AFVETTE

I'm looking to get back into a Corvette after 6 month absence and I'm faced with the age old dilemma Corvette enthusiast have dwelled on since the automatic transmission was first introduced to the Corvette that being M6 vs A6. I'm keenly interested in a 08 since that seems to be a watershed year for upgrades/improvements plus I'm ga ga over JSB.

What got me thinking about the A6 was the article in the recent Corvette Quarterly mag I just received.

But looking at the on-line pdf version of the 06 and 07 Owner's Manual I'm confused by this statement:

Manual Paddle Shift
While in the SPORT MODE (S) position, the
paddles located on the steering wheel, can be
used to manually up-shift or down-shift the
transmission.
While in the SPORT MODE (S) mode, push the
paddle above the steering wheel spokes to up-shift
to the next gear, or pull on the paddle behind
the steering wheel spokes to down-shift to the
next gear. page 97 from the 2007 Owners Manual

On - Above which is it???

Are there "two separate" sets of paddles? Why do both paddles display a + sign yet no - sign? Aside from the "programming tweaks made to the 08 A6, could there be any other upgrades/changes planned for the A6 in 09?

Thanks in advance

MNVette

Each paddle does exactly the same thing. You see the + sign on each because if you tap that portion of either paddle, you will up shift. There is a - sign on the lower portion, but you cannot see it. The car has 2 paddles that do the same thing because GM felt that's the way customers wanted it. ZIP Products sells a conversion kit for $169 to make it the way most cars do it. I don't know of any other changes for 2009.

mcwire

You switch to "sport mode" with the shift lever, that is on the center console. -- --

mcwire

To better explain - I believe both statements, in the manual are true. -- There is a paddle on the right side of the steering wheel, and another on the left. This allows you to shift with either hand. -- As to the + and -, The + appears on the top side, which is in view when you look at the steering/paddle(s). -- Since you use the same paddles to down shift, you pull them up, and therefore, you can not see the bottom side of the paddles, i.e. no - sign in view. -- Hope I didn't confuse you. -- If so, let me know.

AFVETTE

Thanks for all the replies and "mentoring" for this old gear jammer.

I like the concept of the A6 and will have to arrange to test drive one. I'm also interested in how the A6 responds to exhaust mods, I had the Borla Sports aka Stingers on my 06 M6 and my wife and I really had no "drone" or "resonance" issues.

I may have to start another thread to address that.

Again thanks to all that responded.

talon90

Tom,

Here is a visual for you. Hold out you hand like you are about to shake someone's hand. Now, shake hands with the steering wheel. Place your fingers around the outside of the wheel and wrap your thumb to the inside of the wheel.

If you wrap your fingers around the wheel with your thumbs sticking out you are ready to press the gear + key located at the top of the center airbag portion of the wheel. There is a plus key on both the left and right sides in this location.

Now, grab the wheel like you were holding a bottle of beer. Your thumb is now wrapped around the wheel and your fingers are curled behind the wheel. You are now ready to press the "-" key which is located out of sight behind the airbag portion of the wheel on the left and right sides near the steering wheel. The plus key on top will upshift to the next gear. The minus sign will downshift to the next lower gear.

These levers are located on the wheel so that if you are driving and turning with your hands at 10'oclock and 2'oclock you will always be at the shifting locations. Unlike the stationary levers mounted on the hub behind the wheel.

Not sure if that helped or not.

Paul

HawaiiC6

Simpliest way to explain push to upshift and pull to downshift, left or right does not matter. To get to the sport mode, pull the center counsole lever all the way down to "S" then tap the steering wheel paddle to engage the paddles, if you don't the car will shift automatically but will hold the shifts longer.

RRVettes

Good analogy Paul. The shifters become second nature in short order. The only gotcha is not hitting the - (down-shift) by mistake. Did that once and went from 3rd to 2nd instead of up-shifting to 4th. Got may attention quick and good thing I wasn't revving high RPMs when I did it. I don't know if software control of the AT would have prevented me from down-shifting in error at high RPMs.

AFVETTE

Paul from your written word I can see my hands on the steering wheel working the paddles and it seems so "right". Guess you can teach an "old dog new tricks".

Now I'm just waiting to see what's new with the 09's before I go shopping for a JSB A6.

Cheers

Tom

pakora

Put this together for ya!

