Chevrolet Corvette improves fuel economy with new 8-speed automatic


The Chevrolet Corvette is getting an eight-speed automatic transmission for 2015, which will help bump its highway fuel economy to 29 miles per gallon.

Compared to the previous six-speed automatic, that translates to an improvement of 3.5 per cent, or 1 mile per gallon. Engineers have reworked the transmission, which also appears in the Cadillac Escalade and eventually the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, by moving the transmission’s electronic controls and relocating the oil pump to the transmission’s sump.

According to Automotive News, Tadge Juechter, the Corvette’s chief engineer, says they could have squeezed 30 mpg out of the Corvette by adding a few more pounds of air pressure in the tires, but that would negatively affect the car’s ride and handling characteristics.

Designed and built in-house by GM, the eight-speed automatic is also lighter than the outgoing six-speed and includes tweaked electronic solenoids, which essentially translates to faster shifts than many dual-clutch gearboxes in its competitors.
