dahogan

Never, but it was fun using them at Spring Mountain.

Sin City

99.9% of the time Paddle shift. The only time I put it in auto is long highway trips to get into V4 mode. If you're just cruising down the freeway, you don't shift anyway.

Sin City

I like the Ferrari method better, particularly when shifting while turning. But most paddle shifts (including McLaren) are doing this steering wheel method. Even my Alfa 4c has paddles on the wheel and not the column.

IMO Ferrari have done it the best with the best feel but I can use the C8 without any issues. Just a little getting used to.

wbrands

I mostly use auto but go to the temporary manual mode pulling a paddle to downshift for curves frequently, so I don't get the jarring downshift when accelerating out of them. I like this DCT so much better than the A8 in my C7 that it doesn't make me miss the M6's in my previous cars.

For the manual only and mostly crowd with trouble with the 1-2 shift and turns, when using manual mode, I only notice this problem when turning from a stop sign or light. My solution has been a quick 1-2 shift almost as soon as the wheels start rolling and before the steering wheel gets out of position. Unless you are going for a 0 to 60 run, first gear is so low that I (you) really don't need it for normal, even spirited, street driving.

madrob2020

First I don’t have a C8 however I’ve had several sports cars with paddles. If you are driving your “sports car” as designed your hands should be exactly where the paddles are located “on the STEERING wheel”. Your hands don’t have to move while aggressively driving unless you’re making a U turn. I’ve owned 3 C7s, C5, CTS-V, Nissan 370Z, etc, & attended Spring Mountain twice & they were adamant your hands are at 9 & 3, not 2 & 4 or with only one hand on the wheel. True if you are simply out for a leisurely “drive” your hands will be where they are comfortable, as are mine, but for driving like sports cars are made for & aggressively pushing it thru numerous curves, then the paddles are exactly where your hands are for control on most sports cars. JMO of course.🍻

Myfourth1

Manual in z mode 95% of the time....love paddles.....

frankjr

And in manual/paddles it does the downshifts for you, great feature.

AzDave47

So you are saying if you drive the C8 in manual mode, the car automatically does all the downshifts for you? Isn't that what the automated modes are for?

frankjr

Yes manual mode does do auto downshifts but you can manually downshift if you prefer. Which I sometimes do for spirited driving

JerryU

Not at the rpm's I downshifted my C7 Z51 or C7 Grand Sport or my prior 3 Vettes! Sure it downshifts OR THE ENGINE WOULD STALL! BTW it never upshifts even if you're at WOT it will hit the rev limited at ~35 mph in 1st. That's like hitting a wall. The C8 like the C7 shuts of all fuel to the Direct Injectors!

That is one reason after driving in Manual Mode a month, to get always having DDs for 60 years with a 3rd pedal out of my system, I changed. I now use Z-Mode Powertrain set to Track. Unlike driving in Track I have my Ride set to Sport, you could choose Touring. I have my steering set to Sport- just my choice. In that mode it upshifts and downshifts at a higher rom than Touring or Sport. About where I shifted my C7s. With aggressive braking it downshifts at high rpm, rev matches and does that in two gears in the blink of an eye. Otherwise upshift and downshift rpm are dependent on the amount of throttle and braking. Very civilized when using modest amounts of both.

Now when I leave the stop sign at the end of the rural road I live on and merge into ~70 mph traffic on a 4-lane divided highway I can use WOT with the wheel turned and NOT have to find the out-of-position Paddle to shift out of 1st! The rev limiter cuts in at ~35 mph in 1st in the blink of an eye!

I do use the paddles when just cruising as Z Mode won't shift past 5th until about 72 mph. So, if following traffic, I pull the upshift paddle and use whatever gear is logical, 6th, 7th or 8th (but 8th is very seldom.) I also use My Mode set to Sport where it will go in all gears and V4.

Lacquer

As JerryU mentioned, In manual mode it will only downshift as you are coming to a stop, basically if you forgot to downshift coming to a stop so the car wont hurt the clutch(s) trying to move forward when you apply gas again..

