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Old 01-16-2021, 03:45 PM   #1
rs4eva
 
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A10 transmission reliability and performance on track

I am debating on whether or not to try the A10 SS 1LE for a dedicated track car. A friend who has a manual said he heard the ZL1 A10s have had reliability issues when tracked. Can anyone comment first-hand experience good or bad.
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Old 01-16-2021, 04:50 PM   #2
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GREAT TRANS

I think they are an AWESOME trans for track. I road race my 2019 SS 1LE regularly and in track mode it always seems to keep the car in the power band. As far a durability, I know AMP has has great success with them even at the 900-950 RWHP area in PURE STOCK form.

I never had an overheating issue even with 5-6 20 minute track sessions on the same day.
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Old 01-16-2021, 05:47 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rs4eva View Post
I am debating on whether or not to try the A10 SS 1LE for a dedicated track car. A friend who has a manual said he heard the ZL1 A10s have had reliability issues when tracked. Can anyone comment first-hand experience good or bad.
There haven't been any serious, endemic A10 issues posted in these forums since 2017. Also, while it's obviously a tiny sample, but everyone I know personally that has an A10 ZL1 had zero issues, plus the service manager at the dealership I have a great relationship with only recalled A8 repairs on many GM cars and trucks, but no A10 issues.

IIRC the issue your friend may have heard about was that some came overfilled from the factory and people had weird a 4-5 shift that stretched out to 1.5-2 seconds and was clunky, but that's pretty much all I remember, it was an easy fix.

The A10 is the best torque converted automatic trans GM has ever produced, there's no need to worry.
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Old 01-17-2021, 07:27 AM   #4
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A10 is fantastic on track.
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Old 01-17-2021, 08:37 AM   #5
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Thanks for the feedback.
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Old 01-17-2021, 09:22 AM   #6
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rs4eva
I came from an MM6 in a 1LE and wanted the A10 because all of the 'authorities' said that they were magic on the track and best left in auto mode because they were so wonderful.

I read somewhere on here that GM recommended that the trans be left in D to avoid overheating and to not manually shift it when on track. I have not found any official statement from GM to support that.

I have to admit that i was slightly disappointed with it's ability to pick the correct gear when going through tight multiple corners. It would upshift and i would either need to brush the brakes or carry less speed through the series. Yeah, I know it is a minor thing, but it drove me nuts.
I really missed the control i had with the manual.
I finally made the decision to manually shift the car one weekend. I couldn't be happier. I now have the control i was missing and my lap times improved.
This is a fantastic package, LT4 and A10. I'd do it again.

As an aside, I swapped to the ZLE trans pan and have not had any overheat or shifting funkiness that a couple of folks have mentioned.
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Old 01-17-2021, 11:07 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by h018871 View Post
rs4eva
I came from an MM6 in a 1LE and wanted the A10 because all of the 'authorities' said that they were magic on the track and best left in auto mode because they were so wonderful.

I read somewhere on here that GM recommended that the trans be left in D to avoid overheating and to not manually shift it when on track. I have not found any official statement from GM to support that.

I have to admit that i was slightly disappointed with it's ability to pick the correct gear when going through tight multiple corners. It would upshift and i would either need to brush the brakes or carry less speed through the series. Yeah, I know it is a minor thing, but it drove me nuts.
I really missed the control i had with the manual.
I finally made the decision to manually shift the car one weekend. I couldn't be happier. I now have the control i was missing and my lap times improved.
This is a fantastic package, LT4 and A10. I'd do it again.

As an aside, I swapped to the ZLE trans pan and have not had any overheat or shifting funkiness that a couple of folks have mentioned.
How is the quickness of the shifts when you shift manually? Are they as quick as when it is in full auto?
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Old 01-17-2021, 07:44 PM   #8
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I had a ZL1 A10, and pretty much only used it for track days in 2020. Did ~12 days, including Barber in Aug, Road ATL in Sep, and some mid-summer hot TNIA’s. I track with a friend who has M6 ZLE.

