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C8 Corvette Transmission Investigation Underway

Ever since Chevrolet started making the C8, owners of the Stingray have reported leaky transmissions and DCT filters that get contaminated long before the 7,500-mile service recommended by General Motors. Better late than never, GM has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it’s doing an investigation of the dual-clutch box.
C8 Corvette DCT 28 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
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Listed as M1L in the order guide, the fast-shifting transaxle produced by Tremec is currently investigated over premature contamination of the filter and a service transmission message that prevents the car from powering off.

The latter issue is allegedly caused by “debris on the park position sensor magnet causing an incorrect position reading to the transmission control module.” In any case, GM is undoubtedly concerned by the number of transmissions needing service of replacement in the mid-engine Stingray.

Developed specifically for the C8, the TR-9080 family of transaxles can transition from gear to gear in less than 100 milliseconds without interrupting torque. The gearbox uses a nested concentric clutch and an integrated differential (mechanical on non-Z51 models and electronic on Z51 models). The mLSD is a clutch-type diff with predetermined bias profiles, while the eLSD can vary torque constantly thanks to an epicyclic, planetary differential with a normally open wet clutch. Both versions are lubricated by the same fluid as the rest of the transmission, as in GM/AC Delco FFL-4 DCT fluid.

The Stingray’s gearbox handles up to 7,500 revolutions per minute and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque. In the brand-new Z06 that flaunts a high-revving V8 with a flat-plane crankshaft and double overhead cams, the DCT receives a shorter final drive of 5.56:1 versus 5.2:1 for the Stingray Z51.

Rated at 670 horsepower, the Z06 will be joined by the E-Ray for the 2024 model year, a hybrid with the small-block V8 of the Stingray. The newcomer is expected to feature eAWD in the guise of an electrified front axle although we don’t know if we are dealing with one electric motor or a pair of motors.
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 Download: C8 Corvette Transmission Investigation (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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