A ZO6 can still be a "sports car" with an automatic :rolleyes:

I had the opportunity of riding at the Summit Point track with Andy Pilgrim in the 09 CTS-V with an automatic. Andy never once touched the paddles or stick. When I asked him about it, his reply was "I didn't need to, the transmission was always where it should of been.

Granted, my 08 Z06 is not the CTS-V and the automatics being put into them may not be matched as well as the ones being put into the vettes. But for Andy Pilgrim to say he didn't have to do any shifting and for the record that the 09 CTS-V holds in Germany with the automatic, it is getting very difficult to argue against it.

I can't toe-heel shift worth a damn, if I had the option of getting the Z with an automatic, I would of, especially if it performed as well as the one in the CTS-V.

As they say "to each their own". Which ever you prefer, I say great - enjoy it.

It looks like there are two types of owners. Some would prefer a ride on a rocket sled at a space shuttle test track with an operator pushing the go button and some would prefer the opportunity to drive their stock Z06 at Nurburgring.

In the future when cars are available that will follow a track in the road with computer guidance, some will jump at the relief from the complications of coordinating clutch, gas, rpm, steering inputs, etc. They will spend money to make more power than the next guy and gloat over the speed of their "rocket sled" as they go for a ride.

Others will enjoy practicing their skill with all of the complicated tasks of actually driving their manual transmission cars.

Sports cars are for driving enthusiasts!

All of these auto Z cars use the TCI tcu controller and if u saw the software, u would know the tunability these things have. Upshift/downshift based on mph, tps and rpm. U can go to the TCI website and download the software to check it out. 2 sets of gear ratios for the 4l65e from another vendor and ohh.....did I mention the controller will shift TCIs new 4L65e-based 6-speed auto? Some of u people have seen nothing yet;) I say get IPS or RPM on the phone and get your shift together.... Stay tuned:cheers:

I can't believe you guys think that an auto means the car is no longer a "sports car" and you have no control of it....

F1 has had what is basically an automatic in them for years. The most high-tech racing machines ON THE PLANET!!! They shift gears in milliseconds. The drivers LOVE the technology! Ever watch them come into a corner and bang it down 4 or 5 gears? Precise control over what gear it's in without ever needing to worry about the syncros or matching the RPM's...just a few taps on the paddle and they are away. And...you don't need to have that 3rd pedal to deal with...

If I remember correctly, the version of automatic that RPM uses has a "manual" mode and an "automatic" mode...same as the C6's. You want to shift gears manually...grab the paddles and go for it. You want to drive it comfortably in stop & go traffic? Put it in "auto" mode and drive.

The sheer FACT that it is easier on the drivetrain makes it a good fit for ANY high-performance car. Add to that the fact that you won't smoke a clutch when you drop the hammer and you have peace of mind whenever you drive it...anywhere.

I'd bet that if you put 2 Z06's head-to-head at a road course...stock everything but put an automatic in one...the automatic would win.

Does it mean the driver in the automatic is less skilled? NO

It just means he has less :bs to juggle while going around the course...and he won't be taking it to GM to get the valves fixed because he won't be missing a shift (or "accidentally" over-revving the engine when down-shifting).

Hell...Short-throws track car is "basically" an automatic...does that make it any less of a "sports car"?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Short Throw's car (and the F1 cars) ARE NOT automatics. They are manuals with clutchless manual shifting, that's why they shift so fast. VERY BIG DIFFERENCE. Yes, the computer rev-matches when downshifting, and does not allow overrevs, but that's all it does.

The problems with automatics on the track is that they don't know what the driver is going to do next, so they cannot prepare in advance. By their own nature they are REACTIVE DEVICES. In other words, they look for the right gear ratio AFTER you have taken some action, like stepping on the gas.

F1 cars (and Short Throw's) are shifted up or down by the driver, based on what he or she wants to do next. When they make an automatic that can read your mind, then we will have a better automatic for the track. Until then, a properly driven MANUAL WILL ALWAYS beat an automatic on a road course.

If you don't feel like learning how to drive a manual properly at the track, then, by all means get an auto, but don't expect to show your taillights to a good driver with a manual. The shifter paddles merely tell the auto to shift up or down. The transmission does this at its own pace. Can you say SLOW SHIFTING??

Look what Rick "Corvette" Conti says about offering a ZO6 with an automatic.

http://www.corvetteconti.com/blog/?p=5767

Smart man!

I wonder what percent of z06's use there car's on a road course. I am just saying that because how many town have drag strips compared road courses. I like my car to be setup to what i can do in the towns i live in. And if you ever work for the military or in the military you would want a auto to get on post every day. And the GTR and CTS-V did good with there autos in them.

This isnt all exactly true either. When i went for the CTS V driving performance lab and test drove the CTS V and CTS around the monticello race track those cars had "adaptive" transmissions. Lets start with the V it had paddle shifters and would rev match the gears as you upshifted and down shifted every time. It also would adapt in a way once it learned the speed you where generally going and act like it was always in one gear unless you went way out of the range. It worked flawlessly. Was it slower shifting than a manual car....yes at times but it was always spot on. As for the CTS it had a sport mode in the auto . One you put it in this mode after about the first or second bend if you were driving correctly with the throttle it immediately recognized the demand and range you were looking for and would drop a gear and hold it throughout the whole track working perfectly. So the technology is out there, just not as precise or quickly reacting as we would like it to be. :thumbs:

Through the use of planetary gearing and over-run/sprag and a guy named Gil Younger and some high tech controller hardware/software the shifts and gear u wish to be in would be a snap.....literally...If u understand how autos work u know its possible to be in
1) more than 1 gear at a time (use of over-run)
2) only 1 ground-wire away from the next higher
or lower gear
3) lock-up in any gear but 1st at anytime u choose
eliminating torque-multiplication if u choose

To be honest at this point the only true valid issue w/ road racing the auto would be possible fluid-starvation at the pick-up due to extreme Gs that COULD be generating by SOME cars on SOME tracks, but a "dry sump" system could be used.

I do agree that autos and sequential trannys are not the same and should be treated as such. If I had 30k to drop on the sequential I would have at least 1:D

C6Z with a tuned A6 would be a great option.

Its only a matter of time before manual shifting as a whole becomes obsolete, serriously.

guess they had to 'take it around the block' a few times when loading it... LOL