"Blue Devil" News: Test Details Roll In

[Dave A]

Easier to get hold of for you, not for me . The Vette's a great sportscar that's very capable on the track and I'd rather a Vette than a track day car because you can't really use a track car day to day, there's just car's I'd rather than the Vette.

 

[Famine]

Well quite - but in the UK the other cars are much easier to get your hands on than a Corvette, and the chances of any of the 8 people a year who buy Corvettes taking one onto a track ever is...

Errr...

Apparently you can't divide by zero.

 

[Elegy]

Easier to get hold of for you, not for me. The Vette's a great sportscar that's very capable on the track and I'd rather a Vette than a track day car because you can't really use a track car day to day, there's just car's I'd rather than the Vette.

Still saving up for that Sagaris, are we? 👍

Well quite - but in the UK the other cars are much easier to get your hands on than a Corvette, and the chances of any of the 8 people a year who buy Corvettes taking one onto a track ever is...

Errr...

Apparently you can't divide by zero.

Fortunately for myself, it's not that tough in the U.S. That said, you've got some great homebrewed machines to pick from.

 

[Dave A]

Still saving up for that Sagaris, are we? 👍

No that dream is not happening any time soon if ever by the time I finally am able to get one the replacemnt will be out that's if I get one, I'm sort of content at the moment as I am not working much and spending a lot more time with the missues and getting more job's done round the house and just generally slowing down the pace of life a little. I've not done any work for 3 month's except my part time job, I've been ill on and off all year it sort of left me not bothered about things, so cash flow has gone tit's up for spending large sum's of money on one thing. So a new car anytime soon isn't happening, I'll have to make do with the Bora and 306, not that I'm complaining, I like both of thoes cars.

 

[Elegy]

No that dream is not happening any time soon if ever by the time I finally am able to get one the replacemnt will be out that's if I get one, I'm sort of content at the moment as I am not working much and spending a lot more time with the missues and getting more job's done round the house and just generally slowing down the pace of life a little. I've not done any work for 3 month's except my part time job, I've been ill on and off all year it sort of left me not bothered about things, so cash flow has gone tit's up for spending large sum's of money on one thing. So a new car anytime soon isn't happening, I'll have to make do with the Bora and 306, not that I'm complaining, I like both of thoes cars.

Er...that wasn't meant to be wholly serious. ^^; Sorry to hear about your illness, though. Been there quite a bit.

 

[Dave A]

I know, but hey, like I said, I'm actually really contented at the moment, I needed to slow down and I'm well on the road to being 100% again. I've been able to think about things more as well, even if I hadn't got ill and stopped working as much as I was, would buying such an expensive car have really been a good idea, when although I was making nice ammounts of money, it wasn't a steady income and it was dependant on me working my proverbial off, which no doubt had a part to play in my getting ill in the first place. I will one day own a TVR, I've set my heart on it, but realistically it's probably going to be a second hand one, probably a model that's not come out yet so probably not for at least a year as well.

 

[Elegy]

Yeah, that's the spirit!

 

[YSSMAN]

Howd the Z06 fair in the Gumball this year? I havent found any of the results as of yet... I think it was team 76...

 

[opendriver]

Ariel Atom.

How much would one of those run for?
Ive seen what the car looks like and what it can do, topgear said it was faster than a 911GT

 

[Elegy]

How much would one of those run for?
Ive seen what the car looks like and what it can do, topgear said it was faster than a 911GT

To get one here costs about 50,000 bucks, and I don't believe many places import the things. In Britain, it's about 29,000 pounds.

 

[Onikaze]

I could be mistaken, but isn't the DB9 auto only?

I mean, Astons are sexy and all, but what the hell is the point?

 

[Elegy]

I could be mistaken, but isn't the DB9 auto only?

I mean, Astons are sexy and all, but what the hell is the point?

I think you can get a DB9 with a semi-auto paddle shifter.

 

[YSSMAN]

...I think you can get a 6-speed manual in the DB9, otherwise you are using a 6-speed ZF automatic. The only sequential-manual that Aston Martin offers is available in the Vanquish, but it isnt nearly as good as those found in VAG and Ferrari products... Kinda like BMW's SMG and Maserati's Cambrocasia (sp?) setups, decent, but sloppy...

 

[Elegy]

...I think you can get a 6-speed manual in the DB9, otherwise you are using a 6-speed ZF automatic. The only sequential-manual that Aston Martin offers is available in the Vanquish, but it isnt nearly as good as those found in VAG and Ferrari products... Kinda like BMW's SMG and Maserati's Cambrocasia (sp?) setups, decent, but sloppy...

Really? I could've sworn I saw a paddle-shifter DB9 on Aston Martin's website. Must've been a Vanquish cockpit and my memories just ran together...

 

[YSSMAN]

No, they have a paddle-shifting automatic similar to what is available in the Corvette (Aston did it first however). It is still the same ZF you would find in everything from a Jaguar, BMW, etc. but instead to manually shifting from the console, you can shift from the paddles as well.

The system works out pretty good according to Car and Driver, but the transmission overheated a few times when they tested all of the supercars last fall. They were in the California/Nevada badlands, and it was 104 degrees, but hey, the Mercedes-Benz unit in the SL65 held up just fine...

 

[Jay]

The Aston Martin Vanquish uses a Tremec T56 6 speed gearbox with a electro-hydraulic control system for the paddle shifter.

Good old T56.

 

[Elegy]

No, they have a paddle-shifting automatic similar to what is available in the Corvette (Aston did it first however). It is still the same ZF you would find in everything from a Jaguar, BMW, etc. but instead to manually shifting from the console, you can shift from the paddles as well.

