Super Spartan

I currently own a 2018 RS3 and I am thinking in the next year or so to upgrade to a Corvette Z06 Convertible.

Now I would prefer a manual transmission but since my wife would like to drive it sometimes, then I might have to get the auto tranny.

With that said,

I watched this video today and was really put off by what the guy is saying:


The clickiness which makes the paddles sound very cheap but more importantly is how slow it upshifts or downshifts, that's a show stopper for me.

Is that really how bad the Auto is in these Corvettes or have they been improved for 2018 onwards?

I asked my friend who is a Corvette enthusiast and owned many Corvettes before and what he said is just leave the car in Auto and don't use the paddle shifters and you'd get the fastest 0-60 times with the best acceleration so I'm really confused here.

Garret

First off...that guy is another one of those internet douche canoes......
Second off....it's personal preference....
/thread

Super Spartan

That's what I thought but just wanted to confirm man. He's so annoying

MSG C5

Here's a better review of both the M7 and A8.

B&BVettes

I’ve had the A8 in a Grand Sport. Shifts quickly, for sure.

Super Spartan

Thanks, gonna watch it now, I love Matt's reviews

HorsePowerObsessed

I own an M7 and while I'd personally never want an auto, I drove an A8 stingray on vacation last year that had ZERO issues shifting. The car was solid and the transmission impressed me (for an auto). My M7 still has the paddles for turning on/off rev matching and I have never ONCE heard my paddles sound the way they do in that horrible idiots video.

Checkmate1

As someone who owns the Auto, it is great ONLY if you leave it in Auto. Go for manual shifts and you will be severely disappointed if you’ve ever driven a dual clutch auto.

Super Spartan

That's exactly what my Corvette enthusiast friend told me. He said to leave it in Auto and enjoy it and not to bother with the shift paddles.

jlbjr

Super Spartan

When is the 10 Speed transmission coming on the Automatic Corvette?

azcanuk

I've had paddles in my last three vettes... and LOVE them. Don't get where people are saying to keep it in Auto.. that's the one place I've never been. I don't have any qualms about them and since they (GM) are going to be doing away with the stick, looking forward to many more years of "paddling" down the highway..

3 Z06ZR1

It is not coming!

3 Z06ZR1

I leave my 2017 A8 in "D" I can out shift the paddles in the A8 with the M7!

robertbruce

I have had the A8 in a 15,16 and 18 Z06. No problems at all.

azcanuk

I agree on the "D" if you're "competing" but for everyday driving I'm in "M" mode all the time...

Put it in "D", pull the down shift paddle until it hits the lowest gear it'll shift to then away you go!!!

ZR1Bob

After living with stick shift cars all my life, I have to say that I love my A8. ZR-1s, Hemi Roadrunner, E-Type Jags, Pantera, Ferrari, Austin Healey, all were great cars with their manual transmissions. But I now really enjoy the automatic in the Z06. Around town I often use the paddle shifters because I like the sound of the car with them combined with a loud exhaust setting and both Tour and Sport settings. If the wife is with me, I switch to Drive, Tour and Auto exhaust settings. When I travel on the highway I use Drive, Tour and a quiet exhaust setting. A great and pleasant touring car, and it you need it, almost instant response of power. I would say the auto is not perfect and there can be an occasional bit of clunkiness in the shifting but overall it is a fine enjoyable transmission and no problems with it in 12,000 miles. --Bob

Warp Factor

LOL, sure, in your dreams!

The A8 even has some advantages over a Dual Clutch Transmission, in that it can execute most upshifts without needing to interrupt engine power.

NSC5

Mine has been fine (2016 Z06, March 2016 build).

I have a Range anti-AFM module in mine so it never goes into V4 mode whether it is in automatic or manual. You will see a lot of torque converter issues with the 8L90 (aka A8) transmissions in multiple platforms because of what GM does with the powertrain control in V4 mode. Operating on half its native number of cylinders there is not surprisingly a lot more engine vibration and in V4 mode the converter lock up clutch is continuously modulated on and off between its locked and unlocked states to allow the torque converter to absorb some of the vibration. The downside to this is an obvious increase in wear that occurs from continuous cycling of the clutch. Ultimately this results in RPM variation at steady cruising speed due to lockup clutch wear progressing to shudder (feels like the vehicle is running over rumble strips) as the wear gets worse.

This is a much bigger problem in non-Z06 Corvettes which spend far more time in V4 mode. Even without a Range module or not driven in manual mode (either of which prevents V4 operation) a Z06 rarely drops into 4 cylinder mode due to its greater wind drag and lower base compression ratio of its supercharged engine. But I am not taking any chances with this poor design choice which was right up there with specifying the same radiator and coolant system capacity for the LT1 and LT4 engines.

The only other advice I have with the 8L90 is at least through 2016 it has an issue with initial slow fill of the C4 clutch pack actuator for the very first 1 to 2 shift of the day. This can result in a harsh initial upshift on the first shift to second but an easy work around is with the car still stationary drop it into manual mode, paddle shift to 2, then either put it back in drive or shift to 1 and drive as you normally would. Once the initial hydraulic actuator fill takes place this won't be an issue again until after parking it overnight. GM may have updated the software by now to do a partial pre-fill of this actuator at initial start but if not this work around is simple and it works fine.

I am very happy with the 8L90 but not pleased that avoiding V4 mode is not user selectable like it is with manual transmission Corvettes or A8 units intended for export. One of the deciding factors for me in replacing my 2006 GMC diesel pickup with another diesel instead of a gas light duty pickup was I don't want anything else with this Rube Goldberg AFM/V4 scheme.

Cobra2Z