Launch Control: Not Intuitive, Good!

So i thought i had "Competitive Mode" figured out. There's a button, how hard could it be! So you push the button once and it turns off traction control. You push it again and it turns off StabiliTrak. Ok, still there's no competitive mode?

At this point, you push and hold the button, after a few seconds the Information Center says "StabiliTrak Competitive Mode". Ya! There ya go!

So, stop, put it in first, straighten the wheels, put the pedal to the floor. You can tell you have Launch Control because it holds the RPM at just over 4 grand. Ready, set, dump the clutch. Whoooah! It doesn't have enough horse power to get the tires spinning! i need to get a SuperChip. i need a new cam and intake.

Or, you can put the thing in the right mode. With all these button pushes it's easy to see why the "i've got it all" mode is sort of... well... hidden. And, after finding the right mode i can see why they make it difficult to engage.

My good buddy Tim clued me in and i found the secret sauce. If you are going to put it in the real competitive mode i suggest you know how to drive a car like this. Seriously, when you get the right mode it's just you and the LS3 and let me tell you, you get it ALL

This mode is for finishing off your old tires before replacing them, impressing friends or killing yourself. i might suggest you learn to use StabiliTrak Competitive mode for a while. Here you want to let out the first 1/4 of the clutch as quick as you can, a mini dump. Then slow down and ease the rest out, feeling the car and keeping the RPMs around 4 grand. Switching the HUD to show the tack is key here. Keep your eyes on the road idiot! This is probably perfect for 1/4 mile times. At least until you and the car become one with the force.

So let's really launch shall we? To shut the computer off, make sure the car is set like you just started it. Both the traction control and slippery road lights are OFF. Now, press and hold "the button" for a few seconds. Both of the idiot lights will illuminate but the Information Center will NOT give any indications.

Now, you will have launch control like usual, only this time it won't attempt any control at all. It will simply rip the tires off. Donut mode, hehehehehehehehehehe. Me likey. i can see how getting used to this mode will allow you the best drag strip times if you know how to control slip yourself. The upside is in gears above 1st, it will give you all the LS3 can give where StabiliTrak will retard the thing to control slip, taking away power. The downside is that you really have to control 1st gear slip. If you simply dump the clutch you're gonna impress your friends with a cloud of blue smoke and your times will suck. You need to work both the clutch and the throttle position to get a good launch. But if you are successful, you can get all your ponies in a row.

This could be real bad at 112 MPH through the finish line. They made StabiliTrack for a reason. i am thinking that the best times and the safest drive would be entering real competitive mode, launching and controlling 1st and 2nd. When you shift to 3rd, reach down and punch the button. That takes it back to giving the computer full control which you probably want at this point.

Introducing, fun!

Sexy. Powerful. Sleek. Shiny. Fast! Clean. All words that work well for a nice Camaro. me. Usually i'd use words like: Scared. Muddy. Stout. Dirty. Squeaky. Bouncy. Slow. After all this is me too!

So what is a jeep guy doing owning a machine like this! Well, truth be told i'm not all jeep. my life has been a struggle between offroad and onroad driving. Fiero to Blazer to TransAm to Jeep to GrandAm to Jeep to to to to. i've never been able to own both off and on the road. Until now. Enter the 2012 45th Anniversary Camaro SS2.

Finally! Paired with my 2008 JK, a.k.a. The Black Dragonfly, i have the best of both worlds. i hope that everybody holds me to this: i want these 2 cars and these 2 cars alone. i don't want to buy any more vehicles for myself. When i'm tired of the road, grab the jeep. When i tire of the mud, take a shower and fire up the 6.2 LS3.

So, i dedicate this blog to everything Camaro. At least everything to do with my Camaro. i've owned a week now, i feel like i have driven it all over the place yet it still has less than 200 miles. It is planned to be a fair weather friend and also my main transportation from here to Raleigh, NC where work takes me. If you haven't driven one, you wouldn't understand how perfect of a trip vehicle it really is! One guy, one car and all the amenities one could need.

Amenities? Leather seats that hold you and recline enough to sleep in. An awesome radio. Power everything. Heads up display. Bluetooth phone calls. 6 manual gears of fun. Controls all over the wheel. Backup camera. Mirrors that dim headlights. A smooth confident ride at any speed. Launch control. Competitive mode. A 2010 Corvette dressed up in a Camaro suit.

In a word, sweet. i am so impressed. It is truly an honor to own and maintain this vehicle.

So check in now and then for maintenance information and hopefully some great stories.