New 8-Speed Enables Quicker, More Efficient Corvette | All American of Slaton

The all-new, GM-developed Hydra-Matic 8L90 paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission offered in the 2015 Corvette Stingray and Z06 enhances performance and efficiency, while delivering exceptional refinement and world-class shift responsiveness that rivals the world’s best dual-clutch transmissions.

In fact, in the 2015 Corvette Stingray, it enables a class-leading 29-mpg EPA highway estimate – a 3.5-percent increase in fuel economy over the previous six-speed automatic – and a quicker 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds, all while delivering wide-open-throttle upshifts quicker than those of the dual-clutch transmission offered in the Porsche 911.

“GM’s new 8L90 eight-speed automatic represents a rare win-win-win scenario for customers,” said Kavoos Kaveh, global chief engineer for eight-speed automatic transmissions. “It offers greater performance and efficiency, while weighing less than the transmission it replaces. That’s a rare accomplishment in the industry today – and one for which GM has been awarded more than two dozen patents.”

With four simple gearsets for optimal efficiency and five clutches (two brake clutches and three rotating clutches), creative packaging enables the new eight-speed automatic to fit the same space as the previous six-speed automatic – and  the powerflow only uses two open clutches for low spin losses, which enhances efficiency. Extensive use of aluminum and magnesium also make it more than eight pounds (4 kg) lighter than the six-speed.

The greater overall performance and efficiency enabled by the 8L90 in the Corvette is due primarily to a new, wider 7.0 overall gear ratio spread, which enhances off-the-line performance with a more aggressive first gear ratio – 4.56 vs. 4.03 on the six-speed – helping achieve the quicker 0-60 time.

The top gear ratio is 0.65 vs. the six-speed’s 0.67. Combined with a new, numerically lower 2.41 rear axle ratio in the Stingray vs. the 2.56 gear used with previous six-speed automatic models, engine rpm is reduced by 8 percent (123 rpm) on the highway at 70 mph. The lower engine speed reduces fuel consumption, while a new torque converter design enhances refinement, particularly during low-speed gear changes.

Stingray models equipped with the Z51 Performance Package feature a more aggressive 2.73 axle ratio, while the Corvette Z06 features the 2.41 axle ratio.

Ratios compared: eight-speed automatic vs. six-speed automatic

	2015 Corvette Stingray / Z06	2014 Corvette Stingray
Type:	8L90 eight-speed paddle-shift automatic	6L80 six-speed paddle-shift automatic
Gear ratios (:1)
First:	4.56	4.03
Second:	2.97	2.36
Third:	2.08	1.53
Fourth:	1.69	1.15
Fifth:	1.27	0.85
Sixth:	1.00	0.67
Seventh:	0.85	N/A
Eighth	0.65	N/A
Reverse:	3.82	3.06
Axle ratio:	2.41 (Stingray / Z06) 2.73 (Stingray with Z51)	2.56 (std.) 2.73 (with Z51)

World-class performance
Designed and built by GM, the paddle-shift 8L90 transmission delivers world-class shift times that rival the best dual-clutch designs.

“The Corvette’s new eight-speed automatic delivers the comfort and drivability of a true automatic transmission, as well as lightning-fast shifts and the manual control that enhance the performance-driving experience,” said Kaveh. “It was designed to enhance the driving experience, with performance on par with dual-clutch designs, but without sacrificing refinement.”

For performance driving, the transmission offers full manual control via steering wheel paddles. A new transmission-controls system and unique algorithms deliver shift performance that rivals the dual-clutch/semi-automatic transmissions found in many supercars – but with the smoothness and refinement that comes with a conventional automatic fitted with a torque converter.

In fact, a new, Gen II transmission controller analyzes and executes commands 160 times per second, and wide-open throttle upshifts are executed up to eight-hundredths of a second quicker than those of the dual-clutch transmission offered in the Porsche 911.

Smaller steps between gears, compared to the previous six-speed automatic (see chart above), keep the engine within the sweet spot of the rpm band, making the most of its horsepower and torque to optimize performance and efficiency. Additionally, a torque converter design with a turbine damper complements performance with excellent refinement at low engine speeds.

Unique clutch and torque converter specifications matched to the torque capacity of the Stingray’s LT1 6.2L naturally aspirated engine and the Z06’s LT4 supercharged engine distinguish the applications for the different Corvette models.

Architectural and design features
More than 550 computer-aided engineering analysis were made during the development of the 8L90 to ensure strength, durability, performance and refinement. The architecture features a one-piece case with an integral bell housing for enhanced powertrain stiffness, as well as a detachable extension for the Corvette’s rear transaxle arrangement.

Similar to GM’s six-speed automatic design, the eight-speed’s architecture locates the grounding clutches rearward of the middle of the structure, outside the gearsets. However, the grounding clutches are splined to the case, eliminating the center support, which reduces weight.

