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I am about to take the plunge and hopefully purchase my first Corvette. I have my eye on a black on black '08 with the LS3 and 6 speed manual. While I have always been a manual trans kinda guy, I have seen the benefits of paddle shifters when driving.... aggressively. I think I read somewhere that they started putting paddle shifters in Corvettes in '06...? Anyway, my question is this... how exactly do they work? And by that I mean, is there some kind of mode you put the trans in to shift manually with the paddles? And when you do that, is the operation of the transmission more aggressive as in, the torque converter locks up at a certain rpm or torque input so if you're driving... aggressively again, it basically becomes a poor mans sequential shift transmission? I recently drove a V6, AWD version of a late model Ford Fusion and it had a paddle shift mode for it's transmission but I never really got to play with it. So I am wondering if I might have to reconsider my transmission choice for my first C6 purchase.
Welcome to the forum. The paddle shifters were indeed introduced with the introduction of the 6 speed auto in 2006.
I purchased a A6 with paddle shifters during that first year, mainly because I wanted to get away from a manual for reasons of road trips, and that possibly my wife could help drive
during our 80,000 miles of road trips to date.
The paddle shifters are put into play when the transmission is in S or Sports mode.
Basically, using the paddles is shifting the transmission from 1-6 at the RPM that you want to.
Most owners have configured the paddles to F1 type mode, where the left is for downshifting, and the right for upshifting. This is not the case from the factory, as the thumb paddle(ln both sides) is for upshifting and the finger or back if the paddles are for downshifting. This is simply accomplished by changing 2 wires on the right hand paddle.
The down side of the paddles is the delay from the push to the shift.
This can be fixed with an transmission tune. Bottom line is, it is not comparable to a manual in any sense of the word.
Without a tune, you would likely be disappointed with the paddles, compared to having a M6.
welcome to the forum and hopefully you do find the Corvette you want. I have owned 6 corvette including my 2007 I current own. I too have always been a manual transmission type, but with teh C6 I did go with the A6 mainly because the traffic where I live is so bad that many times with the M6 in my C5 I had trouble ever getting past 3rd gear.
Now with that said I also must advice you about the so called paddle shifters in the C6 and in my opinion GM really made a mess with them. They do not function as do other paddle shifters. By that I mean both are used to downshift and upshift. Once in the Sport mode if you pull either paddle the trans will downshift, to upshift, there are to small tabs on the top with a + sign on them and you push those to upshift.
Now with that said, there is a mod that explains how to convert the paddles to work as they should. Downshift on the left and upshift on the right. It involves removal of the steering wheel and switching two wires. To have a firm shift point you will need to have the transmission tuned to that action. I would also advice if you do that look at aftermarket billet paddles, as they will give you much more area of paddle to work with when driving then the little paddles.
When I purchased my C6, the previous owner had done some modes such as American Racing Headers, X-pipe with high flow cats and had a tune that included the trans. I converted the the paddle with the wiring mode and changed the stock paddles to longer billet paddles. I find them much more enjoyable then the stock when using the the paddles. You don't have to use the paddles in the sport mode, as the computer will hold the gears a little long then the standard shift points when aggressively driving. Also if you are using the paddles the trans will still downshift itself if you don't but will stop at second gear. Everything I have mentioned is of course based on the A6 with the LS2. I believe there were some things different on latter years.
Here is how my paddles look;
This is the wiring change, http://www.bratten.org/C6/Paddle/index.html. If you are a little concerned about removing the steering wheel just find a reliable Corvette shop. The only difference I did, was I did not fight to get the two wires unplugged. I simply cut them spliced them and used a shrink sleeve.
Welcome to the forum. The paddle shifters were indeed introduced with the introduction of the 6 speed auto in 2006.
I purchased a A6 with paddle shifters during that first year, mainly because I wanted to get away from a manual for reasons of road trips, and that possibly my wife could help drive
during our 80,000 miles of road trips to date.
The paddle shifters are put into play when the transmission is in S or Sports mode.
Basically, using the paddles is shifting the transmission from 1-6 at the RPM that you want to.
Most owners have configured the paddles to F1 type mode, where the left is for downshifting, and the right for upshifting. This is not the case from the factory, as the thumb paddle(ln both sides) is for upshifting and the finger or back if the paddles are for downshifting. This is simply accomplished by changing 2 wires on the right hand paddle.
The down side of the paddles is the delay from the push to the shift.
