[TheRealJA105]

Originally Posted by Tremek

Nah, not true. There's significant thresholds in (at least the 6L80/90e series) where they won't downshift and rev the motor over say 5k rpm in circumstances where TC is also doing its thing, or other circumstances where (for example) in a manual you could do a skip shift of going from 2nd to 5th or 6th on your own - if the auto thinks the road speed is too low for the gear, it will similarly deny that.



I'd love to drive one but sadly Chevy dealers think a $60-70k car is somehow a priceless exotic and I haven't found a local joint willing to toss me the keys yet. Interestingly a few years back I convinced a local dealer to let me drive a SS 1LE that hadn't even fully gone through PDI (I think it had 3 miles when I got in it) that I took up into our foothills, and between that + a rental 6th gen SS (auto, 8 speed) I flogged in a hill climb after my V's front main seal died I'm pretty sure I have some performance context in the Alpha platform from which to draw upon.

Unless the 10 speed is telepathic and programmed with BMW M-series levels of aggressive preemptive downshifts while braking (call me skeptical) I suspect it's still going to be a day late and a dollar short in many scenarios, however, I'd love to be proven wrong.

Your 6 speed auto is outdated, your minimal experience is highly lacking, and apparently you haven't read or watched any track reviews of any 6th gen auto.

[Tremek]

Originally Posted by gotswap

I drove up to Ed Bozarth at Park Meadows last weekend. They tossed me the keys and said let's go for a drive. Did about 8-10 miles and I was pretty impressed with the ZL1 A10. That being said it was cold as hell and I didn't really get on it.

Nice, that's super close to me. I used to take my G8 GXP to them for oil changes. I may need to go visit once we get a warm day.

It was Stevenson Chevrolet out in Golden that let me run around in the SS 1LE a few years back - for what its worth they were pretty relaxed about it at the time.

[Tremek]

Originally Posted by TheRealJA105

Your 6 speed auto is outdated, your minimal experience is highly lacking, and apparently you haven't read or watched any track reviews of any 6th gen auto.

I don't think you read very closely. I don't have a 6 speed auto anymore - sold it - I have put over 100 full-throttle miles on a 6th gen SS 8 speed auto in a hill climb - and I have in fact watched and read reviews, such as those where professional reviewers write things like:

Originally Posted by Car & Driver

Not to mention that downshifts in this mode feel significantly slower and clunkier than when the gearbox is left to its own devices. Engineers did attempt to address the tedium of toggling through six or seven or ten gears by writing code that jumps to the lowest possible gear when you hold the left shift paddle, but we found the system to be wildly inconsistent. Sometimes the downshift was nearly instantaneous. At other times, whole seconds passed before the shift occurred. And sometimes, inexplicably, there was no shift at all, no matter how long we held the paddle.

Source: Car and Driver ZL1 10 Speed Auto Review

Pull your head out of the brand-loyal RDF, there's real data out there indicating there's still a lot of ground to cover.

[Sooner Cole]

Originally Posted by Tremek

I don't think you read very closely. I don't have a 6 speed auto anymore - sold it - I have put over 100 full-throttle miles on a 6th gen SS 8 speed auto in a hill climb - and I have in fact watched and read reviews, such as those where professional reviewers write things like:



Source: Car and Driver ZL1 10 Speed Auto Review

Pull your head out of the brand-loyal RDF, there's real data out there indicating there's still a lot of ground to cover.

three things:
1. that article is from February 2017
2. the A10 in the ZLE has different calibrations, so does the differential, it also has an additional cooler
3. it is obvious the ZLE A10 is not for you, so move along

[Ten4Lou]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

I think this tranny will deliver.

I concur. In track mode, this 10-spd aggressively downshifts while I’m braking, even more so into turns. It’s like it knows how I would be shifting if I were driving a manual. I wonder if the programming is using algorithms based on inputs from the accelerometer to determine optimal shifting??

However it does it, this thing is wild and always seems to be in the powerband. I traded a 2014 Camaro SS manual for this car and I do not miss the manual one bit. 10 speed is like no other tranny I’ve ever driven. I was told the 10-spd was intuitive but I did not believe it until I test drove it. Car had 3 miles on it when I test drove it. I put about 19 miles on it during the test drive and that’s all it took for me to fall in love with the 10-spd programming.

If the 10-spd in the ZLE has programming that is as aggressive (or even more) than my ZL1, it’s going to be mean!!

[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by Ten4Lou

I concur. In track mode, this 10-spd aggressively downshifts while I’m braking, even more so into turns. It’s like it knows how I would be shifting if I were driving a manual. I wonder if the programming is using algorithms based on inputs from the accelerometer to determine optimal shifting??

However it does it, this thing is wild and always seems to be in the powerband. I traded a 2014 Camaro SS manual for this car and I do not miss the manual one bit. 10 speed is like no other tranny I’ve ever driven. I was told the 10-spd was intuitive but I did not believe it until I test drove it. Car had 3 miles on it when I test drove it. I put about 19 miles on it during the test drive and that’s all it took for me to fall in love with the 10-spd programming.

If the 10-spd in the ZLE has programming that is as aggressive (or even more) than my ZL1, it’s going to be mean!!

I can’t wait to beat up on it. Thanks.

[DANACO]

Originally Posted by Tremek

Nice, that's super close to me. I used to take my G8 GXP to them for oil changes. I may need to go visit once we get a warm day.

It was Stevenson Chevrolet out in Golden that let me run around in the SS 1LE a few years back - for what its worth they were pretty relaxed about it at the time.

I bought my ZL1A10 from Stevenson in Golden, they would not let me drive until they new I was serious about purchasing it, I showed up like three times before !