This architecture also features a turbine shaft node that reaches to the outside of the barrel, enabling easy execution of a high-resolution magnetic speed sensor. The turbine shaft itself is very short, keeping oil channel drill lengths to a minimum. The rotating clutches are located near the front of the transmission, with short oil feed channels, supporting the transmission’s very fast shifts.

Additional design and performance features include:

• Clutch compensators are fed by lubrication oil rather than the dedicated and regulated feed design of the 6L80. There are two benefits of this new design feature: The reduction of one oil channel between the valve body and the rotating clutches, which reduces the number of rotating oil seals and oil channels within the turbine shaft; and, secondly, the capability for rapid discharge of oil in the compensators during clutch apply, for greater control.
• An industry-first off-axis, chain-driven binary vane-type pump – located within the valve body – effectively allows for two pumps in the packaging size of a single, which contributes to lower parasitic losses and optimal priming capability, as well as ideal oil routing to the controls system.
• The binary pump enables a 60-percent reduction in pump torque at points that represent large portions of the operating duty cycle, compared to the 6L80 six-speed, which is a significant contributor to the overall efficiency gains offered by the 8L90.
• The binary pump is located very low in the sump, for greater cold prime operation – as low as -40 F (-40 C) and excellent high-speed operation with stable line pressure.
• Thanks to a new torque converter clutch friction lining and a new control strategy, the 8L90’s squashed torque converter uses conventional dual-path converter feeds.
• New synthetic fluid with improved cold temperature performance and reduced friction characteristics.

Shift time quickness and improved responsiveness are accomplished with the new Gen II controls system. VFS solenoid technology and three internal speed sensors give the 8L90 the capability for world-class shift performance. The new transmission controller is mounted external to the transmission and has a processor that executes hundreds of calculations and commands every 6.25 milliseconds.

The 8L90 is built at GM’s Toledo, Ohio, transmission facility.

Source: http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Aug/0820-8speed/0820-corvette-8-speed-lead.html

Customers choose Equinox for versatility, efficiency and value | AllAmerican Chevrolet of Slaton

Versatility and value are helping make compact crossovers and SUVs among the hottest vehicles in the country. Chevrolet is helping meet the demand with its strongest lineup in history, including the Equinox and – early next year – the new Trax.

“Compact crossovers and SUVs make sense for so many consumers,” said Steve Majoros, marketing director, Chevrolet. “Suited to adapt to whatever life throws at them, our customers want a vehicle that can do – and go – anywhere, and they want it with expressive design and fuel efficiency.

“It’s a tall order and it’s why Equinox sales have risen nearly every year since we introduced the original in 2006,” he said. “Next year, the Trax will provide this same flexibility in a smaller footprint.”

Equinox retail sales in June were up 11 percent from June 2013. Chevrolet has sold nearly 1.5 million Equinoxes since the first generation was introduced in 2005. A second generation was released for the 2010 model year.

The popularity of Equinox has helped Chevrolet grow its share of the segment from 7 percent to more than 10 percent in the past eight years.

Market shift

Overall, demand for compact crossovers and SUVs has nearly doubled since 2008, from 10 percent to 18 percent of the market, according to AutoTrader.com.

“Sales of crossovers of all sorts have been growing significantly in recent years, but the growth in sales of smaller crossovers and SUVs has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for AutoTrader.com. “It’s easy to see why, with the segment being so versatile to meet the needs of a wide variety of car buyers. They can carry people, serve as a substitute truck or haul bigger cargo while still driving like a car.”

According to AutoTrader.com’s research, crossovers and small SUVs are the only growing segments within the SUV market and, for the first time, outpace two other segments that have experienced consistent growth in the past eight years – compact and midsize sedans.

“I call my Chevy Equinox my ‘multi-tool’ of vehicles,” said Gail Haffey of Beverly Hills, Mich. “It fits my family’s needs perfectly, from traveling to our summer cottage, to flipping down the seats to haul cargo and supplies from the garden shop, to my daily commute to work. Plus, the fuel economy is great, so I get versatility and value in one package.”

The Equinox seats five, offers a maximum cargo capacity of 63.7 cubic feet and a maximum towing rating of 3,500 pounds (3.6L V-6 models) and an EPA-rated 32 mpg highway (2.4L FWD models).

Both the Equinox and GMC Terrain with available forward collision alert technology received 2014 Top Safety Pick+ ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the only midsize SUVs of nine evaluated to earn Good ratings in the Institute’s small overlap front crash test.

For 2015, Chevrolet brings OnStar 4G LTE capabilities to Equinox and Trax. Combined with standard Chevrolet MyLink, these technologies accommodate customers’ increasingly connected lifestyles with a more reliable connection during road trips, connectivity for up to seven devices, and range of up to 50 feet outside the vehicle.

