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Paddle shifting worth it?

blackandred78 said:
Is the paddle shifting good on the new C6 - worthy substitute for a manual? Please advise...

I was just advised by the staff @ Spring Mountain that the Paddle Shift auto they have, has turned some of their fastest laps :eek

Eliminates the chance for "user error" - or at least it reduces that possibility ;)
 
so far i hear that the 6L65E (i think that is the designation like the 4L60E trannies) uses alot of the 4L80E parts. This trans will be the next big thing and is built tough from what I am hearing. Although there is no aftermarket stall converters that I know of as of yet. I am sure it won't be long for this to happen.

stock A6 cars have been 12.6's so far. thats not too shabby. I just don't know if this trans is programmed to hold the gear as long as you want or is dummy programed to shift auto at a certain rpm limit is reached. Another draw back is the 4th gear. it isn't 1:1 it's something like 1:1.10 so it will play havoc on a dyno trying to get tuned in ect because if the dyno's can't calculate the overall gear ratio you won't know what kind of power your making
 
Corvette Magazine had an article that compared the A6 with the M6 on a road course and an autocross that required shifting. The M6 won on the road course and the A6 won on the autocross.

If you're planning a lot of track time on a road course, I'd still go with the M6.

If autocrossing is your game, the A6 might be the answer.

I don't use the paddles all that much - I don't autocross or road course my car. When I do paddle, it's a lot of fun but not the same as using a stick shift. There is still the lag between punching the paddle and it actually shifting. You don't miss gears though but you can't skip gears either.

Last month, I did the Big Bend Open Road Run with my A6 and I never used the paddles. Not much need when you only need to accelerate from 105-120 - the sport full auto mode worked just fine. And, the trans temps stayed well within normal range during the 32 minute runs at 110 average.

The other 2 cars in my garage are sticks and this is my first auto in a while. The A6 makes you a little lazy as you don't have to work much to get around town, but it is there if you really want to play.

Guess it depends on just how you like to drive and what kind of performance driving you do.
 
On the race cars our drivers need about ½ hour to go from stick to paddle but when they go back to stick they only need 1 lap to get back in the groove. This is not a matter of experience - the young drivers who started off with paddles and the drivers who have been driving with paddles for several years have the same problem.
After the adjustment period the paddle cars are always quicker.

Since we are talking about the C6 I think that you have to go for the Paddle; isn’t that one of the things that Corvettes are about? Who else had Fuel Injection in the ‘50s?
 
HI there,
Lets be clear about this much.
The 6L80 has absolutely NOTHING in common with any other transmission as far as parts, castings or design.
The only similarities I can see, is the function of the shifting is very close to the Allison 6 speed in the 2006 trucks.
Clutch stacked shifting, no accumulators and incredible torque potential are substantial.
Plus it has the control module INSIDE the transmission housing.
This fresh design and simplicity as far as the clutches, valvebody and shifting pressures are the wave of the future and the front drive 6 speeds that are coming will be using similar technology.
As far as automatics in sports cars are concerned, this unit is cutting edge and very reliable so far.
Allthebest, c4c5
 

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