Photo: USPTO
In modern vehicles, a manual transmission needs hydraulic lines and a master cylinder to row through the gears. But in the case of mid-engine cars like the C8 Corvette, a slave cylinder does the job along with a sensor mounted on the clutch pedal.
Without further beating around the bush, General Motors has filed a patent for an “electric slave cylinder for manually shifted vehicles” that might make it on the C8 Corvette. Considering that the mid-engine Corvette is the one and only General Motors product that could use the clutch-by-wire system, we’re keeping our fingers crossed about this outcome.
Jalopnik draws attention to another benefit of the electronically-operated slave cylinder, as in “it would be possible to give control to a computer for certain operations such as stop/go traffic.” Last, but certainly not least, this design offers “a consistent feel [of the pedal] over longer periods of time, which is not possible with a hydraulic system.”
The thing is, a patent remains a patent at the end of the day. Despite all the spy photographs and videos of the next-generation Corvette, the carparazzi have yet to capture a manual-equipped prototype out testing. Based on previous reports on the newcomer, a Tremec-developed dual-clutch transmission with seven forward ratios is the most likely solution for the production model.
In regard to engine options, the rumors are somewhat wilder. It is believed the entry-level motor is the 6.2-liter small-block V8 that produces 460 horsepower in the Stingray. Higher still, a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 codenamed LT7 and similar in design to the 4.2-liter in the Cadillac CT6 V-Sport should do the trick.
There’s even talk of a hybrid option with close to 1,000 horsepower and all-wheel drive thanks to an electrified front axle, but on the other hand, can you imagine General Motors putting so much effort into this range-topping powertrain?
As impressive as it may be, the Corvette doesn’t have that halo car aura of the Ford GT, which makes us think that Chevrolet won’t go overboard with powertrain technologies. Looking at the bigger picture, General Motors is more focused on electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology in this day and age.
Jalopnik draws attention to another benefit of the electronically-operated slave cylinder, as in “it would be possible to give control to a computer for certain operations such as stop/go traffic.” Last, but certainly not least, this design offers “a consistent feel [of the pedal] over longer periods of time, which is not possible with a hydraulic system.”
The thing is, a patent remains a patent at the end of the day. Despite all the spy photographs and videos of the next-generation Corvette, the carparazzi have yet to capture a manual-equipped prototype out testing. Based on previous reports on the newcomer, a Tremec-developed dual-clutch transmission with seven forward ratios is the most likely solution for the production model.
In regard to engine options, the rumors are somewhat wilder. It is believed the entry-level motor is the 6.2-liter small-block V8 that produces 460 horsepower in the Stingray. Higher still, a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 codenamed LT7 and similar in design to the 4.2-liter in the Cadillac CT6 V-Sport should do the trick.
There’s even talk of a hybrid option with close to 1,000 horsepower and all-wheel drive thanks to an electrified front axle, but on the other hand, can you imagine General Motors putting so much effort into this range-topping powertrain?
As impressive as it may be, the Corvette doesn’t have that halo car aura of the Ford GT, which makes us think that Chevrolet won’t go overboard with powertrain technologies. Looking at the bigger picture, General Motors is more focused on electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology in this day and age.
Google News