[crabman]

Originally Posted by hotlapZL1

Performance has risen to a level that if you don't take your car to the track or strip you can't even begin to experience what it can do. Best transmission depends on what you want to do. My SS (I get it Tuesday) has the A8 but I wouldn't say I'll never get a manual again either.

I'm old and many many cars into it, I get it. That was sorta my point. What can only be seen on a track at 100 percent flog doesn't have much to do with how much fun you're having out on the road where you wont come near to that level of flog. I think while numbers tell a story they don't tell all the story.

As to the trans you got, I don't care. Really. I don't mean that in a bad way either. If I wanted an auto I'd have bought it without a seconds hesitation. I'm glad we all have the choice and glad you got what you wanted. I'm way too old to mistake my opinion for truth.

While you're here I want to take back my statements about the A8 we discussed earlier until I can try again. I did not know the car would not give you full shifting performance in track/manual unless you had it nailed. That might go a long way toward explaining how soft its performance was during my test drive. Still wouldn't buy it but I'd have a better regard for it were I to see it working at a higher level.

[mjw930]

Originally Posted by 20171LE

With all due respect, this is BS. This is the worst information being posted about the A8 online, because it gives potential owners false hope based on BS. The A8 does NOT get better over time or with "learning". It will always have terrible lag and there is no fix. This is coming directly from a GM powertrain engineer.
I don't think it's possible with a torque converter, but I am sincerely hoping the A10 solves the well documented lag and overheating issues of the A8. On a positive note, the in car videos of the ZL1 show the A10 being manually shifted and it "appears" to be faster than the A8. Let's all hope it actually is.



This BS is being spread on Corvette Forum. Sad to say, but it's just BS that A8 owners are inventing trying to defend their $60k+ decision to buy the A8.

If you do your research over there you'll find that many knowledgeable/experienced Corvette owners that have driven/been driving the A8 will tell you they've personally experienced the terrible lag. Don't even get me started on the fact that the A8 overheats and even the head of the Corvette program is on video recommending people avoid the A8 and buy the manual transmission.


Hopefully, the A10 is a game changer, and then we can all agree that it's a good transmission.

You're quite the keyboard commando, aren't you.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by mjw930

The problem with trying to make an informed decision based on a test drive is the way the A8 works.

1. It's an adaptive transmission, it will take at least a few hundred miles to start adapting to your driving style and dialing in its variable pressure regulators. The A8 we have with 450 miles on it shifts much differently than it did with 6 miles on it when we demo'd it.

2. It only "shows it's worth" when it transitions into performance shifting mode which only occurs when the car senses you are driving it aggressively which can be difficult if not impossible to attain during a test drive, especially if the demo car is new.

Think about it, would you flog a brand new SS with 5 miles on it during a demo to see what the A8 can do then buy that car?

What GM should offer is a track based demo program where people can drive both using cars that have been broken in and perform the way yours will once you get past 1500 miles. The standard "demo the car up and down the streets around the dealership" won't give you what you are looking for. Also, GM intentionally programmed the A8 to operate as smoothly as possible under normal street conditions, it's something they are quite proud of and use it as an excuse to not go dual clutch, claiming they can't get the "driving experience" most people want out of an automatic with a dual clutch design.

i've heard of this adaptive style stuff... i remember hearing about an audi r8 driver who complained that the car didn't drive as aggressively as when he bought it and he was informed it was basically his fault for driving it too tamely.

that's a real shame because i LOVED the DCT in my M3 .. and it made it possible to cruise around town in a very civilized fashion and then squeeze every drop of performance out of it at the track, as well.

i certainly don't claim to get a complete picture of what a car is like on a test drive through town, even if it includes a couple cloverleafs and get-up-to-speed highway pulls. all i know was it wasn't quite as good as i was hoping and the excitement for me wasn't there .. i almost went down the road to get the Mustang GT PP and pocketed some cash. then I test drove the 6MT again.

i'm NOT one of the "manuals rule the world, auto/dct/mct/etc drivers are posers" but i still have what i like and the A8 on a test drive in a new car was NOT what i was looking for. the ZL1 video showing the A10 is what i was hoping for. maybe that's how your car is now and maybe posting a video like the one of the vette would be helpful to prospective buyers!

thanks for the information -- for me, though, it's too late. 3 pedals but thankful for the auto rev-match so i can still be a LITTLE lazy

[crabman]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

...that's a real shame because i LOVED the DCT in my M3 .. and it made it possible to cruise around town in a very civilized fashion and then squeeze every drop of performance out of it at the track, as well.

Yeah, I liked the trans in my M3 better overall than the PDK I had after. It got on full power faster but wasn't quite as well sorted in auto mode. Both were better than the A8 in every way. It's something that guys here that haven't experience a DCT just don't understand In that M3 when you put it in full boogie shifts are "HOLY CRAP!" fast. Startlingly fast even when you are accustomed to it and know its coming. Touch the paddle and it shifts right now, bang, no hesitation. That's how it should be. That's the auto this car deserves.

