2010SS/RS

Hey guys I have a question that may seem kinda dumb but all help and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Im in the market for a used Camaro SS MT and I was wondering about the clutch engagement, everyday livability, and initial take off in the car. I have a friend with a 5.0 and he says it's the best manual transmission vehicle he's ever owned mainly because you don't need to use any gas to get the car moving. Simply clutch in, pit into gear, and slowly release clutch and the vehicle starts to move. I found this very cool and a plus for everyday driving. I was wondering if the Camaro did this also. I'm in the market for a manual vehicle and of course the Camaro is my number one choice so I'd like to know about that info. Also, what has been your experience with everyday livability? Do you regret buying the manual, and if given the choice would you get another say for instance in the ZL-1? Any helpful feedback will be greatly appreciated and any othe information concerning owning the manual version of this amazing machine I'd love to hear. Thanks guys.

km9v

I have an LS3 M6 w/ 13K mi. At first, the clutch took a bit getting used to. It starts to engage fairly quick & very grippy. It's broken in now much easier to live with. It's not like driving a Honda Civic, you're dealing w/ a lot of HP/TQ. If you spend a lot of time in traffic, I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise it's a fun car to drive.

King Moose SS

He pretty much nailed it on the head. The Camaro has plenty of HP and TQ to get off without using any gas if you wanted too. The clutch takes a little bit to get used it, it not as easy to shift as a European comparison, but after driving both 5.0 and SS, I can tell you they're toe to toe with each other, with the Camaro being a little bit more difficult. However, your friend needs to start driving other manuals vehicles before making that statement, there is huge variation in easiness/difficulty. No no muscle car, including the corvette are in the easy range.

Also, the 5.0's skip shift feature is really a nuisance, the Camaro's skip shift is pretty seamless, it guides you into 4th. The Mustangs was annoying because it blocked you from going to 2nd, and wouldn't guide to 4th, so a lot of times I got aggravated.

2010SS/RS

@King Moose SS

I'm sorry I worded it wrong. I didn't mean to say that he ever had but the best new car manual transmission he's ever driven. He's driven classic cars with 4-speeds all his life and had a few imports in between and he says compared to those the 5.0 was best. I mean he learned to drive stick in his dad's 396 Chevelle so the 5.0 is pretty easy. And having to rev up to dang near 2-3k rpm's in the imports he really likes the relaxed feel. I appreciate the feedback so far though, really gathering a lot of useful information. Is living with it on a day to day a hassle for you or was it fairly easy to get used to also? And what recommendations would you have for an aftermarket clutch high performance setup because I plan on doing some road racing and autocross. Thanks.

JakeRobb

If you release the clutch slowly enough, you can do this with pretty much every manual transmission car ever made.

In most newer cars with electronic throttles (including the 5th gen), there is an anti-stall feature which opens the throttle in response to RPM dropping below idle, which makes it so you can let the clutch out pretty quickly and still not stall it.

I have a manual transmission 4th gen. It's my first stickshift car, and I've had it about six years now. After all this time, it's still a blast to drive! With just a couple minor mods, it keeps pace with 5th gen SSes and new 5.0 Mustangs. My other three cars are automatics, but I'm hoping that when the Bonneville dies, I can replace it with something with a manual. Personally, I'll take a manual over an automatic EVERY time if I have a choice.

Inferno X

Yah the stock clutch is a bit soft. I installed a LPE twin disk that took some getting use to.

MetalDragon

I drive mine in traffic and don't have a problem with it. I've got nearly 41k on my 2010 LS3 car and still love it. The car is REALLY hard to kill. I picked it up from the dealership and put about 100 miles on it without killing it once. My wife dropped me off later so I could pick up my 4 cyl S-10 that I'd left there and I killed the truck 3 times leaving the parking lot.

97QuasarBlue3.8

The clutch behind the LS3 is stiff and springy for a production car. It takes some getting used to--the first couple times I drove it, it kinda catapulted my foot backwards and would grab hard. Like anything, it takes some getting used to.

But yes, you don't have to feather the gas to get the car going. Just let it out slow and deliberately and you'll move right along. The 6 speed is geared nicely, so if you're rolling just slightly, you can pretty much engage 2nd gear and take off, after engaging the clutch at just about idle speed.

What kills me is the skip-shift (1st-4th) program. There's a $15 resistor you can plug into the pigtail coming off the trans, and it won't bug you anymore. It's such a moodkill.

Vines986889

Is living with it on a day to day a hassle for you or was it fairly easy to get used to also? And what recommendations would you have for an aftermarket clutch high performance setup because I plan on doing some road racing and autocross. Thanks.