[Cameron27]

.

[Spanky1]

Buying a manual has helped me!

[cmitchell17]

Its like GM seems to think that clunks, slamming into gear, and other rough shifting dosent matter. My 8L80 does the same things. Downshifting while breaking it will sometimes clunk bad on the I think 4-3. The 3-4 is usually way harder than it needs to be. The worst part about it is the inconsistency.

As for you're question, even though it feels like over time it would fatigue and break parts, I wouldn't worry about it. I think the combination of the backlash and slop GM builds into the gears and the tuning they do that dosent emphasize drivability causes them to seem so unrefined and undividable.

Ive driven, 4L60's, Allisons, and 6L80s that have these exact same characteristics, but I may have not driven long enough other transmissions in cars made by other manufactures to really see if they have the same problems.

For as stiff a chassis and quite as the cabin is in the 6th gen, you can really notice the bad shift quality and driveline slack and it ruins the whole experience.

[Herewego]

I chalk it up to the 80-20 rule. Get 80% right and 20% good enough not to cause any SAFETY problems. Mine shifts flawlessly most of the time - probably 95% actually - and when accelerating it's amazing.

However, it is not perfect and I have no expectation that it should be. These are very complex components with intricate electronic management. I have other modern cars with auto transmissions that have their quirks too. Ever since they went beyond 4 gears and added all the fuel management algorithms, they sometimes act strange hunting for the right gear. It's a balancing act responding to driver input and trying to adhere to the almighty EPA mandates.

They will never be perfect but I enjoy the heck out of mine...that's all that matters to me. If it's enough to make you worry and seems like a problem to you, take it to the dealer and have it checked.

Longevity...only time will tell. I haven't seen a lot of 2016 owners with higher mileage raising big concerns, but it may still be too soon.

[Cameron27]

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[LtColumbo]

I'm pretty sure these are software issues that could be tuned out with "a proper" reprogramming (which unfortunately will void the warranty.)

[bturner2]

Multi Displacement seems to be the biggest issue with not only GM but every other company that implements this technology. MY 10 Camaro drove me crazy on the freeway, my 16 is much better but I ended up with the shutter issue.

My Mustangs never had any of these issues but they were slower and typically got 26 MPG while my 16 Camaro is much quicker and will pull 27 - 28 MPG consistently on the freeway. A lot of this is driven by CAFE and EPS standards. As another poster stated most of these issues could be "programmed" out but then you'd be dealing with warranty issues.

I keep my cars about 4 years and drive about 10K a years which should keep me in the drive train warranty period. I feel very confident that I'll be fine within those parameters but would worry more if I were planing to keep the car for 100K.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Cameron27

I’ve read lots on the A8 transmission, but I feel like I’m missing something. It’s the only aspect about the car that I consider functionally concerning, in terms of potential long term problems. I hear a lot of people recommend the Camaro, and very few mention the odd performance on the A8 transmission. I asked a prominent dealer who posts on YouTube about his thoughts, and he said that the transmission can be quirky, and might be that way due to “aggressive gearing”.

My question is: How could the longevity of this transmission be affected by its odd performance, and how could he longevity of any other parts be affected? Sudden jolts every now and then don’t sound like positive things when it comes to a lasting car.

To clarify, here’s what I know about my A8 transmission on my 2017 Camaro (v6):
- In full auto mode, I get rarely any problems. Gear 2 can be a little sloppy when accelerating, or sometimes noticeably sloppy in a parking lot.
- In full auto mode, the car can slam into first from third when going up a hill slowly. Rare occasions, only once in 3000 miles so far, after break in period.
- In semi manual mode, gearing down is below average from 4th to 3rd if coasting or breaking.
- In semi manual mode, if coasting or breaking, gearing down from 3 to 2 is so bad that I don’t do it. The lag causes the car to speed up (it loses gear breaking from being in gear 3 and acts like it’s in neutral), and then it slams into gear 2 shaking the car. Sometimes it’s only bad, sometimes it makes me cringe.
- In semi manual mode, gearing down is fine if accelerating.
- Switching from park/neutral/drive can shake the car, like a bad gear shift. I’ve employed the parking break, switch to neutral, let off regular break, then switch to park strategy. But, this still seems odd and seems like a transmission quirk.

My second question is: Aside from the passive solution (get warranty work within 3 years if a problem arises), what active solutions have helped you thus far?

Originally Posted by LtColumbo

I'm pretty sure these are software issues that could be tuned out with "a proper" reprogramming (which unfortunately will void the warranty.)

In my experience, the symptoms you've described can be caused by

• Calibration issues, which could be software related as LtColumbo suggests
• Calibration issues related to sediment in the valve body. This was an issue in the 4L60, 4T60, 4T80, and other transmissions. I have firsthand experience with it in the transmissions I've listed and understood the issue in others when I was no longer directly involved. These sediment issues are part of the reason I am a stckler for adhering to break in schedules. It reduces the likelihood of metal shavings getting into parts of the engine and transmission early in the vehicle's life.
• Calibration issues related to the torque converter. There are Technical Service Bulletins that address torque converter issues. Your dealer would have those bulletins. (I used to run the part of GM that wrote service bulletins for engines, transmissions, and torque converters)

Any of these potential causes can be investigated and hopefully remedied by taking it to the dealer.

