2016 5.3 changes?

Silverado-Hareek · March 14, 2016

Were they both the same gear ratios though?

I'm not 100% sure honestly. Would a 3.08 vs a 3.42 (mine) make that big of a difference? This truck felt like my old port injected 2007....you had to almost use the brake to keep it from getting away from you. My 2014 just sits there until I give it gas and then it feels like it's hauling pallets of lumber when you try to get it to move.

Did oyu mean 16 with the 6 speed here? or 15?

My 15 drove pretty much exactly the same as my 14, just.. a little bit better, but thats cos I went from 4wd/3.08 to 2wd/3.42 I think.

No I meant 2015. My point being that I think a change occurred in 2015 with a tuning before the 2016's even came out and that the difference in feel is not related to the 8 speed transmission versus the 6 speed. Plus I don't think the transmission gearing has anything to do with this. An 8 speed versus a 6 speed would just keep the RPM's lower while maintaining the same torque as you accelerate. As I understand the OP, and what I felt personally, this is a throttle response issue with these trucks. 1st gear is still 1st gear but one truck feels like it won't move and the other feels like a rocket you're trying to hold back.

Ridersfan · March 14, 2016

Well, if it's any consolation... I put a diablo i2 into my 2016 5.3L/6 speed and it feels better than a 2014 6.2L/6 speed or 2016 5.3L/8 speed does. Only a 6.2L/8 speed feels more powerful than mine (I get to drive them all, just can't afford them all) and I didn't have to buy top trim to get great pull this way.

LongrangeLauber · March 14, 2016

I'm not 100% sure honestly. Would a 3.08 vs a 3.42 (mine) make that big of a difference? This truck felt like my old port injected 2007....you had to almost use the brake to keep it from getting away from you. My 2014 just sits there until I give it gas and then it feels like it's hauling pallets of lumber when you try to get it to move.

No I meant 2015. My point being that I think a change occurred in 2015 with a tuning before the 2016's even came out and that the difference in feel is not related to the 8 speed transmission versus the 6 speed. Plus I don't think the transmission gearing has anything to do with this. An 8 speed versus a 6 speed would just keep the RPM's lower while maintaining the same torque as you accelerate. As I understand the OP, and what I felt personally, this is a throttle response issue with these trucks. 1st gear is still 1st gear but one truck feels like it won't move and the other feels like a rocket you're trying to hold back.

Yes, the gearing will make a pretty noticeable difference, if I got into a stock truck 5.3/ 6spd with 3.08 and then got into a stock 5.3/ 6 spd with 3.42's I could tell the difference, especially while towing

Silverado-Hareek · March 14, 2016

Yes, the gearing will make a pretty noticeable difference, if I got into a stock truck 5.3/ 6spd with 3.08 and then got into a stock 5.3/ 6 spd with 3.42's I could tell the difference, especially while towing

So the 3.42 would feel a little more bogged down? I feel the difference without towing on a completely empty bed. So just the weight of the truck itself.

LongrangeLauber · March 14, 2016

So the 3.42 would feel a little more bogged down? I feel the difference without towing on a completely empty bed. So just the weight of the truck itself.

No, 3.08 will make the truck feel like it has no ass compared to 3.42's. 3.42 is a lower (higher numerically) gear so it will pull harder off the line

Silverado-Hareek · March 14, 2016

No, 3.08 will make the truck feel like it has no ass compared to 3.42's. 3.42 is a lower (higher numerically) gear so it will pull harder off the line

Ok so then the 2015 loaner I had was either equal to my truck or it was the 3.08. Either way it felt like it had more get up and go.

I will say though I'm used to my truck and it doesn't really bother me as a daily driver. But when I hop into a loaner every now and then I can feel the difference.

I need to eventually bite the bullet and just get a blackbear tune and be done with it.

darkfox1 · March 14, 2016

Yea, I have an efi live device and I've considered talking to black bear about tuning thisone to see if someone would PLEASE remove the pillow from atop my gas pedal, but I dunno.

Ya know in 15 days of ownership I've had my truck 11 and their loaner 4.. so I'm kinda starting to think they should redo the paper work and let me have this one and they can have their broken lemon back.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · March 14, 2016

Ya when it comes to trucks, the higher the # (lower gears) the better unless you go too high to not be practical on the interstate and making the RPMs jump up. Mine has the 3.08s and I remember hauling a couch with recliners and I felt it back there. I had a 98 Z71 with 3.73s and I wouldn't have felt it at all. I plan to regear as soon as I can. At least to 3.42s, but prefer 3.73s if I can find them for the axles I have.