[Tremek]

Question about the A10: In the official Chevy track prep PDF (page 4) I notice they recommend changing the A10's ATF after every track session. What kind of unicorn blood is required for that, and what does a dealer's flush cost? Are any of you actually doing this? If you don't, will the service writers get uppity and try and void the warranty?

[gotswap]

(DEXRON® ULV Automatic Transmission Fluid) as listed

As long as you document with receipts, mileage and time, you are safe

[TheRealJA105]

Originally Posted by Tremek

I don't think you read very closely. I don't have a 6 speed auto anymore - sold it - I have put over 100 full-throttle miles on a 6th gen SS 8 speed auto in a hill climb - and I have in fact watched and read reviews, such as those where professional reviewers write things like:



Source: Car and Driver ZL1 10 Speed Auto Review

Pull your head out of the brand-loyal RDF, there's real data out there indicating there's still a lot of ground to cover.

Dude literally read any other paragraph in that same article and I don't think anyone uses the hold the left paddle downshift method on the track anyways

[KaneZ2800]

Does anyone have dates that the new 1LE's with the A10's will be showing up on dealer floors?

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by KaneZ2800

Does anyone have dates that the new 1LE's with the A10's will be showing up on dealer floors?

~8 weeks give or take a week or two.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Tremek

Nah, not true. There's significant thresholds in (at least the 6L80/90e series) where they won't downshift and rev the motor over say 5k rpm in circumstances where TC is also doing its thing, or other circumstances where (for example) in a manual you could do a skip shift of going from 2nd to 5th or 6th on your own - if the auto thinks the road speed is too low for the gear, it will similarly deny that.

I have yet to experience this in the A10 that is in the ZL1.

Originally Posted by Tremek

I'd love to drive one but sadly Chevy dealers think a $60-70k car is somehow a priceless exotic and I haven't found a local joint willing to toss me the keys yet. Interestingly a few years back I convinced a local dealer to let me drive a SS 1LE that hadn't even fully gone through PDI (I think it had 3 miles when I got in it) that I took up into our foothills, and between that + a rental 6th gen SS (auto, 8 speed) I flogged in a hill climb after my V's front main seal died I'm pretty sure I have some performance context in the Alpha platform from which to draw upon.

And rightly so. This isn't a priceless exotic, but it also isn't a base model Camry either. It is a very expensive car and the top trim Camaro. They aren't gonna let you test drive one unless you are already approved for the financing and it is all signed for or you put down a sizable down payment and are definitely interested in buying one. Even then the test drive will be to make sure the vehicle you'll be driving home is mechanically sound. They don't want people going for joyrides. And they also don't want sincere buyers seeing 300 miles on a brand new $70K vehicle. So you gotta understand your chances to test drive one are very slim. Maybe if the dealership was having trouble moving a particular ZLE and were desperate to get you to sign they'd offer a test drive. But not likely.

BTW, the SLE you test drove...did you buy it? If not then that is why they don't just let people test drive the ZL1.

Originally Posted by Tremek

Unless the 10 speed is telepathic and programmed with BMW M-series levels of aggressive preemptive downshifts while braking (call me skeptical) I suspect it's still going to be a day late and a dollar short in many scenarios, however, I'd love to be proven wrong.

The A10 IS telepathic. At least it seems like it is. This thing predicts what you're gonna do and it has an instantaneous response time. Any little input into the throttle and the trans is ready to slam your head back into the cushion. And I'd put my money that the A10 in the ZL1 is on par with the best transmissions on the planet. Seriously, the trans makes this car what it is. I would not have bought it if it did not have the A10 and now that I do have one (standard ZL1 that is) I can say it was worth it. If you somehow think that the A10 will not live up to your expectations then I gotta tell ya, you're wrong.

[Checkmate1]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

I have yet to experience this in the A10 that is in the ZL1.

And rightly so. This isn't a priceless exotic, but it also isn't a base model Camry either. It is a very expensive car and the top trim Camaro. They aren't gonna let you test drive one unless you are already approved for the financing and it is all signed for or you put down a sizable down payment and are definitely interested in buying one. Even then the test drive will be to make sure the vehicle you'll be driving home is mechanically sound. They don't want people going for joyrides. And they also don't want sincere buyers seeing 300 miles on a brand new $70K vehicle. So you gotta understand your chances to test drive one are very slim. Maybe if the dealership was having trouble moving a particular ZLE and were desperate to get you to sign they'd offer a test drive. But not likely.

BTW, the SLE you test drove...did you buy it? If not then that is why they don't just let people test drive the ZL1.

The A10 IS telepathic. At least it seems like it is. This thing predicts what you're gonna do and it has an instantaneous response time. Any little input into the throttle and the trans is ready to slam your head back into the cushion. And I'd put my money that the A10 in the ZL1 is on par with the best transmissions on the planet. Seriously, the trans makes this car what it is. I would not have bought it if it did not have the A10 and now that I do have one (standard ZL1 that is) I can say it was worth it. If you somehow think that the A10 will not live up to your expectations then I gotta tell ya, you're wrong.

The A10 is NOT telepathic. You should drive a PDK transmission and report back on how well that transmission works.

The A10 is only a slightly better version of the A8 found in the Corvettes. I drove a ZL1 A10 on back roads and the verdict is this - the computer is always trying to learn YOU and decides when to shift.

It was frustrating at times with constant 'SHIFT DENIED' messages being thrown at me. You are instantly hit with the realization that the driver is not in control.

P.s. I am an advanced HPDE driver so I wasn't shifting or chucking in the car unnecessarily.

The only chance an Automatic can get to being 'telepathic' is getting to a Dual Clutch.

All that A10 does for the ZL1 1LE is pander to the masses and Add Weight which further dilutes this car. The A10 is is simply a reinforced torque convertor transmission.

Al Oppenheiser was dead against having an Auto in this car for all the reasons stated above.