CT5-V Is clutch shudder when engaging first normal?

[hmrh]

At 100f trans temp my 2022 CT5VBW (24k miles) has a clutch shudder right at the point where you are engaging first from a stand still.

I normally wouldn't care for a 600+ hp vehicle but this started happening out of the blue during a casual drive where it was smooth as butter before.

Is this standard behavior that I never noticed before or some kind of issue?

Only thing that has changed is that I got a fresh set of PS4S 1 day before the issue began (first new set since I've owned it). I also think I may have gotten some bad gas but its been cleared up and car is running smoothly but vibration/shudder still appears at ~100f trans temp and is kind of intermittent. Definitely more apparent at slower takeoffs and can sort of get around it by slipping the clutch more with higher RPMs

Car is balanced, aligned, 3k miles on trans fluid.

 

[Kevin0311]

Tire installer burn your clutch up putting in the shop?

 

[hmrh]

Tire installer burn your clutch up putting in the shop?

I actually watched the PDR it seemed like a casual/smooth pull in from what I can tell unless it's possible to fry the clutch within 30 seconds.

 

[sonny200]

Not normal behavior. I have 52k+ miles & have not experienced this.

 

[hmrh]

Not normal behavior. I have 52k+ miles & have not experienced this.

Perfect, will take it in and see what's going on. I’m afraid the dealership will brush it off since it’s not reproducible until the vehicle is really warmed up, have had some bad experiences.

 

[jbawden]

I can get some light chatter depending on the low speed conditions and how I engage the clutch. If I give it a quick rev with the clutch partially engaged it will usually clear it up. Sometimes it feels like the weather/humidity plays a roll, but I just take it as a characteristic of the 6M and it's living & breathing nature. These sorts of NVH issues are partially why OEM's moved away from manuals.

 

[hawk02]

The Tremec TR6060 in my previous ‘17 ZL1 would shudder a little when taking off in first gear when the transmission was fully warmed up on a hot day. Everything I read said this was normal behavior for the TR6060.

OP, what you’re describing is classic low-speed clutch shudder when everything is heat-soaked. On hot days, once the trans and clutch were fully warmed up, a few things stacked the deck against a smooth takeoff:

• High clamp-load clutch → great for holding power, not always silky when hot
• Fluid viscosity thinning in the TR6060 when heat-soaked
• Aggressive friction material that’s more prone to chatter at low RPM
• Slight driveline lash amplified during a gentle 1st-gear launch

Most owners noticed it pulling away from a stop after sitting in traffic, not when cold, and not under hard acceleration.

It is generally considered normal / characteristic, not a defect—GM even acknowledged similar behavior across several high-torque TR6060 applications (ZL1, GT500, Hellcat, etc.). Some people reduced it with:

• Fresh fluid (often switching to GM Dexron HP or Amsoil MTG)
• A little more RPM on takeoff (which kind of defeats the point in traffic

 

[albertw]

How does the fluid in the transmission affect clutch performance? Sure, the clutch assembly is bolted to the transmission but they are separate devices. (For example, in the C5 Corvette the clutch and transmission are separated by the driveshaft.) It seems to me that transmission fluid should have no more effect on clutch performance than does differential fluid or brake fluid.