The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1's 10-Speed Auto Laughs In The Face Of Your Porsche PDK Gearbox
When news of Chevrolet’s new Camaro ZL1 dropped earlier this year, one detail stood out: its optional 10-speed automatic gearbox. Now we’ve gotten over all the Vin Diesel and ‘lol it’d be a mountain bike if it had any more gears‘ jokes, General Motors has decided to tell the world just how fast its new 10-speeder is.
It actually shifts quicker than Porsche’s super fast twin-clutch PDK gearbox on certain changes. It’s 36 per cent quicker when shifting from first to second, 27 per cent quicker from second to third and 26 per cent quicker for the third-fourth upshift. What GM doesn’t say is how it compares to PDK on the remaining upshifts, or any of the downshifts, but still - that’s an impressive claim.
The speed is all down to clutches. While it may have a torque converter, this is no ordinary slush box. Why? Because it’s rocking six clutches: two brake clutches and four rotating clutches. And despite having an extra clutch and two more gears than GM’s eight-speed ‘box, clever packaging means the overall size is about the same.
Other fancy features include a new low viscosity transmission fluid to reduce friction, and an “internal thermal bypass” which allows for shorter warm-up times.
It’s worth noting that this gearbox won’t be restricted to fancy schmancy GM products like the ZL1 - it’s set to appear in eight of the firm’s cars by 2018, and as it’s been co-developed with Ford, will also be installed in Blue Oval machines like the F-150.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
It’s funny how americans start criticising new stuff coming from European brands but as soon an american one starts doing it too it becomes well accepted and even seen as better than the original European one….lame.
M8, Cadillac has been doing this as long as Lexus, who started just after the European luxury brands did. America LOVES a good old game of one-upmanship.
That’s great! But why no love for CVT’s ? Lmao
No shifting, stay in powerband.
I don’t hate them, but they’re certainly not my thing. Above 12 gears it makes no sense to not have a CVT, but I’ve always valued being in control of my gear ratio, so I think I prefer a 5-6 speed manual.
Welp, we might as well kiss the US and Australia goodbye cuz they’re all gonna die of heart attacks after reading that last paragraph…
Ford and Chevy? TOGETHER?? That’s like Apple and Microsoft working together! Or England and France! Or Germany and France! Or Spain and France… Damnit France, why can’t you work with anybody?
lol mountain bikes only have 10 or 11 speeds nowadays :p
Front dérailleur is dead!
SRAM has even developed a 12 spd cassette this year, but more for XC
Porsche can still laugh since the camaro crash on the nurburgring
Testing my friend, that is the key word not all the bugs are fixed in testing. Every manufacturer crashes a car or two. Or in Richard Hammonds case is as explosive as a ford Pinto after testing (sarcasm). I have no hate for Porsche.
You know, you succeeded as a german carmaker, if Ford and GM have to work together :D
7 speed manual is the way to go IMO.
huh. so it should the be the first ford part.not to break? lol I jk merica
I think the first Ford component not to break was the Volvo engine in the original Focus RS.
Chevy for the win!
Suddenly, a wild corner appears!
Porsche laughs in the face of the Camaro’s handling
That Camaro is probably faster than most Porsches around the Nurburgring.