Making Trax

The Chevrolet Trax small SUV – a customer favorite in the global markets where it’s already being sold, arrives in the U.S. early next year. Part of another fast-growing segment, Trax sales have grown from just over 3,000 in 2006 to more than 90,000 last year.

Trax will offer eight different seating arrangements with 60/40 split rear seats and a fold-flat front passenger seat, as well as more than 48 cubic feet of cargo space and a standard turbocharged engine. Both Equinox and Trax are available with all-wheel drive.

Changing gears

Sales of small SUVs have evolved along with consumers’ changing driving, spending and lifestyle habits. They’ve gone from being “second” vehicles in a household to replacing older vehicles.

Once inside the small and compact SUV segments, buyers are extremely loyal, with more than a quarter of them coming from other small and compact SUVs.

“We work hard to deliver the versatility and value our customers expect in our Equinox, and having been doing so for eight years since the vehicle launched,” said Majoros.  

Source: http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Jul/0708-small-crossovers.html    

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray -2014 Car of the Year With Incredible Features

Via: Las Vegas Guardian express

Added by Angelina Bouc on December 1, 2013.
Saved under cars, Chevrolet Corvette, Lina Bouc, Technology
Tags: chevrolet corvette, top

There is something sensational when an American classic wins the prestigious title of the Car of the Year; the Chevrolet Corvette  Stingray is no exception. Many expected the sexy, streamlined beast to grab the 2014 title as announced by Automobile Magazine. With intense features, a wow driving factor and sweet lines – the Stingray reigns in the chair of champions. Curious to learn more?

The newest model delivers in speed and the ability to save on some gas; which is a mini-miracle on its own. The Stingray has been proven to beat Porsche and Ferrari in certain categories. With up 460 horses and an ability to drive a need for speed (29 miles to the gallon) the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is bringing checkbooks to the table.

Drive home eight cylinders, seven gears and hit from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in under four of  the sickest seconds ever.  The speed on the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray can be attributed to a major face-lift. Instead of its heavier steel frame, the 2014 model is covered with aluminum. This releases over 90 pounds of weight and allows the car to fly – it helps the cradles have also been refitted with aluminium.

In delivering a vehicle of value, Chevy has released two versions; one will be available in a couple and the other a sharp and much wanted convertible model. Okay, onward to the best feature of all, no more scouring to see where it can be located. Enter the new Drive Mode Selector for the 2014 Stingray. This advanced technology is something drivers and car enthusiasts will be thrilled to immerse into.

The Drive Mode Selector can tailor up to 12, yes 12, attributes for the driver’s environments. The settings for the Selector include options for Weather, Tour, Track, Sport and Eco. Harlan Charles, GM product manager has delivered results for drivers who have been worried about taking their baby out for a drive in the rain.

Charles states the Drive Mode Selector opens a brand new way of driving the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. It would allow drivers to continue driving comfortably regardless in a “downpour or charging through the corkscrew at Laguna Seca,” brags Charles.

GM isn’t the only cheerleaders surrounding their own creation. Outside of the2014 Automobile Magazine’s Car of the Year, the car company has also picked up an award from Road and Track’s Performance Car of the Year award. GM is really coming back into their own, especially after the struggling bankruptcy in 2009.

To review those features again on the stunning and award-winning 2014 Stingray, see below:

• Available in coupe and convertible (this writer will take donations for a convertible version!)
• Drive Mode Selector with 12 attributes.
• Lightweight, aluminium frame and cradles replace steel, promoting faster speeds.
• 455 horsepower with a 460 lb.-ft. of torque.
• 0-60 met right at 3.8 crazy seconds.
• 29 m.p.g highway use (how truly incredible is that?!)
• Seat choices with a brand new magnesium frame for further support.
• The dashboard is outfitted for better driver connectivity.
• The convertible top mechanics have been enhanced. Drives can use the key fob to lower the top and it moves at a sleek speed of 30 m.p.h.
• Even the steering wheel has been redesigned for a comfortable and smooth feel, it’s also smaller – measuring at 360 mm.

Oh, and not forgetting those 12 modes based on the previously mentioned five configurations. Just to offer a tease on a few favorites:

• The Magnetic Ride Control parameter allows a driver to adjust for shock damping.
• On track conditions will never be an issue when tuning into Active handling. Can work cohesively with the Performance Traction Management feature, for brake intervention.
• Weather gets bad out of nowhere? Merge into Traction control mode to gain control of the vehicle when driving in dangerous conditions.

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is the 2014 Car of the Year with incredible features. From an enhanced body to a more accessible dashboard, the Stingray is the car to have. For the basic model, expect to dig in the savings for about $52,000. For added features and trim packages, expect closer to $70,000 plus taxes. The Stingray is back and it’s taking awards and making its claim in the industry again.

Angelina Bouc

Sources
Automobile
GM
WSJ