L99 w/ TapShift

I was under the impression that the L99 was the LS3 just dumbed down to handle the active fuel managment and for the consumer who still wanted the automatic for every day driving.. im fine with it only being rated at 400hp

However, I had my mind up for purchasing the Automatic V8 because of the TapShift feature, my friend has a Dodge Charger SRT8 and it is a very nice feature to put your car in Drive and Tap up or down on the five speed...

After looking at pictures I noticed the Camaro has peddles on the side of the steering wheel?? (Ewww....) That is not conventional at all and im wondering Y they didnt employ how Dodge uses its TipTronic (Am i saying it right?) and just have a slot on the shifter to shift it right or left once in the last Drive option...

i think that takes away from the fun with all that mess on the steering wheel anyway.. do you guys agree??

Thoughts????

the tap-shift on the steering wheel will be very nice, and you dont need to take your hands off the wheel. hopefully the software/programmers come out with a program to make them fully functional.

From what I remember from the summit, Al said it wasn't like current systems out there where if you don't shift by, for example, 5k rpms, the computer takes over and shifts for you. With the Camaro, if you don't shift, you can take the car all the way to redline until you do tap the shifter.

I would think having the shifters on the back of the wheel would be the best spot because you keep your hands on the wheel and click the shifter with your middle finger. Its the same concept IndyCars and probably F1 use (as far as shifter position, obviously not speed)

From what I remember from the summit, Al said it wasn't like current systems out there where if you don't shift by, for example, 5k rpms, the computer takes over and shifts for you. With the Camaro, if you don't shift, you can take the car all the way to redline until you do tap the shifter.

I would think having the shifters on the back of the wheel would be the best spot because you keep your hands on the wheel and click the shifter with your middle finger. Its the same concept IndyCars and probably F1 use (as far as shifter position, obviously not speed)



i hope it works that way, now if i can get the rev limiter raised to around 7000rpm ill be happy

the 6 spd auto in our 06/C6 vette. I'm pretty sure the Camaro will be inedtical.
In the Vette you place the tranny shifter into S. Now you have an option, you can drive the car normally and it will shift through all 6 gears by itself or you can tap the button behind the steering wheel and put it is first and hit the up shift button as you see fit. What I have found is that if you let it shift on it own you can access passing gear. If you use the paddles you will not get passing gear, you will need to downshift with the paddles.
Where I get into trouble is that I'll feel like shifting and I'll come to a stop ( the tranny will downshift automatically). I'll leave the intersection and forget to shift. :) Wife hasto hit me on the shoulderand tell me to shift!! :D

It is not bad but I still like manually shifting better, but seeing as this will be the fammily car and SHE is done with shifting, we will be getting the auto.

I have an 09 Malibu (V6), with the tap shift. If they make it how they made this one it will take some getting used to. to shift up you have to push a button with your thumb to shift up and and pull the paddle toward you to downshift. Im used to it now and i like it alot. My Red 93Z28 is right though.....you can bounce it off the redline forever (or till it blows up) and the computer wont shift for you.

i think that takes away from the fun with all that mess on the steering wheel anyway.. do you guys agree??


lol. like radio controls, phone controls, and other useless junk wasn't enough? I would prefer a simpler design like a rapidfire shifter on a bicycle.

i think that takes away from the fun with all that mess on the steering wheel anyway.. do you guys agree??


lol. like radio controls, phone controls, and other useless junk wasn't enough? I would prefer a simpler design like a rapidfire shifter on a bicycle.

The paddles on the steering wheel are really not that invasive, at least that is the way that they are on the C6 Vette steering wheel...they should be similar on the Camaro as well. Radio controls/cruise control controls on the wheel are pretty useful if they are laid out well.

The paddles on the steering wheel are really not that invasive, at least that is the way that they are on the C6 Vette steering wheel...they should be similar on the Camaro as well. Radio controls/cruise control controls on the wheel are pretty useful if they are laid out well.

Agreed, I like having the radio controls on the steering wheel in my Bonneville, and wish the ranger had them. The back of the steering wheel is the best place to have the paddle shifters, that way you can keep both hands on the wheel and have to move your hands the shortest distance possible.

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7274/c26ky9.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/6572/011zg7.jpg
these are the only pictures i could find

The only thing I didn't like about the GM steering wheel paddles (In the Grand Prix's) was that you had to push away to upshift and pull towards to downshift. I like the Ferrari concept better. One hand to upshift, the other to downshift and everything pulling towards the wheel.

I like the Ferrari concept better. One hand to upshift, the other to downshift and everything pulling towards the wheel.

I believe that is how these will be.