Performance wise, it will pull the M6 on straights, and there are very few points where the shifting algorithms got it wrong. My issue was heat. I had overheating problems twice, with a GM dealer service in between. Based on member feedback here, I suspected overfilling. I opened the drain plug myself trackside with trans temp ~235 and got over a liter of fluid out - it was overfilled; and that was the root of my problem. After that it seemed to take all the beating I could throw at it. That weekend I was codriving the car, so it had ~7hrs of track time. Once we pulled fluid, it was FIXED.

My point: these dealers don’t know how to service these things properly. I doubt they follow the spec to check temp at 220*. Also, the track maintenance interval of 15hrs is troublesome. That’s 2 track weekends, especially if you’re co-driving any of those (which my group often does). Finally, even after I got the overheating solved, my automatic was running ENG oil temps 10-15* hotter than a comparable ZLE M6. Could be more cooling area in ZLE; but I suspect the A10 heat output reduces efficiency of all the rest of the coolers.

TL;DR: I had a ZL1 A10; just traded for an M6 ZLE yesterday. But the A10 is truly an amazing piece of tech. It won’t hold you back, but it will require more maintenance; and you’re better off doing that maintenance yourself.
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Old 01-17-2021, 08:17 PM   #9
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Worst issue is if the fluid is not at the correct level for track use. If you get it set properly there are no problems. My '17 has 7500 track miles.
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Old 01-18-2021, 08:04 AM   #10
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Quote:
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Worst issue is if the fluid is not at the correct level for track use. If you get it set properly there are no problems. My '17 has 7500 track miles.



^^^this.
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Old 01-18-2021, 01:59 PM   #11
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Any thoughts on the SS not having enough cooling as compared to the ZL1?
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Old 01-18-2021, 07:06 PM   #12
h018871
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdb95z28 View Post
How is the quickness of the shifts when you shift manually? Are they as quick as when it is in full auto?
It's seems quicker in D, but really hard to tell because the trans plans for itself and just bangs out the gears, but always shifts at the red line. I was shifting when the first yellow light came on in the HUD and it shifted before red.....It's just a training thing. I'm doing it by ear now, so no longer looking at the HUD. Don't get me wrong, it's not like you're waiting on it, you hit the paddle and it shifts.
If you're shifting yourself, there's time spent for your eye seeing a desired RPM, then that message getting processed by your brain, then the signal to your fingers to pull the paddle, then the trans recognizing the command and executing it. All that takes time, I suspect I'm taking up the majority of the time "to shift". In D, it just happens.
I've not driven a Porsche, so to me the A10 is like lightning. If drag racing, I'd leave it in D......only because it would be repeatable.

A bit long winded, but I hope it's not too muddied
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Old 01-18-2021, 08:59 PM   #13
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SS vs. ZL1

Quote:
Originally Posted by rs4eva View Post
Any thoughts on the SS not having enough cooling as compared to the ZL1?
Yeah, The SS actually doesnt have some of the heat issues relative to the ZL1 simply because BOOST causes heat and the more boost cause even more heating issues and the possibility then of the ECU pulling timing out because of the increased air intake temperatures.

I NEVER had any type of overheating issues with my SS A10 EVER. PLus the SS is roughly 250 pounds LIGHTER than a ZL1. All that being said a properly modifed SS can make 580-600 RWHP so at that point in time, the power comparison is mute.

Now I had a ZL1 1LE for short period of time but because it was a MISERABLE daily driver, I got rid of it after 4 months. I didnt track the ZL1 much at all but the SS I do frequently. I DID do some mods on the SS to improve the handling including SG3 suspension, 1LE sway bars, Camber plates and FOUR Apex 19 x 10.5 wheels with 305 30 19 tires all the way around.
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Eagles Canyon Raceway 2.7 CCW Below
https://youtu.be/c9M5UHDftcA
4-15-23 at SCCA TT U1 Class

MEGA Thread on THIS car:
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=602092

Retired Cars BELOW:
1973 Camaro, 1969 Camaro, 1969 Camaro SS RS
2010 Camaro SS with 1000HP F1R, 2019 ZL1 1LE A10
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Old 01-19-2021, 08:50 AM   #14
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Now I had a ZL1 1LE for short period of time but because it was a MISERABLE daily driver, I got rid of it after 4 months.
Miserable in what respect(s)?


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