Imcrazy · March 14, 2016

For instance the 4.3 w/ a 3.42 is rated to tow around 7k lbs, ( I think 6800) the 5.3 w/ a 3.08 is rated to to around 6500, ( I think 6600) so a 3.08 with a 5.3 is very similar in power, felt or other wise as the V6 w/ a 3.42. IMO GM is ripping guys off by giving them a less capable truck w/ the 3.08/5.3 combo and charging them more than a 4.3/3.42 combo. When I got my first truck it was a 4.3 / 3.42 and it felt like it had just as much guts as the 5.3 w/ a 3.08 I test drove those two back to back. Now that I have a 5.3 w/ a 3.42 I'm pretty happy, if I wasn't afraid of warranty issues I'd tune it a little bit like ridersfan said he did w/ his. Also I feel like if you put 89 or 91 octane in the tank you get a little better performance. Too bad GM didn't hook up us 2016 LT buyers w/ the 8 speed to go with our v8's

darkfox1 · March 15, 2016

I think they limit us for fleet average fuel econ or something.

I had a loaner ram 1500 v6 and it would JUMP off the line and was great around town. I went and test drove a hemi expecting it to be a beast in comparison.. it was a louder bark in what felt like a smaller dog. Not exciting at all, but juts like this.. dodge re-gears for the hemi (I think it went from 3.42 or some to like 3.23 or lower when you add the v8 on the build site.)

if I had my way 3.73 would be standard in every truck with 4.10s optional. I dont care how many "speeds" you throw at me in the transmission, you're juts making me shift more to do the same work a good set of gears will do.

Try bumpre to bumpre in those new 8 speeds.. NOT fun. or stomp on it in the 8 speed you shift shift shift shift and shift some more. It's kind of obnoxious.

hotrodz37 · March 15, 2016

Well, if it's any consolation... I put a diablo i2 into my 2016 5.3L/6 speed and it feels better than a 2014 6.2L/6 speed or 2016 5.3L/8 speed does. Only a 6.2L/8 speed feels more powerful than mine (I get to drive them all, just can't afford them all) and I didn't have to buy top trim to get great pull this way.

What tune settings did you install? I have one and haven't come across a good combo I like yet. Thanks in advance!

Ridersfan · March 15, 2016

Diablotune, I run 89 octane mid-grade in it, 15% throttle boost, TM off, DOD off, speed limiter off. Stock timing settings and tire/gearing sizes

HondaHawkGT · March 17, 2016

I don't think the 8 speed has anything to do with it. I drove a '15 with a 6 speed that smokes my '14 from a dead stop. I think they changed the tuning.

I've been wondering if GM neutered low end power and throttle response for the 2014 & 2015 5.3 trucks as a safeguard due to the 100k mile/5 year powertrain warranty. Now that the powertrain warranty for 2016+ vehicles is only 60k miles, they might have tuned the trucks a bit more aggressive. Probability of mechanical failure and powertrain longevity are calculated using statistical analysis and used when creating the factory tune.

The gear ratio spread on the 8L90 is great though:

1 - 4.56

2 - 2.97

3 - 2.08

4 - 1.69

5 - 1.27

6 - 1.00

7 - 0.85

8 - 0.65

7.0:1 overall spread

6L80:

1 - 4.027

2 - 2.364

3 - 1.532

4 - 1.152

5 - 0.852

6 - 0.667

6.04:1 overall spread

The 10-speed is on the horizon too:

The LT4 is backed by a standard six-speed manual transmission or all-new, available paddle-shift 10-speed automatic. The 10-speed automatic has 7.39 overall ratio for smaller steps between gears. It enables the LT4 engine to remain at optimal rpm levels during acceleration, particularly when exiting corners, for quicker laps and lightning-quick responses on both up- and down-shifts.

This is the first Chevrolet application of the new quick-shift 10-speed, with unique calibrations and hardware developed exclusively for the ZL1. By the end of 2018, GM will introduce the new 10-speed automatic in eight vehicle models.

http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2016/mar/nyas/chevrolet/0316-camaro-zl1.html