I believe that is how these will be.

Yep!!:yes:

i think that takes away from the fun with all that mess on the steering wheel anyway.. do you guys agree??

Thoughts????
Having driven both...(G8 has a shifter-style tap up/down feature as well)...I have to say I like the paddles better. It's more engaging, imo. You keep your hands on the wheel, and it's just tap-tap-tap...Feels like I'm in some sort of land-jet. :D

And I'm glad they put a proper right-up, left-down setup on the Camaro. The Corvette's push/pull design isn't my favorite....:shrug:

Having driven both...(G8 has a shifter-style tap up/down feature as well)...I have to say I like the paddles better. It's more engaging, imo. You keep your hands on the wheel, and it's just tap-tap-tap...Feels like I'm in some sort of land-jet. :D

:yes:

After being in Ganassi's shop and holding an IndyCar steering wheel, and working the paddles (which work the same way)...it would be really tempting for me to get the auto :D And I'm a die-hard manual guy!

I hope they do the separate paddles option. I agree the C6 is set up wrong with the push pull, first time I drove one I hit the limiter pulling ont he right paddle.

But comparing either of these to the pathetic Auro Stick that Dodge put on the SRT line up is apple to oranges IMO. Dodge still can't get there tub of **** to shift right after how many reflashes? I gave up and kicked our SRT-8 to the curb.

I hope they do the separate paddles option.
No hoping necessary -- it's already been announced that this is the case. :)

I just don't think that the paddles can replace the feeling of jamming the car into the next gear with the stick......should be fun, but I wonder for how long is all....

I have an 09 Malibu (V6), with the tap shift. If they make it how they made this one it will take some getting used to. to shift up you have to push a button with your thumb to shift up and and pull the paddle toward you to downshift. Im used to it now and i like it alot. My Red 93Z28 is right though.....you can bounce it off the redline forever (or till it blows up) and the computer wont shift for you.

No hoping necessary -- it's already been announced that this is the case. :)

I really wish some people would so some reading around here. There were big threads that talked about just this topic.

They will not be like the current paddle set up in the Vette, Malibu/Aura/G6, or any other that use the new three spoke steering wheel. This has a more conventional dedicated +/- paddles located on the back of the steering wheel.

The "Auto-Stick" in the Chryslers as well as some other models is just another way of doing it. IMO, I want to keep both hands on the wheel.

I just don't think that the paddles can replace the feeling of jamming the car into the next gear with the stick......should be fun, but I wonder for how long is all....

Thats why they offer the TR-6060 6spd manual trans standard.

I hadn't read this thread very closely the first time, and so I have some comments.

I was under the impression that the L99 was the LS3 just dumbed down to handle the active fuel managment and for the consumer who still wanted the automatic for every day driving.. im fine with it only being rated at 400hp
The L99 is by no means "dumbed down". The lift on the cam is reduced somewhat, but the L99 is more technologically advanced than the LS3. Along with AFM, it also has variable cam phasing. I haven't seen any dyno graphs yet, but cam phasing should broaden the torque curve a bit, and there's nothing wrong with that! :yes:

After looking at pictures I noticed the Camaro has peddles on the side of the steering wheel?? (Ewww....) That is not conventional at all
In fact, paddle shifters are becoming more and more common on sporting vehicles. In general, column-mounted paddles are preferred over steering-wheel-mounted buttons, but there are lots of examples out there that work more or less the same as the Camaro.

im wondering Y they didnt employ how Dodge uses its TipTronic (Am i saying it right?) and just have a slot on the shifter to shift it right or left once in the last Drive option...
People "in the know" (that is, magazine reviewers who have driven pretty much every car ever) tend to put the Dodge-style setup last on their list of preferred ways to impart manual control on an automatic transmission.

i think that takes away from the fun with all that mess on the steering wheel anyway.. do you guys agree??
No. If you're going to have an automatic transmission, I think paddle shifters are the best option. (I'm a manual tranny guy myself.) If you want it to feel like a manual transmission, you should get a manual transmission. :)

the 6 spd auto in our 06/C6 vette. I'm pretty sure the Camaro will be identical.
We have already heard from GM that it will not be the same as it is in the C6 Corvette.

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7274/c26ky9.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/6572/011zg7.jpg
these are the only pictures i could find


Thanks for posting the pics of my interior. I have never seen the paddles until tonight and I have have been on different forums since Oct. I'm going with the auto for 2 reasons. I have had my knee operated on and I'm over 52 so I don't think the knees are going to get any better. My wife also doesn't know how to drive a stick that well and I live in Dallas so we won't be getting the standard although I may rent one when I go out of town in the future and they have them as rentals because it would be fun driving for the weekend and knowing when my knee isn't going to be giving me problems.