This can be fixed with an transmission tune. Bottom line is, it is not comparable to a manual in any sense of the word.
Without a tune, you would likely be disappointed with the paddles, compared to having a M6.
Hope this helps in your decision.
I would hazard to guess that the vast majority of A6 paddles are still configured exactly how GM did it.
The paddles work great for aggressive driving, especially if you have a tune so that shifts are speeded up and you eliminated all or most of the crippling torque management. It is definitely not like driving a manual, however. I rarely use the paddles in everyday driving, except to utilize downshifting when slowing for a red light, when I want to listen to the exhaust burble. They were perfect when I was on the NCM track last year.
IMHO, for the majority of drivers, the stock paddles are just fine. I use mine mostly for downshifting, I don’t track my car. I used to be a “stick” man myself, but with double knee replacements, the stock paddles are a great compromise.
YMMV.
I never use mine. I have shifted when I accidentally bumped the paddle with my hand.
Leave it in D and you won’t have that problem lol
I love mine and use them 90% of the time I drive it. I also did the conversion and put bigger paddles, also have a transmission tune, along with another mod or two
They are great and mine are still stock. It is ok when you get used to it since you can shift up or down with either paddle. Programming has changed over the years. In the 13 you can shift in drive or sport and it stays in manual until you turn it off by holding down the plus paddle or shifting to drive. It is nice to just put it in auto mode sometimes though especially if you have a bad hip or something.
I purchased the left side F1 converted module and installed it this spring. Rather than reverse the wires in the plug for the RH paddle module I decided to swap out the LH module that has been aftermarket converted to LH paddle downshift. By going that route it doesn't matter whether you pull on the paddle with your fingers or push with your thumb it does the same action LH paddle downshift and RH paddle upshift.
This summer I participated in a car club rally in a hilly area with lots of curves and switchbacks. After we stopped the car that was behind me commented that he thought my brake lights weren't working since he didn't see them come on as I slowed for the curves since I used the paddle shifters a lot to gear down and upshift.
All in all I'm quite happy with the conversion and didn't buy the larger paddles since my main complaint with the factory setup was that it made no sense and was counter intuitive resulting in some hair raising inadvertent downshifts past redline.
I purchased the left side F1 converted module and installed it this spring. Rather than reverse the wires in the plug for the RH paddle module I decided to swap out the LH module that has been aftermarket converted to LH paddle downshift. By going that route it doesn't matter whether you pull on the paddle with your fingers or push with your thumb it does the same action LH paddle downshift and RH paddle upshift.
This summer I participated in a car club rally in a hilly area with lots of curves and switchbacks. After we stopped the car that was behind me commented that he thought my brake lights weren't working since he didn't see them come on as I slowed for the curves since I used the paddle shifters a lot to gear down and upshift.
All in all I'm quite happy with the conversion and didn't buy the larger paddles since my main complaint with the factory setup was that it made no sense and was counter intuitive resulting in some hair raising inadvertent downshifts past redline.
Can you explain this mod? I use "manual" mode 100% of the time on the '08, but I wish it was like the the C7 with left pull down and right pull up. I've got 120,000 miles of (C7) muscle memory, and it's always a tough conscious thought to not down shift.
I have a 2008 LS3 Auto. I did the paddle shift change ( extensions and left "-" down shift right "+" up shift) and am glad I did. Works well and fun to use. I use paddles around town and shift into D on the freeway. You'll enjoy your Vette no matter what. I've enjoyed adding a A&A supercharger and rear wide body fenders with C8 duck bill rear spoiler.
I'll give my usual assessment on the lame C-6 paddles. They are no more than a novelty. They shift no better than a typical older factory floor shift auto. I'm sure they have been much improved in the later year Vettes and there are spose to be kits that allow one to improve a C-6 paddle performance. But I think the jury has been arguing that for a while. The C-6 paddles are great for the 18 - 25 year old bench racers that want to sit around talking about how great they work, but thats about it. And regardless of what you read or hear anywhere.....the paddles are no where near the same as, or have as much fun as a manual.
Leave it in D and you won’t have that problem lol
I love mine and use them 90% of the time I drive it. I also did the conversion and put bigger paddles, also have a transmission tune, along with another mod or two
I like your interior mods. What lid is that for the center console storage?
