No-lift Shifting in the Camaro ZL1

No-lift shift isn’t new to GM. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS and HHR SS had it, the Buick Regal GS and the Cadillac CTS-V have it, but the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 wears it best.

Imagine you’re at a drag strip. You put the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 stability system into Race mode, inch up to the starting line until you fully stage, then put your right foot flat onto the accelerator pedal to turn on launch control. After the engine figures out what rpm to launch at, you ease your foot off of the clutch to go. The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 charges forward, the tachometer’s needle approaches redline, and it’s time to shift. This is usually when you’d take your right foot off of the accelerator pedal, push the clutch pedal in with your left foot, shift into second gear, raise your left off of the clutch, and slam your right foot down onto the accelerator pedal again—but that’s not what’s going to happen this time.

With your right foot firmly planted on the accelerator pedal, your left foot hovers just above the clutch pedal. Then you start to push down it. For a second, every muscle in your body tenses off as you imagine obliterating the supercharged V-8 engine or the 6-speed manual transmission by doing what you’re about to do. Then you remind yourself that this engine is tuned for no-lift shifts. If you don’t use the feature, the supercharger won’t maintain boost between gears. So you ram your left foot down onto the clutch pedal, there’s a loud blat from the exhaust, your right hand yanks the transmission into second gear, and you get your left foot off of the accelerator as fast as you can. The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 surges forward, completely unscathed. Ditto for the next two shifts. As you cross the finish line in just over twelve seconds, you realize that the accelerator pedal has been on the floor since the start of your quarter-mile run.


Info from: Camaro5.com

2012 ZL1 Camaro Take Two

2012 ZL1 Camaro

The 2012 ZL1 a supercharged LSA V-8, borrowed from the Cadillac CTS-V. Producing an estimated 550 hp with the actual output of the original and 550 lb ft of torque from the 6.2 liter beast, this burly Camaro is seemingly built to tear up drag strips rather than road courses. A short-throw, six-speed Tremec manual transmission.

ZL1 Camaro Rear

 

ZL1 Camaro Upgrades

Interior ZL1 Camaro

ZL1 Upgraded Seats

Supercharged 2012 ZL1 Camaro Engine

ZL1 Camaro Engine Bay

The ZL1 comes stock with the beefed-up driveshaft and differential with asymmetrical half-shafts; the latter twist fat, 305-width ZL1-specific Goodyear Supercar F1 gumballs. The 20-inch forged wheels are 10 inches wide in the front and 11 in the rear, but the overall wheel and tire package is 22 pounds lighter than the Camaro SS's narrower 20-inch setup. It is estimated the ZL1 will cover the 0-to-60-mph run in four seconds flat, while 0 to 100 mph should be accomplished in 9.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.5. Two piece Brembo rotors, measuring 14.6 inches in the front and 14.4 in the rear, and six and four piston calipers are the centerpieces of the braking system. Like the the Corvette models drivers can choose between Tour and Sport settings. The ZL1 also marks the introduction of a new electric power steering system. Weight is said to be about the same as the Camaro SS's, which puts this Camaro at 3900 pounds.