Ill definitely be getting the auto w/ the tapshift cant wait!!

IMO after years of driving an Acura with similar tip-tronic style shifting, and a friend's toyota celica gts with the paddles, I have to say the whole thing sems like a bit of a gimmick to me.

I doesn't really offer any big performance advantage over the standard auto, besides being able to chose the shiftpoints, which when you're going WOT the standard auto I'm sure will shift as close to the rev limiter as is safe. Those of you wanting to buy the auto thinking you will have a 'sporty' feel when you drive I really suggest just getting the sitck shift you may end up dissapointed in a few years and wanting to trade it in... IMO the feeling of driving standard just can't be replaced. I honeslty think that if balls to the wall performance is what's most important to you then you HAVE to get the LS3 with the 6 speed manual.

That being said, if I do decide to buy the 5th gen camaro, I will be buying the auto, but you can be sure I'll be leaving it in automatic mode 100% of the time...

my 2c, I don't mean start anything just giving my personal opinion. If I'm wrong about the automatic in the 5th gen then feel free to correct me since I haven't read much about it...

The automatic would be very handy during autocrossing as you could select what gear you would like when decelerating for a turn so you can come out in the powerband. A typical transmission would keep it in a higher gear, then hesitate as it shifted down when you went WOT.

It does have its advantages. If you do get the automatic, I would suggest trying it at least a couple of times during spirited driving. It would be silly not to at least try the feature.

The automatic would be very handy during autocrossing as you could select what gear you would like when decelerating for a turn so you can come out in the powerband. A typical transmission would keep it in a higher gear, then hesitate as it shifted down when you went WOT.

It does have its advantages. If you do get the automatic, I would suggest trying it at least a couple of times during spirited driving. It would be silly not to at least try the feature.

You`re right that in that case the 'manual' mode would be better than the auto mode but if someone is really set on taking their 5th gen to the autocross track every few weekends then again I strongly recommend getting the stick since:
1) it makes more power out of the box
2) less drivetrain loss from the manual trans compared to the automatic

Again you could argue 'well it doesn't make THAT much more power' and 'a few mods will easily make up for the difference in whp lost through the auto' but already you're behind and having to make up ground to the 6-spd car. Plus how seriously do you think ppl will take you when you show up to the autocross track in your automatic camaro? Don't you think you would miss banging through the gears going around the course?

And now that I've thought about it, I can think of the *ONLY* scenario where I've used manual mode while driving my econobox. It's when I've gotten lazy and have not fueled up in a while and so now all of a sudden I'm running on fumes, I use manual mode to upshift into the next highest gear as fast as the computer will let me to keep the revs low as possible until I can limp into a gas station :p

Again I'm not trying to start a war here, just giving my opinion. There will probably be alot of new young memebers logging in or signing up to this website and who have been awaiting the new camaro for a long time, and some of them might not know how to drive stick but instead of learning they may just lean towards getting the auto with tapshift thinking it will 'probably be the same' as getting the top of the line LS3 with 6-speed gearbox. I'm just letting them know that it probably won't be the same at all so that they are not dissapointed when they line up against one and it leaves them behind at the stoplight ;)

I'm just letting them know that it probably won't be the same at all so that they are not dissapointed when they line up against one and it leaves them behind at the stoplight ;)

The auto is just as fast as the manual to 60mph, and I suspect that once we've had a chance to compare, we'll learn that the auto is quicker off the line (a combination of better gearing thanks to the 6L80E and better low-RPM powerband thanks to the L99's variable valve timing).

Since stoplight races typically don't even come close to a quarter mile, I suspect that the automatic transmission owners who are interested in stoplight racing will be pretty happy with their purchase. :)

The auto is just as fast as the manual to 60mph, and I suspect that once we've had a chance to compare, we'll learn that the auto is quicker off the line (a combination of better gearing thanks to the 6L80E and better low-RPM powerband thanks to the L99's variable valve timing).

Since stoplight races typically don't even come close to a quarter mile, I suspect that the automatic transmission owners who are interested in stoplight racing will be pretty happy with their purchase. :)


Not the mention the skill required to be as fast with the stick as the auto. Which 95% of drivers will not have.

And that the TapShift will allow you to keep both hands on the steering wheel.


I would get the manual though, because that is what I prefer, not because it is superior to the TapShift

i ordered the auto im curious what the tapshift is gonna be like gettin excited i am

I wonder how much wear and tear you would put on the auto if you took it auto crossing. Especially downshifting.