8 Speed Auto in 2015 Stingray - "Doubtful"
 

For those of you / us waiting for a 2015 Stingray with the new 8 Speed auto with paddle shifters, we might have to wait a while. Found this today. Read the full story in AutoGuide.com:

There has been a lot of buzz around the transmission options for the C7 generation Corvette, a seven-speed manual, and with the reveal of the 2015 Corvette Z06, an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters. You would think that bringing a high-performance transmission from the Corvette Z06 to a less-powerful Corvette Stingray would be easy, but apparently that’s not the case.

ln an 1 to 1 interview with AutoGuide, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter explained that there are a number of items that have to be recalibrated before GM can make the Z06′s 8-speed auto available to all Corvette buyers.

That means the 8-speed automatic might not be on the menu until 2016 or later, though it’s easy to understand why. The Corvette engineering team has a lot on their plate, and just because the Corvette Z06 has been revealed as a supercharged, 620 horsepower track monster doesn’t mean the work is done.

In order to calibrate the Z06’s eight-speed automatic for lower-end Corvettes, engineers have to take into account everything from tuning and torque vectoring to the LT1 engine’s cylinder deactivation technology. Things like launch control and stability control also have to be changed, just to accept this new transmission, which apparently dramatically changes the driving dynamics of the C7.

That just makes us want this new 8-speed auto all the more.


I was definitely one of those guys that thought it would be an easy 1-2-3 swap.

An 8 speed would allow the car to be in its peak torque almost all the time when tracking. There is good things, and bad things about the 8 speed.

The good? increased fuel economy keeps the RPM's low.

The bad? Weight. This does one of a few things, first. it will change the center of gravity, Second, it could potentially eliminate the ever so slight wheel weight balance. (This however might not be a bad thing)

All this for an extra two speeds that might have negligible results for this variation of car? I can see why they aren't in a hurry for it

It weighs 8 pounds less than the current 6 speed auto:

"Dubbed 8L90, the new eight-speed might have a torque converter like your dad’s Malibu, but it’s quite the beast. First, it has the highest torque capacity of any GM automatic extant, the better to handle that LT4, and second, GM claims it can upshift eight hundredths of a second quicker than Porsche’s instantaneously quick PDK dual-clutch automatic. Other bonuses include manual control, a compact design that fits it into the same space as the Stingray’s six-speed automatic, eight fewer pounds of mass than the six-speed, and the fact that it’s destined for regular Vettes next year."

Everything is correct except the last part of the last sentence.

I honestly didn't know it was lighter.

Hmm. I wonder if they took weight out of the case, or out of the transmission gears. Because if they got weight out of the gears, that's free horsepower to the rear wheels

They said it was a slightly smaller case but did not specify where the actual weight loss came from.