I really wish Chevy had decided to throw down with a DCT. I've read all the stuff about how they couldn't afford the development after the bailout and it makes sense but its a shame. That's an auto that I might have considered buying.

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by bigdonut

Source? Just curious and I haven't heard of this before...

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...rsh-shifts.pdf

Despite what the troll says, yes it is adaptive. Yes it can learn bad behavior due to test drives at the dealer. And more importantly it can be improved. Will it get rid of the paddle lag no, but look at the video I posted and ask yourself. Is it that to you? Should it be improve, I believe everyone will agree it should.

[Mr. Wyndham]

All of GM's automatics have been adaptive and "smart" since the early 2010s and the A6s, at least. It didn't always work......but they've been watching you....

[mjk3888]

Although I'm a manual guy, I have test driven the 8speed auto cars and they are worlds better than what automatics used to be. In the past if someone told me they had a performance car with an automatic transmission I probably would have rolled my eyes, but now they are very respectable. Auto's are nearly always faster in a straight line, but I can never give up the driving experience of a manual. Personal preference only.

[IOMike]

Buy what you want, not what some people on a forum you will never meet want.

Enthusiasts buy both. Wanna-be car guys buy both.

Some people know how to drive a stick but just don't like to. To look down on them for their personal preference is just ignorant.

[Emoto]

Originally Posted by SuperSound

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...rsh-shifts.pdf

Despite what the troll says, yes it is adaptive. Yes it can learn bad behavior due to test drives at the dealer. And more importantly it can be improved. Will it get rid of the paddle lag no, but look at the video I posted and ask yourself. Is it that to you? Should it be improve, I believe everyone will agree it should.

I am not finding anything in the transmission forum about it, but I am curious about what specifically to do to teach the transmission to respond one way or another. I will hit Google when I have a few minutes and see what I can find. If I find anything useful, I will post it.

Is this the tranny in the 2016 Camaro? http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/...peed-lead.html

[bigdonut]

Originally Posted by SuperSound

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...rsh-shifts.pdf

Despite what the troll says, yes it is adaptive. Yes it can learn bad behavior due to test drives at the dealer. And more importantly it can be improved. Will it get rid of the paddle lag no, but look at the video I posted and ask yourself. Is it that to you? Should it be improve, I believe everyone will agree it should.

Cool and thanks for the info. Does mean only the 8L90, and not the LT transmission, is adaptive?

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by Emoto

I am not finding anything in the transmission forum about it, but I am curious about what specifically to do to teach the transmission to respond one way or another. I will hit Google when I have a few minutes and see what I can find. If I find anything useful, I will post it.

Is this the tranny in the 2016 Camaro? http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/...peed-lead.html

Yes the 8L90 is the same trans for the C7 and 6th gen SS.

Originally Posted by bigdonut

Cool and thanks for the info. Does mean only the 8L90, and not the LT transmission, is adaptive?

The LT trans is adaptive too. The only differences are start/stop compatibility on the 8L45 and differences in torque capacity. Think the gearing is the same as well but don't remember the ratios for the 8L45.

[hotlap]

I've read comments here that there is no way to manually get the A8 into competition mode. Is this true?

I thought I read that holding the down paddle and getting on it triggers

[ender2664]

Originally Posted by H(.)(.)ters

At the highest levels of motorsports (F1, motoGP, etc.), what many would consider the pinnacle of skill and enthusiasm, the drivers/riders are using automatic or some form of clutchless shifting. Why? Because the technology is available to take advantage of. It's like that episode of Seinfeld where he made fun of the Chinese who continue to use chopsticks when they know the better fork utensil already exists for their benefit.

People hang on to their old school notions of stick shifts and romanticize how it makes them feel connected and secret-handshakey skillful and manly, and blah, blah, blah. Back in the day, these same purists would probably forgo the blasphemous automobile contraption altogether and stick with the tried-and-true horse and buggy while waxing poetic about how having a live animal made them feel more connected to the mode of transport. Ya can't whistle and have that car come trotting over to ya, can ya? Huh?

Times change. Technology changes. People need to change with the times or get left behind. Otherwise, we'd all be walking around with our bare feet instead of driving fine automobiles.

Automatics are used because they are faster.
Driving an auto for me detaches u from the car and for me is the opposite of what a enthusiast wants.
I literally will never purchase an automatic as long as I'm able to drive stick. If I medically had to drive a auto I'd get a lame daily driver.

[ender2664]

Driving on the road aint a race track and saying autos are better because they're easier is like saying its better to masturbate because its easier. Yeah, you still get there and it's faster and easier but better? Not for me.

Best analogy ever!


Ps- I've driven pdk. It is a great transmission but it is still an automatic and I suspect manual drivers like me will not be close to swayed.