AFVETTE

Man you guys are making my decision easy. Plus I just got off the phone with a club buddy that has an 06 A6 and he agreed to let me have his car this coming Sat (weather permitting) to play around.

I took a peek at the ZIP F1 paddle mod, can't say for sure if that's better, but it's another option to consider.

There's nothing like the Corvette brotherhood.

Tom

carnut08

On Saturday's drive keep in mind the improvements that have been made for '08 that you won't be able to experience.

Aside from quicker manual shifts, the thing I like most is the way the '08 tranny automatically 'blips' the throttle on downshifts to match engine revs perfectly to the lower gear. That feature is really something to experience! No human can downshift that beautifully every time! The Corvette A6 is a wonderful thing!

AFVETTE

After reading about the transmission improvements GM made on the 08's the A6 suddenly became a serious option for me. I'll keep these differences in mind should his 06 not live up to my expectations.

Tom

LarryMJones

The paddle shifts are a neat touch, but frankly just leave it in "D" and let your foot control the shift points.
If you need to down shift to the lowest available gear without over reving just mash on it, the auto will downshift just fine. If you only need moderate acceleration just mash lightly and it will downshift just enough.
I suspect that at very low speed you can select almost any gear you want with the throttle only. It's not like an older 3 speed auto with only one downshift available.
But, I could be wrong, about how many gears will select on light application of throttle. But a full mash on the throttle will get the lowest available without question.
LJ
LJ

Evilways

Not really an improvement on the tranny(A6). Here's my post from earlier:

I don't how many here still recieve the "Corvette Quarterly" mag, but buried in the back of the current issue, the engineers from GM talk about the current transmisions in the LS3 C6s. A little point stuck out to me and it was as follows:
(in the A6) "To quicken upshifts,we implemented a strategy called Torque Management...a momentary reuction in the amount of engine output shortens the torque phase of each commanded upshift. The net result is a 25% faster response." "Since minimal TM is used when the transmission handles upshifts automatically,the sport mode should be used if the driver's priority is flat out acceleration."
So, what I gather from it is this: to satisfy the demand for a quicker response from the paddle shifting feature, rather than actually improve the current software or hardware, GM just put a larger handicap on the LS3's torque output.Those of you who have asked your dealership for the current A6 programming for the 05-07's just added more TM to your tranny for a minor improvement on response time of your paddles.[/

AFVETTE

I'm not so concerned about "planting my right foot and blowing the doors of some kid in a Mustang", I'm more concerned with how the A6 responds on a road course like Road America where I tracked my 06 M6.

I need to be able to down shift from 5th to 3rd from 155 MPH and not have the transmission misbehave locking the rear wheels. It needs to be seemless - as if I "heel and toed' a downshift with a manual. That's the true test for me.

But thanks for the info.

carnut08

"Trail braking" as you downshift with the paddles is particularly nice with the '08 A6, because you aren't trying to do three things at once with your two feet. You can get right back on the throttle as you exit the turn, because you'll already be in your selected gear and the engine will be rev matched and ready to rock.

You cannot, however, drop from 5th to 3rd by skipping 4th. It'll do the deed just fine, but you've got to learn its cadence and let it hit 4th for a second and then drop another gear. You'll have plenty of time to complete the gear change as you're off throttle entering the turn. The '08 takes care of the throttle blip. Your test in an '06 might not be able to demonstrate this to your satisfaction due to the slower downshifts and the lack of the throttle blip.

LarryMJones

Thats the way everyone used to drive on a road course. Recently the good ole boys in NASCAR learned a few things from the Ron Fellows types sitting in on the Road course races. With modern brakes you don't need to downshift for braking going into a turn. Brake as hard as necessary, and then change gears and accelerate exiting the corner. Downshifting is hard on engines and not necessary.
From what the road course commentator experts said on the last couple of road courses, the NASCAR oval trackers have been coached by the road racing guys to drive this way. Their times have improved significantly and with fewer blown engines.
It's all about modern brakes, 10 years ago the brakes wouldn't hold up so engine braking was required, not anymore.
LJ

carnut08

That's what I meant by "trail braking". Brake pads are way cheaper than driveline components!

siffert

Actually, you should put it in "S" mode, not D. It upshifts near or at redline in S mode as opposed to about 5800-6000 rpm in "D" mode.