[landshark92]

(For the ease of this discussion, traction control or TC = Stabilitrak and/or performance traction control.)

I'm hoping that some of you may have experience with the traction control systems in the SS or any of the performance traction control systems in the other GM products. I'm in the market for an SS but I have no idea how the traction control responds in its least intrusive mode. Driving one to find out for myself is, as you can imagine, nearly impossible.

I used to be a purist and only preferred to drive with no stability control or traction control at all. That is until I owned a vehicle with a decent performance traction control and now I can't praise it enough, because there is always this safety net there to catch you when your ambition exceeds your talent. At the same time, a traction control that cuts in too early or often spoils a perfectly good car and kills the fun.

If you can describe how it intervenes, like if the traction control cuts the power progressively keeping the car on the edge of traction and powering forward instead of spinning, that would be great. Or is it an all-or-nothing affair, where the TC doesn't do anything until it hits a certain limit and just shuts down all power to keep the car in line. How high is that limit compared to other cars?

Do the different modes react differently? Really, if you can provide any intimate knowledge of the subtle nuances of the system, I would appreciate it because I haven't been able to find this info online, nor are there any videos showing the car in action with the competitive traction control working since this car is so rare. I want to get a stickshift and I don't know if there is a difference in how the TC works in the 6MT or the M6.

Lastly, while it is unlikely that I can drive an SS before actually purchasing one, I can probably drive a newer Camaro SS since they are so much more common. How does the TC in your Chevy SS work compared to some of the newer performance cars in the GM lineup? Are the newer cars more advanced or does the TC intervene in a different way?

I have so many questions because I love this car and I wanna know everything about it before I drop $40k on one.

For some background, I have a BMW 335is and it does have an intermediate setting for the traction control where the limits are higher before it intervenes. It is all-or-nothing in its approach, where it doesn't do anything until the car gets too sideways and then it shuts the party down, abruptly. What would be really enlightening would be if one of you guys owned an E90 or E92 335i or M3 and could compare it to the TC in the SS. It's a long shot but one can only hope. Thanks guys.

 

[iratollah]

This info relates solely to my experience in the SS:
At a two-day HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) school at MSR Houston (2.4 miles, 17 turns), I kept the car in performance mode; I'd not had much experience in the car and didn't want to risk winding up going off track, the grounds were very muddy and I've no tow-hooks.
The result was every instructor and the school owner going out of their way to find me to tell me they'd never seen a sedan run on the track as did my SS with CAI and tune.
The SS has oversteer by design and when the back end starts to overtake the front end, much excitement may result. There were several cars in my group that spun that weekend, mine wasn't one of them. In fact, I think I passed one or two of those cars.

AFAIK, traction control did not diminish my fun, allowed me to drive at my limits, and may have kept me out of the weeds a time or two. I didn't sense an all-or-nothing, but I've no experience with TC in other rear wheel drive cars.
Not sure if this helps, but I'm very, very confident that the consensus here is that you'll not find a sedan that can charge through the twisties as hard as the SS at anywhere near the price point.

White Lion painting a stripe all the way through the turn, I saw 1.3 lateral gees through another turn that day.

 

[speedrye]

I generally just drive with the nannies on nowadays, but I've found the SS to be very similar to the E82 135i I had (supposedly same traction control as the E90). In the most obtrusive SS setting, it'll let you get the tail out about 2'-3' out of line before abruptly hauling it back in for you, just the same as the middle DTC mode in the BMW. The most obtrusive settings in the SS will also allow more wheelspin (before semi-gradually intervening) than the BMW would.

Heck, I was playing with the nannies on this morning. 33-degree rain on cold summer tires allows for a bit more sliding than usual. The more stupid you are, the more abrupt the action. Dive in hard where you have full-intention of spinning and it'll get 4'-5' sideways before angrily grabbing you by the scruff of your neck and putting you back where you're supposed to be. Get just a little askew, and it'll allow it so long as you aren't hard on the gas where traction control cuts in.

I'm sure those that play with the nannies limited or off can give you further insight into those modes.

 

[Blackhole]

The Vettes have the most adjustable TC out of the lot where it readjusts depending on what setting you have in just normal and comfort type settings it's full on Sport I think it goes down by 20% and Track it is almost full off. But I have only dealt with 3 C7's all Z-51's one 2015 being a SC 627 Callaway! have no idea if non Z51's are the same. My 2005 C 6 it was either on or off. I have yet to turn my traction control on the SS totally off as I either forget or the conditions are not that ideal, road condition or weather and temp.

The 2010-15 Camaro's are about the same 2016 is when it was moved to the newer Alfa over the Zeta that the Commadore was made on and then shared with the Camaro. So if you can find an older 5th gen then there is also that option for a rough idea about handling and chassie dynamics just that the SS is 3 inches longer over the Camaro twin everything else is pretty much the same between the two in that regard.

