Hello everyone, I apologize in advance if this has already been asked; however, I did utilize the search function to no avail. My question would be regarding the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Between the 4.3L and 4.7L V8 Vantage, I see that a few software changes occurred when the 4.7L was released regarding the SportShift transmission. With that being said, which is considered to have greater clutch life between the 4.3L and the 4.7L SportShift transmission? I was under the impression that the "software" updates to the 4.7L SportShift transmission were implemented primarily to smooth out shifts and not necessarily to improve clutch life. I would assume that a 4.3L making 380hp would be a little bit less aggressive regarding wear when compared to the same transmission with "smoother" shifting software being applied to a 4.7L with more 430hp and more torque. I am just curious if anyone has owned both and can comment on clutch life for either vehicle. Thank you very much.

 

it appears your question is not reliability but clutch wear, so i will put in my two cents worth on that topic.

IMO, when in manual mode (using the paddles to shift) the vantage sportshift clutch is simply a manual clutch activated with a paddle. as such it is activated when upshifting and downshifting and clutchwear is for the most part proportional to the total number of times one activates the paddles. so to prolong clutch life one should avoid using the paddles as much as possible, particularly when downshifting to a stop. that's about as brief as i can be.

i stand prepared for the ensuing outrage...

 

They are mostly the same thing, software and clutch material was updated thru the usual cycle. If your worries are when or why to replace a clutch thats a bit of a varying question that is up to the driver and how it's used. Just like brakes, tires and fuel economy.

 

I appreciate all of your responses, I suppose the heart of what I am asking would be which SportShift clutch, whether it be in the 4.3L or the 4.7L in the V8 Vantage has a longer service life before requiring replacement. Normally I would assume the newer the better; however, if both of the SportShift transmissions utilize the same clutch material and identical mechanisms of action, than one could assume the vehicle with a lower horsepower/torque output would keep the clutch running longer (the 4.3L). I would like to see if anybody actualy has experience with both and could comment on which clutch lasted longer regarding the SportShift transmission for these two particular vehicles.

 

Only by miles, by then your bored and get another one. However if you have a full tank of fuel and leave at 5am in the 4.7 you will actually arrive 1 hour later than if you were to leave at 4am in the 4.3.

 

it's my understanding that the upgrade in the 4.7 also included a crawl mode at low speeds... it wouldn't surprise me if this could contribute to more clutch wear...

either way the clutch is the weak spot...