Even More Gears for the Chevrolet Corvette

If you were among the first buyers of a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, and you checked the 6-speed automatic gearbox in the options, I have bad news for your resale value: starting in 2015, all the automatic Corvettes sold will have the new 8L90 8-speed auto unveiled in the Z06.

According to GM, this transmission will offer up to 5% more fuel economy compared to the six-speed used in the 2014 Corvette. Also, when GM engineers set out to build the 8L90, they wanted to create a conventional automatic that would perform as well as any dual-clutch, while still offering GM’s legendary smooth shifts. They used one of the best dual-clutches on the market as a benchmark, Porsche’s PDK. The new 8L90 can upshift at wide-open throttle up to eight hundredths of a second faster than the German transmission! This new gearbox can process up to 160 commands per second.

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When asked about the choice of a conventional automatic versus a twin-clutch model in the Z06, Chief Engineer for the Corvette program Tadge Juechter explained that no dual-clutch was able to handle the torque of the LT4 engine, while also fitting under the vehicle. The 8L90 can support up to 738 lb-ft of torque.

Still, if you prefer to shift your own gears, GM offers a 7-speed manual gearbox as standard equipment on all Corvettes.