 

[15SuperSport]

The SS has various settings available, from both tc and stabilitrac full on, to tc off and stabilitrac on, to both off, to track mode. If you find the manual version that you are looking for, the performance mode magride setting also includes launch control and torque vectoring.

I drive around in the performance setting of the magride, with traction control off, stabilitrac on. I don't want the car to fall on it's face on a shift when banging gears and the tc kicks in, but don't mind the stabilitrac saving my old, slow a$$ if the back end kicks out in the same scenario. I also much prefer the stiffer steering feedback of performance mode. I will include some pics of the owner's manual describing various settings, along with an in car video from an autocross event at the Goodguys Heartland Nationals. My pedal work is a bit jerky and sketchy at best, but it will give you an idea on what track mode(performance mode stabilitrac, tc button pressed twice) will allow out of the system. I kick the back end out a few times, and lose forward traction a bit to end the session, but the system did not prohibit either and it was not completely off but in track mode. I did get my pedal work smoothed out and end up top ten that day...

 

[landshark92]

Thank you all for the great information. I think this car is what I'm looking for. The traction control system seems pretty lenient, at least enough to have some fun and explore the edge. I'll probably drive an older Camaro SS to see for myself but from the video, the Chevy SS looks like a ton of fun either way, with sublime throttle response.

This is a great forum and I think this car attracts people that really enjoy driving.

 

[landshark92]

I was watching the video and thinking, "Wow, the SS is really peppy!" Then I realized your car is making maybe 40% extra power over stock, all engine. Ya, that'll do it! lol

 

[15SuperSport]

I was watching the video and thinking, "Wow, the SS is really peppy!" Then I realized your car is making maybe 40% extra power over stock, all engine. Ya, that'll do it! lol

Actually that was stock, with a rotofab and a solo axle back. That's just a manual transmission keeping it where I needed it to be. The 3.70 gears in the manual pull hard down low.
Took delivery of the car June 17th, that was 4th of July weekend. A little more time with the hot rod and I may have finished higher than 9th, which I felt pretty good about.

 

[landshark92]

Actually that was stock, with a rotofab and a solo axle back. That's just a manual transmission keeping it where I needed it to be. The 3.70 gears in the manual pull hard down low.
Took delivery of the car June 17th, that was 4th of July weekend. A little more time without hot rod and I may have finished higher than 9th, which I felt pretty good about.

Oh nice, I have a lot to look forward to then! I was a little let down thinking that the car in the video had all your mods. I like what you've done to it, but I live in California and those mods would never fly over here.

 

[Tazman]

Move. I left Commiefornia for Idaho. Just put a CAI and Livernois tune. Waiting for spring weather to try it out. 50 degree days is all I ask for.

 

[good2go]

Oh nice, I have a lot to look forward to then! I was a little let down thinking that the car in the video had all your mods. I like what you've done to it, but I live in California and those mods would never fly over here.

Here's probably the best video of a bone stock SS running on a road course with a professional driver. As you can see, the car's capabilities exceed those of the vast majority of drivers/owners out there. You don't have to mod one to have more fun than you can handle in one.
Enjoy:

Tire Rack SS video with Randy Pobst!!!

Very interesting Tire Rack video with SS and Randy Pobst. Enjoy... I don't care if it's already posted... someone may have missed it, like me! Video at the bottom of the page...

www.ssforums.com

 

[landshark92]

Coincidentally, the E39 M5 is one of the cars on my shopping list competing with the SS for the spot in my garage since they both tick the same boxes. The only M5 that I had a chance to drive was run down even with just 85k miles. The shocks were blown, the paint was still kind of shiny but you can tell the trim was nearly 20 years old, and the engine felt and sounded a little rough. A little part of me died on that test drive when I realized that the old M5 wasn't really a viable choice any more due to how long ago it was produced, unless I wanted to completely restore something (I don't) or willing to pay 50-60 grand for a 20 year old car with super low miles.

That was a nice video btw, I was just smiling the whole time watching it! And then having Randy drive both cars was just icing on the cake!

 

[SilverSport]

while mine slumbers for Winter and we have all this snow, albeit melting and salt...I needed this video again to make me feel better...thanks SO much for reposting this...

Bill

 

[Blackhole]

I still am trying to find any video clip that has Pobst taking the 2014 SS through Willow and so compare the 2? Since it was almost 2 seconds faster.

 

[15SuperSport]

I still am trying to find any video clip that has Pobst taking the 2014 SS through Willow and so compare the 2? Since it was almost 2 seconds faster.

This was five years ago, but I believe there was some discussion/questions regarding what mode the magride was in, whether or not track mode was engaged, etc.

 

[landshark92]

Could it be faster due to the automatic as well? In some tests I read, I know the auto was faster by a tenth of a second in the quarter mile, so the potential is there.