Hope that helps.

jlm

[k818mn1]

I think the A8 transmission is the worst part of the car. On my 2016 SS the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts in D are often awful at low throttle. But it's unpredictable; some days it's smooth, other days it's jerky as hell. Quite embarrassing if you have a passenger. I often drive in M to avoid the jerky gear changes - it shifts much better in M.
I had a 2013 SS A6 previously, and that had no problems at all.
Just recently I got the Torque Converter shuddering issue, and this week my dealer did the triple transmission flush and reset the computer. He told me the car would be in learning mode for a few hundred miles. At the moment it's shifting firmly but not jerking. I hope it continues that way.

[cmitchell17]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

In my experience, the symptoms you've described can be caused by

• Calibration issues, which could be software related as LtColumbo suggests
• Calibration issues related to sediment in the valve body. This was an issue in the 4L60, 4T60, 4T80, and other transmissions. I have firsthand experience with it in the transmissions I've listed and understood the issue in others when I was no longer directly involved. These sediment issues are part of the reason I am a stckler for adhering to break in schedules. It reduces the likelihood of metal shavings getting into parts of the engine and transmission early in the vehicle's life.
• Calibration issues related to the torque converter. There are Technical Service Bulletins that address torque converter issues. Your dealer would have those bulletins. (I used to run the part of GM that wrote service bulletins for engines, transmissions, and torque converters)

Any of these potential causes can be investigated and hopefully remedied by taking it to the dealer.

Hope that helps.

jlm

Is there a recommended early transmission fluid exchange? I only see the recommended one that's at something like 100k Or 150k? I wish I could remember how it shifted when new, but I believe it behaved the same as it does now.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

[WhiteNight]

You can't compare an Acura to this machine. Maybe you need a Buick or Cadillac.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by cmitchell17

Is there a recommended early transmission fluid exchange? I only see the recommended one that's at something like 100k Or 150k? I wish I could remember how it shifted when new, but I believe it behaved the same as it does now.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

There isn't specifically. It should be fill-for-life. But what we'd always recommended for dealer techs is

• If the torque converter comes off, replace fluid and flush the transmission cooler lines
• If customer complains of harsh shifts or excessive slipping, replace trans fluid and flush cooler lines IN ADDITION to whatever other diagnosis was involved (checking condition of fiber plates for slipping, checking valve body for sediment, stuck check balls, damaged springs and/or valves)
• Basically, if you open the box, replace the fluid and flush the cooler lines. You'd be surprised how many dealer techs replaced fluid without flushing the cooler lines. Also, some transmissions allow for removal of valve body without totally opening up the case, so we were pretty explicit in saying if you are examining the valve body, replace the fluid.

[Cameron27]

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[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by cmitchell17

Its like GM seems to think that clunks, slamming into gear, and other rough shifting dosent matter. My 8L80 does the same things. Downshifting while breaking it will sometimes clunk bad on the I think 4-3. The 3-4 is usually way harder than it needs to be. The worst part about it is the inconsistency.

As for you're question, even though it feels like over time it would fatigue and break parts, I wouldn't worry about it. I think the combination of the backlash and slop GM builds into the gears and the tuning they do that dosent emphasize drivability causes them to seem so unrefined and undividable.

Ive driven, 4L60's, Allisons, and 6L80s that have these exact same characteristics, but I may have not driven long enough other transmissions in cars made by other manufactures to really see if they have the same problems.

For as stiff a chassis and quite as the cabin is in the 6th gen, you can really notice the bad shift quality and driveline slack and it ruins the whole experience.

Just speaking to the part in bold....

This is not true. Transmission gears are machined to some of the most precise specs you'll find anywhere in the car. This is true not just of GM, but of any company that produces a marketable planetary automatic transmission. There is not a "gear" or pair of gears that meshed together give you 2nd gear, 3rd gear etc... What you have are a set of ratios that are achieved by the relative motion of planetary pinions in a carrier spinning around a pair of sun gears. What gear you are in is determined by the spin direction and speed ratio for the pinions relative to the sun gears. This is all executed hydraulically through the application and opening of multiple clutches and opening and closing of valves and oil channels.

Until this year, all Honda / Acura produced auto transmissions were layshaft (same principle as a manual) with a pair of gears that determined 2nd gear, another pair that engaged 3rd, etc. A couple years ago they started buying planetary transmissions from ZF, and now they make their own planetary transmissions. The original Saturn automatic transmissions were also layshaft transmissions. That's why GM was able to build the automatic and the manual transmission on the same line and fit them in the same transmission case. Most modern automatic transmissions are planetary in design, with very sophisticated hydraulic power flows managed through equally sophisticated electronic controls.

As for the precision of the gears, I've seen gears rejected because they were out of specification by the equivalent of a fraction of the width of a human hair. I've also seen transmissions trashed because of a single metal shaving, again smaller than the width of a human hair, getting lodged in the wrong channel of a valve body. Planetary transmission gears are ridiculously precise.