I'll give my usual assessment on the lame C-6 paddles. They are no more than a novelty. They shift no better than a typical older factory floor shift auto. I'm sure they have been much improved in the later year Vettes and there are spose to be kits that allow one to improve a C-6 paddle performance. But I think the jury has been arguing that for a while. The C-6 paddles are great for the 18 - 25 year old bench racers that want to sit around talking about how great they work, but thats about it. And regardless of what you read or hear anywhere.....the paddles are no where near the same as, or have as much fun as a manual.
Well I'm a 67 year old ex SCCA , PCA racer, and track instructor and I enjoy the paddles greatly on my 09. I have years of experience with Hewland racing manuals. Although I love doing the heel and toe downshifting with a manual, paddles are just as much fun for me when charging a corner. You can brake very late into a corner and be in the proper gear when applying power at the apex. Far tougher to do with a manual . Of course if you don't drive your C6 like a sports car then none of that would matter. Make no mistake this is no dual clutch trans however for a eleven year old paddle shifter its pretty decent and I'm very surprised how well the trans rev matches the downshifts. If there's one negative I would say the upshifts aren't as quick as I would like but overall I'm satisfied for this vintage of Corvette. I have no problem with where the paddles are although it would be better if downshifts were on the left upshifts on the right. Might be something I may do at some point.
Can you explain this mod? I use "manual" mode 100% of the time on the '08, but I wish it was like the the C7 with left pull down and right pull up. I've got 120,000 miles of (C7) muscle memory, and it's always a tough conscious thought to not down shift.
thanks.
The mod involves purchasing a Left Side modified paddle shift assembly from one of the vendors and replacing the existing LH paddle shift module or switch. These have been modified internally from their original factory configuration so it is a plug and play conversion. With the modified unit installed the LH paddle is dedicated downshift only and the RH is upshift only no matter whether you push on it with your thumb or pull on it with your fingers. I purchased my F1 paddle shift mod from the vendor Zip-Corvette. The entire installation can be done in 20 minutes and the trickiest part is taking the Air Bag assembly off of the steering wheel to gain access. The trick is locating and depressing the release release points since it's a matter of going by feel working through small holes in the side of the steering wheels base.
As for the wiring mod and installing the longer/wider shifter levers, her is the low down. You never want to drive with your thumbs wrapped inside the wheel nor put them in the inside of the wheel any where near the spokes of the steering wheel. If you catch the steep bank of an apex corner, or anything else where the steering wheel is going to kick, it going to end up with you breaking one of your thumbs (direction that the wheel kicks to slam into your thumb). Hence on factory button look at where your hands needs to be to press the buttons inward,and with your hands there, where your thumbs are going to end back up.
So for shifting since again, never stick your thumbs in near the spoke of the wheel to grab the wheel, you always want to use your finger tips to pull the levers to shift up and down instead. So conventional set up, it to have the right lever on pull upshift the car, and left lever on pull, downshift the car. As for OEM levers, would have you shifting the car with your pinkies since with your hands are in the 2 and 10 position, and this is why you install the longer/wider shift levers isntead.
And note, when you go to snap the never levers back in, put a little delectric grease on the end buttons and clip socket channels. If you leave the plastic dry, the levers will become rougher to pull after a while of use. Also, little dielectric grease on the spring and bullet as well.
I'll give my usual assessment on the lame C-6 paddles. They are no more than a novelty. They shift no better than a typical older factory floor shift auto. I'm sure they have been much improved in the later year Vettes and there are spose to be kits that allow one to improve a C-6 paddle performance. But I think the jury has been arguing that for a while. The C-6 paddles are great for the 18 - 25 year old bench racers that want to sit around talking about how great they work, but thats about it. And regardless of what you read or hear anywhere.....the paddles are no where near the same as, or have as much fun as a manual.
I wonder if you know how to use them if you think they work no better than the old floor-shift auto. Granted, a tune (which I've had done) makes them execute the gear change quicker, which makes them even better.
Do pay attention to nplenzick and do buy the extended paddles and do execute the F1 mod so right side pull is upshift and left side pull is downshift. It isn't manual shift but if you are ever in stop in go traffic or ever want to share your car with others, it's a pretty good option. One reason that Corvettes are great is because they have torque all over the place and you don't have to keep them in a peak powerband - not for fun HPDE track days anyway. The manual downshifts will let you keep the transmission where you want to be coming out of curves and if you avoid "tunes" they won't let you make a big mistake.
10-07-2020, 11:36 PM
C6 paddle shifters
