set to Track. It downshifts at higher rpms. Unlike a "slushbox" with a fluid coupling torque converter "buffer" that makes the downshift changes unnoticeable the DCT has no "cushion." It just changes to the next lowest gear. However once you get to ~3 mph, whatever the Drive Mode, it will be in 1st and the clutch has to slip. You can feel that.
Depending on the Drive mode the C8 will downshift itself at different rpms as you slow down. I drive mostly in Z-MODE with Power set to Track. It downshifts at higher rpms. Unlike a "slushbox" with a fluid coupling torque converter "buffer" that makes the downshift changes unnoticeable the DCT has no "cushion." It just changes to the next lowest gear. However once you get to ~3 mph, whatever the Drive Mode, it will be in 1st and the clutch has to slip. You can feel that.
I guess I should have prefaced that I am usually in Sport mode and only push Z mode to upset the Muscle heads . I also typically like to drive with the paddle shifters since again I feel more engaged with the vehicle and many of the other mid engine vehicles I had really only worked with paddle shifters the auto mode was garbage.
^^^
Yep, Since I have only had standard shifts in 60 years driving I did the same with my C8 for the first month. Drove in Sport (where I drove my prior 2017 Grand Sport) and Manual Mode. Drove it like I did my Grand Sport in our rural area. Seldom past 5th gear on my back roads with many turns etc the 20 miles to town, liked to torque available. Even in town 5th was plenty, never saw a need for 6th and only used 7th on the seldom used Interstate.
With the C8 seldom used more that 6th, which is about the same overall gear ratio as 5th in the C7. BUT had a problem with Manual Mode when I was making a turn from a stop. The worse time was leaving the stop sign at the end of the rural road I live on merging into ~70 mph traffic on the 4 lane divided highway where it ends. The C8 5.17:1dif ratio and 1st gear overall 14:1 1st gear ratio compares to the C7 GS that was only 10:1 in 1st. So accelerating from a stop t0 merge with 70 mph traffic while turning the wheel the unshift paddle was not in position to pull for 2nd gear. In Manual Mode it does NOT shift at redline, it hits the rev limiter!
Then a forum member posted a way to drive that matched what I was doing. In Z MODE you can set Power to Track. It's NOT more power just the way it's applied. Unlike driving in RIDE you can set to Touring if you want the softest ride. Been using that for 2 months! It's like a different car! Here are the benefits in addition for no need to use a paddle going from 1st to 2nd. Gets near redline and shifts in a millisecond:
The car will upshift at much higher rpm than when in TOURING, SPORT or MY MODE.
It will seldom shift past 5th or 6th gear (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 to can still use the shift paddles. So if it's in 5th and your cruising pull the upshift paddle and you can shift to 6th or 7th. If making an aggressive turn you can downshift at whatever rpm you'd like as you brake. But you’ll fine when braking hard it will downshift aggressively by itself.
STILL LOOKING FOR SOME INPUT RE BRAKE FEEL VESUS SOMEONE WHO CAME FROM A C7 Z06 OR GRAND SPORT WITH THEIR 6 PISTON FRONT BRAKES. WHEN BRAKING HARD, FEELING 75+% OF THE BRAKING BEING ON THE FRONT WHEELS IS DIFFERENT IN THE C8 AS EXPECTED WITH MORE BALANCED FRONT/REAR. BUT I HAVE TRIED SETTING EBOOST IN TOURING, SPORT AND TRACK (BEEN IN TRACK FOR THE PAST MONTH) AND ALTHOUGH IT STOPS FINE DOESN'T FEEL AS AGREESIVE AS MY GRAND SPORT WITH IT'S VACUUM BOOST. ANY COMMETS?
How does the DCT handle stops?
. I also typically like to drive with the paddle shifters since again I feel more engaged with the vehicle and many of the other mid engine vehicles I had really only worked with paddle shifters the auto mode was garbage.