Drove new c6 (manual and auto) at VIR

[waterboy1976]

Spent a day with Chevrolet at Virginia International Raceway. Went through workshops on the new C6. Drove the track (the 1.6 mile section) with an auto as well as a manual. Also drove a Porsche 911 Carrera (manual and auto) a Porsche Boxter S and a BMW Z4, and all I have time to say now is WWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and holy $h**..........

BMW is WAAAAAAAAYY underpowered
911 is nice but for $25000 more....welllll
Boxster is a rollerskate

C6.........8 lbs per HP.........48% front 50% rear weight transfer....Z51 suspension rocks and brakes on a dime.......Ill have more info later when I have time. Chevrolet is back...

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by waterboy1976

Chevrolet is back...

When were they gone?

[bossvette]

Originally Posted by Aurora40

When were they gone?

mid 70's to 85 or so

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by bossvette

mid 70's to 85 or so

Well, not really. Pretty much every other car in that era sucked too.

[bossvette]

Originally Posted by Aurora40

Well, not really. Pretty much every other car in that era sucked too.

I have a unique view on cars, being a long time GM employee: anything not produced by GM is a foreign car, some are just more foreign then others.


I had a ride in a C6 at the Cruise-fest in Auburn this year which whetted my apatite for a newer Vette.
Craigsr.

[Next One]

I would love to hear your impressions on the auto vs. the manual. BTW, I'm a new member here, after lurking for many months. I currently drive an '01 Mustang GT manual (my first manual, incidently, and also the one I learned on), but I messed up my knees playing sports as a teen, and on bad days that really stiff clutch pedal really hurts me, so I may have to stick with autos, and am wondering if it's that bad/giving up too much on the C6.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Next One

I would love to hear your impressions on the auto vs. the manual. BTW, I'm a new member here, after lurking for many months. I currently drive an '01 Mustang GT manual (my first manual, incidently, and also the one I learned on), but I messed up my knees playing sports as a teen, and on bad days that really stiff clutch pedal really hurts me, so I may have to stick with autos, and am wondering if it's that bad/giving up too much on the C6.

When I sat in a C6 with the manual transmission, I thought the clutch was fairly easy and comfortable. It's definitely not like the ZF-6 speed in my ZR-1.

If I take my Vette to the gym and I work on my legs (squats, let extensions, etc), and then I get stuck hitting a series of stop lights on the way home, my left leg literally starts to tremble because it requires that much force to keep the clutch pedal pushed down. At times, I have to put the car in neutral and take my foot off the pedal. I don't think you'll have the same problem in a C6, but your best bet is to actually sit in one and try it out. Then you'll know for sure.

By the way, welcome to the Corvette Action Center.

[always corvette]

Originally Posted by waterboy1976

Spent a day with Chevrolet at Virginia International Raceway. Went through workshops on the new C6. Drove the track (the 1.6 mile section) with an auto as well as a manual. Also drove a Porsche 911 Carrera (manual and auto) a Porsche Boxter S and a BMW Z4, and all I have time to say now is WWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and holy $h**..........

BMW is WAAAAAAAAYY underpowered
911 is nice but for $25000 more....welllll
Boxster is a rollerskate

C6.........8 lbs per HP.........48% front 50% rear weight transfer....Z51 suspension rocks and brakes on a dime.......Ill have more info later when I have time. Chevrolet is back...

how did the corvette paddle shifter compare to the porsche auto? and, how was the vette auto vs manual..did you notice any significant shift delays ..or anything thta would perusade oyu to stay with the manual transmission...

[jhecox]

Originally Posted by Next One

I would love to hear your impressions on the auto vs. the manual. BTW, I'm a new member here, after lurking for many months. I currently drive an '01 Mustang GT manual (my first manual, incidently, and also the one I learned on), but I messed up my knees playing sports as a teen, and on bad days that really stiff clutch pedal really hurts me, so I may have to stick with autos, and am wondering if it's that bad/giving up too much on the C6.

Welcome to the Next One.

The clutch on my '07 is very easy to push. No compairson between this '07 and the old '69 I had (about 150 years ago).

The wife's paddle shifter is sweet though. My only complaint is the delay between the time I hit the paddle and when the transmission actually shifts. I do hear that the '08 paddle shifters are going to be a lot quicker.

I have a bad L. knee (caused from doing stupid things about 100 years ago) and I still like banging the gears.

Hecox

[Gersh]

I just had a total left knee replacement Jan 30, 07. They told me no driving for 6 weeks, and were probably assuming I would be driving an automatic anyway, so for a clutch they would have said 10 or 12 weeks.

10 days after surgery I got in my 2006 Z06 and took it for a spin. No problems--the clutch effort is that light! They say it takes a year for the knee to recover fully and I believe it (at 4 months it is still pretty sore). Nevertheless, I never notice it while driving--sitting in gear at a stoplight is no big deal.

I haven't tried the paddle shift, so my opinion is suspect, but the paddle reminds me of any other automatic, where you can select lower gears if you want, or just leave it in drive and it shifts itself. In other words, it's an automatic; not my cuppa tea.

[Tony1Leo]

I think the paddle shifter is pretty nice. It is not like an automatic where you only have the lower gears to pick from. You can shift through all 6 gears. The response time from hitting the buttons is pretty good. Unless you're a really quick manual shifter, it's almost the same, maybe a split second slower. The only thing I do not like about it is that when you turn the steering wheel, the paddle shifters spin with the wheel. When you are really pushing the car on a really curvy mountain road, upshifting and downshifting constantly, you will have trouble locating the buttons quickly. It would have been better if Chev would have left the shifters stationary so that they're in the same position even if you turn the wheel. Better yet, they could have made it like the Volkswagens, where you just tap the floor gear shifter up or back to change gears. But overall, I still like them. If you have an upgraded exhaust system, the manual mode lets you hear the exhaust much better than in auto mode.
Tony

[kgelliott]

I went from a stiff-clutched MustGT to my A6 9 months ago and have never looked back! Left hip problem prompted the move to the automatic. Glad to have it. Still fun to drive!

My 05 is a 4 speed automatic, it handles great in an autocross I set it in third
put it in compitition mode and I'm good to go but in the overall I must admit
I do miss shifting those gears L.Lake (LITLZO6)