AzDave47

frankjr implied the C* DCT does all the downshifting for you,in manual mode, not just to prevent serious lugging of the engine. My 2003 BMW M3 with the SMG would also not allow lugging the engine in automated or manual mode. I don't see why anyone driving in manual mode would just wait for the engine to downshift because it was lugging.

BJ67

IMO, driving in manual mode all the time or even part time gets to be a pita very quickly. Driving in track mode all the time gets annoying also ....again IMO

BJ67

The down shifts are not the issue, The car will down 1 gear at a time as you slow down, the car will down shift on the highway like if your cruising at 65 mph and your speed drops to 60, and lets say for discussion it drops out of 8th gear into 7th, you normall do not feel that down shift and you pick up the speed again to 65 or 70, you have to remember to manually up shift. If your driving around town, same thing, you will find yourself in lower gears all the time or have to pay attention to constantly up shift. One other annoyance, at every dead stop you make at a light, when you take off I personally do not always remember I have to up shift until you realize...hey the car is still in 1st gear. The C8 in auto mode sport is very satisfying because the DCT is that good. Other than the V4 AFM which you may not even feel (I do) The entire DCT experience is very nice.

JerryU

That's why I now drive in only two modes. Z Mode with Powertrain set to Track BUT Ride (in my case set to Sport but you can set to Touring) can set Steering, NPP eBoost where you'd like. I also use My Mode in my case set to Sport.

When I press Z button on the steering wheel to exit it goes to Touring BUT without looking, my hand reached down to the Mode **** and one quick hard turn CCW and it's in My Mode. No playing Russian Roulette and have to look. Works for me and much better than the 1st month where I ONLY used Manual Mode.

AzDave47

OK, I understand now. I never had that "problem" in the M3 as I always knew what gear I was in and didn't lug. It was my wife's daily driver and she never had a problem as she paddle shifted all the time, too. It seems like you would have had a hard time driving a 3-pedal car and stick shift if you can't do the paddle shifting in the DCT.

hawk02

If it’s any consolation, I feel the same way. As much as I try to like paddle shifting and Z-Mode, I seem to always return to “D” in sport mode.

BJ67

No sir, quite the opposite, I love manuals, I feel each gear, I feel the syncros working , I love clutch action, I love perfect throttle/clutch application and am a very good manual trans drag racer. There is no clutch/throttle manipulation in a DCT and no feel of a shift lever and the mechanical workings of a manual trans. Paddle shifting all you feel is the actual electronic/hydraulic shift in the seat of your pants . I can and do occasionally drive in manual mode, but no comparison for someone like me that has the passion to perfectly execute each and every manual shift and starting from dead stops. Anyone can look and sound good driving a DCT in manual mode... no skill required.

AzDave47

As a driver with extensive road racing experience where heal and toe downshifts in virtually any manual car I do smoothly, I had no problems on the track or on the street doing the two pedal M3 SMG paddle shift, however the SMG was lousy in automated mode, which clearly the C8 DCT is not.

If anyone can look good in manual mode, why do you have such a problem with it shifting down because you are lugging the engine? It's just like forgetting to downshift in a 3 pedal car.

Well enough criticism and back and forth, I am out of this thread.

JerriVette

Most of the time in Z mode and the transmission computer does a better job than i could and Ive been driving manual sports cars for over 4 decades. (Scary to say)

the technology is superior. I marvel at the dct s intuitive nature and shift speed.

once in awhile i use the paddles but rarely do I put the car in manual.

The dct is among the many things that are impressive in the C8 driving experience. I drive about a thousand miles a month or 12k miles a year.

I always enjoyed my corvettes with manual transmissions and drove over 250k miles in them over the past two decades.

bear mountain and seven lakes are fabulous early Sunday morning drives. I dont miss the manual at all.

for track work as well which I havent done yet with the c8 the dct computers are really better. Playing with the paddles once in awhile for fun.