Oh, yeah, that's right...there's a setting labeled "S" on the shifter for the automatic Corvette, and that's where you need to put it (instead of "D") to activate the paddles. Can't believe I forgot about those...

 

[Poverty]

If I had a DB9 id want a auto box. Its a car for cruising, not for taking down to the 'ring.

 

[Dave A]

Cruising or not I never wanted or wished to use auto in any car. You are right that a DB9 is not a trak car and never should be considered as being supposed to go xx quick, it's damn quick enough mind.

 

[Rogue Ssv]

The DB9 is a car for going to nightclubs, drinking wine, and picking up girls. I would take an automatic or manual alike. But isnt this thread on the Z06 Blue Devil? We're going on a tangent. If I was buying an M3 or 911 I would'nt settle on anything but a paddle-shifter manual. I think the DB9 is strange though, because its apparently 'the 911's best competitor' (besides maybe the Cayman S) but its a few $ten thousands more expensive, and its for cruisin', while the 911 is (more) for racing. They should make a DB9GT or DB9RS or DB9-R or DB9S or something with weight reduction, bodykit, and special rims and engine mods, like the 911 Turbo S or GT3 and offer it ONLY with a paddleshifter manual.

 

[Poverty]

Cruising or not I never wanted or wished to use auto in any car. You are right that a DB9 is not a trak car and never should be considered as being supposed to go xx quick, it's damn quick enough mind.

Why? What if its a maybach or bentley?

 

[Dave A]

I wouldn't be driving if it was a Maybach, and I'd buy a DB9 over a Bentley. Driving without shifting is less entertaining, simple as, I simply do not like driving automatic's as much as manuals, it's a dulled experience weather I'm cruising or not. I'm not anti-automatic, I can understand why some people would prefer to cruise with one, but I wouldn't.

 

[Poverty]

I just find it myself to be annoying having to constantly change gear whilst driving in the city or town. Plus if Im in a weak engined car its alot easier to stall when trying to get a eye full of the honeys.

 

[Jay]

Plus if Im in a weak engined car its alot easier to stall when trying to get a eye full of the honeys.

If your properly used to the manual then that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Dave A]

Stalling because your eyeing up the honeys has nothing to do with throttle and clutch control, and for me, stalling never been a problem, it was mainly a problem in winter in my Ibiza whan I had that a couple of years ago, starting it up on aa cold day usually meant having to rev the engine higher than normal at first, but that wasn't really an issue either. In town, if your speed's that low you should be in first gear, regardless of the power of the engine. changing the gears comes naturally to most people who drive a manual very quickly, usually during thier lessons. It's not a hard thing to do, in fact it's rather easy.

 

[Famine]

The DB9 is a car for going to nightclubs, drinking wine, and picking up girls. I would take an automatic or manual alike. But isnt this thread on the Z06 Blue Devil? We're going on a tangent. If I was buying an M3 or 911 I would'nt settle on anything but a paddle-shifter manual. I think the DB9 is strange though, because its apparently 'the 911's best competitor' (besides maybe the Cayman S) but its a few $ten thousands more expensive, and its for cruisin', while the 911 is (more) for racing. They should make a DB9GT or DB9RS or DB9-R or DB9S or something with weight reduction, bodykit, and special rims and engine mods, like the 911 Turbo S or GT3 and offer it ONLY with a paddleshifter manual.

The V8 Vantage is the 911-level car.

 

[Poverty]

Stalling because your eyeing up the honeys has nothing to do with throttle and clutch control, and for me, stalling never been a problem, it was mainly a problem in winter in my Ibiza whan I had that a couple of years ago, starting it up on aa cold day usually meant having to rev the engine higher than normal at first, but that wasn't really an issue either. In town, if your speed's that low you should be in first gear, regardless of the power of the engine. changing the gears comes naturally to most people who drive a manual very quickly, usually during thier lessons. It's not a hard thing to do, in fact it's rather easy.

Its because of the transition from a good quality car to a crappy car. For example when you drive in a good quality car, under normal driving you wont hear the engine, however in a crappy car because its a weaker noiser engine, and because it has alot less sound insulation the car makes loads of noise when pulling off. Now because im used to not making noise I try to drive crappy cars like that and tend to stall because im too easy on the throttle. I just try and avoid looking like a chav in a crappy car revving the nuts of it but not going anywhere, especially infront of girls.

 

[Dave A]

Then don't listen to volume, listen to pitch, it's the pitch that gives you the biggest hint of your rev's besides looking at the rev dial if your car has one, my Bora has one but my 306 doesn't and the 306 is a loud car, but again, I have no problem shifting at the correct rev's. I've never had a problem with this, like I said, the biggest problem was my old Ibiza in the winter, that would try to cut out on a cold day for the first few mins you started it up, but an automatic wouldn't have prevented that. And btw, when your in a sound proofed car, the people outside don't benefit from the sound proofing in the cabin, it's still noisy to them so despite what you hear, it's probably no louder to people outside the car, unless it's a diesel.

 

[Onikaze]

I go by the old saying I heard.

Real men drive stick. I would never forgive myself if I paid $100,000 or more for a car with an Automatic, even if I had just hit the lottery for 100 million dollars, I'd feel like too large of a tool to do it, cruising can be done in a stick just fine.

 

[YSSMAN]

...Now I wonder if GM will attempt to do the DSG/SMG/F1 deal with the Blue Devil, maybe as an attempt to tie it with the LeMans winners....?