It’s been really interesting “watching” the development of the C8 Corvette from Concept to Reveal. Of course, we are not quite yet at the reveal stage for the next generation Corvette with still another 44 days to go, so there is still plenty we don’t know about the new car, especially when it comes to major details like info about the mid-engine’s new transmission.
When the first C8 Corvettes prototypes hit the road, it was widely believed that the car would be getting a dual-clutch transmission. As GM doesn’t have its own dual-clutch transmission, various manufacturers were researched with ZF and Tremec believed to be the front runners in supplying of the new gearbox.
Following the reveal of the various options earlier this year after a customer walked into a Canadian dealership and spec’d out a C8 Corvette via GM’s Workbench software, we learned that the car would have just one transmission option – an 8-speed Dual Clutch Transmission. As Tremec doesn’t offer an 8-speed DCT, that left ZF as the sole contender…so we thought.
But thanks to our friend Jeremy Welborn, we now think GM may be building its own Dual Clutch Transmission for the C8 Mid-Engine Corvette after this new patent for an 8-speed DCT was published on June 4th.
Below are several diagrams from the new patent and we’ve included the full Patent Publication for your review as well. Reading the abstract summary from the patent explains the reason for building such a transmission:
While current transmissions achieve their intended purpose, the need for new and improved transmission configurations which exhibit improved performance, especially from the standpoints of efficiency, responsiveness and smoothness and improved packaging, primarily reduced size and weight is essentially constant. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a transmission having improved packaging while providing desirable gear ratios and torque ranges.
There are several benefits to the dual clutch transmission over the traditional standard and manual transmissions. First and foremost is the lightning fast shifts between gears. The aptly named “dual clutch” allows the transmission to be in gear and is poised to serve up the next gear very quickly with no power lag from the engine between shifts. Dual clutch transmissions are more responsive and the shifts are smoother, and there is also a benefit of improved fuel economy.
Source:
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Related:
Mid Engine C8 Corvette to Come with Dual Clutch Auto Transmission Only
Ford Mustang GT500 and the C8 Corvette Might Share the Same Tremec Dual-Clutch Gearboxes
2020 Corvette Ordering Documents Leaked Online Detail C8 Equipment, Colors, and Options
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No left pedal. I don’t like!
Corvette just got the patent for the 8 speed dual clutch auto trans, evidently Corvette has already R&D’d the 8 speed auto the last 12 months to be production ready in 6 months or so.
When Corvette says they have a real 7 or 8 Speed MANUAL transmission ready as an option for the C8,
then I will be interested. If I need the car to shift gears for me, then I might as well slide over into the
passenger seat, and let someone else steer it for me also.
I believe Fuel economy, packaging of a dual axis automatic with a chain/gearset, heat build up are all factors, however the production numbers do not lie. Less than 25% of all C7 were equipped with a manual transmission and I said this years ago in a discussion with Dave Mclellan, If the customers do NOT buy the manual, GM cannot justify the COSTS of EPA mileage and emissions certifications. Just my .02 because I LOVE MANUALS and in my opinion, there is NO AUTOMATIC that performs the way a T6070 does at the track or on the road!
Paul Koerner : A member of our Corvette Club bought a 2018 C7, with the 8-speed Automatic. Not too long after he got it, he took it to the track, and did some laps. While he was taking a break, one.. of the club members asked him if would like to take his C7 with the 7-speed manual on the track. He accepted the offer. After quite a few laps he came back into the pits, with a big smile on his face. and said..”Damn..that was fun” The following week he took his Automatic C7 back to the dealer, and traded it for a 7-speed C7..he has been happy with it ever since
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